I'm new here, but I'm not new to playing guitar. I picked it up when I was a little kid watching my grandfather play and started playing more seriously when I was probably 15, about 20 years ago. Over the years, I've tried to take lessons, but run into road blocks. Asked for them when I was a kid, but my parents told me they were too expensive. I also asked for a Strat for Christmas for several years, and they finally relented when I was about 14 and bought me a $100 el cheapo guitar called a Memphis. In high school, I was told I was tone deaf. I admit I don't have the greatest ear in the world (maybe one too many metal shows next to the speakers :D ), but as it turns out, I wasn't completely tone deaf. I tried to take some guitar classes in college, but the professor took one look at my hands and told me they were too small and I'd never be able to play. So, most of what I know, I've learned by playing with friends and figuring out on my own over the years. Played in a couple of three-chord bar bands in college where I handled the three chords and let someone else do the heavy lifting.

Any way, there's a whole lot of stuff I don't know about guitar, even some basic stuff, but I gave up my rock star dreams a long, long time ago, and just enjoy playing for myself. So I was fine with that until Christmas. I'd lamented last year a few times to my wife the fact that I'd never owned a really good guitar, thinking that maybe fore Christmas I'd get that Strat that I've wanted for all these years. She did me one better. She custom ordered me an absolutely gorgeous Music Man Axis that's basically been my dream guitar since the first time I picked up an Axis in a local music store. So now, I figure I need to learn how to play well enough to be worthy of the guitar.

I don't really have time for in-person lessons because I work long hours and don't want to take time after that away from my family -- not to mention that I haven't had great experiences with in-person lessons. So I stumbled on GT, thought I'd sign up and check it out. See how much better I can actually get.

Oh, did I also mention that I can be a little long-winded? :D