What made/inspired you to first pick up a guitar/bass?

I usually tell people I saw a Rory Gallagher gig on TV and that was it. But there were a number of things that happened around the same time that got me started.

They did air good concerts on TV around that time, such as Rory, Albert Collins, Chuck Berry, etc. But I probaby was already playing by that point.

I think it was initially my dad who put me up to it, turned the strings upside down on the acoustic we had around the house and taught me a few things. Then, at some point the school had us try band instruments in the music class and the teacher stuck a bass in my lap. So next week I brought a pick (!!) from home and kept playing the bass there for a few weeks. I think I knew to mostly pick the root note of the chord at this point. Those first picks I had were D'Andrea 0.6mm Delrex and I had two of them.

Anyway, after playing the bass at school for a few weeks I asked my mum if I could get a bass but she wouldn't agree to that. Funnily enough I remember the exact location outdoors where we had this conversation. So I think we made a deal that if I keep on practicing on the acoustic, I'd get an electric guitar and amp for Christmas. It seemed like a decent enough compromise for me.

So for most of that year I practiced off Hal Leonard Guitar Method Vol. 1, tabs from olga.net and such. I think initially I didn't have a tuner as I remember people complaining extensively about my guitar being out of tune.
 
My mom listened to pop radio and played records at home almost always.
Mostly I remember Seals and Crofts, Doobie Brothers, and Jefferson Airplane.
I really liked it too. I always remember the Jim Croce songs "Bad Bad Leroy Brown" and "I'll Have to Say I love You in a Song" when I think of this part of my life.

Somehow I ended up in an after school music program in the 4th grade.
I had a plywood acoustic in a case (plastic trash bag).
I could read the music book and play quite a bit of it, but dont recall specifics.
I drifted away from it, but as a teen and later on always wanted to get back to it.
I tried a little a couple of times as my younger brother was learning, but didnt stay with it.

Got hooked as a younger teen into The Beatles. From there I was always into rock / blues rock, etc.
My first concert was Kiss at MSG around 1977, which wow'd me as a rock music fan but didnt make me want to play specifically.

About 6 years ago I mentioned all this to my wife.
We were hanging out having a few drinks; I think we had been listening to some Clapton and CCR.
She told me I was crazy and going through mid life crisis.
Maybe so, but why the hell not have at it?
 
I hate to say it, but my first infatuation with guitar was from Hee Haw when I was 3 or 4. Damn you Buck Owens! Then one of my friends started playing in grade school and had a nice fender setup. I was really jealous. I wasn't able to get a guitar until I was in college. Started with a $200 '68 SG that my brother ended up with. I started pretty young with music in general. A couple years of piano lessons before I started school, played trombone in band from 5th grade on, choir all through school, got into the Iowa All-State choir and had some theory in high school. Then I went to college on a vocal scholarship, dropped out of choir and bought a guitar. Still looking for a band....
 
Robert Herndon said:
I still practice 4 hours every morning...


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4 hrs? Holy crap. I can't play that long at a stretch, low attention span. I save most of it for rehearsals.
Bart's guitar looks like my Classic.

GKiXis8.jpg
 
Jethro Rocker said:
4 hrs? Holy crap. I can't play that long at a stretch, low attention span. I save most of it for rehearsals.
Bart's guitar looks like my Classic.

GKiXis8.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm up early everyday, so that time is mine because everyone else is asleep and I'm using headphones.

4 hours is nothing. Our band rehearsals are 6-8 hours twice a week!

I think my attention span is probably the lowest of anyone, but my drive to perform outweighs it...
 
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Cadorman said:
I hate to say it, but my first infatuation with guitar was from Hee Haw when I was 3 or 4. Damn you Buck Owens! Then one of my friends started playing in grade school and had a nice fender setup. I was really jealous. I wasn't able to get a guitar until I was in college. Started with a $200 '68 SG that my brother ended up with. I started pretty young with music in general. A couple years of piano lessons before I started school, played trombone in band from 5th grade on, choir all through school, got into the Iowa All-State choir and had some theory in high school. Then I went to college on a vocal scholarship, dropped out of choir and bought a guitar. Still looking for a band....
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Buck was a family friend. His hands were just huge. He was like a giant, but one of the nicest people I've ever met...
 
Robert Herndon said:
I'm up early everyday, so that time is mine because everyone else is asleep and I'm using headphones.

4 hours is nothing. Our band rehearsals are 6-8 hours twice a week!

