Leaderboard

I love playing guitar for many reasons. Grandpa bought my 1st Kay in 1959. I learned chords to play along with dad in the kitchen. In 1966, my dad bought a Chet Atkins Home Studio Album. I was turned upside down, 10 yrs. old in love with Chet's style. I discovered the Beatles and rock music, and then I went to college in 1975 and played country/bluegrass. One of my buddies who had taken lessons from Joe Pass showed me some chord progressions and I got bit by the jazz bug. I just loved it. I went to seminary and became a pastor and played worship and gospel music. I've attended CAAS in Nashville for several years and my fingerstyle playing improved 100%. Since 1997, I've been playing guitar for a gospel group called Singing Churchmen of Okla. In 2003, our group was invited to tour Sydney Australia and played the Sydney Opera House. I'll never forget the sound check there. I played classical gas and a Tommy Emmanuel tune. That was awesome experience that I would never have dreamed of in my life. I'm writing this (too long I know), but hopefully, some young kid is holed-up in his/her room holding their guitar and dreaming. I would encourage all guitarists at any level to discover the "gifts of Steve's instruction" and eat and sleep with it. Hopefully, and prayerfully, the guitar will become your friend and with the good Lord's help, it will take you around the world. That's why I love to play guitar! Sorry for being too wordy. Pastor Randy Parker

I am learning guitar as a means to express myself, my feeling and emotions, through music. When I first picked up a guitar many years ago, I just wanted to repeat songs that I liked...that only lasted a very short time. I decided that I wasn't musically inclined and quit because I couldn't play like Eddie Van Halen after a couple weeks of trying. Now as an adult, I love to see musicians play with passion and feeling. The desire to translate my feelings and passion into music is what drives me. I've been using the L&M Guitar course for a year now and supplementing with the Blues Guitar course. I appreciate the music theory that Steve provides in the courses...I am a "Why?" type of person...I have to understand the scales and the layout of the guitar to understand why each note is used in each instance. With the instruction I am beginning to build a foundation from which I can develop my personal style of playing. Through this I hope to be able to express myself through music, in addition to being able to play songs that I enjoy.

Hi all, this is my first foray into uploading a recording it may or may not work (any tips please for the best way to upload from SoundCloud much appreciated). This is a bluesy sounding tune from my son's classical guitar preliminary grade book called Tirando Blues. Again this is also my first foray into actually recording a song, so I'm learning on the way. This was recorded, according to my limited budget, via Behringer Guitar Link plugged into my laptop and recorded into Audacity software😀 https://soundcloud.com/user-460436639/tirando-blues/s-bGzJy

I play everyday because I love it. Thanks to Steve's instruction I continue to improve beyond my wildest dreams. Ten years and still playing guitar.

An hour along, my monthly acoustic jam had lost its vibe. Two guys were playing their guitars so timidly I could scarcely hear them. The other was a talented newcomer, but curiously nervous and hyper. No one else knew his songs, so as he played them, the rest of us gradually dropped out, leaving him and the bass player to finish his tunes. We meet in a tiny art gallery that occasionally draws a visitor or two while we play. I was heaving a sigh when two young women entered, pushed in their wheelchairs by their attendants. May we listen, they asked. Of course, we said, as we welcomed them. The attendants parked their charges next to me and pulled up seats. The women in the wheelchairs were severely disabled. I smiled at them as my heart ached. They couldn't smile back, but I sensed that they understood their surroundings. One extended her arm, reaching for the bass player, trying to touch the source of the music. I turned my chair to face them. It was my turn to pass out a song. As usual, I was overstocked with ballads. I need something upbeat -- okay, this will do, I thought: Bad, Bad Leroy Brown. Let's start a fight, I cheerfully announced, and kicked it off. I nodded to my jam mates and played for the new arrivals. What they heard or felt, I had no way of knowing, but the song got through. I could tell; don't ask me how. They lingered for another couple of songs, then their escorts said goodbye and wheeled them out. I fumbled with the music on my stand. For a few brief minutes, these young women, mute and immobile, lit up the room. Or so it seemed, from my chair.

Why do I play guitar...hmmm. Well let's see The love of music has to be number one. The challenge of learning, which for me has been a life long pursuit, would be another. When I'm playing and practicing, it's a chance to do something just for me, and escape for a while from the pressures of life and business . I think of nothing else while doing it and relish the moment. Hopefully when I play, others find it enjoyable too. One of the nicest things about learning guitar is you can take it as far as you wish. Now I've been at it a while, and beyond the "beginner" stage, there's still so much more to learn, and this propels me forward. I hope to be doing so as long as God gives me strength. I hope you do too. All the Best; N

@matonanjin Thankyou... appreciate the kind comment. I'm acutally remixing the tracks with a different amp model that has a decent jazz tone (and others) . It's has an odd name but it's FREE, simple to operate; VOXENGO BOOGEX https://www.voxengo.com/product/boogex/

Neil, I think that word for word you have expressed my feelings. The only thing that I could add is, at the beginning (66 years old, 5 years ago) I had the luck of joining the Guitar Gathering (L & M). As Steve guides my journey, I am constantly helped and encouraged by a group of devoted and really nice members. Thank you all. Henk

I started playing guitar when I was 9, playing at school assembly. By the time I was 14 I was part of a group leading worship at our church, making lots of mistakes but learning a lot at the same time. I play for the pleasure it brings me and those that benefit from my playing, whether that be on stage entertaining others or in church, leading others in sung worship. Of all the players Steve has introduced me to through the live lessons, I would love to meet Will McFarlane as there is something about his attitude and playing that I feel I identify with, although being in Europe I doubt I will get the chance.

I started playing, because one of the teens in my youth group wanted to learn to play. So, we started having a portion of time set aside for everyone to pick up an instrument to learn it. We had guitar, bass, keyboard and drums. One of the teens plays for a worship and praise team now doing bass. I'm still progressing and learning. Rocksmith and Bandfuse allowed me to learn in an interactive way, and helped to make it fun for the teens. Now I'm learning with L&M Guitar to help learn how to read sheet music and more fundamentals. I play now, because I just enjoy playing the guitar. I might play with the worship team at times on Bass, and a little guitar. For the most part, I keep to playing at home for the enjoyment of it.

I play guitar to share the joy in my heart.