This got me a little angry

A reader named Tino sent this nasty/feisty/downright rude email last week.

It was in response to an email I sent about a student struggling with a C chord.

Here is what he said…

“I'm sorry, but I just have to say this whether you like it or not.

If you read your emails on a regular basis like I do, you could see how someone who hasn't been playing for years or doesn't play 2-3 hours or so a day like me might think playing the guitar is too hard and not worth trying.

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but if these people have this much trouble doing the basics, how could they ever even think about playing fast tempos or complex time signatures or etc.

If you can't even play a c major chord, you should just quit now.

I'm seriously sitting here wondering if we're all talking about the same instrument.

Because I can just look at my guitar the right way and it plays a C chord. My wife doesn't even play the guitar and can finger a C chord.

Yes, some people have larger fingers than others etc. but I'm not really talking about those people, I'm talking about everyone else without an excuse.

Also, it needs to be said, by you, to many people, calm down, sometimes it sounds bad at first, just keep trying.

Anyway, I digress. I'm not attacking you or your students, just pointing out something that bothered me.

Reading your emails too much makes it sound like guitar is impossible or something when it actually is easy, it just takes discipline and practice just like anything else, professionals simply spend hours every day doing one thing, of course you suck if you play ten minutes a day.

Peace”

Deary me...

As silly and arrogant as this email was, there was one pearl of wisdom inside.

First, the arrogance…

I mean, forgetting the fact he has the magic ability to make his guitar play a chord just by looking at it (ha-ha)…

It’s obvious that Tino has forgotten what it’s like to be a beginner.

Over the years, I’ve had a lot of guitarist friends and acquaintances talk to me about teaching.

Most of these range from pretty good to excellent musicians.

Literally none of them had any idea what I was on about when I talked about beginners and students struggling with basic chords and chord changes.

It’s like they have mentally blocked it out from their brains, and this makes sense, as for many of them it was 10-30 years ago when they started out and no one really looks back at the painful times.

As for his wife being able to nail a C chord, I doubt it!

If that’s true, I’d be surprised and even so, there are many factors at play here…

Maybe she is an expert violinist with nimble fingers…

And/or she has actually dabbled with the guitar quite a bit…

And/or she got lucky with the chord one time…

And/or maybe she made the shape of the chord, but the notes weren’t actually clear (so what’s the point)…

And/or when she tried to change chords to another shape, it was next to impossible for her, etc.

Have you ever met someone who just randomly picked up the guitar for the very first time and nailed a C chord?

Of course not, and the idea is laughable.

The only thing I will say though, is good ol’ Tino threw in a little bit of wisdom there though, at the end when he talks about calming down and being disciplined – that is something I agree with.

The bottom line though…

If anyone ever gives you advice like this, shrug it off and ignore it as these people probably don’t mean to be mean – they just have forgotten how hard starting out on guitar can be.

So I hope if you ever got a negative comment about your playing before, especially from other guitarists (they sting), then this email helped you realise it’s not about you but it’s about them…

Just remember, we all start somewhere.

Dan Thorpe