Influenced To Start Learning An Instrument

Steve Hackett was my first inspiration for learning to play guitar. Frank Zappa was my second inspiration. I always tried to probe what it would sound like to blend their styles. Very difficult, very different. I was very good at my peak and rather experimental, lots of 30 minute improvs, lots of sound experiments, lots of music theory. I never got a band together, so I went cold turkey eventually and stopped playing. I expect to pick it up again, but I'm actually looking first into effects pedals and racks. It's amazing what is available now that wasn't around in the eighties when I was playing.

I started drums at 12, just because I always wanted to. But fairly quickly I saw that I need to know notation and more musical theory, so I decided to go with bass. Bass was supposed to be a "second instrument" but very quickly it became my main instrument. The fact that I was starting to get into prog helped inspire me to practice technique a lot. I still do practice a lot of technique, it's one of those things that make me zone out, so it's nice. So I have pretty good technique now :D

I played saxophone in the high school band, but when I saw a close friend of mine play in his punk band at a birthday party, and I saw how much the girls swooned over the guitarist/singer, I really wanted to be that guy. I got an acoustic guitar first, learned all the chords, then got a cheap electric guitar and continued my chord bashing through an amp. Still no girls. But I guess they were the real reason I started playing guitar. Who's with me?  

My real inspiration as a musician (if I may be so bold as to call myself one) has mostly come from punk bands (not just the three chord and shouting variety, either. there's some pretty imaginative stuff out there), and not so much from progressive rock.  I just feel like that level of technical mastery is beyond me, and I don't have any pressing incentive to prove myself otherwise.

PF's "A Saucerful of Secrets" -> the organ and the voices made me want to write music on keys, especially for the organ. Too bad instead of the classic Hammond B3 I have this lousy Yamaha church organ.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 11 2012 at 14:20

LMAO!!

I was already playing recorder and clarinet when I heard my first Who album.  After that it was all about the guitar and Pete Townshend.

I wanted to learn to play guitar after becoming familiar with Steve Howe's playing.
Still can't play like him though.

My first instrument was bass (guitar) but I really wasn't able to play it before I learned the guitar!

I find it interesting that when I started playing guitar at age 7, "The Beatles" influenced me to want the rock star fame. From age 7 to 18, I secretly wanted that fame. When the real deal made itself available to me at age 18, I then realized that apart from all the shocking criminal activity I witnessed, that this was no different from a normal life. It had all the same disappointments, regrets, and mistakes that any normal kid experiences. So, in that sense...nothing was really different personally. It was an exciting experience to tour with celebrities in the 70's and 80's but your life was no different than the average guy walking down the street. Unfortunately,  a few of my long time musician friends didn't see it that way and as a result...committed suicide. Because they were living in a bubble and really didn't know. It was too late for me to guide them in the right direction because they were doing tours like me and sometimes the chances of meeting up again were slim. But that's what it is .....some musicians think that everything is going to be so different when they get a break and it's not. And they are let down because they have high ideals about life. I never fell into that realm fortunately because for years after getting over the Beatles, I studied in a room everyday with my dad and developed an opposite perception about playing music from what my friends had developed during that time. I hope I'm not bringing you folks down. I still think about losing my musician buddies that way and yes! It's sad to see your friends exit like that when you yourself know they were blind and exactly why. Once they were faced with that realization that nothing changes, they started doing hard drugs, sometimes falling off stage and being rushed to the hospital, etc. It felt to me like they died inside and I took it as tragic. It's still hard for me to except it today. It's not a why me? It's a why them. or why does this have to exsist?

Don't bother unless you feel the urge to make your own music in your heart and soul because you can always enjoy listening after all.

I suppose there is no one method that works for everyone.  In the end you just have to enjoy the creation of music or just stick to the listening.  However if you have become an avid listener, you may want to put your hands on an instrument and see what you can do.


Edited by Slartibartfast - November 26 2010 at 18:25