I think my attention span is probably the lowest of anyone, but my drive to perform outweighs it...
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Our band practices are maybe 2 hrs every week or so. I dont know if it woild then become a grind to me and lose much of the fun. For me.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
Our band practices are maybe 2 hrs every week or so. I dont know if it woild then become a grind to me and lose much of the fun. For me.
Click to expand...

Fun is an awesome part of the journey!!!

Our rehearsals all include a sit down dinner break at the mid point. It's like going to a carnival. Jokes, pranks...its very lighthearted. The funniest part is, i can make our female sing make this snorting sound when something is really funny, so I work on that... :-)

We are (at present) adding a lot of songs, which is why the rehearsals (maybe 'workshop' is a more accurate term?) have been extended so dramatically. We are almost up to 100 songs.

I have a lot of fun with music. But, I'm also very goal oriented, so for me, accomplishments are a huge part of my fun and satisfaction...if that can make sense to anybody but me???

I suppose that...because I've always been a support musician, as opposed to a solo artist or "frontman," that i derive great pleasure from keeping the train a rollin. The behind the scenes preparation is exciting to me, because it reflects in our audience experience.

Like when I play the solo to 'Hotel California,' I'm giving our audience the best possible experience. I shoot for Felder's phrasing and I put a lot of effort into it to try and make the experience exciting and authentic.

Three of our members live on the same road in a tiny, mountain village (6000 ft/asl) where we hold our rehearsals. The other two live maybe 15 miles away.

On rehearsal days, I am driving 87 miles - one way - from the studio where I work, to the rehearsal location, and this is a 40 mile drive back to my home.

Funny, in a way...the drive doesn't bug me. I'm usually singing my harmony parts on my Bluetooth speaker, or talking to my family on the phone...so, my time on the commute is always used constructively.

I've played in "looser" bands, where we didn't rehearse much, and just played. To me, it was ok, but I get excited about a highly polished product. Some of our harmonies can really require at of work to make them sound right...especially "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac.

This morning...im up early, running through setlists, practicing throwing my guitar around my head, having toast and coffee...checking in here at TTR too, but Im honestly a little bummed out that we are not rehearsing today...that’s how much I look forward to it.

Blessings be upon all of you...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Fun is an awesome part of the journey!!!

Our rehearsals all include a sit down dinner break at the mid point. It's like going to a carnival. Jokes, pranks...its very lighthearted. The funniest part is, i can make our female sing make this snorting sound when something is really funny, so I work on that... :)

We are (at present) adding a lot of songs, which is why the rehearsals (maybe 'workshop' is a more accurate term?) have been extended so dramatically. We are almost up to 100 songs.

I have a lot of fun with music. But, I'm also very goal oriented, so for me, accomplishments are a huge part of my fun and satisfaction...if that can make sense to anybody but me???

I suppose that...because I've always been a support musician, as opposed to a solo artist or "frontman," that i derive great pleasure from keeping the train a rollin. The behind the scenes preparation is exciting to me, because it reflects in our audience experience.

Like when I play the solo to 'Hotel California,' I'm giving our audience the best possible experience. I shoot for Felder's phrasing and I put a lot of effort into it to try and make the experience exciting and authentic.

Three of our members live on the same road in a tiny, mountain village (6000 ft/asl) where we hold our rehearsals. The other two live maybe 15 miles away.

On rehearsal days, I am driving 87 miles - one way - from the studio where I work, to the rehearsal location, and this is a 40 mile drive back to my home.

Funny, in a way...the drive doesn't bug me. I'm usually singing my harmony parts on my Bluetooth speaker, or talking to my family on the phone...so, my time on the commute is always used constructively.

I've played in "looser" bands, where we didn't rehearse much, and just played. To me, it was ok, but I get excited about a highly polished product. Some of our harmonies can really require at of work to make them sound right...especially "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac.

This morning...im up early, running through setlists, practicing throwing my guitar around my head, having toast and coffee...checking in here at TTR too, but Im honestly a little bummed out that we are not rehearsing today...that’s how much I look forward to it.

Blessings be upon all of you...
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Great attitude there Robert, and I have firsthand seen how you can be a bit of a crack up.
So please continue to enjoy your experience and don’t lose that funny part of yourself.
Cheers
Mitch
 
Robert Herndon said:
Fun is an awesome part of the journey!!!

Our rehearsals all include a sit down dinner break at the mid point. It's like going to a carnival. Jokes, pranks...its very lighthearted. The funniest part is, i can make our female sing make this snorting sound when something is really funny, so I work on that... :)

We are (at present) adding a lot of songs, which is why the rehearsals (maybe 'workshop' is a more accurate term?) have been extended so dramatically. We are almost up to 100 songs.

