One of the most rewarding parts of running NYC Guitar School is watching students grow—sometimes in ways none of us could have imagined. Today’s guest post comes from a student who went from battling barre chords to running her own guitar repair shop inside our school. (She learned to play guitar and started a band, too!) I love this story and I think you will, too 🙂 –Dan
Have you ever had to take a circuitous path in order to achieve a goal? That happened to me, and it brought me experiences I never expected.
Before I ever dreamed of opening up a guitar repair shop inside NYC Guitar School, I was chasing a simpler—but surprisingly elusive—goal: changing my own guitar strings. I remember sitting on my couch, setting an online video to slo-mo, threading a high E string through the tuning peg…and breaking it. Then I broke another. Meanwhile the guy in the video had breezed through all six strings (did he have three hands?) and was tuning up. I had several questions for him but, unsurprisingly, he stared back at me from the screen in slow motion until an ad for guitar strings broke the silence. Of course, I did need more strings, because I now had two sets without high Es.
I’d been there a few years before with online videos, when I was first learning how to play guitar. My goal back then: Transition smoothly between the G, C, and D chords, and I found some good videos to help. Then I set a new goal: Master the F-shaped barre chord. I practiced it daily, striving to follow the smiling guy on the video who zipped up and down his guitar neck. His barre chords looked and sounded amazing. But when I played my barre chord my guitar just buzzed, wheezed, and choked. Plus, it made my hand ache. The F-shaped barre seemed an impossible goal. I also realized I was lonely playing guitar by myself.
I needed an IRL teacher. I wanted a class. I needed a group to play with. [Cue dramatic guitar riff.] I found all that and more at NYC Guitar School!
In my guitar classes, I got answers to all my questions. I learned the best strum. I learned fingerstyle and power chords. Then I made a friend in class and we started a band (Odd Shaped Swimmers). We did the Sunday open mic and the songwriters’ showcase, and now I’m in a Rock Band (Good Libations).
What I also learned was that I could practice barre chords all day long, but the major obstacle was my guitar. That is, my guitar neck was out of whack, causing the strings to sit too far from the frets. The guy at the local repair shop fixed my problem with a full setup and string change—yay—and I was on my way to successfully playing barre chords.
But that first goal—changing strings myself—remained unrealized. Determined, I found a guitar repair maintenance workshop in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, where I learned to change strings, how to set up a guitar, and even make an electric guitar. That workshop led to another in Nashville, followed by more luthier training outside of Atlanta. Along the way, Dan Emery and Jen Elliott encouraged me to repair the school’s guitars to gain experience, and I’m incredibly grateful for their support.
Last May, I opened Urban Canyon Guitar Repair inside NYC Guitar School in midtown. Now, I repair acoustic and electric guitars, basses, ukes, and banjos for students, the school, and anyone who walks through the door. I even have a small selection of refurbished guitars for sale. I really enjoy meeting students who stop by with questions and share their guitar journey. I also love it when someone brings me a dusty guitar they’re struggling with, giving me the chance to deep clean and transform it into an instrument that looks beautiful and is easy and fun to play.
My message to you: If you’re trying to achieve a goal, let it take you where it may. I never imagined that such a simple goal could lead me to where I am today!
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