What Inspired You To Start Playing Guitar? Options

[Bear Rose]

I'm interested to see what was the reason or inspiration of why everyone here started playing guitar. Here's what started me:

In 7th grade I changed schools, and so I had to make friends with a whole new group of people. Well, the ones that I started hanging out with were all guitar players and all they ever talked about was playing guitar. So, I wanted to fit in as well, so the summer after my 7th grade year I started taking lessons. So, really the reason I started playing guitar was because "all my friends were doing it".

After I started getting into it though, I noticed that I absolutely loved the way certain guitar solos sounded. The solo for "No Rain" by Blind Melon, and the guitar parts in "Yellow Ledbetter" by Pearl Jam, and numerous Slash solos really stirred my emotions. Something about the sound of them just spoke to me and I wanted to play like that. I later discovered that the sound that I loved was the sound of a major scale guitar solo. Most rock, blues, and metal players use the minor and minor pentatonic, but the major scale is so beautiful to me and that is easily what I play the best solos in!

So what was it that caused you to decide to start playing guitar?

[ZakkWylde]

I wanted to play guitar by the age of ~14 because I liked the sound of the instrument but I didn't start because I did not want to learn theory and notes. 3 Years later I found out that there are tabs -.-

[superize]

I wanted to be able to play my favorite songs and put videos on Youtube.......

Succeded in both of thoose

[Captain Insaino]

One guy.... SRV... Yea he pulled me into all his music, I wanted to be him so bad.... When most kids were into rap or metal in the 80's I was listening to blues... Kind of the odd ball.. That's when the madness all started for me..

[twist]

I was thinking about this question for a few minutes now and i cant remember why i started I just wanted to play guitar... My brother just had quit his guitar lessons, so i had a chance to take his place

[Fran]

Music! Being able to play the songs I love

[alvaroshredd]

PFF Well!, in my case i began trying to make music with software mostly and a syntethiser i bought, when i begun recording with it i wanted to put some cool guitars on the tracks but i didnt had a guitar or had played one ever. So I took one old Saehan from my brother and begun practicing with it, after that i became more interested on the instrument and listened more to the guitars of songs i heard

This post has been edited by alvaroshredd: Sep 23 2010, 11:23 PM

[Todd Simpson]

Actually, I was inspired to play by my uncle who was in a rock band when I was just about 8 years old. I saw him jamming to over some backing tracks and it just looked like it was more fun than the law should allow. I asked him if I could borrow one of his guitars and he let me have this modified strat with a dimarzio double coil in it. For an 8 year old, it was an amazing guitar He gave me my first lesson by showing me the basic power chord. After that I was off to the races teaching myself.

Todd

[OzRob]

Joe Satriani - Surfing with the Alien. 'nuff said.

[Azzaboi]

Preteen boy meets gal and has a crush.

Boy even injures himself just so he could meet her and she would care for him.

...but the girl fancy's a much older guy. GRRRRR!



Later, the kid listening to Guns 'N Roses 'Sweet Child of Mind' get's an idea...
The guitar is what is need to attract them chicks and become famous!

The boy begs for a guitar and dreams of rocking out with all the hot chicks, yeah baby, awesome!



Boy finally gets a second hand well used guitar and can't play it, girls ain't that impressed... bummer.

The kid learning his first song from AC/DC and starts to rock, learning how to play.

Later finding the website Guitar Master Class and becoming a true ROCKER! Da daa!



Boy forgets the School Nurse he once had a crush on, fights off all the young chicks now after him and falls in love with the electric guitar and they lived happily every after!

The End (or is it).

This post has been edited by Azzaboi: Sep 24 2010, 02:14 AM

[Mudbone]

I always wanted to play guitar ever since I first seen Twisted Sisters "We're Not Gonna Take It" on Mtv when I was four years old. Ever since then I've always had riffs in my head

[thefireball]

This video.



