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@shawn-c-seeleyicloud-com Man, I have so much respect for you, not only for your service, but for your wear withal, creative fortitude to learn the guitar. It’s not an easy instrument, but it is possible, and you’re proving it. Keep at it. It will be challenging, but if you keep at it, you will improve and it will get easier.
There are many disabled players on TAC that have overcome their disabilities.
Also, check out these artists
Keith Xander – Missing arm. Plays with a prosthetic hook hand
Les Paul – shattered right arm. Had set at permanent set position to avoid amputation
Django Reinhardt – missing fingers
Tony Iommi – missing fingertips
Jerry Garcia – missing finger
I like what Xander said, “Playing with only one arm taught me a lot of patience, because in the beginning I couldn’t even hit the strings,” says Keith Xander, singer and guitarist of Xander and the Peace Pirates. “If I can do it, anyone can.”
“Everything comes down to inspiration,” says Xander. “The guitarists I listened to made me want to keep going and not give up. I learned not to be so hard on “
myself. All artists and musicians can be very impatient with themselves. It takes a lot of time to learn an instrument – maybe even more so in my case.”
“Naturally, the Xander and the Peace Pirates frontman has had to adjust certain elements of his technique accordingly and forge his own path as a player. He prefers to be more legato-led, partly because he likes the slippery sound it yields, but also because that’s simply what feels most comfortable with his setup.
“I keep my wrist quite still and move the forearm, because I’ve got no choice in the matter, really. I’ve got no wrist!” he continues. “I don’t really use much alternate picking. It’s a lot of downstrokes, and then I compensate with my fretting hand to get speed and fluidity through legato techniques. I worked on that stuff a lot through the years, using one hand to play leads and get melodies flowing.”
I follow Xander and the Peace Pirates. He’s so inspirational.