Erik here.
Started playing guitar and a few orchestra instruments in elementary school back in the '71. Had a great time later in a half-dozen rock and new wave bands during high school and early college. After that, I was only able to dabble in music and recently went almost 15 years without any instruments- years spent frequently gazing wistfully into the windows at guitar stores. I retired from the Coast Guard a couple of years ago and began building a small collection of guitars. It was very difficult to remember chords and retrain the old muscles; the parts of my brain that understood music in my youth had atrophied significantly. I soon began adopting bad habits and getting stuck in ruts. I discovered this website earlier this year and decided to start the courses as if I'd never seen a guitar before.
I've really been enjoying the lessons here on GT ever since. Began with Lisa M's series in February, then "Rock Level 1" and am just about done with the first tutorial in Anders M's "Rock Level 2". The impact of the lesson series on GT cannot be overstated- in the past few months I've learned so much stuff that I never knew before and begun to recall long-buried knowledge. In addition to the basic lessons, I also tune into the occasional advanced lesson just to see and hear. My ear and intuition have returned with a vengeance, which is very encouraging. I still have a long way to go and I have no doubt that Guitar Tricks will be a part of my daily routine for many, many years to come.
