your callouses peel. a lot. like. the entire tip of your finger will just come off. it’s normal. the callous will come back

check the gauge of ur strings! if you feel like ur really struggling to master some harder licks, it might be because you have really thick strings! try going down a level or two, depending on ur preference. 

higher gauge strings are good for building strength, but sometimes you really just want to nail that riff, so if you gotta switch em, switch em!

speaking of strings, FUCKING CHANGE THEM. obivously it depends on how much you play, but leaving the same strings on for a long amount of time will not only make them go out of tune really easily but also increases the chance of them snapping. 

DON’T WAIT FOR A STRING TO SNAP TO CHANGE YOUR STRINGS. 

if you play regularly, try to change them every 3-5 months. if you can’t afford new strings that often, there are a ton of options which, while they are more expensive, can and will last twice or three times as long as other strings!

learn what transposing means. learn how to use a capo to offset a transposition. just do it. you’ll thank me later.

IF YOU PLAY ELECTRIC OR ARE PLANNING ON PLAYING ELECTRIC, GET A GATOR BOX. DO NOT GET A CASE SPECIFIC TO THAT GUITAR.

IF YOU PLAY ELECTRIC (or acoustic electric) AND YOU ARE GETTING AN AMP, DON’T FUCKING GET THE SPIDER LINE 6 AMP OR WHATEVER THE FUCK IT’S CALLED. IT’S SUPER LOW QUALITY AND NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY. THERE ARE PLENTY OTHER CHEAP OPTIONS THAT ARE WAY BETTER.

don’t feel obligated to play in front of other people. this might seem a bit dumb but like…it’s important. don’t feel like you have to play in front of other people to prove you are a guitar player.

ALWAYS. CLASP. YOUR GUITAR CASE. CLOSED. even if it’s on the ground/empty, if you don’t use the clasps, one day someone (cough cough you) will pick up the case and your guitar will fall out. don’t do it. it’s so easy to avoid just don’t. do it.

your hands will cramp. especially if you’re playing barre chords. i’ve been playing for five years now and my hands still cramp. it just happens. make sure to shake them out.

ALSO! even with really thick callouses, playing for extended periods of time will still make ur fingers hurt. you’ll have groves in ur finger tips for hours afterward. it’s normal. don’t worry about it.

ALWAYS! TUNE! BEFORE! GOING! TO! A! PERFORMANCE! tune again right before as well. (this also goes for if you’re going to a band practice/rehearsal. don’t be That Person who is out of tune.)

your shoulders will get super tense if you play sitting down. try to stand up or sit in a chair with a proper back.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD COLLECT PICKS. GET SO MANY. AS MANY AS POSSIBLE. MAKE SURE THEY”RE ONES THAT YOU LIKE/WILL ACTUALLY PLAY WITH. STOCK UP ON THEM. KEEP THEM EVERYWHERE: UR POCKET, UR WALLET, UR CASE(S), EVERYWHERE. THERE IS NO WORSE FEELING THAN NEEDING A PICK AND REALIZING YOU DON’T HAVE ONE.

don’t wear rings or watches or other things that will hit the strings while you play

learn things you want to learn. ik that sounds dumb but like…it won’t click in ur brain unless you actually WANT to learn it.

learn how to bend tune. learn how to tune by ear. just do it.

Me, I died for him.

“Adieu best of wives and best of women. Embrace all my darling Children for me.

Ever yours

Alexander”

John Laurens (1754-1782).

American Revolutionary War officer.

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He was an American soldier and statesman who served as aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington. from South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recruit slaves to fight for their freedom as U.S. soldiers.

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John was educated in England, and when he returned to America in 1777 he joined Washington’s “military family” alongside Alexander Hamilton and the Marquis de Lafayette. John was entrusted with the delicate duty of serving as Washington’s confidential secretary, a task which he performed with much tact and skill. He was present at all of Washington’s major battles, from Brandywine to Yorktown, and his personal bravery was noted by both his men and his fellow officers.

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Laurens’s fiery temperament was on full display during his public dispute with Gen. Charles Lee. Lee’s incompetence at the Battle of Monmouth (June 28, 1778) had led to a court-martial, and both Laurens and Hamilton testified against Lee during that trial. Lee was found guilty on all three counts against him, but, in spite of the extreme leniency of the sentence, he railed against his accusers. Laurens challenged Lee to a duel, and, with Hamilton serving as his second, Laurens met Lee on December 23, 1778. Lee’s shot was errant, but Laurens’s shot struck Lee in the side.

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As the British campaign in the South gathered momentum in early 1779, Laurens returned to South Carolina to aid in the defense of his home state. There he gained approval from the Continental Congress for his plan to recruit a brigade of 3,000 slaves by promising them freedom in return for fighting. The plan was defeated by political opposition in South Carolina. Laurens was killed in the Battle of the Combahee River in August 1782.

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He was captured by the English during the fall of Charleston in May 1780 but was transferred back to the Americans as part of a prisoner exchange in November of that year. After his release, he was selected by Washington to serve as a special envoy to King Louis XVI of France. Laurens appealed for supplies for the relief of the American armies.

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Lauren's then rejoined the army, and at Yorktown he was with Hamilton at the head of an American storming party that captured Redoubt 10. He was designated, along with Louis-Marie, viscount de Noailles, to arrange the terms of the surrender, which virtually ended the war. In a skirmish on August 27, 1782, on the Combahee River in South Carolina, before peace was formally concluded, Laurens was killed in a British ambush.

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He was married to Martha Manning and had a daughter. Some historians question his sexuality and pointed out that it was possible he was bisexual or homosexual, and that could have been romantically involved with Alexander Hamilton.

Burr:

Burr: You were just kissing Alex

Burr: You have no right to question me about my own affairs

John: Okay yes, but in my defense he looks cuter than usual

Burr: