My Desire For An Electric Guitar

Like almost every other 3rd grader in my elementary school, when the enrichment program came to talk about joining the orchestra and band, I was fascinated. I admired the kids, not much older than me, who could play their instruments flawlessly and effortlessly. Immediately I knew that orchestra was for me, and I rushed home with a paper in hand begging my mom to let me take lessons at my school. Originally, I wanted to play the cello and pleaded with my mom to let me play one; I loved the deep, rich sounds of the strings. Instead, my mom convinced me to play the violin, a less expensive instrument and much easier to carry around than a cello.

I got my first guitar when I was 11 years old. (When the addiction began) Even though I wasn't very good, each new thing I learned, pushed me to learn more. No amount of skills and knowledge was enough, and it still isn't. The more I learned, the

Throughout my life, I have been taken by music. However, it was not until my 8th grade year in middle school that I realized that I could be a musician for the rest of my life. Before that, music just seemed like something to keep me out of trouble. I wasn’t the best player at that time, and I still knew very little about it all. How could something like that ever support someone? Still, it was the only talent that I could find any success in, and it was still very enjoyable, so I wanted to still give it a shot.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve observed people playing music around me. My family is musically inclined, which I believe is the reason I’ve been drawn to it. In 2006, I began taking guitar lessons but I never had much interest in playing. Things changed in 2009, and I wished to be different. I wanted to be good at something so I began to teach myself guitar and have stuck with the guitar until now. In 2010, I began to play on my church’s worship team and I enjoyed it very much. I have now been a worship leader for the past four years and it’s something I love to do. I love it so much that for the past two years I have gone to Camp Electric to

In the first grade, I picked up a clarinet. It was my sister’s, collecting dust while waiting for me to play it. From the moment I produced my first sound, an ear-piercing squeal that frightened my dog, the path of my life took a turn for the better. I began teaching myself for the following three years, along with learning from my sister how to properly play the beautiful instrument. The music pushed me out of my comfort zone: concerts that forced me onstage, tests that made me play difficult songs, and teachers that pushed me to be an exceptional player. From the shy elementary school student I used to be to the outgoing band member I take joy in being today, music has shaped my everyday life.

I can remember the moment when I decided that I would become a musician. I was at a summer music program that I didn’t really want to be at, sitting in a room that was filled with the scent of insulation. I was sitting on one of the many blue cushioned chairs in the room/. The instructors went around the hall, asking other children how old they were and what instrument they played. Everyone seemed to know each other already, chewing at the bit to be let on the stage to grab their preferred instrument and play the little music that they already knew with their friends. I felt left out, as I didn’t have an instrument that I could call my own. When the instructor finally got to me, he asked my age, name, and what I played, just like he had to

I later took up band in seventh grade to get a sense of what music is. Intentionally, I wanted to play the alto-sax and hopefully learn to make great music with it, but it would cost me, so I chose a clarinet. The clarinet had an interesting sound similar to a sax and it was nice to know that I sounded better than Squidward Tentacles. The flute was another instrument that caught my eye, it looked like a recorder but looks and sounds relatively refined. But, I could never get the embouchure right to get that sweet flute sound, instead it sounded like blowing air into a tube, looking back, I probably wasn’t ready to play it

In the second grade, I told my mom I wanted to play guitar. Watching School of Rock may or may not have affected that decision. A couple weeks later, my mom brought home… a violin – Guitar Center had run out of guitars, she claimed. And though it wasn’t exactly what I had asked for, I ended up liking the violin, and came to appreciate classical music. But my other musical tastes stuck with me, and quickly expanded – my iPod soon contained rock, jazz, alternative, heavy metal, hip-hop, rap, country, and everything in between. As I listened to various musical styles, I gradually picked up more instruments – electric guitar, bass, classical guitar, and so forth.

