Category Archives: NOTES from LISA'S STUDIO

I’m working on learning to play the song, “At Seventeen”, by Janis Ian, as I’m creating a tutorial of lessons on it to post on Guitar Tricks. It’s a beautiful guitar song, and I’m having a ton of fun poring over YouTube videos of Janis Ian at a wide variety of ages, playing the song on her acoustic guitar. This is how I learn to play it like she plays it.

Such an evocative song, it almost makes me squirm. Is this just a girls’ song? I don’t know. Guys, what do you think?

It is causing me to think about where I was at, at seventeen. What a time, what an age to be. I remember I used to sling my guitar onto my back (no case) and ride my bike across town to my friend Jeannie’s house, where we would sing Beatles songs for hours and scheme about how we were going to run away to Liverpool, England, locate Paul McCartney, and convince him to fall in love with us.

What’s wrong with this picture?

Anyway, I’d love to hear what Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” brings up for you. Please respond and let me know your thoughts.