Everybody spends time on successive plateaux when learning. So I'm told, and so I find. Started properly at more than 50, ten or so years ago. Struggling at a higher level.

Not clear from the above if you, Rob, are playing with or in front of other people yet. If possible, do - with is great for company and learning and in front of is a very useful discipline. Terrifying at first, but it and you get better.

I played for the first time in front of a non-folkie crowd of strangers on Thursday. Monthly local pub open-mic, run a by a young woman I know slightly. Predominantly pop & rock based, amplified. Nursed a pint of Otter mild until I came on towards the end. Was of course thoroughly scared beforehand.

Borrowed guitar for the plug-in, no strap and stool at a weird height. Introduced with gentle joke - girl in main act band had sung 'f**k me on the floor' so 'at my age, you just think carpet burns' got a reasonable laugh. Said I was going to do a tune or three with maybe some Americana and perhaps Mozart.

Went into finger-picked Dark Island, shifted into Amazing Grace and eventually into Michael Turner's Waltz, which is mostly Mozart K568 or thereabouts. Was very much stripped to essentials under public scrutiny. Ornamentation, bass and harmony bits were trimmed a bit, going for melody/rhythm.

Said thanks for listening and people seemed to like it an applauded far more than I'd expected or hoped. The two very good guitar/vocal brothers who finished the session said 'see you next time.' A nice crowd and I'll go again. Pint afterwards went down fast.

The impetus to learn a tune or two came from the possibility of needing something for a session after a son's wedding. Deadlines, even self-imposed and unnecessary, help.

And to quote, probably, Grant Baynham, the most important hand on the guitar is the right. Chords can be short-cut and fudged. Getting the melody and chords right is good, the timing and rhythm is what matters.

And from probably from Jonny Dyer, chords do not have to be standard 1-3-5 triads - short chords and bits of modal stuff help. Feeling he mentioned 1-4-5 and even, ah-hem, jazz chords and 9ths and what-have you.

I'd add that you don't have to go into a tune at the formal start, and you can go out of it before the end. Intros and outros make life easier all round.

And two years really isn't very long to have been playing. To quote Rollo Woods:

"There are three secrets to playing an instrument -

practise




practise





and




practise"



Have fun.