Skip to main content

Guitar Lessons

I started taking guitar lessons a few weeks ago. I have been playing guitar for like 7 years, but after learning the basics 7 years ago I have never taken the time to practice, so I decided now was the time to learn some new stuff (plus Nicky gave me the time as a Christmas present...woohoo!).

So, I walk in to my first lesson in this tiny little studio and there is a young guy (maybe about 19-20) with long greasy hair, he is sitting there with his black electric guitar (with whiteout all over it and a few band stickers). He just kind of says hi and then plays a quick little solo (about 5 notes) on his guitar. His guitar is not plugged in so you can barely hear it. He says, "so today we basically (6 note solo) need to find out (8 note solo) where you are at (25 note solo)." So I start to tell him a little bit about where I am at, I show him a little on my guitar. He sits and listens, seeming antsy, when I am done, he plays a little solo on his guitar, and says, "OK, sooo (8 note solo - looks at the clock 20 mins left in the 30 minute lesson) what should we do now (strum, strum). Do you have any questions (5 note solo) for me?" I can't think of anything for a while, and there is this awkward silence, only broken by the odd 6-7 note solo from his unplugged electric guitar. I ask him, "so how did you get in to teaching guitar?" "Well (7 note solo), last summer my parents told me that I needed to either get a job or move out (strum strum), so I looked in the paper and saw this job (6 note solo), I like playing guitar so I applied and got it." "Oh," I say...this was comforting, because I really didn't want to be taught by someone who actually wanted to be there. The rest of the lesson went painfully long and slow and we never really did anything.

A week later, when it came time to go, I decided to give him another chance (actually, Nicky encouraged me to stick with him for at least one more lesson). This time he did have a bit of a plan and then the next week, he started teaching me what he called an old song from the 80s. You can't beat 80s music, especially for guitar. So, now I am rocking, "I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight" by the Cutting Crew, thanks to my new favourite guitar teacher. I am starting to see a real future with this guy, he's a great teacher...8 note solo (by me).

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Mark said…
Wow! Glad to see you gave the guy another chance, your wife is a wise woman. Enjoy your lessons.
7:36 am
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Should I Bring Jesus to the Poor?

I met this young lady who works for an inner city organization that works with children. She has been working there for 10 years. She said one thing in particular that really struck me. She said, "I used to think that when I came to the inner city to work with these kids that I would bring Jesus to them, but when I got here and started working with them, I started to realize that Jesus was already here." It struck me because I think that we middle class people (not just Christians) think that we should go into the inner-city and "rescue" people from their situation. We often feel as though we have all the answers and they have everything wrong. Is it possible that it is the other way around? Is it possible that people who live on the streets...those who don't worry about tomorrow, those who are not obsessed with money or material possessions actually have something to teach us? I think so. So in response to the question, "Should I bring Jesus to the po...
2 comments
Read more

Does it Surprise us When Homeless People do Something Good?

There was a story that caught my attention a little while back in my city. At first I was happy about the story because it isn't often that homeless people are painted in a positive light. Here is an excerpt from the story: Faron Hall, 44, was given a medal of valour by Mayor Sam Katz at a ceremony not far from the riverbank where Hall often sleeps. Hall saw a boy fall into the river last weekend and dove into the chilly, fast-moving water to pull him ashore. Now the man who has been homeless for about seven years has become the talk of the town. I was excited to see that people would see that homeless people have heart, courage and respect for their fellow man. However, when I saw the same thing on the national news a few days later, as the story seemed to take off around the country I began to wonder...is it really that surprising to us? Is it so shocking that people who live on the street care about people? In the time I have spent around homeless people that is the thing t...
5 comments
Read more

My Work Against Homelessness

I have been thinking quite a lot about homelessness (over the last two years especially) and have come to all kinds of conclusions about myself and the things that I (and the church) need to do in order to help people who are in that situation. I have been involved in a few organizations who work with homeless people and met with many people to discuss what I/we should be doing to help. I finally discovered something very important that I can do right now. I am reading t his book called Bent Hope which is a really interesting read. The author is a Youth Worker who works with young people who live on the streets in Toronto. He walks the streets and hangs out with them and helps when he can. He basically just tells the stories of his encounters with people and talks a little bit about what he has learned from them. I am loving it! So, I know what I am supposed to do to help homelessness. In his book, pretty much everyone he encounters he mentions how they come from a family situa...
8 comments
Read more