So some of you may or may not have come from youtube or know me personally and realize that I am in fact a musician. But if you are a new viewer to my blog, allow me to explain my musical history and all the reasons I play, write songs, and enjoy music.
Even from a very young age, I always have been exposed to music. My dad is a drummer and has played in several bands over the years and when I was just a small kid, he'd set me on his lap and play his drums, with the occasional drum stick to his face. :P I grew up listening to my dad play in these bands and while drumming is cool and I DO wish I could do it, I always wanted to become a guitarist. Thing is, I could never learn because I didn't have enough patience until later on (I'll get to that). I started out playing keyboard/piano. My grandparents had a small kids keyboard at their house and I'd always play it as often as I could. I liked the way it sounded. I think my parents saw my interest in it and bought me my first real keyboard when I was about 8 or 9 and started learning the basic songs like "Chopsticks" and the intro part to "Für Elise". I really enjoyed playing keyboard and piano so I started to look up how to play songs and would pause the videos and write down notes one second at a time. I don't remember how I learned which keys were which notes. I started learning chords soon after, I wrote my first song on piano and played it for my Freshmen talent show. I didn't win, but it was still cool to get up there and play MY song in the talent show. I wish I had a recording of it so I can share it here.
About mid sophomore year, I met my friend Trevor and we wanted to get a band together. I would be the keyboardist. Problem was, I was limiting the type of music we could play so it didn't take off. I was hanging out with him one day and he started teaching me some songs on his guitar. I learned ".45" by Shinedown and "Let me be Myself" by Three Doors Down and actually caught on pretty fast. So I figured out that I wanted my own acoustic. I asked for that and nothing else for my 16th. Instead of asking for a car, I asked for a guitar. So my parents and I went guitar shopping and we went to this small music store called "Ozone Music" and I found it.... a very nice Huntington acoustic. It's a non-name brand but it's a pretty guitar. It has a candy apple red finish and a white liner. It sounded good [and still does]. I started to learn tabs and chords very fast and became a much better guitar player than keyboard/piano player. About June of last year, my German friend gave me a Fender Squire acoustic because he couldn't take it back with him to Germany. That guitar means a lot to me.... and I only play it now.
So after I became a lot better at guitar, I began to start coming up with my own intros, strum patterns, and chord progressions. I enjoyed coming up with my own stuff so I started writing my own music. I've always been lyrically inclined. I can write lyrics well.... mostly "love" songs but whatever. So my first written song is called "The Waiting". There are no lyrics but for a first song, I'm very proud of it.
So the video above is me and my friend Richard. I'm on the right with the black guitar, Richard on the left.
I also liked the idea of acoustic and electric lead together so I wrote a simple back and forth chord pattern and recorded it then improv'd a solo to go along with it. My instrumental called "High Walls" is still probably my favorite song because it sounds very passionate and I feel it's my best work.
Lastly, being in the current long distance relationship situation I'm in, one thing that really keeps me going is to write songs on how I feel. And being so dearly in love with Maria, I've wrote her 3 songs and am in process of a fourth. This song is called "United by Fate." It actually has lyrics... but you may need to turn up the volume to hear it. It is quiet for some reason. (Crappy camera microphone)
Well that's my musical self in a nutshell. My friend Trevor, My friend Derek, and I are writing a song at the moment and it should be up soon.. Definitely give that a listen when I get it up. It's a very powerful and emotional song possibly about a soldier or someone far from home. It's untitled at the moment but it's coming together really well. :)
Thanks for checking it out this week.
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