General Music Chat

Did you choose music and why do you think it was the right choice?

My Dad could wipe the floor with most people in his day. It didn't happen that way with me. I have to fight harder, perhaps a gene thing?

At 11 I played Greensleeves for the first time, but then I left the guitar for a long time.

Habits formed and then I wanted to hit the beat. Now (and then) of course I am playing a lot of instruments.
But what made you start and why?

Best.

Chippy

Tough question...at least tough trying to remember back that far. We always had music around the house. We had a piano and my mom played in church and at home. Her style is what I'd call boogie woogie gospel. I grew up playing the piano by ear, but always knew I wanted a guitar. Finally, on Christmas when I was 13, I got a plastic Eminee guitar. Even though it was plastic it was tuneable and playable. Within a couple of hours, I had learned all the Christmas songs in the little book that came with it. I WAS HOOKED FOR LIFE!

For me, it was a distinct, and very memorable chain of events.

First, was during the late 70's, listening to my big brother's stereo - 8 track player. The album: Boston. The song: Long time. That intro with the guitar and organ just blew me away. I listened to it over and over, and over again. I knew then, I wanted to play guitar.

With no guitar available, living between a dozen cornfields, that dream stayed just a dream. Then, in 1980, I got my first taste of even tastier guitar in Rush's "all the world's a stage". The raw intensity on some songs, and the sheer mysticism (AL using a volume pedal and echoplex) blew me away yet again. Then, of all the songs, came... Jukebox Hero.. A song that seemed to strike at the very heart of what I was feeling when I hear tasty guitar... "that one guitar.."

At that time, my brother started playing drums, and my parents made me pick a wind or brass instrument, so I picked saxophone. Didn't really care for it. My brother started a teen band, and the one guy on guitar was amazing, he could rip blues with such feel and intensity, on a fender mustang, no less. Little did I know that was a $35 beater guitar in 1980, but still to this day I can hear his playing in my head, and never look down on that guitar lol.

So finally in 1983, my brother picked up a cheapo japanese SG copy, it was really a super crappy guitar, but I self taught, and played the crap out of that thing. Learned from just watching and imitating other guitarists who came to jam with my bro. Before I knew it, they were gone, and I was jamming with my bro. Fun times... we played rush, iron maiden, etc.. just drums and guitar. No doubt it probably sounded like arse back then lol, but we had a shitload of fun.

I spent the next 4 years locked in my room, slowly buying gear, got my own guitar (mom finally got me one, a hondo LP copy, not a bad git though), bought a marshall amp and a couple of stomp boxes... Off to the races. I sucked at leads, didn't have the resources or instinct to self-teach, thought everything was out of my ability, but wrote a bit of music, all cheesy 80's metal lol, but it was exciting.

Got an offer to join a major philly band at 18 (friend of a friend knew someone, I got lucky), but the band soon fell apart and dissolved within months after I joined, not ever making it back onto a stage (lost singer, crippled the band, and drugs, and a yoko also helped). Tried several other bands. All seemed to sit on the couch talking about how they were going to make it but doing nothing to actually make anything happen (none even gigging).

So I eventually resigned to working, eating, sleeping, and eventually started on a career and marriage, etc...

Before I knew it, I wasn't playing anymore, not even on weekends. It was paining me, and I was increasingly miserable in day to day life. Finally, about 2-3 years ago, I told my wife how I felt and that I wanted to re-inves tin gear and start playing again, maybe join a band.. she somehow knew all along that I was suffering, and basically said "it's about time!"... haha. know thyself, I guess.

So the rest is history. I played my ass off for about a year, getting the skill set back, with the help of internet, I was able to start doing leads and comprehend them, actually played so hard that I developed a pretty hard case of carpal tunnel, but that ain't stopping me muhahaha.

Now I'm in two bands, and possibly starting a third project soon. And since I'm now paragraphs deep into this topic I can whisper a new exciting prospect....

We might be heading to LA in 6 months to record a full length album, with some sponsorship and real publishing backing. shhh. don't tell anyone, don't want to jinx myself lol. damn, already did. Nothing is carved in stone, and everything changes, so I'm not holding my breath... but it's a helluva opportunity that's been offered to one of my projects and we intend to run with it

Cheers!

For me music has just always been a part of my life.
My family much to my husbands chagrin actually has family sing-a-longs, where my uncles always pull out the guitars.

It was just never a question, music is part of who I am.

I may never make my whole living from music but I refuse to stop singing and playing. Learning a new instrument is one of my favorite activities.

Two words: KISS and women.

I was prolly three yrs old when I 1st heard that old standard pop tune, "Alley Cat," as an instrumental, & I went mental.

Fast forward 5 yrs...I'm 8, & lying on the floor watching the news, when they had a spot about the newest sensation. There was a short clip from "A Hard Day's Night," where there were girls screaming & chasing the Beatles, while their music played in the background. I dunno if it was the girls or the music, but I'd found something there that drove me to do the strangest things...

I cut some boards & made a "guitar" out of them. I lip-synched & sang my ass off. I tried to get the neighborhood kids to join my little "act," but they all thought it was kinda gay...I saved up all my allowances to buy Beatles 45's. I sang alone in my basement more often than I went out to play. (My dad thought there was something wrong with me...LOL...he was such an ass, & never got me.)

Fast forward 7 more yrs, & I'm 15 or so, & I got my 1st guitar - a "Cyclone," sort of a stretched out pentagram, in candy apple red. Wouldn't stay in tune, but that didn't bother me too much back then. I could hook it up to my dad's old stereo & rock my ass off.

I learned a few chords. I bought an old Vox 12-string with action like it was strung with steel cables, but I learned on it. I joined up with a country guy, grabbed a friend from school & persuaded him to play the bass. Somewhere in there I found a drummer, & I had a frikken band!

