Drew Lucktong

Six Strings of Satisfaction

            I got my first guitar for Christmas four years ago. I was ten years old, and I will always remember exactly how it went. My aunt, uncle, and cousins had come from North Carolina to our house to celebrate Christmas. After opening my final present, my uncle went over to the tree, twinkling with dancing white lights, and pulled out something from under the couch. In his hands was a Fender Stratocaster, my first electric guitar. It sparkled like the silver ornaments on the tree and sang like a bird when I strummed. I was in disbelief at first but then I was filled with excitement. I remember my uncle saying, “Merry Christmas, it’s about time you learned to play a real instrument.” I had previously played piano like my dad and sister, but once I held the guitar in my arms, I knew that I wanted to be a great guitarist, like my uncle.

            The strings were shiny and new, like the disks of the video games my other cousins had received, and at the time my hands weren’t even big enough to play bar chords. My uncle taught me basic chords and played some himself. The sound of the guitar rang throughout the quiet room as I strummed and learned songs. I could feel the vibrations in my fingers as I played, and I was eager to learn more. Eventually, my uncle had to leave and I had to find another way to learn. I watched YouTube videos and tried to learn songs by watching, but it was hard because I didn’t know a lot about guitar. The first song I learned was "Enter Sandman”, the Virginia Tech football team’s walk on song. My mom, the biggest UVA fan I know, would always tell me, “You can’t play that, it’s a Hokie song!” Despite her efforts, I still practiced quietly in my room when she wasn’t around.

Eventually, my dad found a teacher for me, and I started lessons at the Jefferson Center in Downtown Roanoke. I remember my first lesson like it was yesterday. It was in a large room, with sound proofing panels across the walls. Mountains of music mixing equipment and instruments sat scattered around the room. My teacher asked me what kind of things I knew, and he taught me the notes that belonged to each string. I still remember the names today by using the acronym “Every Average Dog Growls Before Eating”. We eventually got into learning songs and scales and I fell even more in love with the instrument.

After a few lessons, my teacher told me, “Drew, I’m moving to Michigan and I will no longer be able to teach you.” I wandered aimlessly for about a month, practicing different songs by myself, until we found Tim Martin. Tim was my guitar teacher for around two years and taught me a lot about the instrument. Throughout those years, I felt that I improved as a guitarist and really learned something. I also got two guitars, a Takamine acoustic, and a black Kramer electric, for the following two Christmases. Tim taught me a lot of songs by Dave Matthews, and our shared love of artists like Dave and John Mayer made him my favorite guitar teacher. Unfortunately, once school and marching band and travel soccer started, I was buried under a mountain of work so I had to quit taking lessons.   

My acoustic guitar has always been my favorite guitar. It’s easy to take to parties and play anywhere I want. In many ways my guitar is my wingman. I don’t need any amplifiers or chords; I can just play and the music will flood the room. I can bring groups together by playing songs where they can sing along, and also use it to impress my friends. Someday I’d like to start a band and play songs with my friends for fun. We would have to practice together a lot, but it would be a great experience. The guitar will always be a part of my life, and it will always be one of my favorite instruments.