Life as a blind guitarist: Nothing in this world is impossible

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SymmetryImage source, Symmetry band

Jared Hara is the blind guitarist who's encouraging others with visual impairments to get into music.

The 26-year-old American went blind when he was 11 but now tours the world in his band Symmetry.

"When I lost my sight, I wondered what was going to get me out of my bedroom because that was the hardest motivation," he tells Newsbeat.

In the end he learnt to play the electric guitar - despite never physically seeing it.

"As soon as I heard the distortion and chaos that came out of the amplifier, I thought it was so cool. It excited me and gave me a sense of noise."

He's speaking about his experience on World Sight Day, which aims to create awareness about blindness and visual impairment.

When Jared could see, a career in rock music was never on the cards. He wanted to be an ice hockey player.

"Hockey took up most of my time until I lost my eyesight. But the noise from the electric guitar was as exciting as being on the ice, playing hockey."

He says he tried a couple of lessons with an acoustic guitar but it didn't have the thrill that he later got with the electric version.

He was always a fan of rap music until his dad played him acts like Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"I became obsessed," he says.

Jared's never had an image of what guitarists do on stage and he says he enjoys "inventing my own thing" when he's on stage.

Image source, Jared Hara
Image caption,
Jared has been blind since the age of 11

He's only ever "seen" one concert - the Backstreet Boys.

"They never had guitars so I didn't see any rock moves," he laughs.

"Playing in front of any crowd is such a thrill for me. The scream of the crowd gets the heart racing."

His band Symmetry, who are based in California, have a loyal fan base and have supported McBusted and James Arthur in the UK, as well as their own headline tour.

His message for other would-be musicians is that "nothing in this world is impossible".

"You have to fight through the physical and emotional pain. Sometimes being discouraged is more painful than any physical pain you may feel.

"I'm a firm believer in pushing yourself to the limit and that applies to anything in this world."

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