Translating from Spanish to English is difficult enough, but Nestor Aviles, Div. 650, makes it seem easy as he translates musical chords.

Between Spanish and English chords, there is a great difference in the naming system. There is also a variety of differences between the chord progression within the two languages, Aviles said.

 “I was around 12, when I transitioned from Spanish to English,” Aviles said. “It was pretty complicated at first, because I would watch YouTube videos and then I would use this website called UltimateGuitar, and I would relate those chords to the Spanish ones. Eventually, I got the hang of it and just memorized the chords.”

Aviles — who holds a high position in ROTC, is president of España club, and is a soccer star — has never stopped playing music. His inspirations motivate him to keep on practicing.

“Originally, I was influenced by John Mayer, and Jimi Hendrix, and Ed Sheeran, as well.

“I play both acoustic and electric, so my acoustic style would be closer to Ed Sheeran, and my electric guitar style is more John Mayer. I spend a lot of time perfecting their songs,” Aviles said.

Although Aviles does not have a music background or know of any musicians in his family, he has always been influenced by Lane’s music programs.

“I’ve been playing for six and a half years, but I would say my peak was sophomore year, because that was when I really got into it, after taking Advanced Guitar, here at Lane,” Aviles said. “I started out in Advanced Guitar, and I had Mr. Hudson; he was a great teacher, and made it really fun. I really pushed myself to learn a lot of riffs and solos.”

Aviles began playing music using an acoustic guitar, but he shows that one’s first is not always one’s favorite.

 “My favorite song to perform is one of John Mayer’s songs, something like ‘Gravity,’ just because I love the solos, but I prefer the electric guitar. I get more feeling out of it.”

Being a solo musician, but not a practiced performer, Aviles began to break out of his timid shell here at Lane, with the help of a group of musicians.

“It was a lot of fun, because we would go to my friend’s house and practice in his basement,” Aviles said. “He had a drum set down there, and it was a great setup. We would practice there on weekends, and after school, and we worked on a variety of songs. Sometimes we would just have fun, and sometimes it would be just pure practice.”

Although Aviles does not play as often with this temporary band anymore, he thanks them for helping him jumpstart his performing career.

“My first performance was sophomore year, as well, for Lane Tech’s Talent show, and I was very nervous,” Aviles said. “I played acoustic with a band, and I remember going up, and my legs were shaking. But that performance made me more comfortable with performances. It’s just something I’ve enjoyed getting used to, as I also played in the Music and Arts Festival, and we ended up playing 11 songs that day. I would say I’m way more comfortable with performing for other people.”

As he becomes a better performer, Aviles is also gradually attempting to share his music through social media. This, however, is still under construction.

“I have a lot of Instagram clips, but, other than that, I have some recordings on my laptop. I haven’t distributed them, because I’ve never worked to put the vocals in. I also have little verses written, in a journal I keep at home. I have some music notations that I have composed myself, that I’ve never actually turned into a full song.”

Sharing his music and songwriting is underway for Aviles, but he is unsure of where his musical talent will lead him.

“It’s definitely something I put a lot of time into, with a lot of equipment at home, which includes recording, and I have instruments like my piano, and three guitars, so I do put time into my music, and I did invest a lot of my money into it. So, it’s a little bit more than a hobby,” he said.

Aviles claims that when it comes to music, he will never stop learning and practicing to become even better than he currently is.

“Practicing is the key. I know a lot of people struggle with time management, or they don’t have the time to practice, but even if they do an hour a day, it helps a lot,” Aviles said.

Instagram: @nestor21398