HI, Terry.
Thank you so much for answering my questions. They were exactly what I needed to get a better understanding of the guitar and the life of a professional guitarist. You have helped me with my project and inspired me to keep playing , and therefore I thank you. Thank you for your generosity and I will be sure to tell you my grade.
Thanks, Si M.
HI, Si. Below are my answers to your questions .
1. What inspired you to play the guitar?
I just wanted to be part of the music I liked to listen to, like Led Zepplin, Niel Young, CSN, etc. I had been playing drums since I was 11. Actually my motivation to start guitar at the age of 19 was to impress a girl. I was going to Purdue and dating a girl at Ball State. She was a music major, played guitar and piano. I would hitchhike to see her on weekends. We would sit around talk and listen to music. She would play her guitar and I really liked it. I'd go back to school , borrow a guitar and start bugging everyone to show me chords. I'd go back to see her, play a song I'd been practicing all week long. She was never impressed. We later broke up but I got more out of the relationship; I learned to play the guitar!
2. Do you think your age, when you started playing the guitar, was prominent in your success?
Yes, I do believe it was good to start early. I was 19 at the time and now, 40 years later, I'm glad I invested the time to learn to play. I had more time to spend learning , less distractions. Time to play and practice is very important. But you can start at ANY age ( I have a lot of adult students) as long as you commit to learning.
3. Why did you decide to pursue music into a career? I've always given guitar lessons, most of the time it has been part time. About 2 years after I started playing/learning , a friend of mine told me if I really wanted to learn guitar, I should teach it. So I did. He was right. About six years ago, I kept telling my wife "I should have given guitar lessons full time 30 years ago". She said that I should go ahead and try it because she didn't want to be hearing that same old thing 30 years from now! It's fun, I get to control my schedule and I love it!
4. What is challenging/difficult about your profession?
Finding new students can be difficult. It takes time and money to find new customers. Once you have them, you must keep them happy. But I would say finding them is the most challenging and most expensive.
5. Did your family/friends support your musical career?
Yes, my wife was my biggest supporter. She encouraged me to do what I loved. She helped me and continues to help me. She took it seriously even when other family members wanted to know if I could even make a living doing it.
6. What type of guitar do you prefer and why?
I love to play acoustic guitar , that's probably my favorite. But I do have a lot of fun playing and teaching electric guitar.
7. What is you favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
On acoustic , I like to play Howie Day, Doc Watson, Neil Young. On electric I like to play Red Hot Chilis , rock, classic and newer stuff. I play a lot of styles, country, folk , rock , some jazz, some classical. Why, I guess because it makes me feel good.
8. Who are you idols?
My true idols are probably any person that I ever heard play guitar. But I really like Doc Watson on acoustic and Eric Clapton on electric.
9. Do you prefer performing or teaching and why?
I prefer teaching, I guess because I love to help people. But I do like to perform, not as much as I used to when I was younger. I hold Adult Jams almost every month and I perform at those.
10. If you could give advice to starting musicians what would it be? My advice to starting musicians is listen to as much music as you possibly can , practice/play as much as you can and try to learn as many different styles as you possibly can; variety is important.
I hope that helps. I'm a little tired so if there's anything you don't understand please let me know.
Hey, let me know what grade you get! Good luck with the guitar playing.
Thanks,Terry
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