However, the original player is this guy. He uploaded his own video after a while so it is the highest quality in the world. The one embedded above is the one pulled from a Korean site a long time ago. Guitar90 gets all the glory for Funtwo's work.

[Vaidya]

I wanted to start playing guitar when I was 7.I had seen a guitar for the first time and I fell in love with it.I asked my parents but they put me for keyboard instead.Through the years I begged them but my father asked me to get over the dream of playing guitar.When I was 15,i asked them again,but the answer was no.This time I gave them an ultimatum and they were forced to let me learn.

[Bogdan Radovic]

While I was in 7th grade my friends were into making a band. I was always fascinated with the idea of starting a band and playing live. So I started playing guitar at that time, learning few simple songs and doing some rehearsals. Interesting thing was that at that time I was considered for a bass player spot though I ended up on guitar anyway Funny enough bass became my primary instrument later on So initial spark was my dream of playing in a band + right friends around me at the right time

[Praetorian]

The movie Crossroads with Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio.

[The Uncreator]

Dave Murray, Adrian Smith, and Janick Gers. Those three are still my biggest inspiration.

[N4085B]

The year was 1977...I was 16 when Rush's "A Farewell to Kings" came out (seems like yesterday). Xanadu, Cygnus X-1,the title track, all of them really just blew me away with the musicianship and guitar tones. That was also my first concert with UFO(w/Schenker) and Max Webster opening for them...($12.50 for floor seats too)! I was mesmerized with the guitar from then on. I just saw Rush again last night in San Antonio 33 years later(only now tickets were close to $300 for floor seats!) and they still brought the house down. As I looked around at the crowd, a lot of them were my age (49) or older and were there with their kids or grand kids! It's true...even old farts still love to rock!

This post has been edited by N4085B: Sep 25 2010, 03:02 AM

[Bear Rose]

I wanted to play guitar by the age of ~14 because I liked the sound of the instrument but I didn't start because I did not want to learn theory and notes. 3 Years later I found out that there are tabs -.-

This is very funny because I had no clue about music theory until probably 10 years into playing guitar!

The year was 1977...I was 16 when Rush's "A Farewell to Kings" came out (seems like yesterday). Xanadu, Cygnus X-1,the title track, all of them really just blew me away with the musicianship and guitar tones. That was also my first concert with UFO(w/Schenker) and Max Webster opening for them...($12.50 for floor seats too)! I was mesmerized with the guitar from then on. I just saw Rush again last night in San Antonio 33 years later(only now tickets were close to $300 for floor seats!) and they still brought the house down. As I looked around at the crowd, a lot of them were my age (49) or older and were there with their kids or grand kids! It's true...even old farts still love to rock!

Haha, its very interesting how some things change while others remain the same.

[Sollesnes]

This video.

It's amazing how much glory he has gathered, when JerryC wrote it.

My inspiration was... music. I wanted to play the music I loved (black metal then). Then I heard Marty Friedman (well, I guess I first heard Cacophony), and I immediately fell in love with guitar solos, and stopped listening to black metal.
I never thought about playing guitar for girls or anything like that... I guess that's what happents when you get too focused on technique, haha.

This post has been edited by Sollesnes: Sep 28 2010, 11:14 PM

[whiskey5]

I figured I had advanced as far as I could with my Air Guitar, so one day I took off work early and went bought a Squire Affinity and Peavy Vypyr.

Five months later, and now I have an ESP LTD EC1000 VB, a Schecter 7 string, a Vox VT15, and a Vox AC1.

I plan on exchanging the 7 string for a Schecter C1 Custom, cause that 7 string is just too much guitar for me right now.

But, I'm dumb-founded by how addicted to guitars I have become. They are just so neat looking.

I'm also donating the Squire and Peavy Vypyr amp to a local shelter for abused kids. Getting it was one of the greatest things that has happened to me (it literally changed my lifestyle), and now being able to pass it on is a bonus.