Name: Rupal Shirpurkar 

Grade: 10th 

Experience (years playing): A little over a year

Wingspan: How did you first become interested in playing the guitar?

Shirpurkar: “My father was learning how to play the guitar a couple of years ago, and I thought it was pretty amazing, and so I started playing.”

Wingspan: Can you walk me through the typical process of learning and playing a song?

Shirpurkar: “When I’m listening to a song that I like, and it has some kind of guitar riff in it, I want to learn it. I have this app that gives me all the tabs and notes on how to play it, and I give it my best shot and then practice it for a few days until I’m satisfied with how it sounds.” 

Wingspan: Did you start playing acoustic or electric guitar, and do you have a preference now? Why?

Shirpurkar: “I play the electric guitar. I prefer to play electric because on acoustic guitar you can really only play chords and some riffs which I don’t like. I don’t like playing chords, and I prefer individual notes (tabs) and riffs/songs that don’t require too many chords or preferably chords at all.”

Wingspan: Is your guitar playing self-taught, or have you received formal instruction? What impact has this had on your technique?

Shirpurkar: I taught myself how to play the guitar by just giving it a shot, and some time ago, I watched some videos to improve how I play and what is holding back the speed of how I play. This affected my technique because I never really learned how to properly play it, like scales or exercises, I kind of just play what I want, with complete freedom.

Wingspan: Are there any guitarists or musicians who have had a significant impact on your playing style? 

“Not really, then again, I just do my own thing, but in all seriousness, I take after my father because he initially taught me how to play.”