[cshude]

My musical training began at age 5 with 7+ years of classical piano training. Once I began sports, I stopped taking lessons but still played a lot. I picked up the guitar in college since moving a piano around when you're a nomad is pretty tough. Now I play the guitar 10x as much as the piano (although that will likely change if I ever scrape up enough dough for a nice keyboard).

[peterm]

Something I always wanted to do, but never thought I could, (being told by teacher in second grade that I really didn't have to join in the singing might have done it ) Anyway, at a party about a year and a half ago, someone brought out a guitar and it was being passed around with various people playing little bits then passing it on. When it got to me I just had to sheepishly pass it on. The next day I thought, how do I know I can't play if I have never tried so I went out and bought a cheap accoustic and haven't stopped having fun since.

Influences.. umm just about everything I have ever heard on guitar starting with a guy called Peter Posa, who was like New Zealand's answer to Hank Marvin
Since then..
SRV, Hendrix , Clapton, Page, Young, Gilmour, Garcia, Grigoryan, Williams the list is endless

Cheers

Peter

AKA Bushpig

[mcollett]

Like most mid-lifer's it always appealed to me. Then I saw Pink Floyd last fall play Wish You Were Here on an accustic at Live 8 benifit concert and it just wouldn't let go. I gave in at Christmas and bought a nice beginner guitar from Breedlove.
What a happy move that has been.
Mike

[737blues]

Probably said it before but ....

listening to the Shadows (99% convinced)

Overhearing some girls in my school class describing Hank Marvin as 'dishy' (110% convinced)

Actually getting my grubby little mitts on a guitar .... sold for life!

(The girls were not at all impressed BTW, but I knew that's only because I didn't wear horn-rimmed glasses or own a suit)

[papadog65]

Back in the fifties I first heard Les Paul on a local juke box and was hooked. Can't remember where I got my first guitar from, but it was an awful thing to play. I didn't know that at the time, so I bought some beginner books and learned to play while sitting in the barn at my folks' farm. For many years I could play a few country songs, but always wondered how Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Segovia, Johnny Cash and Charlie Bird could play their kind of stuff. Over forty years and several guitars later I still wonder. But with a nice Peavy Firenza and several years of lessons I think some of it is beginning to take shape. I'm sorry that I waited until my 60s to start digging in. Better late than never, and I'm having a great time with it.

[BENharperROX]

Ben Harper, JT, The Eagles, Chet, were the inspiration. But it was basically what music did to me on the inside and I wanted to be able to do that to myself without throwing on my ipod and not being able to express how i felt with my words and emotions and whatnot. Lap Slide guitar is coming and that will help me do this even better! Its hard and frustrating and has takin me on many ups and downs, but its been fun. Thanks everyone

[Tochiro]

For me, it was only 1 guitarist that get me to practice guitar: Slash from guns 'n' roses.

His solos are incredible and his feeling too, and I knew I must walk on his path

But now, playing 1.5 years ago, I discover a lot of other amazing guitarists, and get interested in more style than just hard-rock, finger-picking is one of this style that I love to practice , I like listen to blues and jazz too anyway

[PurplePeopleEaters]

A few inspirations:

Carlos Santana. This man is one of the best musicians I have ever heard. The way he makes the guitar show emotion drew me in.

System of a Down. I love this band and their guitar work inspired me.

Avenged Sevenfold. Another band I love. Seeing Synister gates jam live (although I had started playing by this point) made me want to pick up a guitar myself and play like that.

[Mr. Sinkhole]

I'd had a guitar for about a year before I got serious about it. I went to an Arcade Fire concert in Winnipeg and it was like one of those revival meetings. You could feel the real power of the music, and it shook my soul right up like a soda can.

That night, I came home and picked up the crappy Peavey I had and whacked out until dawn. A few weeks later, I bought a better guitar (my trusty Godin) and never really looked back. I suck hard, but I love to learn everything and anything about the noble art of guitaring (yeah, it's not a word, but it SHOULD be)

I will admit (shamefully) to being motivated somewhat by jealousy of the virtuoso players in my school (we have a few). I'm not real proud of that >.<

I'm only fifteen, so I guess I have a lot of time. Love this fourm by the way, really awesome atmosphere.



Gibb

[8LU3]

i went to an in flames concert about 2 years ago, well 2 and a half now, but yeah, the guitars and their antics on stage fired me up about playing a rock instrument. i think what got me on guitars was mike einziger. he is an amazing guitarist, and he is multi genre talented. i picked up my mitchell acoustic and played drive for my first song, even though it was extremely hard at the time...

[DKN]

I always wanted to play since I was 5. I didn't get a guitar until I was 14. I tried to learn then, but the book that came with the guitar was hard to understand(still is). This year I decided to try and learn again when I found some instructional videos. Unfortunately my guitar broke yesterday. I accidently knocked it down. It didn't appear to be broken until 20 mintues ago. I was tuning the guitar and I noticed something was seriously wrong. When I tuned a string it sounded perfect at first, but a couple of minutes later it sounded awful again. I kept looking over the guitar and saw nothing wrong. So I kept tuning, but the strings still sounded awful. Then when I looked again at the back, the fretboard broke off of the body of the guitar. Hopefully I can get a new guitar soon, so I can practice.

[WernHalen]

DKN that is really bad man... sorry 'bout that...

I wanted to play violin from the time i was 7... My parents said it was too expensive so they arranged for lessons with my aunt on the guitar. I had two lessons and she said tht she could not do it anymore... out went that Idea... 11 years later I heard a friend which I hadmet a day or two before, play the guitar. I was hooked, saved up and bought my first guitar with my first ever paycheck after school... Slash, Gary Moore, Kirk Lorange etc. They are all inspiration now. Everybody and anybody that plays better than me is an inspiration...

I fiddled around with a violin the other day and it sounded horrible... Guess my focus shifted cause I dont want to play it anymore...

[8LU3]

Originally Posted by PurplePeopleEaters

Avenged Sevenfold. Another band I love. Seeing Synister gates jam live (although I had started playing by this point) made me want to pick up a guitar myself and play like that.

good guitar, and good band...except for the singer. i know alot of their songs on guitar...

[raybaro]

Originally Posted by 8LU3

good guitar, and good band...except for the singer. i know alot of their songs on guitar...

i think the singer is one of the best ones in the band, he can growl as well as scream, not many singers can do that, i know it is your opinion and i hope you dont think im trying to be disrespectful but i dont know why a lot of people hate on M shadows

[8LU3]

no its all good, like half my freind's fav. bands are aveged sevenfold (grammar?). i just dont like his high pitched stuff, thats all.