Last weekend I picked up a guitar for the first time in my life. The guitar, named ‘Veerle’, was a gift from my younger brother who has been an avid player for a few years now. I always liked the idea of knowing how to play the guitar, but was never keen on learning it as it seemed harder than it looked. Maybe there also was a case of ‘knowing me’ involved as I know I’m not that good at forcing myself to learn to play an instrument. I own a thin whistle for example and know how to play ‘Amazing Grace’ and one (1!) selfmade tune. But the tapping, ornamenting and playing as you hear were too advanced for me so the whistle is somewhere covered in dust on the attic. Which is a shame, I know!

Now I guess it’s different. A guitar is an instrument that speaks to the imagination of a lot of people and to be honest: it’s cool to say you know how to play! Not wanting to force myself to follow lessons and to pay a lot of money for it, I thought: ‘There’s an app for that!’. And so there was: I downloaded the free iPad app “Beginner Guitar Songs” by Guitarjamz.com. First impression is that the teacher Marty Schwarz really wants you to learn the basics: holding the guitar, picking the strings, getting used to the position of your hands, …

Yesterday I started lesson 3 where I learned the ‘E Minor’-chord. A small step for a guitar player, a giant leap for me. It’s a beginning and that’s just where I wanted to start. Let re-evaluate in a month!