During childhood many kids are introduced to a musical instrument of some sort. My childhood friends had weekly piano lessons or having grown up in Hawaii, ukulele lessons. My parents considered my daily jam with Barry Manilow music lessons enough.
When I was 11, I would rush home from school, put on those large headphones that we had back then and lovingly place my mother's Barry Manilow album on the turntable.
I would sing my heart out along with Barry to "There was a showgirl, her name was Lola." "Copa Cabana" was where I liked to kick it off, dancing around my living room holding my Hello Kitty brush as a microphone, pretending Barry and I were performing a duet.
I spent countless hours during the summer torturing my little sister by insisting we practice our performance of "I can't smile without you" complete with a choreographed dance number.
While kids my age were collecting Cabbage Patch dolls, I was busy transcribing Barry Manilow lyrics.
It was clear to me that any of life's questions could be answered in a Barry Manilow song. My friends would shake their Magic 8 Balls for the answers to "Does this mean he likes me?" and I turned to my Manilow lyrics.
By the time I entered high school it was evident that my peers didn't consider Manilow to be the musical Messiah like I did.
That was when I went into the closet as a Manilow fan and my Manilow music lessons ended.
Fast-forward more than 25 years and I found myself parked outside Sound Sisters in Excelsior about to have my first music lesson.
I owe this to Play Station. I love playing Guitar Hero with my kids. I'll also admit to playing it by myself when they are at school.
My instructor was a young gentleman named Jammer. The great thing about Jammer was that he not only was an amazing guitar player, but he didn't judge or ask why an almost 40-year-old suburban mother wanted to learn to play guitar. He just showed me the way.
Our first hurdle was deciding how to deal with me being left-handed.
If you play guitar as a lefty, the strings need to be restrung. This was quickly resolved when I proudly let Jammer know that in preparation for these lessons, I had been studiously playing Guitar Hero as a right-handed person.
During our first lesson Jammer informed me that my long acrylic fingernails would get in the way and should come off.
This created quite the predicament for me. If I removed my acrylic nails, my nasty nail biting habit would resurrect itself and expose my dirty habit. Having acrylic nails has been the only thing that has stopped me from biting. I sat there and contemplated "What would Manilow do?"
I put down my guitar and to Jammer's horror jimmied my nails off one by one. I would sacrifice for my art, and lay bare my vulnerabilities.
We met for several half hour lessons where, with the patience of a saint, Jammer taught me how to play "Blackbird" by the Beatles.
Starting out I knew I wouldn't be the next Jimi Hendrix. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could learn to play an instrument. After my first two lessons my goal also became to get through a lessons without swearing.
I'm proud to say that by my last lesson I could slowly but surely play "Blackbird" almost recognizably and also made it through a lesson without sounding like a sailor on shore leave.
Learning to play the guitar reminded me of how important it is to keep learning.
Doing something so foreign can be frustrating but when you realize you can do it, it's sweetly rewarding. The guitar did not become a passion of mine. I still turn to Manilow and his musical genius for words of wisdom, only now I use an iPod.
Posted: Saturday, May 09, 2009
Article comment by:
Suzy Joor
Aww.. you learned to play one of my all-time-favorite songs! Have you found something else to stop the nail biting now? I always love your articles! Keep it up!
Posted: Friday, May 08, 2009
Article comment by:
Kris SJ
Natalie - I had an odd feeling of picking up a guitar after reading your article. Clever, quirky and always entertaining. Keep up the great work.
Posted: Friday, May 08, 2009
Article comment by:
Judy Wilcock
Hi Nat---I enjoyed reading your guitar lesson article. It was funny and real and lively. I was sorry that it ended so quickly with your giving up the guitar! We can always use another guitar player. I had guitar lessons in my young mother days--trying to be more than a stay-at-home mother. I found I didn't manage to practice enough to make it worthwhile (sound familiar). But I still wish I could play!! Judy
Posted: Friday, May 08, 2009
Article comment by:
Ellie
I like the way in which your memories bring me back to my own, which is hard to do at my age.
Posted: Friday, May 08, 2009
Article comment by:
Megan
AWESOME!!!
I totally laughed my butt off on the nail thing. You go girl!
I'm taking lessons as well. My slot is right after a 12 year old who I think is a freakin' virtuoso because rewiring a brain can be hard work! (But I am sure I can d@*% well type faster than him!!!).
