Sharing Achievements

[LeDave]

What is the one hardest and one easiest achievement in your acoustic guitar journey that you are most happy about?

Hardest Happiness - Saving up for my D-13E

Easiest Happiness - Discovering AGF.

[BrunoBlack]

This might sound lame, but I began my musical journey playing piano. And played for over 10 years reading standard notation. When I learned to play guitar, I found it difficult to translate the way I read music into playing guitar. The easy part was giving tablature a try — I’m a convert.

[RalphH]

Hardest - learning to sing

Easiest - deciding to buy a decent acoustic in the first place. I played electric for years. I don't know why I never really got into acoustic guitar -- probably because of the types of music I listened to, but now I don't even own an electric.

[Mark Stone]

Hardest happiness -- Transitioning from playing sets at bars, restaurants, clubs etc. to being a guitarist in worship bands at church. Extremely similar tactically, but very different in purpose and attitude. Believe me, it was a difficult transition.

Easiest happiness -- Buying my 2019 Taylor 814ce DLX wif the V bracing. A fingerpicker's dream guitar, with balance, clarity, volume, -- I've had it over a year and it has renewed my interest in practicing and growing, and renewed my love for music itself.

[rmp]

easiest happiest:

The day I realized how easy it was for me to transition from being a partner in a Duo to a Solo performer.

Worked out a bunch of tunes to last the duration of a standard 3 or 4 set night. Made a few calls, and what do ya know, I booked a few gigs.

On the way to the first one I was convinced this is the dumbest thing I have ever done. My wife noticed my anxiety, but assurance from her is like your mom telling you you're the smartest kid in 3rd grade.

Turns out, it went over quite well, got a few return dates from the first place and so it went with the other places.

I've been performing in Bands and with a duo partner for many years, never really had the push to go it alone, till one day I figured, what the heck.. if "those guys" can do it, I can too.

As a soloist, I had arrived!

hardest happiness

not a guitar thing, but getting my left hand to be fully independent of my right on Piano. That took some work when I got serious about piano back in 2005, and that along with improving sight reading, which I can now do pretty much without a lot of effort on either guitar or piano.

[TBman]

I think the hardest was learning travis picking.

The easiest was learning travis picking once I realized the thumb was merely playing on or in between the beats.

It's been a while since I played a truly travis picked tune though.

[islandguitar]

Easiest: The day I decided to ask Tom Doerr to build me a guitar....following a "bucket list" conversation with my wife and the "go ahead" moment!

Hardest: I caught the guitar "bug" in the first year of college. Having never played guitar let alone sing in front of people, I found myself a year later in a folk group with very experienced band mates. Practiced about 6 hours a day to try and catch up & get better fast, and we experienced quite a bit of success in the ensuing years (demo record, manager, meeting with producers, playing widely throughout New England and some major concerts). It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but that experience helped shape me for years as to what's possible if you're determined enough in taking on what makes you happy.

[lfoo6952]

Hardest achievement: learning how to do a solo (break) in a bluegrass jam on the fly without having heard the song before.

Easiest achievement: learning to to read tablature.