Many years ago, in high school, I was in the band. I loved it, and I was good at it. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to walk away from music. I’ve always regretted not keeping music more alive and spent the rest of my life unwinding at the end of a long workday singing along to my favorite music. I bought a guitar in 2013 with the intent to learn it and be able to accompany my own voice. It didn’t work well. I’m right-handed, but with some serious damage to my left wrist. Specifically, in the joints where my thumb and index finger meet in my wrist. I learned some basic open chords and was doing well. Once I began to reach for barre chords I ran into problems. The pressure in the area while holding a barre chord was beyond painful. I started and stopped playing multiple times in the past 7 years, never really achieving any competency.

I work in a Hospital. When COVID hit, my stress levels peaked and I was stuck with a LOT of off time at home. I figured this was it. I was 59 (now 60) and it’s “do or die time”. I pulled out my guitar again and almost immediately that old frustrations came out.

One day a good friend suggested I could “just flip it over and play it the other way”. I laughed at first, but it got me to thinking. 2 months later I bought a left-hand guitar. A few months later I joined TAC. I’ve made more progress between December 2020 and April 2021 than I made in the previous 7 years.

I’m hooked, bordering on obsessed. As I write this my guitar is in the shop getting its first ‘setup’ and I’m having separation anxiety. I’ve never felt this good about the guitar and I enjoy every single day of it.