When reflecting on significant moments in my life, I consider the process of learning to play

guitar after I finished second grade, as this is something I aspired to do since a young age, so I

was ecstatic to finally get the privilege to start the process of learning that would become

incredibly influential to my values and the person I would become. This curious inquisition into

the world of guitar was also the beginning of a development of patience and persistence that

would not only be necessary to successfully guide myself along the journey of reaching the skill

level I hoped to attain, but also help me through many tough trials or challenges that were to

come throughout my life.

As I look back and reflect on these beginnings as a now-experienced guitar player, it is hard to

imagine a time when I had no knowledge of the instrument and its workings whatsoever, as I

now find myself picking up the guitar almost every day with a desire to both learn something

new and enjoy myself, relaxing in the process. I remember when we picked up my first guitar at

our local music store; though it was nothing expensive or glamorous and regardless of the fact I

was completely inexperienced in every aspect of properly playing the instrument and making

melody, I was absolutely overjoyed to begin the process, though I had no idea what I would

come to learn and achieve. This presents a stark contrast when considering the frustration that I

endured throughout my learning experience, as becoming skilled in any task requires thorough

practice and diligence, though it may be difficult to fully understand this and actively motivate

yourself to continue striving to become better. I believe this accurately describes the situation

concerning my learning experience over time, as there were often periods of time where I found

myself playing less when it became harder to make free time to practice or learn, and as I started
to take on more academic or personal responsibilities, I also felt that many of the values I

developed as a guitar player carried over into various aspects of both my social and personal life.

As school became more academically rigorous throughout the years, I enjoyed exposing myself

to new topics, many of which required the same continual devotion and tenacity that were also

essential to successfully advance myself in guitar, as there were also times where I found myself

struggling with a particular concept or technique, so it was important to educate myself on how

to overcome these bumps in the road in order to achieve the final goal I was striving for. I

personally believe that my prior experience with learning guitar over time largely attributed to

developing these concepts or strategies necessary to provide the motivation and persistence that

were ultimately key in prevailing over these unfamiliar obstacles, as the ability to push my limits

and adapt to those boundaries were also critical to my continual progression as a guitar player.

As I advanced through new techniques throughout my time playing guitar, I came to realize that

just because I felt I was well versed in one particular area did not mean that other concepts would

always come easily to me, so this is why it was essential to continue practicing while also

focusing on incorporating these new skills that I might have shied away from had it not been for

my ambitious tendencies. This also demonstrates how the effect of my past experience playing

guitar on my current actions is not limited to direct connections such as musical taste or hand-eye

coordination, but was bound to extend to more indirect areas like my personal natures or

tendencies as a result of the profound impact that my dedication to guitar had on who I was and

how I thought.
While I feel that my experiences playing guitar had huge role in the determination of my

character and personality, I also believe that I utilized the same outlet to express many of the

feelings or emotions that were most significant to me throughout the years. When listening to

any kind of music, you will find that every single player of any instrument has a different sound

or style due to the variations that each produces in rhythm, timbre and etcetera, showing how

people use their instrumental talents to both express themselves and their situations. Many

people enjoy music due to the fact that they can often relate to the message or theme, and my

experience playing guitar taught me how to capitalize on this connection between our senses and

emotion to work through difficult situations by expressing myself through not only the music,

but also how I chose to play it on my guitar. This relates back to my previous points on player

individuality, as I often found that I most enjoyed learning music that spoke to my current affairs

and had more appreciation for the message that a particular song or piece of music would allow

me to express when I was able to play it the way I felt at the time. The variation that I began to

experiment with in regards to sound and technique also emphasizes the personal development

that occurred over time in both my life and experience as a guitar player, as I saw change in

every aspect of living throughout the years and playing guitar was something that best allowed

me to express my thoughts and feelings on situations that I experienced.

When initially planning this project, I am tried to consider an event in my life that had significant

impact on my life or overall person that best exhibits how a process or experience played a role

in the development of my character and personality. As I reflect on the many various ways that

the process of learning guitar shaped my character and person throughout my life, I believe the

many positive benefits this experience provided heavily outweighs the time that was spent to
achieve what I initially set out for. Overall, I am extremely grateful that I had the dedication and

perseverance necessary to accomplish the goal that I hoped to reach ever since I was a child, so I

hope others who look to attain similar goals will look to utilize similar routes and techniques for

a ubiquitous positive benefit.

Writer’s Reflection

As I considered significant events or processes while initially planning this project, I came to

decide that the process of learning guitar is what I felt could be discussed with the most

reflective detail and depth. I believe this essay best displays the gradual development of work

ethic and persistence that was not only necessary for me to accomplish my goals as a guitar

player, but also essential for conquering many other challenges I came to face throughout my

life. Reflecting on these memorable experiences throughout my childhood and coming to

understand how they have impacted my character over time has been an interesting part of this

essay that makes me pride the hard work and dedication I put forth to my time playing guitar, as

it makes me realize how this sense of commitment has become a moral value that I consistently

pride myself on. I also believe I could better inform the reader of the diligence crucial to learning

tasks similar to this by further elaborating on the struggles I faced as I continued to learn new

techniques, as I believe this would further drive home the theme of the essay, which I have tried

to center around the drive and tenacity that is ultimately essential to reaching a desired goal or

accomplishment. I also tried to emphasize the importance of these same concepts by explaining

different ways that a reader may be able to apply similar techniques to a situation they may come

to experience, as I did not want to focus too narrowly on specific aspects that had a more direct

musical connection to my progression in order to ensure that a general audience could receive

the message of relatability. I think many of these perseverant practices can be applied to a
reader’s writing throughout their lives, as commitment is essential to perfecting any craft and we

can always look for new ways to constantly ensure we are improving and advancing ourselves.

By re-analysing the practices I discussed throughout my essay, I can summarize my experience

learning to play the guitar as a difficult journey to reach the level of expertise I initially hoped to

achieve, though the pay off ultimately shaped many different aspects of my life and character to

make me the person I am today.