The booming sound of an amp fills the room as a finger plucks the strings on a guitar. A second hand is flexing on the neck, fingers contorted on the different frets. Before long, a familiar riff fills the surrounding area: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne.
For Kalel Culbertson (10) music has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. Originally hailing from California, Culbertson moved to Hawaii at the age of six and has lived here ever since.
When Culbertson was eight years old, he began to discover his talent for playing guitar.
“I had heard Randy Rhodes playing guitar on an Ozzy song and I immediately decided that that was what I wanted to do,” he says.
Ever since then, Culbertson has set aside time every day to practice guitar, whether it’s just strumming the instrument or playing a song.
Culbertson’s friend, Lexee Works (10), has known him for years and is always impressed by his skills.
“I’m honestly a little jealous of his guitar playing,” Works says. “I personally think that he’s the best guitarist at our school.”
Back in April, Culbertson and Works formed a band with three other friends, performing cover songs and some originals.
“It’s really fun to get to perform on stage with a couple of your friends,” Culbertson says. “I think it really helped me get more comfortable with playing in front of a few people.”
Culbertson’s other friend, Kaito Yonabayashi (10), agrees that Culbertson is a talented musician.
“I just think that he could become a famous rockstar with the amount of talent that he has,” Yonabayashi says. “I hope that he thanks me whenever he wins a Grammy.”
Culbertson has some tips for those who want to pick up the guitar:“I would say that anyone who wants to learn how to play the guitar should start with playing an acoustic guitar so that they can build up the callouses on their fingers,” Culbertson says. “They should also learn how to read guitar chords and tabs as well.”
He also warns to not expect to be good immediately..
“You just need to be consistent about playing,” he says. “If you’re able to do that then you’ll be able to play a song in no time.”
