You can hear the gentle roar of the crowd. You can feel the anticipation in the air; it's so thick that it's tangible. Your palms begin to sweat, and the prospect of preforming in front of all these people is dizzying. A man approaches you to tell you that you're up next, and you feel like you might faint. Just as you begin to question whether you want to go through with this, you remember why you started playing guitar, how it brings passion and emotion into your daily routine, and how you poured your heart and soul into the piece you are about to play. Then, then it all comes back and you feel as if you can take on the world. It's go time. You step out onto the stage as your name is announced and you shoot a dazzling smile towards the crowd. There's your mom in the front row, giving you an overly enthusiastic wave; you flash her a sheepish thumbs up and approach the mic. This is it. Breathe. You introduce yourself and your song, and you play the first chord progression. You begin to sing. Halfway through the song and you are in your element, and the half the crowd is waving lighters and cell phones and bobbing their heads to the music. This is beauty. This is bliss. Then you wake up.

Okay, so you may not be one for the stage, but whether you like to preform for a crowd or for the four walls of your bedroom, learning to play acoustic guitar is a fantastic way to express yourself. When I play, it evokes a kind of flame inside of me, and it's just so powerful that sometimes it's a bit overwhelming. Although this isn't the reason many people attempt to learn guitar, it should be known and accounted for. Most people try their hand at guitar so they can learn their favorite songs, or look cool to other people. This is by no means wrong, but I want to make it known that before you start playing guitar, you should make sure that you're prepared for the emotional part of it.

Music is a language the whole world understands, but so many people tend to overlook it's power. Acoustic guitar is only one of the mediums for this beautiful art form, but by golly it's a happy one! No matter what you are feeling before, acoustic pieces just have that intense passionate feeling to them. They can make you feel bittersweet, joyful, melancholy, or confident and overwhelmingly so. Sometimes I am left bursting with emotion, and I just can't play anymore, so I just sit down and cry because I have heard an untold and irrevocable beauty. It truly is too much for words.

Now that I've discussed the mental part of guitar playing, let's talk practicality. Before you rush into it and go buy yourself a brand new guitar and tons of songbooks and lessons, take a moment to think about whether you really want to go through with it. Is guitar playing something you really want to do? Is it something you'll stick with? Will you take the time to practice everyday? Do you even have the time to practice everyday? That's just the tip of the iceberg. Take into account the fact that learning to play is extremely frustrating and taxing. Guitars are a complex instrument; with drums there's a few different drums you beat on, with piano there's a set number of keys and one way to play them, but with the guitar, there are over 20 frets and 6 string and a plethora of chords, notes, and scales. On top of that, there are so many different genres, and different ways to pick, hold, and strum the guitar that produce distinct sounds. Do you want to take on the responsibility of learning if not all, most of those things over time? Yeah, chew on that.

So, if after reading this, you still want to play guitar, the go for it! I didn't write this hub to scare you, I wrote it so you could be well informed on what it really is like learning to play the guitar, and how much hard work and self- discipline needs to be put into it. But after all those frustrating chord progressions and aggravating licks, playing guitar really boils down to one thing: passion. Passion is one of those things that you can just sense, kind of like insincerity. You just feel it. If you really have the passion for it, it will shine through in your playing and other people will see that, that is, of course, if you choose to play for other people. If you don't want to, that's totally fine; your dog could be all the adoring fans you need, and whether you play for an audience or not, always play for yourself, and if you ever are feeling lonely or depressed, remember that you have that one happy medium, and that's all you need.