Yesterday I took my first lesson with Isao Tsukamoto, and it was really exciting. He's a top-notch guitarist, so I thought I would be nervous in front of him, but for some reason I felt relaxed from the get-go. We talked about what I had been doing with my guitar, the difficulties I was facing, and what I wanted to achieve. He immediately understood everything I said; I didn't have to explain much. Some of his words were unexpected, but I felt that someday I would be able to understand them—not with my brain, but with my body and guitar.

I've been playing the guitar for almost five years, but I only played my favorite songs in my own random way. I thought I had to start practicing in a more structured way, like playing practice pieces every day. However, he said I was already on the right path and that he himself had never done practice pieces. He just practiced the difficult parts of his favorite songs repeatedly, and while playing them, they naturally became arranged and different from the originals. For him, creation and practice aren't separate things. He's simply playing the guitar.

I had watched tons of YouTube videos that claimed to improve your skills, but they never motivated me. However, Isao Tsukamoto's words did. I feel just as excited as when I first heard the sound I made with my guitar.