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Hi, my name is Scott and I live in Southeast Michigan. I played a lot back in the day but put it down completely about fifteen years ago. I played mostly electric and very little acoustic. I am not sure why I quit playing, I think I lost interest because I was not interested in the newer music I was hearing. I think that happens to most of us as we grow older, we like what we grew up with best and it goes out of style. I just turned 54 so you can probably guess I grew up with 60s-70s and I liked mostly rock-n-roll then - classic rock it's called now. But I also have a wide interest of music styles and always wished I knew some really good acoustic pieces. I know bits and pieces of a few but I never had the finger-picking ability and never worked on it. I am completely self-taught, never had a lesson (except from hanging with other players and passing the guitar back and forth) and I never learned how to read music (thank goodness for tab)

Fast forward to now. I suddenly got the bug to play again. A ran into a friend of mine I used to play with back in the day and he had an acoustic guitar sitting there in the case (he is a keyboard player and doesn't play guitar at all) and he handed it to me to check out. I was appalled to discover I couldn't remember a thing and even what I could remember I could not play. Totally disgusting and embarassing! I think that is what brought the bug to play back. I can't let it end like this.

So I went out two weeks ago and bought a new Martin OM-1 and have been struggling to play it. I don't have any calluses any more and need to build those up again - plus I didn't realize finger picking (which I am trying to learn now) caused blistering on that right hand too. I am playing through the pain I also have something else now I never had to deal with back then - arthritis! Wow can that be a pain!

I currently am trying to work on learning three new songs from scratch which I love but never learned to play. Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven and James Taylor - Fire and Rain and You've got a Friend (that one I just started but may never get because my hands are small and I can't get the switch to the C-chord and still have the open D - my finger won't get off it to make it clear. Nice tune though, really nice. In between learning these I am also of course trying to remember and play the things I already know. I do know a little acoustic pieces that I was taught by friends years ago and still love - even though I struggle through them I still enjoy it a lot. A couple are pretty hard - at least for me.

Anyway I thought I would try learning everywhere I could and I ran across this site trying to find lessons for those songs. It looks like this site has a lot to offer and a lot of nice people in the community. Thanks for listening

Hi Scott,

Great introduction and cool story. You'll fit in real well here. Everyone is here to help and have fun.


Welcome from Massachusetts

Bob

Scott, You are right. This site has so much to offer and the community is so supportive. Have fun rediscovering your lost passion!

Dave from Utah

Thanks for the kind words Bob

Thanks Dave. I am really enjoying the rediscovery. And checking the site out.

Hi Scott, generous intro there ... I played on and mostly off for a very long time.

One time I realized I hadn't played for close to a year and I when I tried playing I was so disappointed ... it was no fun at all, where I knew there should be real joy. Scared me so much, I realized I had come close to forever losing the ability to play guitar.

So your comments hit the spot.

The water's fine here, jump right in and splash all you want in the forum (but we do try to control our bladders).

Pierre

Ha, too funny Pierre! Yeah 15 years is a really long time to take off and it is indeed very discouraging. But I do find that even though my brain doesn't remember stuff -- the fingers somehow do. What I mean is if I try a song I haven't played in a long time (which is all of them now lol) I will get to a point (quickly) where I cannot remember the next bit. But miraculously, if I just start it over from the beginning -- when I get back to that part again the fingers somehow automatically get a little further into it. That is very weird how subconscious plays such a big part in it all.

Hey Scott welcome from Australia. Very nice intro mate, great that you took the time to really tell us a bit about your background. I think that you will find a lot of music here that suits your taste and one hell of a good teacher to show it all to you. There's much to be learned from fellow students also.

Hope to see more of you on the forum.

HI Scott from Chas in New Zealand, great intro,that story has been made by so many of us here so you will fit in well with the team.

dsmarion wrote:

Hi, my name is Scott and I live in Southeast Michigan. I played a lot back in the day but put it down completely about fifteen years ago. I played mostly electric and very little acoustic. I am not sure why I quit playing, I think I lost interest because I was not interested in the newer music I was hearing. I think that happens to most of us as we grow older, we like what we grew up with best and it goes out of style. I just turned 54 so you can probably guess I grew up with 60s-70s and I liked mostly rock-n-roll then - classic rock it's called now. But I also have a wide interest of music styles and always wished I knew some really good acoustic pieces. I know bits and pieces of a few but I never had the finger-picking ability and never worked on it. I am completely self-taught, never had a lesson (except from hanging with other players and passing the guitar back and forth) and I never learned how to read music (thank goodness for tab)

Fast forward to now. I suddenly got the bug to play again. A ran into a friend of mine I used to play with back in the day and he had an acoustic guitar sitting there in the case (he is a keyboard player and doesn't play guitar at all) and he handed it to me to check out. I was appalled to discover I couldn't remember a thing and even what I could remember I could not play. Totally disgusting and embarassing! I think that is what brought the bug to play back. I can't let it end like this.

So I went out two weeks ago and bought a new Martin OM-1 and have been struggling to play it. I don't have any calluses any more and need to build those up again - plus I didn't realize finger picking (which I am trying to learn now) caused blistering on that right hand too. I am playing through the pain I also have something else now I never had to deal with back then - arthritis! Wow can that be a pain!

I currently am trying to work on learning three new songs from scratch which I love but never learned to play. Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven and James Taylor - Fire and Rain and You've got a Friend (that one I just started but may never get because my hands are small and I can't get the switch to the C-chord and still have the open D - my finger won't get off it to make it clear. Nice tune though, really nice. In between learning these I am also of course trying to remember and play the things I already know. I do know a little acoustic pieces that I was taught by friends years ago and still love - even though I struggle through them I still enjoy it a lot. A couple are pretty hard - at least for me.

Anyway I thought I would try learning everywhere I could and I ran across this site trying to find lessons for those songs. It looks like this site has a lot to offer and a lot of nice people in the community. Thanks for listening

Hi Scott,, AH you discovered all ready a great thing what the site can offer you and there are a lot with the same age and music love(style) and you played fro many years so you do know chords,,you can go through all the free stuff but i must honestly say that the TARGET programm is the place to be,i think there are hundred of songs from the 60/70 etc,,very detailed lessons,many finger/pickers,, a nice style also is the chord/melody playing(just strumming and pickout some melodynotes),,when you have question well fire them away in the forum and room service will be there for you,,try it out..wish you the best on revisiting your guitar yourney and get hooked.

Willem from Holland( Netherlands)