From “Tapa Tapa” to a new Hobby
I started learning guitar in October 2025, but the story began earlier with my best friend mocking the guitarists I loved: Ichika Nito, Tim Henson, and Manuel Gardner Fernandes. To him, all those clean tones, ethereal rhythms, and flawless fingerwork sounded like one thing: “tapa tapa tapa ta.” 😀
Naturally, I began the noble work of conversion. Countless guitar shorts, modern riffs, technique close-ups, and live performances slowly shattered the joke. The funny videos became part of his playlist. The overwhelming artists became subscribed channels. The final drop was when I bought Ichika Nito’s Ibanez ICHI10. He liked it a little too much. Three months later, he started buying signature guitars from the same players. 😅
Starting to learn guitar and bringing my friend into the process felt almost like a design project. You have an idea, but the idea alone is not enough. It needs to be shaped, presented, tested, and somehow sold to the end user.
Design Material
Playing guitar also feels like design. Designers work with atomic components: colors, typography, icons, spacing, layout, motion. Their arrangement creates a different experience each time. Guitar has its own components too: notes, strings, chords, timing, pressure, rhythm. Arrange them well, and suddenly they send you into the trippiest little trip of joy.
The road is similar. Repetition trains attention. Patterns train judgment. Feedback trains patience. After enough practice, these small elements begin to form something larger: a piece of work that feels meaningful both inside and outside.