How a $50 Guitar and a Stranger Teacher Changed My Life

When I was six years old, most kids in my neighborhood ran outside to play football, chase each other, or climb trees. Me? I sat by the radio.

It wasn’t just the songs I loved—it was the music hidden behind the songs. While most people only heard the singer’s voice, I would close my eyes and focus on the layers underneath: the guitar strumming in the background, the faint notes of a piano, or the gentle sigh of a violin.

Some researchers say that human ear can catch up to 16 different sounds at once. Whether that’s true or not, I know this: even as a child, I could hear the details most kids ignored. And it fascinated me.

💡 “Sometimes what others ignore, becomes the very thing that shapes who you are.”

🎹 A Forbidden Passion

At 15, I finally saved enough money to buy my first instrument—a keyboard.

But in my house, music was not welcomed. My parents believed it was “lagha”—a distraction that would make me lazy, keep me from studying, and even pull me away from my prayers. Guitars, drums, any musical instrument… all forbidden.

The keyboard was my secret compromise. With headphones, no one could hear me play.

And I believed something very different from what my parents feared. I believed music could make me creative. Every time I tried to match the chords I heard on the radio with the notes on my keyboard, I felt alive. My fingers, my ears, my eyes—they were all working together. It was like a part of my brain was lighting up for the first time.

But passion alone wasn’t enough.

There were no YouTube tutorials back then. The internet was painfully slow and mostly used for email. I couldn’t afford a teacher, and I didn’t have chord books. For three years, I struggled… and still couldn’t play a simple C chord.

Eventually, frustration won. I gave up.

💡 “A dream without guidance often fades into silence.”

🎸 The Guitar That Found Me

Then, one day, everything changed.

A neighbour came over holding a guitar. A Yamaha F310. Seems brand new.

“I need money,” he said. “I’ll sell this for fifty dollars.”

I didn’t even test it. I didn’t ask if it was broken. I just ran to my savings jar, pulled out the money, and handed it to him. That was my first guitar. My treasure. And even now, 22 years later, I still have it—still in good condition, still holding memories of the day I finally felt like a real musician.

But this time, I wasn’t going to repeat my past mistake.

I searched online for guidance. That’s when I discovered Justin Sandercoe—better known as Justin Guitar.

He was just a guy from Australia, uploading free lessons on a simple website. But for me, he was a lifeline. He broke everything down: basic chords, chord changes, barre chords, even how to make your playing sound good.

It’s been years, and he still doesn’t know me. But I’ll never forget him. Because sometimes, the right teacher—even one who’s never met you—can change your entire life.

💡 “You may never meet your greatest teacher—but their gift can still change your world.”

🎹 Passing the Torch

Years later, I learned piano properly. After about a year, I began teaching my son. I taught him the basics I once struggled so hard to find.

And to my amazement, in just two weeks, he picked it up. Two weeks! Today, after two years, he plays better than I do. You can even watch him on TikTok: @karym12_5. He just started playing for fun.

And when I see him play, I don’t just see music. I see proof. Proof that a little bit of knowledge, passed down with love, can grow into something far greater than yourself.

💡 “Knowledge is a flame. Pass it on, and it will only grow brighter.”

🌱 The Lessons That Changed Me

Looking back, here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Find a teacher. Struggling alone wastes years. A teacher can shorten your journey and keep your passion alive.
2. You don’t need to be an expert to teach. If you know even a little more than the person beside you, you already have something valuable to share.
3. Small seeds of knowledge can grow into forests. Justin Guitar shared free lessons with the world, and it changed me. I shared what I knew with my son, and now he plays better than me. Who knows how far he’ll go?

🎶 The Bigger Truth

When I look back at my journey, I realize this: a single moment—a $50 guitar, a free website, a simple lesson—can shape decades of your life.

So if you have knowledge, share it. You don’t know whose life you might touch. You don’t know how far your influence might travel.

Because the truth is, the smallest thing you share today…
might just become someone else’s turning point tomorrow.

✨ Takeaway Quote:

“You don’t have to be an expert to change a life—you just have to share what you know.”