My first guitar was an arch-top Silvertone I got for Christmas in 1965. I promptly learned to play Louie Louie, listened to the instructional record about three times, and stuck it in the corner of the basement. It floated around there for a few years until I was sneaking thorugh the basement window after a long night of carousing and stepped in the middle of it.

In 1983, I took 6 lessons and learned some basic open chords (no B's or F's), and bought a nice little KOrean-made Harmony 6 string. I still have it. After about a year of occasional strumming, I put it down until last summer. I picked up where I left off, have learned some bar chords and some basic flat-picking. I bought an Alvarez 12 string with on-board preamp last November, and just this August I got a Les Paul Studio electric.

And after 37 years, I have pretty much perfected Louie Louie. I also like strumming everything from country to traditional to rock, and have three binders full of OLGA sheet music downloads.