My partner plays guitar, and plays it well.
His father scoffed at him and his brother when they first took it up, saying no one in their family had any musical talent. He didn't maintain that position long. They get together often with friends and play everthing from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Zappa, with heavy doses of the Beatles and CSNY and when the alcohol content reaches critical mass, Methodist hymms.
Last Thursday I was on my lap top and he asked me to play him the first song I ever bought from i-tunes:
"Cowboys are Frequetly Secretly (Fond of Each Other)" recorded by Willie Nelson and release last Valentine's day, 2006. He sat there with his guitar and learned that song in 30 minutes. I learned where to restart it to get that riff between verses, Willie's funky way of playing. He sounded damn good.
Friday night his son came for a visit, brought his bass, and his brother came over with his guitar and he said "I got a song I want us to learn" and he played it. I took pictures so he could see their reaction later. His brother, when concluded, said: "That's Willie Nelson".
The next day partner and son go to the music store to buy strings. They know eveyone there, and everyone they (thought) they knew them. A buddy who works there, who used to be in a band with him, told him to try out this guitar and he did, strumming and then softly singing:
"There's many a strange impulse out on the plains of west Texas,
There's many a young boy who feels things he can't comprehend."
His buddy of 30+ years said: "Ain't that that Brokback Willie song?" and he said it was, and started over, singing them a few more lines. He asked his son (who was standing behind him) what he thought about it and he said:
"Oh I moved closer to you."