Without music I am like popcorn with no butter; dry. Music has been instilled in me since early years. Growing up I used pots and pans as my own drums. It was until I was years old that I got my first drum. I still remember it till this day. The drum was a Little Tikes Tap A Tune Toy Drum. From that day on, music was always a part of me. As I grew older I tried different instruments. They varied from the guitar, trumpet, tambourine, and the trombone. Even in trying out these various instruments, the drums have been my main instrument. I’ve always had the ability to play to a song without thinking too much about it. It’s a natural talent. Music in general has been a stress reliever for me. When school stresses me out, listening to a song soothes me down. Throughout my life I have been in various programs. I was blessed to be chosen for the Howard County Children’s choir, and elementary school bands. Both these programs gave me a platform to try a of variety of instruments. As I aged, I turned back to the drums. I honed my skills in the drum by constant daily practice. To others, it may seem as a pain, but I find practicing the drums a joy. If it wasn’t for the noise and disturbances it makes, drumming would be an all day affair. Along with the drums, I have learned how to play the piano and bass guitar. Both self taught, which took a lot of patience, and perseverance. I started to teach myself the piano and bass guitar when I was 14. Now

It was a shiny, beautiful black Yamaha. Then that got ruined. Who by, all of my siblings. So they got a sharp, silver gray Casio. Then that got ruined. Again by you know who. If you don’t, it was done by the siblings. Until finally, the one I have now: a Korg PA50, consisting of a nice shiny silver body, buttons all over, above a set of neat traditional black and white keys, a digital screen above them in the center. When I reached elementary school, my parents decided to place me in an after-school program that taught me how to play keyboard, on top of the classes I already had in school with Mr.Dangerfield, who also taught the after-school program. He served as a replacement for my former music teacher, Ms. Cadogan. They had a whole lot of people come in to try and take her place. All of them, except for Mr.Dangerfield, had no idea whatsoever what to do with a bunch of kids who wanted to learn music. So he was

I remember that when I was eleven years old and still living in Singapore, my sister had to teach a member of the family how to play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” as homework and videotape the person playing the newly taught piece. As the only other person in the family who had an idea of how music worked, I was chosen to play the song. My sister Janna hastily taught and taped me, and the whole ordeal was over in ten minutes. But this experience got me thinking, “Am I going to play and instrument and if so, what instrument?”

You will have your own reasons for wanting to play a musical instrument. These can range from wanting to learn a new hobby, to really wanting to reach for a higher goal like a career in music.

For a little while, it was something I'd be on and off with, just going to the local mom & pop instrument shop, picking up a guitar and fiddlefucking around with it, asking questions, talking with the clerks, and such. But that wasn't entirely something I felt too serious about--until 7th grade, I believe. My best friend had just gotten a children's practice electric guitar, and he was writing music, and he brought up the idea of starting a band. This was before I even owned any instruments. For a little while we bounced around with that shit, nothing serious. When music really took off was in 8th grade when I got my Epiphone Dot-Studio electric guitar (which is still my only one, and she still serves me well to this day). It was Christmas. Picked it up and just played. Went to YouTube, found some song tutorials, learned. Since then, I've just had a deep love for music, a fire that just will never die, even after going months without fuel. Then came 10th grade, when I met a rapper in my Digital Media class who also had a deep passion for music, Deze. He had the drive, but not the equipment. I had both. This was the inception of Ambition Asylum's second movement (AAI was a thing even before I joined). The two of us were joined by two other friends of Deze's. For a little while, it was quite the same process. I'd record them, mix them, post it up. We were doing pretty well for ourselves, despite our numerous

When I first got a guitar in the third grade I thought I could a rock star, so my parents took me to a music studio. When I first walked into the music studio I was amazed by everything. There were so many guitars, drum sets, and pianos that I couldn’t even imagine it in my mind. I just knew I could be a rock star here, so my parents signed me up for music lessons at that music studio. The next day when I was going back to the music studio I remembered that I would have to make a first impression to my guitar teacher. When I got to the music studio I opened the door, and walked over to the front desk to ask where my guitar teacher will be, and the front desk person pointed right behind me. I looked behind me and got scared because my guitar

According to the Smithsonian Institute, “electronic amplification is one of the most successful innovations brought around at the end of the 1930s.” The 1920s had a rise in the popularity of dance music, and the recording industry was getting started. This was also the start of the Big Band Era (guitaristsource.com). Guitar makers started experimenting to develop a new, louder, guitar.