I know this is no surprise but yes, guitars make music. All kinds of styles, wood configurations, string types, headstock shapes, acoustics, electrics, rock, pop, reggae, flamenco, classical, jazz, blues, you name it, it is being played.
What a wonderful world of styles we have to share. The funny thing is, is that no matter what style a musician plays, we are always envious of someone else’s style. We are sometimes and somewhat satisfied with the type of music we play. And some of us play it to its fullest. But, like for me, I have always been partial to the sounds of a Spanish Flamenco guitar.
So why not learn the gig? Funny, I always say “some day” but that day has not arrived yet. Currently in my band we play a lot of heavy stuff. God Smack, STP, Audioslave, etc. Stuff that makes your eardrums blead just enough. Man I like that stuff. For me and for most though, we love new things. Peter Frampton from what I understand is into jazz now. Actually I believe he has been for quite some time. So my point is we all need to go somewhere when we have reached the stars and played out every pentatonic scale and power chord available to us.
Like I said in the beginning ” I know this is no surprise but, yes, guitars make music.” It is never ever to late to decide. I think Johnny Cash made an entire carrier with playing three chords. So you can have a minimal amount of playing ability and perform. Randy Jackson from American Idol played bass guitar. I remember him saying “If you play a wrong note, play it with conviction!” That to me was some of the best advice I ever heard. So find a good guitar teacher and jam along with friends. Play guitar with people who are better than you are and you will become that better player.
Play the style that moves you. It could be a finger style that you hear, rock, country, classical, or even George Benson Jazz style. Who knows? Just do it, it will feel so good. Is playing guitar easy? Not exactly. But like I say in another article, Johnny Cash played very few chords, strummed away and sang. He had a unique voice yes. But he was no virtuoso on guitar, and you don’t need to be either. Me, I sing like garbage so guitar skills are a must for me. Perhaps you can sing in which case strumming is all you need. Give it a try. But don’t buy a guitar so cheap it is virtually not playable! A good guitar goes a long long way, trust me.
You’ll enjoy it all.