Emotions expressed through melodies;

      MJP Guitar Tuition states that playing the guitar will allow you to “develop your ability to accurately express and release your emotions through playing, which can be very therapeutic.” 

      Herron began her journey during quarantine, a time where everyone was stuck indoors and had to find different methods of entertainment. While she “knew how to play the double bass and the bass guitar,” she believed that “learning the electric guitar seemed like a new and difficult experience” that she wanted to give a try.  

     The senior says that playing these instruments brings her tremendous joy, including  when her dog Lucy would hear her play. She says that every time she brought out her guitar, Lucy would “lay near [her] and listen.” Unfortunately, Lucy has since passed, making Herron have newfound “bittersweet emotions” when she plays. 

      The senior’s playing is “connected very closely to [her] dog, for [she misses] her a lot.” She said her  furry friend was there to watch her grow into the musician she is today, often making her practice sessions sentimental and emotion-filled.  

    Another major influence on the musician’s will to play is her older sister. Herron’s sibling lives in Ireland and has recently started to pick up the guitar. This created an even stronger bond between the two, since they play a lot of music together. Getting to share this passion with her sister  is “so refreshing,” according to Herron.

      As the artist has progressed in her abilities, she said she has studied barré chords, which are musical chords where one finger presses down multiple strings at once. Learning this aspect of guitar has been her greatest hardship, since they “hurt [her] fingers a lot.” 

      Having three instruments under her belt is not enough for this student. Herron said she wishes to pick up “the accordion and concertina” because they “look like so much fun.” Since string instruments are her favorite, she would also enjoy the opportunity to learn the harp.  

   When looking for songs to master, Herron typically turns to Rush, Hers, The Smiths, and Garfunkel, since their songs are “strongly bass and guitar centered,” which makes grasping their tabs for bass and guitar “a fun challenge.” The School of Rock reports that tabs are “a method of notating music that empowers beginner guitarists to learn songs quickly and easily” by labeling when to change chords.  

    If there’s a student who’s looking to pick up any type of instrument, Herron says that they should “just do it[.]” The guitar player declares that the experience is “extremely rewarding and opens up a whole new path of musical possibilities[.]” 

       The Musical Arts Center of San Antonio states that in addition to the amusement of learning a new instrument, there are several other benefits to doing so, such as relieving stress, building patience, and improving memory. When music is heard, our blood pressure and heart rate are reduced, making us feel “more relaxed and happy,” adds the arts center.  

    Whether it’s intentional or not, reading chord tabs and remember different chords “stimulate your brain,” which will make it “more accustomed to learning[.]” The group claims that this will “make a big difference for your memory in the future.”