Greetings!
I’m 50, live in Austin, TX and have been playing guitar since my late teens.
I play for sanity and relaxation (that sounds odd considering how frustrating guitar can be). I’ve no desire to be in a band, make it “big”, or even make a living playing music. I just want to get better at being a musician.
By day, I’m a boring accountant/finance exec for technology companies.
I love metal music, specifically bands from Europe in the 80s such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Accept, and many more. But I like some U.S. bands too: Metallica, Queensryche, Fates Warning, etc.
Basically melodic, powerful metal.
I’ve got a younger brother (a fantastic guitar player whom I admire) who has also gotten me into “modern” metal bands such as Killswitch Engage, Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, Volbeat and…Ghost.
When I’m not listening to metal, I listen to punk bands like Rise Against.
And when no one is looking, I’ll occasionally listen to…techno. Powerful, driving rhythms and melodies…what’s not to like?
Besides Troy and team and their CtC work, I’m a big fan of Ben Higgins (especially his teachings on the mental aspects of learning guitar, which I find rare) and Ben Eller (his comedic style makes learning new guitar things more better).
In closing, I wish everyone great success on their musical journeys and thank you all in advance for posting/sharing your knowledge and challenges.