Hoffman 1

Evan Hoffman

Mrs. Scharf

ERWC

17 April 2022

Integrity Essay

In my honest and humble opinion, the guitar is a lot more complicated than what the

ordinary eye sees. There are so many different ways to bend and shape the sound. It is more than

playing a certain amount of notes in a certain order to obtain a sound. Each note has its own

starting tone, and with each modification to that, there are endless possibilities and combinations

of sounds that can either be appealing or horrendous if used wrong. I believe that my life is very

similar to a guitar in this aspect.

My dad is similar to the low E string because Each string has its own unique

characteristics and tones. The low E string has the lowest tone and is the most serious, but when

you mess with it up and down the fretboard, it can become upbeat or happy. My dad is typically

a very serious person. Over the 17 years I have known him, it was until just these last 4 years

I’ve seen him smile and laugh more than ever. I feel as though I have developed my personality

to be very similar, and it appeals to his very MasterLock sense of humor. It only took me 13

years to break the code. Overall, I’d say my dad, for a majority of my life, has been very serious

and straight forward, but as I develop into the best me, I’ve realized he may not be so serious

after all.

Next in tonal order would be the A string which I compare to music overall. The A string

is the string most used for power chords. Power chords resonate for a very long period of time

and sustain easily. Music has been very powerful throughout my life, and I don’t see it going

away anytime soon. There was a period of time between freshman and sophomore year where I
 Hoffman 2

was especially down. That summer, something was in the air. I still to this day cannot explain it,

but what I do know is that it stuck around for a while. It would take some effort to look on the

bright side of things rather than the darker side. Throughout this phase of my life, I listened to a

lot of happier music. Here Comes the Sun, Layla, Brown Sugar; my discography was endless. I

found a very powerful side of classic rock that, I believe, truly got me through that very rough

time. Music trends come and go but so do phases of life. You may need happy or sad songs, but

regardless, they are all powerful in their own right like power chords down a fret board.

The third string, the D string, is very akin to my mom. The D string is the most versatile

of them all. It has mixes of deep sounds that can be very serious if played properly, but it also

has amazing light and fun tones that truly show its character. It has a perfect balance, and it is

used, from my experience, in a vast majority of happy songs. My mom has always been there for

me, showing crazy, copious amounts of love along the way. A vivid memory of this was when I

was in the first grade, and she surprised me with an annual Disney pass. My dad was out of town

a lot, traveling for work, so my mom thought it would be a great use of time together to bond and

have fun. We went a total of 24 times that year.

My passion and love for the guitar is similar to the G string. The G string on the guitar is

very interesting. It is right in the dead center of all six strings. It has elements of high tone, but it

is also capable of low, bass like tones if used properly. When the pandemic hit California, I had

mixed emotions. The thought of a longer spring break at first had me so excited, but I also had

absolutely no clue that the next year and a half, the whole country would be on lockdown. My

mom was playing the whole scenario very safe, and she kept me exclusively home for months on

end. During this time, I got so incredibly bored of looking at a screen all day. I tried to pick up

reading, but no book I owned caught my interest. One day, my mom and I were going through
 Hoffman 3

the attic. In a dark corner, I found my first guitar I tried learning when I was 8, but I soon put it

down after learning lessons were a bore to me. “Why not give it a shot?” I thought to myself. I

took it down, hooked up my old amp, and immediately tried remembering the super basic

Nirvana riffs I first learned. As rusty as I was for not playing in 7-8 years, I was having a blast.

Getting to the point I am now took a lot of perseverance and drive, which had very low lows, but

when I finally mastered a song, it had very high highs. I’m very happy that during the pandemic I

stumbled across my old guitar. It sparked the passion for music I have today. Learning, though,

has very high highs and low lows, very similar to the G string with its versatility of tones.

My friend group is similar to the B string because the B string is the second highest note

on the guitar. It is slightly less high pitched than a high E, but it is still bright and happy. My

friend group throughout high school have always made me feel appreciated, bright, and

especially happy. I had a very toxic girlfriend my sophomore year. She wanted 110% of my full

attention at all times. This made me meet up and hang out with my guy friends a lot. We slowly

started to drift and lose touch. I had finally had enough of being controlled, and I chose to break

up with her after a terrible 5 month run. I immediately sent a text to my friend group, and they all

welcomed me back with open arms. As happy as I was to be out of such a terrible relationship, I

was still going through a break up and was a little sad. One of my best friends recommended we

go on a beach trip, and after that trip, I had a newfound respect for my homies. Even after I left

my friends hanging for a decently long period of time, they still welcomed me back with open

arms, and they were more than happy to have some of my attention for a change. They

brightened my whole mood, like the B string, and I will forever thank them for waiting so

patiently.
 Hoffman 4

Finally, my childhood dog, Harry, is similar to the high E string because This is the

highest pitch note on the guitar. It has very bright and high tones, which continue to get higher

the more you move down the fretboard. I’m convinced my childhood dog, Harry, is magical. He

is 12 years old at the current time of writing this, and he has hit his peak energy state. He has

more energy now than he did as a puppy. Somehow in his old age, he’s been able to rally himself

and always support our family. Throughout the pandemic, I wasn’t having the best time. I

couldn’t see my friends all too often, and when I would get cabin fever, I would immediately

snag my dog and take him on a walk. He brightened up my day, so I thought to pay that forward

to make him happy too. My dog has somehow gained energy over the years, and I’m not

complaining. He keeps getting more and more energy and radiates more and more happiness like

the high E string on a guitar.