What's in a Guitar Lesson?

It's a familiar story, kid wants to learn to play the guitar and parents say no they don't have the money for lessons. At least that's the way it was for me when I was growing up.

Hi, my name is Ken. I am the youngest of four and when my oldest sister wanted to play the guitar my parents bought her an electric guitar and amp. Well that lasted about two weeks, at that time I was too young to know much about playing music much less playing the guitar. I do remember the noise though. That guitar amp had several synthesizing buttons and a cool lever on it that did some kind of reverberation thing with the sound. My parents ended up having to sell it for a loss.

Next my other sister wanted to play in the school band and my parents bought her a clarinet. Boy was that some head knocking sound she was playing but I she persevered and did make the school band. And through Junior High School and High School she played in the band. I even think I saw a picture of her at my parent's house in her uniform. Heady days to be sure.

Next my older brother wanted to join the school band and play the tuba. My memories of him with that tuba were any kid brothers dream. That thing seemed to rap itself all around him and made him look like some kind of space alien. I couldn't help it but I had to make fun of him. After all what are little brothers for anyway? Needless to say His tuba playing lasted about two weeks and again my parents had to sell the thing for a loss.

Now it was my turn. I wanted to play the guitar. But I wanted to play the acoustic guitar not the electric guitar. Know what my parents said? You got it. "We aren't going to pay for another musical instrument and lessons just so we can sell it later at a loss. So I was shot down. My dream of being another singing star was crushed unceremoniously. But I didn't give up. I got a summer job and bought myself a classical guitar and a chord sheet and started to learn each chord one at a time.

My fingers just didn't want to go in those positions on the guitar frets like I wanted them to. I thought I would never get that chord change down. I also found that my rhythm wasn't what it should be. But that didn't stop me. I eventually learned to play a few songs that were popular at that time. A few friends thought that was cool which made me cool. But you know I never really mastered playing guitar the way I had envisioned it.

Now I believe that if I had been given those guitar lessons I may very well have been a classical Guitar playing great. OK maybe just a very, very good Guitar player. I really only wanted to play the Guitar to impress my friends. If I would of had a good Guitar course when I bought my first Guitar I would have gone a whole different place with my playing.

You know what? I don't think I'll leave this childhood dream left unfulfilled. I'm going to go and string up my old classical and start strumming again. Just maybe now I'll really play that old guitar like I always wanted to. Here's to Dreams and Guitar Lessons.