Hello there, and welcome to 'guitarathome'. If I'm right, you've got a guitar in the corner of your room or office, and you may even be looking at it right now. That's how keen you are, or were. You've been playing the guitar for a few years and right now you think you've come to a dead end. See, I know you already...and this is how.
When I'd finished my first book, 'The Guitar, My Way', my brother-in-law, Robin, (who is a dab hand with computers and has his own marketing company) said, 'You've got to have someone in mind, a target for your product'.
I thought for a while. "Yeah, I have". I remembered the number of people, men and women, who have arrived at my door for guitar coaching (I prefer the word coaching to teaching). Yeah, I already had a pretty good idea of who I'd be aiming at.
I imagine the guy who's got an old Martin leaning against the wall of his office, or the guy whose battered old Fender is lying on the sofa, and both of them feel the same way, they feel they have nowhere left to go on their beloved instruments.
Of course I'd disagree with them, but at the same time I hadn't thought of my book as a product. You see, I like teaching and have done all of my life. In a round about sort of way it reminds me of what I could easily be starting to forget. It keeps jogging my mind on the basic elementary stuff, and it also reminds of where I came from.
And that was many years ago in Birmingham, England, sitting with my old second hand Spanish guitar, slaving over books, teaching myself how to read music. And at seventeen years of age giving my first classical concert, then getting a job in music shop, discovering the electric guitar (and learning how to play it. Wow, so much easier on the fingers), and then turning professional at the age of twenty.
But I still like to see the look on a student's face when I explain that, "the scale of the key we're in will fit over the six related chords with no danger of mistakes (unless you actually play a wrong note)". It's usually a look of total confusion because in written words it all looks confusing and technical, but on playing together for a while and listening to the results it soon becomes obvious to them, and they often just break in to a smile. The look on their faces when I play some chords (I usually wander around the key of G) and they play their first 'solo' is priceless. It's worth everything to me. Passing my gift on to other people gives me pure pleasure.
By the way, the memory of that old second hand Spanish guitar is from well over forty years ago, and that guitar still hangs on the wall of my home here in Spain.
This letter is an open invitation for you to drop by any time and take what you want, and by the way, if you've got any requests, why not email me? Depending on copyright I'll see what I can do. There might be a tune that you've always wanted to play but you're not too keen on the key of F# (who is?), no problem. I can change the key and make it playable into the bargain.
So don't be shy, you have no excuse, my website is free. I'll be building it up as the weeks go by, and I'll be building it up with your help and with you in mind. Tell me what you want.
Remember, I play all styles, but don't go mad with the modern acrobatics, you can find that in any guitar magazine.
I'm aiming at you, the 'home' guitarist.
Hear from you soon... and just pick that guitar up and play it for a few minutes, have a look around my website, you'll find something here for you, be it music, tips, a bit of history in the 'articles' section, or just browse through the lessons. Whatever you do, have fun, John.
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