My mother was obviously desperate to find something for which I had any talent. By the age of seven I had already been route marched to ballet classes, tap lessons, horse riding classes, swimming clubs and Piano lessons. Whilst I proved to be a competent rider, reasonable dancer and proficient swimmer the musical odyssey didn’t quite go according to plan. Continue reading
I’m a complete novice when it comes to guitars and guitar playing. I’ve only ever played guitar on friend’s Acoustic and Electric models. Recently I have decided to try and enrich my life with some new hobbies and learning to play guitar is one of them.
Initially I was quite daunted. The guitar market is vast and saturated, with retailers and manufacturers competing to get your business. From the start I was extremely eager to get myself a guitar that wasn’t just suitable for my ‘complete beginner’ level, but one that would also do me as my skills advanced (hopefully!) too.
Classical Guitar photo by Rose2727 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
If like me you’re left handed, you’ll know what a challenge it can be operating equipment or using things as simple as tin openers and cheque books which are designed for the majority of the population who are right handed. If you’ve ever tried to learn to knit or play an instrument it becomes even tougher, as your two options are to do things with the “wrong” hand, or try to work back to front or upside down. Despite these drawbacks, lefties can and do make a successful career playing the guitar and some of the most famous guitarists in the world play left-handed. Continue reading
Choosing birthday presents can be difficult whoever they are for but we all have friends and relatives who turn the task into a veritable nightmare. This week I am faced with a huge problem in the shape of a friend whose birthday meal I am attending but who has left me totally clueless as to what I should buy him as a gift. My issue is not that I don’t know him nor that I lack the funds to buy something worth having, it is simply that this man only has one hobby or interest and I and his other friends have long since exhausted all possibilities in that direction. Continue reading
