Why do I find my own way for every musical idea?

Maybe it’s the fact that I’m born into a family of musicians. My parents not only gave me a pair of good ears, but also training on various instruments. More likely, however, is the unconventional and self-taught way in which I approached the guitar as a child:

All attempts to teach me guitar “properly” failed at the time. As a left-hander, I just didn’t want to hold the guitar like a right-hander – it felt completely awkward. I simply started playing on my own, guided by my mood, my instincts and my feeling only. Free of unpleasent lessons, pure passion and fun were my motivation. At some point I realized that I’m probably the only one who plays the high strings up and the low ones down. There was nobody who could have taught me the instrument like this – I had to acquire it by myself. That was an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time. I had to work out every chord on my own, feel every scale and phrase – I appreciate a lot what has developed from it through the years – my unmistakably own, intuitive style of playing and create music.

My unusual way of learning guitar is mirrored in my guiding principle: never go down the beaten path and find your own special approach for every musical task! Or in the words of Jimi Hendrix:

“Technically I’m not a guitar player. All I play is truth and emotion.”

Jorn Heilbut