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When I first set out to pick up guitar, I didn’t anticipate taking classical guitar lessons. Like most kids my age, I wanted to be a rocker. I figured that I could just learn a few chords, strum my guitar, and magically get hordes of groupies, flocking to my side. This is a common fantasy and a harmless one, but my parents encouraged me to have bigger dreams. They convinced me to take classical guitar instruction to start with. They argued that classical guitar lessons would give me a much more solid foundation in how to play guitar. I would learn techniques, understand musical theory, and really become proficient. Then, I could rock out with the best of them.

I was a pretty mature kid for my age, and I had to admit that their explanation made sense. I signed up for classical guitar lessons with the stipulation that, once I got good, I could get an electric guitar and start rocking. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed the classical guitar lessons. Playing classical guitar was like nothing else I had ever accomplished. I had never really listened to classical music before, but once I started playing it I became absolutely fascinated with it. It was so subtle, so complex, and so intricate. Although the rhythms were simple, the chord structures and variations added a grace that I had never heard in contemporary pop music. I was hooked.

It helps that I was a natural at playing classical guitar. One of the things that they never tell you when you start taking classical lessons is that your fingernails make a big difference in how well you can play. Classical guitarists with lousy, soft fingernails are doomed to be second-rate guitarists. You need to have sturdy, strong fingernails or else you can’t properly pick the notes.

Not only did I have good fingernails, but I had the sort of skinny long fingers that allow you to play bigger, more complicated chords with ease. My body was perfectly made for playing the classical guitar, and my mind wasn’t far behind. I loved classical music by the time I had been at it for a couple weeks.

That is not to say I gave up my rock and roll dreams. On the contrary, once I passed beginning guitar lessons, I started to play a little bit of rock ‘n roll as well. It was surprisingly easy to pick up after I had the classical guitar lessons. Don’t get me wrong, it does involve some skills they you don’t use in classical playing. Some of the chords are different, and you have to learn how to use a pick. Nonetheless, I had discovered such subtlety with my fingers that it was comparatively easy.

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