I have a lot of fun with music. But, I'm also very goal oriented, so for me, accomplishments are a huge part of my fun and satisfaction...if that can make sense to anybody but me???

I suppose that...because I've always been a support musician, as opposed to a solo artist or "frontman," that i derive great pleasure from keeping the train a rollin. The behind the scenes preparation is exciting to me, because it reflects in our audience experience.

Like when I play the solo to 'Hotel California,' I'm giving our audience the best possible experience. I shoot for Felder's phrasing and I put a lot of effort into it to try and make the experience exciting and authentic.

Three of our members live on the same road in a tiny, mountain village (6000 ft/asl) where we hold our rehearsals. The other two live maybe 15 miles away.

On rehearsal days, I am driving 87 miles - one way - from the studio where I work, to the rehearsal location, and this is a 40 mile drive back to my home.

Funny, in a way...the drive doesn't bug me. I'm usually singing my harmony parts on my Bluetooth speaker, or talking to my family on the phone...so, my time on the commute is always used constructively.

I've played in "looser" bands, where we didn't rehearse much, and just played. To me, it was ok, but I get excited about a highly polished product. Some of our harmonies can really require at of work to make them sound right...especially "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac.

This morning...im up early, running through setlists, practicing throwing my guitar around my head, having toast and coffee...checking in here at TTR too, but Im honestly a little bummed out that we are not rehearsing today...that’s how much I look forward to it.

Blessings be upon all of you...
Click to expand...
Oh I sure get that you do this for a living! That is different. I don't, I just play for fun amd don't want to feel like I HAVE to practice a certain amount etc. I do love playing though!
 
Robert Herndon said:
I never enjoyed any of my other jobs!
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Right there with ya lol ive done the same job almost my entire life and thats being an electrician. My dad and brother are electricians as well and its through my dad that I ever picked up the tools, going back to the nice tender age of 11 ( child labor laws my ass lol). Besides a summer job at greasy Burger King at 16, this is all i have ever known as a full time job from 18 to now 37 with no end in sight.

Ive done pretty well at it I suppose and ive made a decent living after years of getting paid peanuts starting off, by going back to enhanced training and certifications. Graduated top of my class and got ranked nationally even! But.....i really never loved it, as weird as that may sound.

To me, a job by its inherent nature is punishment and something you have to do to keep the bills paid. But getting paid doing something you love is a rare perk for your own passion in my opinion, so good on you for that! That is the dream job! I guess i used to love this job but im just jaded and burned out, though i dont have any plans to change course now.

If i had the talent and the surrounding personnel to play music full time? Id leave this horse :poo: in a millisecond lol
 
Clockworkmike said:
Right there with ya lol ive done the same job almost my entire life and thats being an electrician. My dad and brother are electricians as well and its through my dad that I ever picked up the tools, going back to the nice tender age of 11 ( child labor laws my ass lol). Besides a summer job at greasy Burger King at 16, this is all i have ever known as a full time job from 18 to now 37 with no end in sight.

Ive done pretty well at it I suppose and ive made a decent living after years of getting paid peanuts starting off, by going back to enhanced training and certifications. Graduated top of my class and got ranked nationally even! But.....i really never loved it, as weird as that may sound.

To me, a job by its inherent nature is punishment and something you have to do to keep the bills paid. But getting paid doing something you love is a rare perk for your own passion in my opinion, so good on you for that! That is the dream job! I guess i used to love this job but im just jaded and burned out, though i dont have any plans to change course now.

If i had the talent and the surrounding personnel to play music full time? Id leave this horse :poo: in a millisecond lol
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Same here, I drove cross country in big rigs to start with (sort of) got to see a lot of this great country, then I became a carpenter been doing that since 1981, I have put together more homes , shopping centers, schools, prisons, and more than I can remember.
But I am to old and to dumb to do much else, and because of the years working under the table, I have to work till I die, thankfully I can still do it.
I am blessed !!
Cheers
 
Mitch Pearrow SJMP said:
Same here, I drove cross country in big rigs to start with (sort of) got to see a lot of this great country, then I became a carpenter been doing that since 1981, I have put together more homes , shopping centers, schools, prisons, and more than I can remember.
But I am to old and to dumb to do much else, and because of the years working under the table, I have to work till I die, thankfully I can still do it.
I am blessed !!
Cheers
Click to expand...
A working class hero!
 
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