onemarathon

i think the key must be to just TRY. you can’t just make the balance happen. once we get to a certain age, life isn’t just about having fun. bills, home, debts, career, income, family, social… plus all of the little details that pop up on a weekly, if not daily, basis. i go thru spells where i get a lot of necessities done, then i want to go to the other end of the spectrum and just goof off, having fun for too many days, and ignore the paperwork, etc. then back to some serious stuff. is that OK? sometimes i will do a little of both each day, rewarding myself for getting a NEED taken care of by then giving myself a WANT (a movie out, order a pizza, a new CD, whatever).

i’m pretty much totally self-taught on guitar. it can be done, but it takes self-discipline. lessons are fine if that’s what you want and need. my parents wouldn’t get me lessons when i was starting out, so i just bought a few beginner’s books. they were good up to a point. then a guitar wiz friend showed me a few things, including how to play by ear – by learning to play along with recordings. that takes work, but now after nearly 30 years on the instrument, it’s fairly easy. i can now figure out most of a song within the first listen. i’m not a great player, but decent enough to be able to play some of my fave songs. my advice: learn a few easy songs early on, to keep yourself interested and motivated. and keep up with the theory. i wish i had learned more theory way back, but now i have no interest. i don’t play much nowadays, but occasionally i’ll whip out the acoustic or plug in the electric. FUN!

i’d love to be able to play my favourite jazz and classical songs on piano. i am self-taught on guitar, but with very little theory. that won’t really help with piano, though my strong ability to play by ear might be useful.