Journey Through Music

From Clarinet to Guitar: Nolan Christensen-Burke’s Journey into the World of Strings"

His Story

Guitar enthusiast Nolan Christensen-Burke may be new to the instrument, but he’s no stranger to music. He began exploring his musical interests in middle school, learning clarinet and alto saxophone, and even tried his hand at drums in high school. Nolan recently took the plunge into guitar playing, which he started just four months ago, as a way to find solace during challenging times. I sat down with Nolan to talk about his early experiences with the guitar, the challenges he’s encountered, and his goals for the future as a budding guitarist.

Q&A

D'Angelo: What’s your name?Nolan: My name is Nolan Christensen-Burke.
D'Angelo: What’s your background in music?Nolan: I actually started my music interest in middle school. I played the clarinet for all three years and also picked up the alto saxophone towards the end of my 8th-grade year. When I started high school, I briefly tried to learn drums, but then switched back to clarinet and played that until my senior year.
D'Angelo: How long have you been playing guitar?Nolan: I actually just started in June, so it's only been around four months. It has always been something that I had wanted to try, but I only recently took the action to do so.
D'Angelo: What made you want to start playing guitar?Nolan: It’s a mix of wanting to pick up a new hobby and a way to distract myself from the difficulties I was dealing with at the time. The guitar really helped me get out of my shell during rough times, and I’m grateful that I've maintained my interest in it.
D'Angelo: What did you start with when you were first trying to learn?Nolan: I initially picked my favorite song and made it a goal to play it someday. I watched YouTube videos to guide me, but it took a lot of my own effort and time to learn the song.
D'Angelo: What challenges did you face while learning guitar?Nolan: Barre chords were incredibly tough for me. Even now, I still struggle to consistently play them. It involves playing all six strings with one finger, so I had to build a lot of strength.
D'Angelo: What techniques did you use to improve?Nolan: I practiced for hours to build up calluses on my fingers, which made them more resistant to the strings. I also experimented with finger positions to improve my technique.
D'Angelo: How long did it take you to learn your first song?Nolan: It took me about a month and a half to play the song all the way through. It’s an intermediate-level song, so I felt very accomplished.
D'Angelo: What is your biggest strength as a guitar player?Nolan: I think my biggest strength is in strumming patterns. I can often play a strumming pattern by ear after listening to a song once, which I know is difficult for many people.
D'Angelo: What helps you push through the frustration of learning and keep growing as a player?Nolan: I remind myself why I started playing guitar and how it has put me in such an opportunistic position now. Improving is tough, but it's incredibly rewarding.
D'Angelo: What is your least favorite thing about guitar?Nolan: The overall difficulty. It can be frustrating if you don’t practice consistently because it’s easy to lose the progress you’ve made.
D'Angelo: What’s one thing you want to learn on guitar in the future?Nolan: I’d love to learn pinch harmonics. It’s one of the hardest techniques on guitar and involves pinching two strings together and sliding on the guitar to get the right sound. It’s tough, but I’d love to master it someday.