 Guitar Hero
It is a long story. Beyond the story it is also a passion, playing guitar. To be frank, I did not devote my life to learn how to play guitar. However I have always wanted to succeed at it. I begged my mother to buy me an electric guitar for my birthday. She promised to when I turned fourteen or fifteen. By the time I was fourteen, and then fifteen, I still did not have a guitar. When playing guitar lost its importance, I found time to focus on my drawing. I eventually found myself listening to Metallica. "Unknown power" pulls me in.
When I prepared for university, as every lucky Turkish youth, I took courses in a place called dershane. There was a guy who became my first friend there. He was a member of a band in their high school. He played electric guitar and told me about their songs. These were all Metallica songs, by the way. Once he brought a thick, old book. This book was full of Metallica song lyrics. When class was dismissed, he strung out the melody, and I tried to synchronize to the lyrics.
After several weeks, he brought his guitar and amplifier. He played some songs from different albums of Metallica. I looked at him with much admiration. He has potential. He has star "electricity."
Nothing else matters (chorus)
So close no matter how far
Could not be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters
Being university student, you tend to be a realistic and rational person. I gave up some silly ideas, sacrificed dreams for the future. Now I call this realism. As a part of my own "operation realism," guitar was put on my mental dusty shelf. It stood out on the shelf and occasionally tried to jump down. The reflection of it on me appeared like that; I concluded my CAT* essay with the Nothing Else Matters' chorus. The instructor gave me high marks but noted that he could not understand its meaning and purpose.
I encountered a game called Frets on Fire through my video game addiction. It is a game based on an ability to follow given instructions on screen and complete a task successfully. Instructions are parts of the song and every successful move sounds the correct note of the song. Despite the fact that it seems easy, it's actually very easy to fail. This game was the last drop of guitar love in me, and it inevitably dropped on my head.
Finally I had a chance to buy an electric guitar. I was impatient to play a song from Metallica. I can play any song. But it did not happen like that. Weird sounds were heard and the guitar felt regretful for being in the hands of a beginner like me. I gradually began to like the tones I strummed. The most important thing is: I noticed that I did not lose anything of my passion over the years.
CAT: Cumulative Achievement Test in Bilkent University School of English Language
By Ömer Canbek Öner (CTE/IV)
oner_o@ug.bilkent.edu.tr
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