Introducing Myself

[rickmccann]

Not sure if this is the place to do it; let me know if not.

My name is Rick, and I am a new Gold Pick Member. I bought a guitar on a whim back in college (20+ years ago), but never really got anywhere with it. My teenage son is a skilled pianist and violinist. When he found out that mandolin is the same tuning as the violin, he asked for one for Christmas. He took right to it. I decided to get my guitar back out and learn a few chords so that we could play together. It’s been really fun, and he’s super-patient with me, but now I want some more structured lessons. I’m excited to start working through the Beginner Guitar Checklist! My playing goals are to be able to go to a local bluegrass jam with my son and just have fun and not embarrass myself; maybe even take the occasional break!

[Michael_Mark]

This is just the place— welcome!! So glad to have you on the site and forum! There are a lot of friendly folks here and we always love seeing new people join.

Awesome to hear that you’re learning with your son. What kind of background does he come from on his other instruments? A lot of people find bluegrass very “different”, but a ton of fun!

Let us know whenever we can help you out with anything!

[Stuart.Gamble]

Welcome to the forums @rickmccann. I’m pretty new to guitar myself but I started on mandolin a few years back. There are a lot of helpful folks on here. Enjoy picking that guitar!

[BanjoBen]

honored to have you @rickmccann! Please keep us posted on your progress, and making music with the family is sure a major blessing!

[Archie]

Hi @rickmccann Rick to @BanjoBen 's Forum. You made the right decision. This is the BEST place on the WWW to learn Guitar, Banjo & Mandolin. Why because Ben is such a great teacher. Enjoy your journey.

[JohnM]

Hello @rickmccann, let me join our fellow members in welcoming you to this forum! Have fun!

[Brent.H]

Rick!! Welcome to the Forum. My sons were also drivers in getting me on to my path. They play brass, wood wind, and percussion but they know theory and can find notes and chords better than I can on the fretboard. I’m excited for you. Let us know if you have any questions about any of the tools (mp3, Tef, etc).

[BanJoe]

Welcome aboard and hang on for the ride! I was a very late bloomer & didn’t get serious about playing until I retired. It’s been more fun than I imagined and the folks here more helpful than a ton of how-to books!
Finally, don’t worry about embarrassing yourself. You’ll soon learn the other pickers are very understanding (because they’ve screwed up too!) and most listeners think you meant to do it.

[rspillers]

Welcome, @rickmccann! You’ve come to the right place for first-class instruction and a supportive community of bluegrass enthusiasts. I’d suggest following the beginner guitar checklist to get you started. You can, of course, pick and choose any lesson as you see fit, but following this outline might get you jamming a little quicker.

[Mark_Rocka]

Welcome to the board, Rick! Good to have you. Looking forward to seeing you post some videos of you picking with your son. I’m a little jealous.

[Flatpickin_Libby]

Welcome @rickmccann! My siblings and I dragged our parents into bluegrass too (though they were already both classical musicians before)!

[rickmccann]

Whoops! I’m still learning the website and didn’t realize that I had all these kind replies from three weeks ago!

[rickmccann]

My son plays a little of everything on piano, but his teachers have given him a classical lean. Violin is mostly classical and some Irish fiddle.

[rickmccann]

Thanks, Ben! I’ve tested out several online guitar courses over the past few months, but yours just clicks. Engineer here, so I love how the checklists are laid out logically, and I don’t have to guess at what to work on next. Each lesson is very approachable, understandable, and fun! I want to do a cabin camp after I get through the beginner checklist!

[rspillers]

@rickmccann what discipline engineer are you? I’m civil.

[rickmccann]

Aerospace