What triggered it
A rediscovered interest in post-rock and doom riffs plus the idea that guitar could be the default evening activity.
Goal
Build a small setlist of songs I can actually play and record rough demos.
What I did
Bought a used Squier Jazzmaster, tried amp sims, subscribed to tabs, learned partial songs, and rebuilt the practice plan three different times.
Summary notes
The best weeks happened when the guitar lived on a stand in the living room. The worst weeks started after buying something new and immediately trying to optimize the whole setup.
Lessons learned
- A guitar on a wall hanger gets played more than one in a case.
- Tabs are fine, but a 20-minute daily routine mattered more than finding the perfect curriculum.
Mistakes and dead ends
- Bought pedals before nailing a stable practice habit.
- Spent too much time chasing tone while still fumbling transitions between chords.