Talking tunes: my new hobby of plucking strings

The only problem is that I have never truly been able to follow through with any hobby I have pursued since leaving school, and I have decided it is about time I do so.

I believe it is profoundly important to have a hobby to create a diversion from your stress-load, exercise your brain and just nip that boredom bug in the bud.

If you struggle with a similar problem of committing to a hobby I encourage you to hear me out!

After attempting many hobbies, I recently decided to try to learn to play the guitar, and boy oh boy, best decision of my life!

It was the obvious solution to my hobby-problem; find a hobby in relation to what you truly love! — Light bulb —

I have an innate passion for music and immediately felt an immense amount of interest in this instrument, as opposed to the previous skills I attempted to master.

It is still going to take plenty of practise and musical education, but here is what you can expect from this hobby if you love music and consider learning to play the guitar too:

Step one: get a guitar. For your first guitar, as I was advised, do not look at the most expensive ones on the market, in case you decide this is not for you.

I chose a nylon string classical guitar because it is much easier on my fingertips than a steel string acoustic guitar.

Ask the shop assistants at your local music stores for advice on picking a first guitar that will suit your personal needs and finally pick the guitar you fall in love with.

Find a good coach to teach you the tricks of this trade — luckily music schools and teachers are all around, surf the web for a suitable one.

I was lucky enough to land lessons with the brother of a good friend of mine, a skilled member of two bands and guitar coach – with the added benefit of owning patience!

For my first few attempts, it felt as if my fingers needed to be double-jointed to play this instrument.

I had to motivate my rebellious pinkie quite a bit to stay on the string: go pinkie, go. I believe in you! (I like to think that it helped.)

I did not realise how much skill and concentration goes into playing this instrument and have even more respect for it now.

It is vital to go home and practise – something I grasped from the beginning was that you cannot expect to go to your lessons and gain the ability to play an instrument simply through what you get taught there; the more you practise, the quicker you’ll learn — and that I can testify to, after just a few lessons.

Plenty of people have attempted to learn to play an instrument and given up too quickly after feeling despondent.

My teacher told me it would take five or six months of hard work and learning, after which it would be a breeze and fun forward.

I already love this hobby enough to put that theory to the test and will report back if I manage to run through that red tape of accomplishment.

Here are some tips I picked up on my hobby-finding journey that might help you:

• Again, stressing that you should love maintaining your hobby, do not start a hobby just because it is attractive to the rest of the society or because your friends are doing it – choose something that suits your personality and you will naturally shine at it.
• Choose a fitting hobby for the amount of energy you have.
• Choose an affordable hobby. I have my fair share of white elephants at home from spending money on things that I was not sure I would enjoy. Dip your toe in the waters before jumping in.
• Be prepared to give whatever time is required to maintaining your hobby — I have decided to put aside an hour every day, after I go home, shower and have supper, to practise the guitar.
• Do not be afraid to use your resources; if you have friends or acquaintances who practise a similar hobby that you are interested in, ask for their feedback, advice and help on your hobbies – you will be surprised at what a boost it can give you.

I cannot wait to be able to play the songs of some of my favourite bands and musicians and wish for you to find a passion that makes you come alive too, if you have not done so yet!

Good luck and have fun. TB