Not only does June mark me for officially getting old, somewhere in the later end was when I first started playing guitar around ten years ago. Guitar wasn't my first instrument, but this doesn't make my "actually being a musician"stance any further extended. Before starting to learn guitar I would only play simple melodies and chord progressions on a keyboard that I didn't in any way understand aside from recognising a tune. That was the early days of training my ears without knowing. It wasn't until I started to learn guitar that I started to understand structure and learn full songs.
My dad brought me my first guitar in June 2007; an acoustic solutions 3/4 size strat copy. It was more than enough to learn with as I taught myself open chord positions for the first six months, prior to starting lessons at school where I was taught power chords and the pentatonic scale. This was around the point that I learnt my first full song on guitar, Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends." It wasn't until my first year at college (10/11) that I learnt barre chords properly and was introduced to other scales and modes to memorise. Everything seems a blur after this point, to which now I can just pick up a guitar and play... most things.
Bass is a different story entirely and sort of happened by accident. Naturally, the ability to play guitar is a transferable skill when it comes to playing bass. In standard tuning the notes are the same, it is its the positioning that differ slightly because of the thicker strings and larger gaps between the frets. It felt easier at first since there are less notes and less chance of playing chords, but it can easily become much more straining on your hands and fingertips. It didn't take long to adapt. I felt a bit forced onto it at first since there were too many guitarists on my level 3 course, so someone had to step up (or step down) and play bass and that someone was me. Learning to play bass forced me into learning scales and arpeggios more sufficiently so I was able to play walking bass lines without too much thought. I do remember playing Olly Murs "Dance With Me Tonight' and enjoying it a little too much.
I've missed a lot out, I know I have. There's a lot more to learning an instrument that just practicing at home and I believe a lot of the real stuff; the real musicality, comes out when working in a band setting or ensemble of some kind. Where each instrument has its function and its own fundamental right and value and when everything works together, harmoniously it can be a magical experience. Not every band practice is like this with the odd mistake here and there, but when everyone is in tune with each other as well as the instruments, great sessions like these are key to musical development. I've certainly experienced a few this year.
I do remember all those that have taught me and had a lasting impact, starting with Kristina Troke who first introduced me to the the instrument and the basics before I owned a guitar of my own. Emma Priestly, my encouraging school music teacher who unfortunately left me in the dark. My very first guitar teacher Richard (Who's last name I don't think I've ever know), Nick Alexander (my teacher through 08-10) who supported in doing my first ever performance with another of his students. Andy Scoffin (lessons through 10/11) for the generous amounts of Hendrix, Van Halen and ACDC tabs, immense musicianship, inspiration and helping me perfect my techniques with his sometimes harsh criticism, and more recently this year, allowing me to work with his students. Kirsty Proctor, (10/11) for showing me the odd thing here and there during my first year at college and generally being awesome tutor and role model (Minus the Guinness), Dmitry Fedotov (10-13) for helping me grasp that vital link between music theory and guitar playing and more inspiration. It would be rude not to mention Nick Redfern, who took the time to help me further with music theory after exploring modal functions (12/13) and then this year has furthered my development as a guitarist though improvisation sessions and the opportunity to perform with him. I quote him to summarise, "Music is a partnership."
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