Being an avid fan of music and now a novice guitarist I have an ever compiling list of songs that I want to learn to sing and play with my guitar. Anyone who has seen someone playing guitar and singing on a stage has thought that it would be cool if they could do that, (although not necessarily the stage part) but to play their favorite songs and sing as they did so.
One of my favorite genres is country music, especially when playing the guitar. My guitar is acoustic and so it lends itself well to most country songs. Of course we all know the popular contemporary country artist, Taylor Swift. She happens to have a few songs that I have enjoyed playing. I have to say I enjoy playing them more than singing them, but that could be due to the fact that many of them are from the point of a girl.
Anyway, though, one song of hers that I have been working on is called “Breathe” and I was actually introduced to this song by my sister. She bought the guitar chord book for the Taylor Swift album, “Fearless,” and although it has a few of the most well known songs that are enjoyed it also has some less known ones like this one. After some research on the net, though, I’ve come to the conclusion that many more girls know about this one then do guys.
The song chords are played in a very specific way, and the tuning is different than standard for the guitar, so I have had to improvise a little in my journey. Searching around I have found several different ways to play this song which is a common occurrence, and often discouraging. We Guitarists can’t let that stop us from learning our favorite songs. A better way to look at is that it leaves windows open for variety.
In my practice of “Breathe” I have been testing different chords to make different sounds while sticking primarily with the chords from the official book. I get to create something unique, and the more I put into it the better it will be, and that is a chance for real adventure. So next time you get frustrated with learning guitar, just take a moment to “Breathe” and remember you are creating a work of art, it takes time.