Photo: FretBase.com
Among the hundreds of CDs littered throughout my bedroom are some rock ‘n’ roll treasures, a few pop classics, and several albums by various punk bands I’ve loved since I was a kid. I love music, but the border between passion and obsession is subtle, which is why – for fear of being misunderstood – I am generally reticent about explaining what music means to me and why it is arguably at the top of my list of “things I can’t live without.” I enjoy everything about music, but after recently watching several friends tackle the introspective business school application process (and subsequently doing some reflection myself), I came to the realization that few things are actually as fulfilling to me as playing music. That is why I love guitar.
I play my acoustic guitar almost every day to empty my mind after long hours at the office. While I am passionate about the instrument for several reasons, one of the things I like most about it is that it offers endless possibilities for expression. Put another way, the same instrument I use to echo sentiments of happiness is also my conduit for telling the world when I’m frustrated, excited, sad, worried, hurt, angry or just plain bored. I can’t think of anything else in my life that can do the same.
I have always had an affinity for music, but I never actually picked up a guitar until I was 23. Although my dexterity has progressed significantly over the years, I will be the first to admit that my skills don’t even begin to resemble any form of elite musicianship, and that is fine by me. Even the most accomplished musicians share a common thread with less proficient ones like myself; at the end of the day, we all play the same chords, have calloused fingers, and are trying to make the most out of an ordinary six-string object.
Ironically, the same instrument that unites guitar players tends to divide us. Take, for example, two legends such as Carlos Santana and B.B. King – while each of those guys had an enormous impact on guitar history, there is something undeniably unique about their individual styles of play. This is the beauty of guitar. With nothing but a box and a fretboard, anyone with a desire to learn can churn out sounds ranging from country to classical and everything in between. The possibilities are limitless.
As a medium of communication, guitar also represents part of a universal language that can be understood and felt by anyone regardless of race, religion, nationality or social class. This ultimately speaks to the heart of what makes music (and the objects that create it) so powerful. I’m inclined to believe that the majority of foreign fans who buy music from English-speaking bands have no idea what the lyrics actually mean. But judging by the overseas reactions I see on the Internet, I would speculate that the emotion those fans feel when they hear the guitar riff on a song like “Enter Sandman” is as captivating as the one that resonates inside me.
But the guitar is more than just a vehicle for entertainment and expression; it is also a platform for social good. In my experience, few things have been more rewarding than sharing the ability to play music with others, particularly the chronically ill kid I was fortunate enough to teach last fall as part of a local volunteer program. I have witnessed time and again the impact that playing guitar can have on an individual’s spirit and well being. If my musical abilities can have anything to do with spreading that positivity to others, then all the hours I’ve spent playing alone in my room have been well worth it.
Guitar has opened up numerous social possibilities for me as well. The (bass) guitar, for instance, was my ticket to joining a band in college with several people whom have since become great friends. It has also been a way for me to reminisce the long gone past; there’s nothing like belting out Alkaline Trio’s song “Radio” at a bonfire full of old friends to remind me of my wonder years spent growing up in the suburbs of Washington D.C.
As rewarding as the guitar can be, however, learning to play is a large undertaking. I can’t tell you how many people I know who have bought guitars and given up because their “fingers were too fat” or “they didn’t have the time.” Like anything worth pursuing, becoming adept at guitar requires a lot of time, patience, and practice. The only message I would give to anyone who is frustrated because their fingers won’t cooperate after only a few weeks of hammering the fretboard is to not be discouraged. It took me a few months before I could play any sort of respectable song from start to finish in the presence of other people, and I turned out just fine…or, at least that’s what I tell myself.
In short, I am convinced that anyone who commits to learning an instrument will find it as gratifying as I have. It’s not just the guitar I love; it’s music in general. And honestly, I’m not sure why. At the risk of sounding pretentious (or ignorant), I simply boil it down to the fact that my mind processes sound the same way a painter visualizes colors or a mathematician interprets numbers. If anyone can offer a more scientific explanation, I’m all ears. The bottom line is that music is sensory to me, and it’s why I believe deep down that some people have a natural inclination to bend strings, push keys, or blow horns while others simply don’t.
Perhaps music is not your “thing” and, if so, that’s fine. Nevertheless, I believe it is important for people to have a passion in life. Besides just being an essential part of the human experience, passion says more about a person than any words or gestures could possibly reveal. Passion is contagious. Passion is palpable. Passion is inspiring. But above all else, passion is the quality I admire most in others I meet. Music is my passion. What’s yours?
