The Organic Guitarist

[Photo: Detail from outside wall of school on Nanaimo Street...Vancouver].
From time to time...people on hearing me play guitar...ask me if I give guitar lessons. The question is always a bit of a surprise...and the answer is always "no"...although ...on the spot...I may share with a questioner...something I picked up along the way. Apart from a few chords taught to me by someone...and checking out a guitar chord book or two...early on...my guitar playing has been self taught...the way everything I do as an artist has been...which may account for the slight bafflement I feel...when I'm asked if I teach guitar. My intuitive approach to playing guitar...had a lot to do...with finding some sort of accompaniment...for the songs I would sing. The central early challenge being...to evolve beyond doing a strum with my right hand...as I sang. This became a fiercer challenge...when I embarked upon my journey...as a solo performer at concerts...where I knew strumming my way through a set of songs...would likely cause my audience...to "acheive glazehood"...as I call it...in no time at all. Telling little stories...some hopefully with a hint of humour about them...also helped me...to "stand alone". So...my guitar "grooming"...was not as a lead guitarist...but as something I did...to help the songs I sang along. Fast forward to my videos on YouTube era. When I started on it...about 16 months ago...I never dreamt that it would give me back...many pleasant surprises. One that I specially appreciate...because it was so unexpected...was...after uploading some voice and guitar videos...I got the nudge...to attempt a video of a guitar improvisation. I managed to complete the first one...without coming to a crashing halt...and uploaded it to YouTube. Other guitar improvisations on video...followed. I was surprised that they were well received...instead of people writing in to ask me..."what do you think you're doing?". Not bad...for some one who never trained as a lead guitarist...and never knew he could sustain a musical improvisation for minutes on end...without quickly falling into a demonstration...of "solo cacophony".............Quester.