How I started playing guitar

My sister and I would go to see my dad every other weekend. While we were there we would love to listen to him play a song we know on guitar and sing to it. I was absolutely intrigued by his talent. I asked him one day when I was there how does one play the guitar. I was about 6 at the time. All I remember understanding from his long explanation was that there were chords you had to memorize. I tried out the chords and failed miserably. I gave up because it was way too hard for me to understand or to play because of my small hands. Even though I came to the conclusion that I couldn't play, I still loved seeing my dad play and I wanted to be like that.

I was shopping with my mom and grandma one day in the 6th grade and I saw a random blue acoustic guitar. I don't know what it was that caught my eye, but I absolutely loved the guitar. I wasn't looking for a guitar and I didn't have the thought of trying guitar again before this, but all I could think of is that I wanted that guitar. I showed my mom and she said that she wasn't going to pay for the guitar. I wasn't surprised. But my grandma said she would pay for it. I was shocked and I didn't know what to say. My mom said that was fine with her. I was so excited! I felt like the coolest kid walking out of the shop with my new, blue acoustic.

As soon as I got home I started playing some random notes that sounded horrible, just to get a feel for playing. I didn't have any way of learning yet, but I had a strong dedication to get good at playing the guitar. I couldn't pay for guitar lessons, so I just bought a book to hopefully teach me how to play guitar. I studied that book hard with my guitar in my hands. I practiced what the book told me to a lot. I put in many hours to learn guitar. Eventually I got to the chords that my dad taught me 6 years earlier… And I could play them this time! I took a moment to see how much I have improved and I proudly formed a big ol’ grin on my face from the improvement.

I kept practicing and getting better at what I learned, and eventually I could play one song after another once I learned more chords. I was almost where my dad was in playing. In high school I joined my band in youth group and learned a lot more stuff that the book didn't teach me. I went from that band to another when I joined teen CBS. At this point I could play most of the songs from top to bottom when I first saw them. I am proud for what I have learned in guitar. I used my dad for a role model to be as good as him on the guitar. Now I can do what he has done and play great songs to make good music. 

My favorite Instrument(s) to play

It is way too hard to pick what my favorite instruments to play are. Because I play so many instruments in the marching band and concert band, I will have to choose a list of my top 3 for the school band.

Tenors: I like the tenor drums because you read a melodic line. There are 4-6 drums (depending on what drum line you are in and what tenors you use). The drum line I marched in had 5 different drums that made up the tenors. It was challenging but fun once you got to learn the music. Switching between whichever drum you hit may involve a crossover or a sweeping motion. The tenors were nothing like any other instrument I have played in the line.

Snare: The snare drum is pretty easy in the concert season and marching season. The snare drum only reads one line, unlike the tenor drums. The snare drum focuses on rhythm rather than the melody. Marching with the snare drum was fun because we played with traditional grip. Traditional grip is where you hold the stick in your left hand so that you would play on a side angle, rather than a flat drum. The concert snare drum would have a regular grip and would usually be an easier rhythm compared to marching snare music.

Bass: The bass drum makes all the good beats. In marching season, the bass drums would start a beat to a cadence, and then the rest of the drum line would add on different parts to make a really good sound all mixed in together. In my drum line we marched 5 bass drums, each with a different pitch. These were called “split” basses. The bass drums would also read a melodic line, like the tenor drums. Since one player plays one drum, it would be a team effort to all play different parts where they add together. The bass drums were just a cool instrument to play.

Playing in a "rock band" setting, I prefer playing drums over guitar. I actually don’t play the drum set, but I play a cajon, or a drum box, for a smaller setting. This box has a snare (springs) at the top to make a sharper sound. If you hit more in the middle, it creates a lower sound, like a bass drum. You can get multiple different sounds from the drum depending on where you hit on the drum and the way your hand or fist hits the drum. It is a lot of fun making up your own beat, rather than playing what is written in the music. I think that the chords in a song for guitar are too repetitive. I like mixing the music up, and I can do that with the drums.

My music history

Music all started for me back in the 6^th grade. Actually, I was close never even being in band. Kids could decide if they wanted to learn an instrument in the 5^th grade. I was interested but I didn't know what instrument I wanted to play. I waited too long and it was then too late to be in band by the time I was going to pick. All of that year I regretted hesitating and not signing up to be in band. I thought I wouldn't ever get to learn how to play an instrument in school

I moved to a different school the next year and we found out we could join band for the first time there! I was so excited to have another opportunity to be in band. I was still nervous to join when I knew nothing about music and other kids have been playing an instrument for a year. I thought “what if I can’t catch on as fast as they do?” I asked my parents what I should do and they said I should go for it if I want to do it. So I did. I ended up really liking band that year. Later in that same year I slowly taught myself how to play guitar.

I learned to love music and I really enjoyed playing in the band all through middle school and high school. My favorite part of band was marching season in high school. I marched the snare and tenor drums in my high school band career. My senior year I was drum captain. I got to make the calls and figure out cool ways to make the drum line a lot of fun. I had a blast. I got to drum upside down, teach sweet visuals for a drum off, pick out a great new cadence, and a lot of more great things. Senior year was my favorite year of school just because of band.

Most recently I am playing guitar and drums in a band. We meet every Thursday night at 5:30 to practice and then we preform 3 songs (2 new songs every week) that night at 6:30. When our music coordinator is out of town I usually take over practice. This band is really nice because it’s laid back and there isn’t any pressure. We are all familiar with what we do and how to make the piece of music sound good. It is easy, but it is still a great way to keep playing music with others every week. Playing music has been a huge part of my life.

Why I Chose Music

The reason I chose music to blog about is because music has been a big part of my life. I started playing music 7 years ago. Since then I have actively been involved in band in high school and I taught myself how to play guitar. Being in band, I played music every day. I was fortunate to be able to play so many pieces of great music and so many different types of it. I listen to a lot of music in my spare time. It is fascinating how music can make us feel. For example, listening to classical music may calm us down. Listening to rock or screamo may get our adrenaline going and wake us up.
 If you think about it, music is important in a lot of aspects. Movies would not be nearly as engaging or dramatic without any music playing. Everyone has seen those movies where something sad happens and a slow, depressing song starts up to really set the mood. Or when a hero comes back successfully doing whatever they were doing and you hear the heroic music playing. Imagine a famous scene in a movie without music. It just doesn't have the same effect.
 Composers of music can really express their feelings into a piece of music. I've played music in band before and my band director reads why the composer wrote this music. I can feel what the composer feels just by hearing the tone of the music set. I like to really examine music when I listen to it. I like to look for time changes or key changes. I always ask myself: Why did the composer write this or add this certain thing? I really appreciate music and my life would be much different if I didn't have music to play or listen to.