My childhood didn’t revolve around cartoons; It revolved around a six string. The guitar wasn’t just a hobby for me-it was a bond between me and my father.
As a kid my father would listen to a lot of 80’s to 90’s music and it would range anywhere from Rata Blanca to Queen. Listening to those songs as I got older made them really seep into my personality. I tried to play guitar as a seven year old, but I wasn’t good at all. In sixth grade I started to get better and I moved onto electric guitar. My family never really had the time to take me for lessons so I had to learn on my own. I was always told, especially when I was younger, that I have a great memory. I memorized what a tuned guitar sounded like. My dad and I would sometimes go into guitar shops but half the time I was tuning the workers’ guitars. Usually I would just listen to the songs and then try to slowly play them myself.
Ever since I learned how to play the guitar I started to feel brighter and more positive. I have learned about dopamine and how everyone releases dopamine whenever they do something that makes them happy or feel satisfied. I once heard that a man who touches a guitar will never touch a gun. My interpretation of this quote was that people who play guitar are often calmer and more creative; It also shows that they have a purpose. To me personally, my dad was and will always be the person I look up to. It was because of him that I wanted to learn guitar. My first guitar and my favorite was a white Ibanez Steve Vai electric guitar. It was my dad’s guitar before and he passed it down to me.
I’m certain you have heard music before and it can totally change how you feel. When you feel a certain way, the music you listen to can affect your thoughts and actions. Believe it or not guitar can really help your mental health. I can tell you for sure playing the guitar gives you a sense of accomplishment, and that’s a feeling you can’t get anywhere else. For many, it reduces your stress, and just makes you feel happy. For me specifically, I write music when I feel down, and it always helps even if my song isn’t good. It’s like writing poems, but with music, it becomes a feeling on paper. Even if you’re feeling good, listening to or making music can always help you positively.
However, learning how to play the guitar is not easy. It’s sometimes challenging and you might feel like quitting. I felt like quitting. Honestly, I really did. I was 13 at the time and I really tried to play a song called Mary by Alex G and I found it really hard. The guitar was a little old and the high E string snapped and cut my left index finger. I started to bleed, and I thought I hated that guitar, and I put it away. Yet the next week I took it back out of its case to fix it and try again, since I wasn’t going to let it beat me. Ironically, it became my favorite guitar, and I still have it to this day. I also named it Ivory because it needed a name.
Even if music isn’t really your thing, find something that gives your life a rhythm. It might even surprise you.
Yasneil Pizarro – The Chicago Academy for the Arts – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Parker Coffman – Unsplash