By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
For Golden, Colo., senior Jack Wheeler, a guitar club seemed like something that would have already been in place at Baylor. However, to his surprise, his assumption led him to discover there was no current guitar club at the university. So, eventually, he founded a club of his own.
From a junior year dream, Wheeler has since turned his desire for a guitar community into a reality. Baylor’s Guitar Club, of which he is the president, has been in full function since the start of the semester despite an initial delay, he said.
“It took a while because they had issues with their system,” Wheeler said. “Apparently, during that semester, where you go to found the clubs, it’s the whole Student Involvement — it was something with Connect. Their Connect forms were, like, outdated.”
When he initially started working on launching the club, Wheeler said he had been told it should only take a semester to start a club and get it running. Instead, it took him a year.
“This has been our first full semester actually functioning, although last year, in the spring semester, we did technically start as a club.”
The club meets weekly on Mondays from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Cowden Room in the Bill Daniel Student Center. Wheeler said the club has eight consistent members so far and is looking to grow their numbers.
Waco junior Justin Gilliland, vice president of the guitar club, attested to the difficulties he and Wheeler faced when they attempted the process of starting the club.
“Working with Student Activities and Student Productions has been quite difficult,” Gilliland said. “It’s caused a lot of stress on our end and it’s caused a lot of change in plans, and that lack of consistency and that change of plan could quite possibly impact the ability to actually function well as a club, and I see that with a lot of smaller clubs.”
Both Wheeler and Gilliland said they had been playing guitar since they were young — Wheeler starting off with electric and dabbling in and out of acoustic and piano, while Gilliland began with trombone and eventually found a love for the acoustic and electric guitars. Gilliland said he kept up with trombone into his college years, as he played in the Golden Wave Band for two years.
Their love for these stringed instruments is what led both of them to pursue the foundation of a club, where their gatherings serve not only as a place for more advanced players to have a jam session once a week, but also as a place for beginners to learn. Wheeler said for those who are just starting off, meetings involve him and Gilliland helping members concentrate on and master specific songs.
Wheeler said the main focus for most of their members is acoustic guitar, as is the majority of Baylor’s campus. They do have some members, though, who play electrics.
“Most people who want to learn are wanting to learn acoustic, and it’s not a bad starting place,” he said. “To be honest, when you start learning them, it’s the same. When it gets more advanced is really where the difference is.”
Gilliland said the element of complexity also plays a part in swaying the decision of what most aspiring guitar players choose to start off with.
“When we talk about just electric guitar in general, the setup, the amp, the actual starting off with electric can be difficult just based off the materials that you need to be able to play an electric versus materials,” he said. “For acoustic, you need the guitar, and that’s it. Maybe a pick.”
Even for the players who are more advanced, playing among others has its benefits, Gilliland said.
“I think it’s beneficial for those people because if you’re constantly listening to yourself, you don’t necessarily know how you sound,” Gilliland said. “So when you’re able to play for someone else, they’re like, ‘Yeah, you’re not playing that in the correct rhythm,’ or just just a lot of house cleaning things.”
One of Wheeler’s goals for the club is to expand their meeting space to two rooms — one for beginner players to practice and learn and one for more advanced players to work out the kinks in their songs and collaborate, he said.
“I want to be able to have some people who are more advanced have leadership positions to also help teach other people,” Wheeler said. “Growth is the biggest thing.”
Wheeler said he wants the club to be able to do more performances around campus to give members a chance to display their hard work. He said he’s already secured a performance opportunity for the club to play the national anthem next semester at one of the women’s basketball games.
For those who are interested in joining the club, Wheeler said he encourages them to simply show up to one of their meetings — with or without a guitar. Currently, there are two designated club guitars for members to use, he said.
Gilliland said the club also has access to tablature, so there is no need for members to purchase sheet music out of their own pockets.
“I just want to see people be able to pick up a guitar and see a passion in it — maybe find a new hobby that they’re not necessarily used to,” Gilliland said. “I think when a lot of people start off, their ideas of what it looks like to play versus what ends up happening are very different, and I think they can kind of find their niche in that, and then they can take that wherever they go.”