1st gig - the Anne Arundel Coonhunters Association, at Pumphrey's Pond, from 10 AM until 10 PM. 5 of us in the band. We played off & on all day, for $25, & got $25 more when we passed the hat around 8 PM. Everyone loved us.

I was working as a dishwasher ay a bar/diner, & convinced them to let the band play in the bar. Ppl danced & had a great time while the owner kept yelling at me to turn it down, for two great years.

I got an Aria Strat copy, sunburst, & learned more stuff, but I was turning more & more to the folkish stuff like Cat Stevens & Paul Simon, so I got another acoustic, some generic thing, & began to write my own songs.

I did a few shows around the area by myself, & loved it.

Gave it up when I got married the 1st time, & didn't play for 8 yrs, until I moved here to WV. A friend of mine was working on a gospel rock act, & asked me to join him, so I did. He & his wife ripped me out of a guitar & amp, so I quit, & started working on my songwriting again.

I've always been driven to music, even when I wasn't playing for those 8 long years, I'd sing with the radio or my stereo.

When I got back into it, I did it whole-heartedly, & wrote a lot of pretty good stuff, & got a fairly good rep in this area.

Friend of mine asked me to fill in for his bass guy who was killed, & I did it, but felt bad about how poorly I played, so I worked my ass off on it, & got better.

Then, after working in several bands, & recording a few tunes on my own on 4-track, my hand started getting numb...it was the ulna nerve that was dying on me. I was appalled when the doc pointed out the atrophy in my left hand. How had I missed that? I cut the solo work, cuz it was just too hard to do anymore. My heart was busticated, but I kept up on my bass work, although the 6-string is really hard to play anymore cuz of the numbness.

I still do a solo every once in awhile, but it's pretty rare, & it's a bitch to pull off when I do. It's never been this much work...& it saddens me to have lost that most important skill, & I feel fairly overwhelmed when I try to overcome it.

I came across an old 8 track of Iron Butterfly while out on a horseback ride. That got me to rockin. I bougt a Bass right out of high school and dabbled with a garage band. Light years latter Ray came up to me in my KWOON (school of Kung Fu) and asked me if I was interested in picking up guitar wih him. Noisy Kung Fu was born.
I always had an interest, but too many obsticles. I owe my band and love of the guitar to two torn ligaments in my right shoulder. If not for that I would probably still be fighting.

Music and I grew up together and getting old together, it was not a choice, it was a necessity. Like everything else in life there are spectators and participants, I felt the need to participate.

yah, I remember doing music class in school, was ok, I could get by with practice, I remember one of my buddies got a 6 string I couldn't even play come as you are by nirvana on it, even the first and second frets felt to close to for my tastes, highschool my brother had a basement band, that was as far as they got, I started goin to shows, always listened to bass oriented music, punk, grunge, ELP, Renaissance, Tool in more recent years....fast forward to 21, this dude I work with tells me that he's selling his g/f's bass and amp all it does is collect dust, and that he's getting rid of it for like 300 bux cuz he doesn't like the kid who's buying it, I ask him how much he wants buy like a week and a half later, start screwin around on it and it feels good, but I have no idea what my tuning was, and it was terrible, so I ask the girl who was renting the pad that matt was living in to come over with her tuner that she has for her 6 string, and then I knock her up a few years later and yadda yadda yadda, so music came into and gave me the life I have right now includin a daughter...wow I must be speshul

Originally, when I was in grade school, my folks shoved me kickin and screamin into piano lessons. It wasn't all that bad until the teacher said something about a recital. HUH? You want me to play in front of people? What are you...an idiot?

We lived in New York at the time, and came out here to Phoenix to visit family. My older cousin was the band director at a local high school, and had a practice pad and some sticks laying around where I could test my skills....and he heard me. Long story short, he told my folks to quit wasting money on piano lessons, and let me play drums. He said I was a natural...timing, intonation, meter...all that technical crap!

I managed to retain some of the keyboard skills, and put them to use in a band out here, but eventually got back to my true love...hitting things!

The first drum kit was Ludwig, every kid on the block had to have em cuz Ringo had em. After I came to my senses, and quit trying to be the next Keith Emerson, the next kits have been PDP, and two Pearls. If I live long enough to be able to afford DW...maybe, but for now I really like the sound and quality of Pearl for the money.

When I was very young (age 7?) I wanted to play bass and have a mustache. I guess I was precocious....

Odd isn't it?

On reading through these great posts there seems to be one thing consistent in all of them, fate, "It chose me" Genes I suppose?

At that age of eleven I was out with my Mom every weekend 3 nights a week watching bands. I remember I used to love the way that a guitars strings glistened when they caught the stage lights, that always took hold of me.

I was in school Music class too. I was never any good at Theory however though I did take a Trombone home once and played 'Onward marching soldiers' after humming it for about an hour. I was pretty pleased about that but our neighbors weren't.

That ended that little musical affair. Soon it was to be Chello which I loved but again it was always by ear.

The Tuba was interesting if not heavy and bloody cold on a winters day outside, plus pursing my lips on the mouthpiece did something very strange to my lips? (I don't remember girlies complaining at the time) I did try Trumpet once but my Dad just made me look stupid so that fell by the wayside very soon.

Guitar has always been with me but the Drums when I first bought them drove me straight into the arms of music and still do today to some extent. I have a passion for keys too though my hands are.... "Of incorrect shape" so I was told being slightly slender but artistic in the arts.

Oh Gosh! I love the Glockenspiel!

i remember i saw def lppard when in 2006 and seeing Rick Allen play with his particular physical condition i just felt so motivated to play and prove i can kick ass with my feet on the drums.

Same as S.P.