--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I got my first guitar my fingers…" description: "\"When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. I was only 6 or 7.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/les-paul-20589_bigs_when-i-got-my-first-guitar-my-fingers-wo_2333549.jpg" --- # When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the… ![“When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. I was only 6 or 7.” quote by Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/les-paul-20589_bigs_when-i-got-my-first-guitar-my-fingers-wo_2333549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/les-paul-20589_bigs_when-i-got-my-first-guitar-my-fingers-wo_2333549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f5/les-paul-20589_bigs_when-i-got-my-first-guitar-my-fingers-wo_2333549.jpg) > “When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. I was only 6 or 7.” [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When faced with a physical limitation, the guitarist adapted by modifying the instrument, showing creativity and perseverance. **In simple terms:** He changed his guitar to keep playing despite a challenge. Key Takeaway Adapt tools to fit your abilities. Themes creativity perseverance adaptation Mood inspirational practical Type musical self‑help When to use this quote - learning new skills - children with disabilities - DIY projects - musicians facing injuries Key Concepts problem solving music resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - What other ways can you adjust when faced with a limitation? - How does improvisation foster growth? A Different Perspective Adaptation may not fully replace the original capability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Fingers Wouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers-wouldn-3362760/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Guitar Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar-fingers-4144129/) [Just Strings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-strings-2222807/) [Sixth String](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sixth-string-5622337/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [String Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/string-took-5622338/) [Strings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strings/) ## Related quotes > [Let there be spaces in your togetherness...just as strings of a lute dance alone though they quiver with the same music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/let-there-be-spaces-in-your-togetherness-just-as-strings-of-a-lute/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [There's a weird period of learning how to play guitar where your fingers are constantly messed up a handful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reeves/there-s-a-weird-period-of-learning-how-to-play-guitar-where-your/) [Jason Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reeves/) > [I ain't learn everything yet at 95. But I got good fingers, that's one thing, I got good fingers. If it weren't for them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-edwards/i-ain-t-learn-everything-yet-at-95-but-i-got-good-fingers-that-s-one/) [David Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-edwards/) > [Now, when I have a four-string that I take on the road with me, it's a regular Martin. I bought a decent Martin with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-barlow/now-when-i-have-a-four-string-that-i-take-on-the-road-with-me-it-s-a/) [Lou Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-barlow/) > [ On the other hand \[making a string of one-off episodes\], there's a real freedom, because you're kind of reinventing the show every week. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/on-the-other-hand-making-a-string-of-one-off-episodes-there-s-a-real/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Pure essence, and pure matter, and the two joined into one were shot forth without flaw, like three bright arrows from a three-string bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/pure-essence-and-pure-matter-and-the-two-joined-into-one-were-shot/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [Responsibility's like a string we can only see the middle of. Both ends are out of sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcfee/responsibility-s-like-a-string-we-can-only-see-the-middle-of-both/) [William McFee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcfee/) > [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [In old age our bodies are worn-out instruments, on which the soul tries in vain to play the melodies of youth. But because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/in-old-age-our-bodies-are-worn-out-instruments-on-which-the-soul/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The trees change their voices in autumn as well as their shapes. No longer do they whisper to one another in muffled tones as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience-strong/the-trees-change-their-voices-in-autumn-as-well-as-their-shapes-no/) [Patience Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience-strong/) > [Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-george-bohn/friends-are-like-fiddle-strings-they-must-not-be-screwed-too-tight/) [Henry George Bohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-george-bohn/) > [I mean, sitcoms shouldn't be doing 'Saturday Night Live.' You can't just do bit after bit after bit. You have to string it together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-dewitt/i-mean-sitcoms-shouldn-t-be-doing-saturday-night-live-you-can-t-just/) [Joyce DeWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-dewitt/) > [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/) [Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/) > [God holds each of us by a string. When we sin, we cut the string. But God ties it up again, making a knot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meister-eckhart/god-holds-each-of-us-by-a-string-when-we-sin-we-cut-the-string-but/) [Meister Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meister-eckhart/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) ## More by Les Paul > [It's not jazz as we know jazz here in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/it-s-not-jazz-as-we-know-jazz-here-in-america/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [I don't know of a guitar player that has only one guitar. They're never happy with one. I'm never happy with just one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/i-don-t-know-of-a-guitar-player-that-has-only-one-guitar-they-re/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [ My chops were not as fast... \[but\] I just learned more on what was in my mind than what was in my chops. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/my-chops-were-not-as-fast-but-i-just-learned-more-on-what-was-in-my/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [.. the guitar is just a wonderful instrument. It's everything: a bartender, a psychiatrist, a housewife. It's everything, but it's elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/the-guitar-is-just-a-wonderful-instrument-it-s-everything-a-bartender/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [We go in there and we work on altering those ideas and in many cases go in different directions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/we-go-in-there-and-we-work-on-altering-those-ideas-and-in-many-cases/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [If I have to go around telling everyone how great I am, then there's something wrong with my act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/if-i-have-to-go-around-telling-everyone-how-great-i-am-then-there-s/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [A guitar is something you can hold and love and it's never going to bug you. But here's the secret about the guitar -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/a-guitar-is-something-you-can-hold-and-love-and-it-s-never-going-to/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [This guitar is such a pal. It's a psychiatrist. It's a doggone bartender. It's a housewife. This guy is everything. Whenever I find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/this-guitar-is-such-a-pal-it-s-a-psychiatrist-it-s-a-doggone/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [If you're in the U.S. and talk to someone on the phone who's in Iraq, you'll experience sound delay. It isn't long, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/if-you-re-in-the-u-s-and-talk-to-someone-on-the-phone-who-s-in-iraq/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [Now I need to take a piece of wood and make it sound like the railroad track, but I also had to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/now-i-need-to-take-a-piece-of-wood-and-make-it-sound-like-the/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [..I wanted to create music that was so different that my mother could tell me from anyone else](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/i-wanted-to-create-music-that-was-so-different-that-my-mother-could/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [The audience, they're not professionals. They just love music. It isn't necessary to play over their heads to be admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/the-audience-they-re-not-professionals-they-just-love-music-it-isn-t/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [I wanted something very dense, something that would sustain long and more pieces of wood that would be soft, sweet, for more of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/i-wanted-something-very-dense-something-that-would-sustain-long-and/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [You learn fast from others how to be an entertainer as well as a musician; you don't necessarily have to get out there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/you-learn-fast-from-others-how-to-be-an-entertainer-as-well-as-a/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) > [I have younger friends who don't work, and they aren't doing so well. My secret is to keep going, keep working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-paul/i-have-younger-friends-who-don-t-work-and-they-aren-t-doing-so-well/) [Les Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) [Explore all 30 Les Paul quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-paul/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. 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