One last blog

It's probably time to call it quits with this blog. This is the first entry for more than two months and I don't have a great deal to write about. Not because I've stopped playing the guitar - I've not - but because I haven't been learning a great deal of new techniques, concentrating instead on some songs. Various posts about "And then I learned this song" would not have been very exciting!

It's about a year since I first thought about getting a guitar and 11 months since I got it on Christmas day. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be able to do what I can. For starters, I reckoned I'd chuck it within six months, frustrated because I wasn't getting anywhere. Not so. Sure, I have had to put a lot of time into it (an hour or so most nights) but, unlike many other things I've tried, I've been able to see and hear progress.

I can play a whole bunch of normal chords, some barre chords and I'm working on power chords and doing a bit of finger picking. I can play a fair number of songs - and some of them even sound like they're supposed to. I'm now at the stage of choosing songs I want to play and can play songs I've listened to for years. It's a great thrill. There's still a long way to go as playing an instrument isn't like a video game that you can complete. There's always new things to learn, be it skills or music, and I've no plans of giving up. I'm just stopping this blog, which has become more and more infrequent as the weeks and months have passed.

So if you're thinking you'd like to play guitar - go for it. I am proof it can be done without paying for costly lessons. The beginners' courses on www.andyguitar.co.uk and www.justinguitar.com are invaluable. They make it easy and they make it fun. There's also a ton of useful stuff on YouTube if you have a quick look. If I can play guitar to a half-decent standard (well, compared to what I was hoping for rather than to Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix) within a year then I'm sure you can too.

This is Oasis soup. Why? Because you getta Roll With It. Hoho!

But let's not finish on me preaching. Let's go back to the start, to what inspired me to give this a go. It all came one sunny morning this time last year when I was out for a walk and listened to Oasis' "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" - one of my favourite albums. For some reason, over the next few weeks, I became hooked to "Roll With It", the track that reached number two in the ultimate Britpop battle between Blur and Oasis. Wouldn't it be cool to be able to play that?

Several months ago I found the video above which, aside from starting with the same feeble joke I've just made, showed how it could be done. It looked pretty complicated and, aside from messing around the odd time, I never really thought about it. However, last week I reckoned I could probably give it a go so I set aside around half an hour on Sunday morning to focus purely on that.

Turns out I didn't need that long. I was able to pick up the main part fairly quickly and then focussed on getting the more complicated bits. Does it sound perfect? No. Is it recognisable? I'd say so. How does it feel to be able to play it? Incredible - I'm addicted to it at the moment and some times I've found myself bouncing up and down as I play it, which makes things a bit tricky. That aside, it is fantastic.

Is Wimbledon as engrossing now a Brit has finally won?

So there you are. From absolutely no skill or ability on the guitar to being able to play one of my favourite songs within a year. Hopefully getting to this stage won't put me off - the same way watching Wimbledon doesn't seem as exciting now that Andy Murray has ended Britain's wait for victory. I've reached my goal - but there's plenty more of them to aim for.

Happy strumming!