My name is David. I enjoy music, and have wanted to learn how to play the guitar since the early 1980s. I know. A long time ago. I have been continually moving since those years. I am an Air Force Chaplain. Retirement will be here before too many more years, and I would like to have learned how to play this instrument. Over the years I have sung in choirs and played the trumpet in community bands. My primary hobby is amateur radio, and my favorite mode is Morse code (CW). I have been working on the two notes A & D for the past week. A is okay. D is not working. I own an acoustic guitar.
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Welcome to the forum David
Welcome, David! I am also from San Antonio (Timberwood Park area), and made a half-hearted attempt to learn the guitar in the early 80s. Didn’t even last long enough to build callouses. I made a concerted effort to learn starting about 4 years ago, and have kept it up.
It will be interesting to hear where your guitar journey takes you, as mine was all over the map with respect to instruments and style of music.
I hope you enjoy your guitar journey as much as I have, and thank you for your service!
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I live in Alamo Ranch. Some background. This is my third assignment to SATX. The first time I lived in Woodlawn Lake area. The second time I was in Alamo Heights. And, this brings me to Alamo Ranch. Of the three, I liked Alamo Heights the best. Driving distances were good. Lots of things to do nearby.
My guitar journey. I like John Denver-type music. I can’t imagine learning this instrument well enough to pick individual notes, but I would like to be able to smoothly play this type of music well. BTW, I watched John Denver play a 12-string guitar, picking the notes, and it was amazing.
I’ve been to Alamo Ranch once when I drove someone home from church who locked her keys in her car!
At least 1604 is a decent drive now!
Do not underestimate what you will be able to do. I quickly learned that I love finger-picking, and am now mostly playing classical guitar. Find the music and style of playing you love, and go for it!
P.S. I started at age 56.
I’ve been inactive, but when I’m on HF, CW is my only mode. I’ve got to get myself back on, because the solar flux numbers are up so band conditions should be good. 73 de KB9RM.
I was at two parks today (Parks On The Air…POTA). First park I used my QRP radio with 3 watts. Second park I used my QRO radio with 50W for CW and 80W for SSB. Yes, by all means, get your radio out of storage. I practiced guitar for 15-min (first wee…fingers hurting), enjoyed some ham radio CW therapy, returned and have done two other 15-min sessions. Time for the final one now. vy 73 de David AE4LH
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Welcome to the community, David. It’s perfectly normal that your fingers are hurting at the moment. But it will go away in no time 
I had a schoolmate in the 1990s, who was into amateur radio and have been talking with a big amateur radio fan here in Finland as well. Is it still so that what is most fun is making contact with people as far away as possible?
Welcome to the Community David. 
Hi David ,
Welcome and I wish you a lot of Fun 
Greetings,Rogier
Welcome aboard, David!
Wish you loads of fun on your guitar journey! 
Cheers - Lisa
Absolutely! Using a homemade transceiver, and only 3 watts going into a 5-meter telescopic antenna, I was out in the field – just outside of the San Antonio, Texas city limits – and made contact with a station on the southeast coast of Japan! The operator reported my signal as very weak, but the signal was heard! Fun!! On another day I made one voice contact and one Morse code contact with Australia! Those were with a standard radio and 80 watts, but the same antenna.
Thank you for your support for the fingertips!
Hi David, welcome to the community. You already have a lot of skills that will help you learn to play the guitar. You can sing and play a musical instrument. Your skill in CW morse code will help in picking up more complicated rhythms. I earned novice and general amateur radio licenses back in the 1970s and had to learn Morse code, though I don’t use it now. But I know that you can hear a rhythm like Daah Di Daah Di Daah Daah Di Daah and instantly hear CQ (the international code for calling all stations). You’ll find that you can pick up guitar strumming rhythms by ear in the same way. Keep going in Grade 1 and when you finish Grade 1 you should be able to play John Denver’s Country Road, which you can find in the Grade 1 song lessons. Have fun learning guitar and preparing for a fulfilling retirement.
Thank you, Steve. I agree with you on how CW will become a transferable skill set for learning the guitar. Work has been keeping me exceptionally busy so far this week. I am not moving forward until I get the A and D combination under control. Not perfect, but usable.
Hi David, welcome. Good you started your guitar learning. With practice those fingers will know exactly how to behave and place in the exact position you need them to go as if all your life you had known it. Have fun.
Hi David! Welcome to the community! I too live in the Alamo Ranch area- in the Del Webb community to be exact. I’ve been playing for about 10 years and consider myself an advanced beginner at best. Currently reviewing stuff in Justin’s Beginner Level 2 and working through Intermediate 4.
Best of luck on your guitar journey!
Mike
David welcome into this place like the song says
That’s cool the chaplaincy and the Morse code is cool too if it’s that motivating to you. I would rather communicate in the Native language of the people I meet, but I always wanted to become a HAM aficionado since my Boy Scout days.
I only get to volunteer as an Endorsed Community Service Chaplain and for a while I was my community college’s chaplain. But I stilll have no other experience that comes close to the music learning and communicating it to others.
When you retire, what are the plans? Especially musical…?
Nice to meet you
Alex