I had no intention of picking up the guitar when I did, but I wanted to impress people. I wanted to impress her. I was always the singer, never the musician. My first ‘big’ performance was in first grade when I sang ‘Baby’ by JB. And although I question my song choice now, my performance was quite well received then. It had been my biggest encouragement to continue singing. But as the years went by, my vocals went on hibernation. Only a few years later did I truly begin to take singing seriously. And by grace, my 12-years-old-self found an opportunity at a new school in this thing called ‘ECA’, where I hoped to pick up a few things about singing. My friend had consistently encouraged me to take guitar classes with him but I wasn’t budging. Not until I found out she was taking them too.
Having been a novice at it, I imagined everyone who wanted to join the instrument class had at least some prior knowledge of playing it. So the week before our classes began, I binge-watched YouTube videos on introductory guitar lessons and practised them on a cousin’s guitar. I slowly got the hang of it and could recognise and play some chords. At our first lesson though, everyone was a beginner. Including the instructor. I wasn’t sure whether to be glad or bummed about my week-long self-training but I enjoyed the attention from being the only one who could even strum a tune. It was safe to say, I had her attention.
By the next year, we were together and I couldn’t have been more in love. I’d sing her songs and play her our favourite tunes. In a way, music was what brought us together and I continue to use my voice and my ‘fingers’ to share the joy and love it holds.
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