What inspired you to start playing?

[nederemer]

My uncle Bryan, when my brother and I were about 12 and 9 respectively (me being the younger) gave us a classical guitar.

My brother stuck with it and I didn't really, until I was skateboarding one day and nailed myself in the testicles. As I sat there, at home, with a bag of frozen peas on my crotch, something dawned on me. That I would never, well at least probably not, nail myself in the family jewels playing the guitar. I gave my skateboards to my cousin that day.

 

[oldrank]

My Dad and Uncles played. I thought it was cool so I bought a guitar from my sister who tried but gave up. 15 dollars for a cheap les paul copy. That was it. I just never stopped after that. I was self taught and back in the 80s we only had tab out of guitar magazines. I used that, a tape player and my ear and a few chords my Dad showed me and could just about fake any rock song. I stayed at that level for years until the internet came around. Now its all at our fingertips.

 

[Simpleman]

I think my first wanting to play guitar was Yankee Rose: David lee Roth.

 

[xfabianromerox]

When I was 12 in 2008, my cousin bought Rock Band and Guitar Hero. The rest is history.

Through Rock Band Band, I learned about The Beatles, Smashing Pumpkins, The Strokes, Steely Dan, Pearl Jam, Rolling Stones, Oasis, Modest Mouse, and Nirvana just to name a few bands.

Silly plastic guitar also made me obsessed with the idea of one day owning my own Start.

Say what you may about video games, but Rock Band/Guitar Hero most definitely introduced a lot of people in my age group to the rock greats.

 

[Brian H]

this guy. Mick Ronson

Ian Hunter song about Mick Ronson I edited together

 

[circles]

Plus 1 on Ace

A guy I played with in high school was a big fan, and put a smoke bomb in his LP style guitar.

 

[Doc538]

I was a teen in the 60's, enough said.

 

[stormsedge]

Wanted to be like my Dad...still chasing that one in musical terms.

 

[Ironwolf]

Seeing the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and others on TV and in the movies started my interest, but it was Michael Nesmith on The Monkees that made me actually push my parents to get me my first guitar and start learning.

 

[Serf Ryder]

Bought this in '72. Got blown away by Duane's slide in "Layla." Wanted to know how someone could make a guitar sing like that.

 

[Michael919]

8 year old me had posters of this guy and his band on my walls. I blame him.

 

[98springer]

This made me want to start:




This almost made me want to quit:

 

[Bcorig]

 

[CAR63]

I was 14 , a couple of my friends had electric guitars and I talked my parents into getting me one for my 8th grade graduation . We learned what we could on our own and taught each other what we learned . Another friend played drums in the school band and he talked his folks into buying him a kit . We played our first playing job a year later . Eventually we found a guy in our class and he bought a 65 Bassman and an EB-0. Yeah , we started out wanting to be the Beatles , but then we wanted to be Cream !!

 

[PaulHikeS2]

I always loved guitar and guitar rock specifically. Beatles, Stones, Boston, Journey, U2, REM, Rush, Floyd, Pixies, Sleater-Kinney. None inspired me to learn guitar. For that it was family nights playing Guitar Hero, then Rock Band. It was a lot of fun for about 10 years. Then I realized it would be more fun and rewarding to learn to actually play guitar. Now there are several guitars, a drum kit, a bass, couple violins, and some bongos in the house. Family nights are now a whole lot louder.

 

[Bob the builder]

I was about 5 or 6 years old when my family moved to a new town.
One of the "big kids" you know 10-12 was playing his drums a couple houses away.
Wow cool, groovy & all that.
A little while later mom makes friends with all the other neighborhood mom's like they did so I get to meet the kid.
Brought me upstairs to see the drum set.
F'n hooked.
Took till I was about 12 to finally get my first snare.
Went alot o years playing drums. As soon as I got my driver's licence my teacher started sending me to the gb jobs.
Play the hully gully & crap with guys you just met for a bunch of old people at somebody's wedding or something.
But I was getting paid...how cool is that.
Went on to "bigger but not always better" bands doing the bar scenes & crap for another 10 or so years.
Then....look out... Got married.
Dumbazz
Music went away for about 30 years.
Now the good part;
Got divorced
Had to get music back for me.
Didn't see much sense buying a set while I was living in my small rental apt complete with neighbors.
Bought myself a brandy new cheap Ibanez a/e from GC.
Ain't looked back.
P.S.
Remember that "big kid"?
His name is Craig Pare
He went on to play percussion for tanglewood orchestra for alot of years

 

[train]

Older brothers were in bands , practice spot was the basement . During school lunch we would play their gear lol. And smoke cigs of course.

 

[Jason D]

I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t like the way a guitar sounded. I remember hearing “I Love Rock n Roll” from Joan Jett and asking dad what that sound was. I always loved the guitar. I think it was GnR Appetite when I said Ohhhh, so THAT is what you can do with one of those. That would have made me like 10-12 years old. That album changed the direction of my life.

 

[jd35801]

My Dad was my first influence. He would play all these fun, simple folk and country songs when my parents had parties and everyone seemed to really have fun. Then a guy at our church offered a few free guitar lessons and that got me going a bit. Then I got a Jim Croce songbook and learned some more. But when I saw “The Buddy Holly Story,” that was IT! Dove into Buddy’s music, and other greats from early rock and roll. Then discovered Clapton, and backed into the blues. Totally hooked since then.

 

[crankmeister]

Where's @Justin226?