Money, Money, Money

            At the beginning of this project I thought I wouldn't need to buy anything or spend any money because my youth pastor Russ graciously provided me with a guitar and even a case for it. What more do you need to learn to play guitar other than a guitar? Well it turns out you need more than you'd think and when you add it all up you realize that playing guitar is actually quite an expensive hobby. Especially if you want really good quality stuff. Just ask Daniel. So what else do you really need?

            Well first off you need a tuner. This is important if you want your guitar to sound nice and in tune. You can probably get an app to use instead but I like having a real physical one. Luckily Russ had one already so I didn't have to buy one for myself.

            Second of all, technically optional but most beginners will use them, are pics. There's lots of different kinds and some are better quality then others, but I just use what Russ gave me in his case and I think they work just fine.

            Thirdly, very important if you want to play any actual songs is a Capo. Many people who don't play guitar have no idea what this is and while I did know what it was before hand, I didn't know how important it is. A capo holds down a whole fret so you can play a song in a different key using the same fingering you would if it wasn't there just slid down. This unfortunately, Russ did not have when he gave me his guitar. So I will have to buy one myself if I want to play most songs. I'm hoping to find one that's around $20 because Daniel said I don't really need one that's more expensive than that.

            There are also lots of other things people buy for their guitars that are not necessarily mandatory but help keep the guitar in good condition and are useful to have around. These include guitar polish, cheese cloth for polishing, a guitar stand, extra strings, and a winder/string cutter. These are all helpful things to have but I don't think I'm going to worry about getting any of them yet.

Much Knowledge, Very Guitar, So Music, Wow

                One thing that has become very clear to me recently is the importance of having someone who has a lot of knowledge of what you're learning and knows what  they are talking about. Whether it's an instrument or really anything else. I had this realization when I was attempting to figure out a song on my own as I was practicing at home. It had a new chord, a B minor, but it showed me right on the website that I was on how to do that chord so I thought "Perfect! No problem. Who needs Daniel when you've got the internet."

                It wasn't until my next session with Daniel when I realized how untrue that was. I told him that I was having trouble doing B minor because it's tough to get my fingers to hold down the right strings. As I tried to show him he said "Well I know your problem. That's not B minor. That's not even a chord." I tried to protest saying that was what the internet said and he just shook his head and said "You can't believe the internet. The internet lies."

                So he showed me the right way to do B minor and while it was still hard to do, I realized that Daniel was a much better resource than the internet. I need someone who has real knowledge and experience to teach me and answer my questions if I really want to be a good guitar player. And there's always more to learn. Daniel was able to give pointers to a few different people on I.C.E who had been playing a lot longer than me. Some had even learnt lies from the internet just like me. Luckily Daniel was there to correct them and even luckier, he'll always be there to correct me. His knowledge and natural musical talent will be very crucial in the success of my passion project.