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The 40-Year-Old Music Virgin

Over the past 20 years, I've gathered enough knowledge to play a decent repertoire of famous songs on the guitar. But that's it. My musical "skill" is quite limited.

I equate myself to a cook who knows dozens of recipes, but only those recipes. I'd rather be a chef who can invent and improvise something that isn't already on the menu.

I want to play more than songs. I want to play music. I want to become a GUITAR CHEF. So... I'm re-programming myself and learning music theory from scratch.

This blog will document the highs and lows of my re-education process.

  1. Day 145: "Picking" up where I left off...

    by , November 9th, 2012 at 01:38 AM (The 40-Year-Old Music Virgin)
    One of my biggest obstacles over the past 20 years has been guitar picks!

    Picks felt foreign and unwieldy right from the get-go. I didn't feel as connected to the instrument and it was easier to lose track of my strings. So rather than work hard, develop skill and master the pick, I became steadfastly opposed to their existence. I would lobby about the unnecessariness of picks to anyone who would listen. In hindsight, this was an obvious self-defence mechanism. I was only fooling ...
  2. Day 27: Reflections on a clean axe...

    One of the easiest and most expensive ways to motivate yourself and practice more is (you guessed it!) buy a new guitar.

    Justifications for the investment:
    • you can't wait to pick it up and hold it
    • you want to play it non-stop
    • it's more comfortable/easier to play than your current guitar
    • it provides a better tonal range for expressing yourself musically
    • you haven't purchased a new guitar in almost 5 years
    • this is the Summer you turn 40
    • you recently received a
    ...
  3. Day 1 - Taking inventory...

    Acoustic guitar? Check!
    Chromatic tuner? Check!
    Picks of various shapes and sizes? Check!
    DVD-based guitar learning program? Check!

    Some backstory: last year I received Gibson's Learn & Master Guitar as a gift. It's a high-end product in this saturated market and emphasizes music theory as much as technique. Plus, L&MG was already an established thing before Gibson funded some reshoots and attached their brand to it. Vote of confidence, right?
    ...