My Newest Guitar
I started playing guitar when I was 16. I picked up a brand new Fender Squire Strat to get me going. Some time later I bought a used Gibson acoustic, though I don’t remember the model. I still have the Fender to this day, but it needs some work to be playable again. I don’t recall what happened to the Gibson, though. I either sold it or gave it away before coming to Korea in the Army. Once I got to Korea, I picked up a Yamaha acoustic (and once again I can’t remember the model). I had the Yamaha for several years. Unfortunately, at one point I left it at a friend’s house after a party and by the time I got it back it had a hole in the bottom edge of the body. It was still playable, but never sounded the same again. I got rid of it not long after I got married and didn’t pick up a guitar again.
In the 12 years or so that I played, I never really progressed beyond mediocre. It was a hobby, not much of a passion. I was wholly into it in the beginning and found myself playing rhythm in a band for a few months. But I never devoted the time necessary to go to the next level and really shine. I would go through spurts of trying to learn new things, but then I’d go a few months without picking a guitar up at all. My interests took me in other directions.
Late last year, I was pining to play again (yes, I used the word pining). I decided to pick up a new acoustic, but I kept putting it off. Finally, near the end of last August, I went out to Nakwon Arcade in central Seoul and started browsing. I wasn’t looking for anything too pricey, but didn’t want one of those cheap $100 things, either. And I didn’t care what the brand on the headstock was, as long as it sounded decent. The last time I had gone there, well over a decade ago, Ovations were all the rage and were prominently displayed in several shops. These days, a Korean guitar maker I’d never heard of, Dexter, seems to be a big thing.
The Dexter dealer I spoke with told me that they had only been around a few years, but already had become one of the most popular brands in the country. After fiddling around for a bit, I was sold. They sounded sweet and full-bodied, were reasonably priced, and felt good in my hands. It took a little while, but I finally settled on a DD-70S-OP, which was just above the spending cap I had set for myself. They came down a little on the price for me, as most shops at Nakwon will if you haggle, but not as much as I wanted. Still, it was a good buy.
In the four months since, I’ve been playing nearly every day. I try to play at least an hour, though that’s not always possible. At first I thought everything I had learned in the past had left me. I couldn’t even remember the fingerings for some of the most basic chords. But after browsing through one of my old books it all started coming back. I’m more disciplined with my playing now than I was years ago. In the past, I only wanted to learn to play specific songs. Now, I’m working on building up my chops on the fundamentals (scales, finger picking, and such). Already I’m a better player than I used to be, though I really can’t play any songs right now (I can’t remember any and haven’t tried to learn any). For now, I’m taking what I learn and working on my own riffs and rhythms. Once I get to a point where I’m satisfied with my foundation, I’ll start applying it to learning some songs.
It’s nice to be playing again. One of my resolutions for the New Year is to improve to the point that I can easily pick up new material. In the past, learning new songs was always the hardest thing for me. If I didn’t have the tablature in front of me, I couldn’t do it. I could read music from my years in the school band, but I didn’t know my fretboard at all. All I knew was tablature. So I want to be able to sight-read without tablature and to be able to pick things up by ear. Wish me luck 