From Listener to Creator

Rachael Jarman, Staff Writer

Music has always been a passion of mine, and it has helped me through a lot. I grew up listening to all different genres of music. Some people usually listen to mostly one or two genres, but not me! An instrument that I have always really liked, is the guitar

I got a guitar about two Christmases ago. I didn’t start to play it seriously until several months after, and I got so into it. I have always thought that the guitar was such a beautiful sounding instrument; there are so many chords that you can play on it. I have a gift of knowing what notes sound right, so I can play a song by finding the chord without a tutorial, but it takes a minute. 

I can play several songs on the guitar, such as: “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd, “Amnesia” by 5 Seconds of Summer, “Say You Won’t Let Go” by James Arthur, and “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Playing the guitar and singing really helps me mentally. Music is a form of relief, and that’s what I like so much about it. The world would be so much different without music. 

At the beginning of this year, my cousin came into town. The majority of the night, she and I were playing the guitar, and she was showing me certain songs she could play. She had a lot more experience with the guitar than I did. Somewhat before this time, there was something that had happened in my life, and it had been affecting me greatly, giving me a weaker mental stability, resulting in dissociation. She could tell that I was going through a lot, after I had told her all of the details. My cousin had my guitar in her hand, and she asked me, “You wanna write a song?” Of course I said yes. 

After she and I finished writing the song and getting the chords together, she had left that night, and about a week later I had made the beat and tempo for the song, along with the singing. I loved it. I loved the song a lot because I was a part of the making. Music makes me be able to let certain emotions out that I usually don’t allow out. It is almost like a cure. 

The whole point of all of this is: music is a special thing. It can change your whole mood, positively and negatively. It’s crazy how music works. I enjoy listening to all different genres, and I love to write and play the guitar to make my own music and songs. This allows me to rant and vent out things that I usually can’t, like I said before. What you can do with music is limitless, and that’s the reason it hasn’t ever died or gotten old.