Actually back when I was a teenager around 13 years old, while I was studying at the music conservatory Juan Manuel Olivares in Caracas, Venezuela, we all students had to do two years of music theory in order later to start a practices of a musical instrument, which in my case I always thought of why such a hard way to start music education, but later on I understood it was all about the commitment and filtering the hundreds of students that were signing up at this conservatory of music. Once I have completed the two years and after a long journey learning music theory with excellent instructors, we all students are asked to choose an instrument, which in my case I was determined that cello was the actual instrument that I like and that suits my character. At that point I asked for cello as my main selection of musical instrument, to my surprised there was a cello for practice within the conservatory and as well there was the instructor, so next step was for me to buy a cello. At that point I ask my family to get me a cello, but again to my surprised the prices were very high for this instrument, as well as to start learning an instrument is not ideal to spend a lot on the instrument before even learning a single note. So together with my family we have decided to take an instrument that was already at home or that I can easily borrow from any family member, so at this point a cousin gave me a classical guitar so that I can start learning this instrument at the music conservatory. At that point I was having faith on liking the instrument because it was not my first choice, later on while improving and studying, I can to know about the music of the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos which he was cellist and guitarist as well as composing wonderful music for chamber music and orchestra. I was this prelude number one by Villa-Lobos, that made me realize I have made the right choice of instrument, were in this work Villa-Lobos express with the guitar a low pitch line as imitating a cello, while developing and overlapping with harmonies and Brazilian rhythms.
Later on many years later, advance on my professional career and at the time were my friends at Music University were looking for a job position at the Symphony Orchestra, like the Simon Bolivar Orchestra and many more that we have back home in Venezuela. Most of them were easily finding a position in the orchestra and finding comfortable and permanent jobs into the music system, at that point I had another surprise which at this moment it was related to the guitar as being a soloist instrument which is excluded from the symphony orchestra as regular performer, but more as an occasional performer as invited soloist, at that point I thought again that maybe the path I chose was going to be difficult due to the challenges on finding a job. Later on I was lucky to work as a guitar teacher for the Calcano Foundation and Alejandro Humboldt International School in Caracas.
Once I finally graduated from the University of Arts after many years 7 years or more of studies on the classical tradition, I was still not convinced that I was found my sound and my own character, so upon advice and determination I went to learn more of guitar but oriented to jazz music this learning took years as well and even I moved countries and started working in Cairo, Egypt and kept learning about the jazz guitar, which at some point it felt like and endless road, as well I was already sure that the actually path was that of keep learning, not necessarily of finding a pick and saying that this is my sound I have found it. There was something that it was cooking on low heat for many years, at which currently is a mixture of styles and techniques, sounds and different ways of playing the guitar. So you can hear and find that my music and style may not find a single style or either a single technique, I have work for long time to find my own sound and persona, you may find me now on social media as The Legendary Guitar Tremolo Guru. So most important is to say that there should never be regret on ones choices but more on how we navigate those new challenges and how determined we are to find a source of expression. I was now actually blessed to find the guitar as it is a harmonic instrument that can be use in many different formats and ensembles, as well as offer a wide range of sound, not to mention the different types of guitars which is on itself another universe to explore.
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