I started playing guitar in 3rd grade. I was 9 years old; very young and very eager to please my mother. She decided, or saw something in me, that led her to believe that I had talent. Bless her heart for that.
Sally Bennett was my teacher's name. I think she reluctantly agreed because I was so young. I don't know how my mother found Mrs. Bennett, but I am glad to this day that she did. My guitar has helped me through some very tough times, and it's a constant reminder that I can do something well. I have that if nothing else.
I remember piling into my step-sister Jill's V.W. bug and riding off to my lessons. I don't know that Jill was fond of me or of having to take me to my lessons, but she did it without complaint.
During each lesson, I would sit in a folding chair across from Mrs. Bennett, with one of those old nickel-plated music stands between us. On the stand was last week's lesson, and a copy of this week's lesson. I was a very awkward 9 year old, as most children that age are; still trying to figure out how their little bodies work and so on. My fingers just barely reached around the neck of the guitar in order for me to form the chords in each week's lesson.
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| My first guitar - Yamaha-c40 classical guitar, nylon strings |
The other thing I distinctly remember was the sound the nylon strings made. The nylon strings of a classical guitar, although softer and easier on the fingers, give the guitar a sort of softer sound when strummed. Also because they tend to be thicker than their folk counterparts, they are more of a challenge to press against the frets. I recall the deep burgundy color of those nylon strings and strumming them made me feel like a true musician! It was magic... or, well, soon it would be magic. Those beginning chords that I struggled with were killers.
One of my first performances was in my own 3rd grade class. I was incredibly nervous! The first song I learned to play well, meaning that I was able to switch between chords quickly, was Silent Night. It had three beginning chords: A, D, and E seventh. I am sure it sounded like nothing, but to me it meant I was a musician... a rock star!
I still have my second guitar, a gift from my mother and step-father, Russell, and it too is a Yahama. I have semi-retired that one as it is 40+ years old. My current one is a Takamine Jasmine, consequently the same model that I gave my son on his 12th birthday. He seems to enjoy playing very much because he and some friends have formed a local band here in Portland, Autistic Youth.
I still offer guitar lessons, and the method I use is the same simple one I learned many years ago, by example.
