Educational Experience Final

Jarrett Johnson

S. Begert

Eng 101

Educational Experience

“ I wonder who in our family will get Grandma’s musical talent, cause your dad sure as hell doesn’t have” my mom used to always say. It didn’t take too long in my life to show her exactly where Grandma’s gift might have ended up. I have been playing guitar for a little over ten years now and piano for 16. Ten years may seem like a short time, but saying I’ve been playing for almost half of my life makes it sound longer. Even though I have been playing for guitar for “half of my life”, I still have much to learn.  Playing, restringing, adjusting, and composing are just some of the things that I work on every time I pick up one of my guitars, but It all started with my grandma’s will to teach me.

For as long as I can remember and before her passing, my grandma would sit down with me every chance she got and would teach me how to play piano. Of course being younger, piano wasn't very high on my list of fun things to do. Being the nice little kid I was, I would sit and humor her for however long it took until she felt she had taught me something. Over many years of giving her my attention, I noticed that I was actually learning stuff and becoming better at playing. I think my mom took notice and started suggesting that I take lessons all year round. I eventually started taking lessons with local piano teachers and worked with my grandma on the side. The only problem was, I still wasn't fully focused and I didn't have that drive to truly sit down on my own and learn. It began feeling like extra homework to me. So after years of taking lessons I had very good form and could play many songs, but I couldn't read music for the life of me and still had no drive to truly learn how.

I mentioned to my father once that I might be interested in playing guitar after watching one of my friend's brother shred on an electric guitar. Although I said it, I wasn't truly that interested. I said it as a conversation filler in a "wouldn't it be cool" kind of way. Apparently my father took it to heart and thought it wouldn't just be cool but totally awesome if his son learned how to play guitar. A few months later my birthday comes around and my father excitedly hands me a huge wrapped box to open. Sure enough, it was a handsome looking acoustic guitar. I thought it was a really cool gift but I couldn't believe that he actually took what I said seriously and went through with it. Sadly, for the next year, my guitar sat in the closet getting dusty. It wasn't until that summer, when we drove down to California to visit some family, that I learned a thing or two about playing.

Hanging around our California house, my "Uncle" Rod comes over to visit. After chatting for a little bit he casually whips out his guitar and begins playing. My dad brings it up to him that I have a guitar sitting at home getting lonely because no one knows how to play it. Without hesitation, Rod gets up and hands me his guitar. He tells me to put my fingers in certain places and strum in a certain pattern. He said that I wasn't going to leave until I could play at least one of the songs he taught me while I was down there. I had no choice but to learn because I knew that I needed to go back home, I couldn’t stay in California forever! The next day he brought me his other guitar and left it there for me to practice with. For the rest of the time I was down there I picked the guitar up every chance I had and played it non-stop until my fingers felt like they were going to fall off. I was almost able to play the song fluently by the time I left and he was proud. It was a grand new experience and I actually felt a drive to learn.

Upon arriving home, I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I was unbelievably excited to pick up my dusty guitar and see what new songs I could learn. I found it in the back of my closet and immediately started playing the song that my uncle taught me. It sounded nothing like I had learned. In fact, it sounded just plain awful. I guess he thought nothing about teaching me how to tune the damned thing. After a brief lesson on the phone and a couple of snapped strings, I understood the basic upkeep of a guitar. The willing to learn only intensified from there on out.

My experience learning the guitar was more than just an experience. It was a realization of something I did not know I had, and that was a passion for music. I played piano for most of my life but it wasn't until I picked up the guitar and started learning that I found a drive for music. Since I've started playing guitar ten years ago I have actually wanted to go back and relearn the piano and maybe even the dreaded "music theory". The more I play the more I see that I want to learn. The more I watch other musicians, the more I want to be taught new things that I have not yet to discover. Not only do I play acoustic guitar now, but also I have picked up the banjo, ukulele, mandolin, bass, twelve-string guitar, and even the electric guitar. Eventually I am hoping to move on and start learning orchestra type instruments like flutes, piccolos, violins, and brass. From there on out, who knows what my next goals will be. I guess only time will tell

Ever since that day my uncle put the guitar in my hands and forced me to learn a song, my love for playing music has increased beyond what I thought my interest levels could ever be. More than that, my appreciation and passion for music itself has never been stronger. I have opened new doors in my life by creating a wonderful hobby, meeting new people, and possibly one day possibly have a career down a musical path.