Music has always been a part of my life. As a young child, my parents enrolled me in lessons where I learned how to read music. I was in those lessons for years, and I think it ultimately gave me an ear to be able to appreciate music even at an early age. The first artists I can really remember hearing as a kid were John Denver and James Taylor. My parents would play them a lot in the car, and I would always like it. That might be where my love for older music comes from, but at a subconscious level. As a kid, I was never really a “music fan” by definition. There were songs I liked, but I didn’t know anything about the artists. One thing I always found cool though was the guitar. I always wanted to play, and when I was 10 I finally told my parents that I was interested in taking lessons. They got me a cheap acoustic, and I was starting to learn how to play. However, I found it to be really slow. This is where not having a favorite artist can maybe hurt you when it comes to learning an instrument. There weren’t really any songs I wanted to learn, I was just going by what the boring practice book said. A few months later though, everything changed…
To place us in the right timeline, I had started taking guitar lessons in the fall of 2008. In the summer of 09’, after I had turned 11, my family went on a road trip to visit our relatives that live just outside of Seattle. One of my cousins was coincidentally having his birthday party while we were there, and as part of the festivities they were playing a mix CD of his favorite songs. It was a pretty eclectic mix, I remember there being some Weird Al amongst other random artists. But suddenly, “Paperback Writer” by The Beatles came on, and my ears were immediately drawn to it. The complex harmonies leading into the most incredible sounding guitar riff was unlike anything I’d ever heard in my life. My mom remembered how much I liked that song, and a few weeks later after we’d returned to Canada she bought me The Beatles “1” greatest hits compilation. I became absolutely obsessed with the band. Shortly after that, I got my first proper Beatles studio album which was “Sgt. Pepper.” My life was never going to be the same…
The Beatles were the first band I was an actual fan of. I listened to all their songs, I watched their movies, and read every single fact I could find about them. Their music completely changed how I viewed the artform. It opened my mind to new possibilities and new ways of thinking. Like a gateway drug I guess you could say, and I was an addict to the maximum degree. On top of that, I now had a focus on the guitar, which was to learn every Beatles song I possibly could. I still wasn’t very good at the instrument (I couldn’t play a solo even if you paid me), but I was starting to improve my abilities, especially playing rhythm. My Beatles obsession made me an outcast at school and probably ruined my reputation all the way until I graduated, but it was worth it for what was to come in the future.As stated in this article, you can browse your selection of available deals on smartphones and top brands and explore the cell phone service plans that best suit your needs.
