For many seniors, their senior year seems to be the most stressful year. With finals, college applications, and otherwise preparing for the future, it’s hard to find time to just relax and blow off some steam. When senior Isaiah Jones finds free time, he enjoys playing the guitar.

Jones has played guitar since his eighth grade year. He plays both acoustic and Les Paul electric guitar but prefers electric guitar because of the wide variety of sounds it can make. He was briefly taught to play by Tim Key, a guitar instructor who has done business both on the square in Paoli and from his home. However, Jones now teaches himself.

“Playing guitar is a great way to learn about music and to build hand-eye coordination,” said Jones

Jones likes to play classic and grunge rock, which includes a lot of bending the strings and hammer-ons. His favorite song to play is “Yellow Ledbetter” by Pearl Jam because of its laid-back tone and guitar solo. When it comes to guitar playing Jones looks up to famous musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Dave Grohl.

“I decided to play the guitar because a lot of my favorite songs use the guitar. I like how the notes are all laid out on the strings, which helps me visualize what I want to play,” said Jones.

He has played with his church and with the band a few times and plays whenever he can find time between studying and homework. His favorite part of playing the guitar is finding new songs to play, and his least favorite part is having to tune every time he changes songs. Jones plans on continuing to play the guitar and encourages others to play.

“It can be hard in the beginning, and it will hurt your fingers. Once you power through it, the rest begins to come naturally,” said Jones.

Story by Angie Ceja