Playing The Guitar

I’ve loved playing the guitar for nearly 50 years now. It was the one thing that grabbed my attention during my ‘formative’ years.’ Never sure why they call it your formative years, I never really formed anything and thinking back, at 15, I hadn’t a clue what the heck was going on!

Staying In

While all the other lads were out playing football or chasing girls, I sat in my bedroom with my £12 plywood guitar from Kays Catalogue. One of those where you paid 2 groats a week for 750 weeks until your purchase was paid for, or in this case, long after it had gone on the bonfire.

Learning

I did learn a lot from that makeshift piece of tat with its nylon strings. I taught myself the basic chords and how to harden up the ends of my fingers on my left hand so that I can push drawing pins into solid concrete without feeling a thing! I was that keen, I used to turn the light off so I could play in total darkness so that I knew exactly where my fingers needed to be without looking.

Growing Up?

Eventually, growing up a little bit, I found myself earning money and I must have been about 17 when I bought my first real acoustic guitar. By that, I mean a guitar that you can play without having to learn all the wrestling moves of Giant Haystacks. I also discovered that I had been tuning the instrument wrong since day one. I could play a lot of songs with the chords I had learned, but because it was out of tune, it never sounded right.

Getting Better

Over the years, I’ve become quite good at playing, especially finger picking style. Since moving to Wales, my wife who sings and plays the guitar a little has joined me and we do a few numbers at the local open-mic with the bar owner joining in with his saxophone. We’ve also played a little further afield and a few months ago were invited to play in a gig designed to raise money for the people of Ukraine.

Me and Deb performing at Open-Mic

Super Nervous

I always get super nervous before a performance, so much so that I keep asking why I put myself through this? Yet once we get going, things always seem to turn out fine and I don’t want to stop playing. It’s a wonderful experience, to be able to play music with others on stage and hear an audience applauding at the end of a song. I feel so blessed by it and apart from my family, it is my greatest achievement.

Help With Performance Anxiety

P.S. At the time of the end of our performance there had been £880 raised towards the Ukraine appeal.

Header Photo by Katy Lloyd.

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46 Comments
  • derrickjknight
    June 24, 2022

    That seems pretty formative to me

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Derrick 😀

  • Libby
    June 24, 2022

    Excellent. Well done you!

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Libby. 😊

  • Love it! I sing and my husband plays guitar and bass. We have performed a few times too, and I hope we get to perform more after I retire from my day job!
    p.s. have you tried EFT to ease the performance anxiety you feel?

    https://sheilamurrey.net/2016/12/31/natural-health-relief-from-anxiety-using-eft-tapping/

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Sheila. Thank you too about the EFT advice. I will certainly give it a try. 😊

  • You and your wife could record something too! Put it online on Vimeo or YouTube. (We did and I have a link on my homepage to a song my husband and I co-wrote during the first year we met. It’s a getting to know you love song.)
    SheilaMurrey.net

    • Trev
      June 25, 2022

      We have some video footage somewhere. I will have to find out where. 😊

  • Peter's pondering
    June 24, 2022

    Well done both of you. I love the header image Trev. I trust you have a framed copy above the hearth!

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Peter. No, I haven’t got it framed, but I will give it some thought. 🙂

  • John
    June 24, 2022

    I admire how you taught yourself to play a guitar, Trev, I always wanted to play bass guitar. And, it’s great that you figured out that you had the guitar tuned wrong, I have no idea how to tune one! What is a Groat? 😂

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, John. It took a long time and in many ways, I’m still learning. A groat is an old medieval unit of currency. 🙂

  • Herb
    June 24, 2022

    Maybe you could post a recording or two?

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Herb. I know there are a few recordings or videos about, I will have to see if I can locate them. 🙂

  • Going Batty in Wales
    June 24, 2022

    Well done for doing something you find scarey and raising so much for a good cause.

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you. It always ends well, a bit like going to the dentist. 🙂

  • Jim Flanigan
    June 24, 2022

    And where can we see you perform? Links available? Would love to hear some songs from you and the wife.

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Jim. I will see if I can find the odd link to post something. 🙂

  • Yetismith
    June 24, 2022

    How lovely that you play “gigs” and wonderful that you helped raise funds for Ukraine. Being able to play music is special. I’ve always regarded musicians as channels from the divine. Well, not everyone. Some sounds are hideous and no doubt come from a different source!

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Yeti. Hopefully, our sounds are not too bad. 😉

  • SusanR
    June 24, 2022

    I’m envious! I took a few guitar lessons in my 20s but found it waaay harder than it looks. Plus it seemed that basically you play chords and have to sing to really make music. Anyway, I never got beyond that. I have zero musical skills. Wonderful that you played to raise money for Ukraine!

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you, Susan. I think everyone is good at something as there are plenty of things I cannot do. I can’t sing to save my life, I leave that to the experts. 🙂

  • luisa zambrotta
    June 24, 2022

    Well done both of you.❣️💙❣️💙❣️

    • Trev
      June 24, 2022

      Thank you as always, Luisa. 🙂

  • anotherdaywithjulie
    June 24, 2022

    So have you formed any groupies? I bet you have quite a fan following. So cool that you do this with Deb.

    • Trev
      June 25, 2022

      Thank you, Julie. No groupies I’m afraid. 😊

      • anotherdaywithjulie
        June 25, 2022

        I’m sure they’re out there, maybe they’re just not being obvious. 🙂

        • Trev
          June 25, 2022

          Indeed, I haven’t seen one. 😔

  • Rosaliene Bacchus
    June 24, 2022

    Well done, Trev 🙂 Here’s to more live performances!

    • Trev
      June 25, 2022

      Thank you as always, Rosaliene 😊

  • Anonymous
    June 25, 2022

    I never knew you both performed, what a great experience to share. So many couples happily live together but have little in common outside of the home. Well done to you both 🙂

    • Trev
      June 25, 2022

      Thank you,😊

  • wibiwonders
    June 26, 2022

    How wonderful! You must be pretty good to have raised such an amount for Ukraine. So, like others, I hope you can dig out some recordings and post them here or on YouTube 👏

    • Trev
      June 26, 2022

      Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope I can find something now to post on the blog. 🙂

  • heheh, a bit of smack bang reality “Never sure why they call it your formative years, I never really formed anything”. Good job on raising money for Ukraine. 🙂

    • Trev
      June 29, 2022

      Thank you. 😊

  • Crystal Byers
    June 30, 2022

    I didn’t know this about you. Very cool! And peace for Ukraine. 🇺🇦

    • Trev
      June 30, 2022

      Thank you, Crystal 😊

  • Beautiful photograph of you.

    • Trev
      July 1, 2022

      Thank you, Phyllis 😊

  • mitchteemley
    July 4, 2022

    Ah, a fellow-guitarist, I had no idea!

    • Trev
      July 4, 2022

      I just wish I could sing 😊

  • Craig White
    August 8, 2022

    Awesome 💙

    • Trev
      August 8, 2022

      Thank you, Craig. 🙂

  • abbasmehar
    November 15, 2022

    Thank You so much for sharing us unique article i really like it.

    • Trev
      November 15, 2022

      Thank you 😊