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Location: Budd Lake, NJ | I haven't seen this one asked, yet--here's your chance to acknowledge the person (or perhaps people) whose encouragement helped you along your journey as a guitar player. It might have been (or still could be) a teacher, friend, fellow bandmember; I don't mean someone you saw in concert or sat for hours trying to decipher a riff you heard them play.
I'll start--on guitar, a great guy named Bob Peterson, who patiently taught me finger-picking and was never too busy to explain how he played a particular run, picking pattern or chord progression. On bass, our own Robbie "Worshipleader," who called me out of my comfort zone to be our praise team's bass player. (Thanks, Bro, for all the patient endurance as I found my way.....)
--Karen |
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Location: big island | nice thread, karen
~my mommy.
she bought me a set of drums when i was 10 and then my first guitar two years later. has always encouraged me and still does... |
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Location: south east Michigan | Jeff Koch...
Lead guitar player in my old garage band, "Captain YoYo and the Seadogs".
He had the patience to teach me "Over the Hills, & Far Away". |
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Location: big island | brad,
this thread is about giving credit, not blame! ;)
i really enjoy the talents of you and brian. you guys are tight and have great harmonies. i now have the videos from the '05 and '06 tours. good stuff! |
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Location: south east Michigan | Lanaki...
So... ya think you're sittin' there all nice and safe out in the middle of the ocean do ya?? |
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Location: big island | i slipped an edit in there while you were posting...
hope that soothes your temperament. |
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Location: south east Michigan | Oh that's just great....
Now I'm timed out on being able to edit my thinly vailed threat.
Thanks for the compliment. We do try to have fun with it.
Now quick...
Somebody else answer Karen's good question. |
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Location: Waurika OK | My mother, probably at the first. The day the mailman brought my airline acoustic, she helped me pickout the notes to Tom Dooley.
A few nights ago she came into the room where I was playing, (she lives with us now since my dad died a few weeks ago) and sat on the bed and listened and encouraged me once again.
My wife has always said she did not want me to be without a guitar, although I think she was thinking in terms of 1 guitar.
Although I have picked up a lot from others, I've never had what you might call a mentor on guitar. |
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Location: GA USA | My brother, Hootie. When I was in college, I asked for a guitar for my birthday. He gave me his own Yamaha FG-200 and bought a hard Lowden case to fit it.
One day I plan to give it back, but I still play it very often. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | A troubled teen a few years my senior that my parents were trying to help out. Kevin, a seriously nice guy but prone to jump headfirst into any trouble he could find, stayed with us for a little while because he was living in his car. Dad offered him an opportunity to make some cash by painting our house one summer. He brought over a guitar one day because a few kids in the neighborhood were starting to play and he knew I wanted to learn. Kevin's deal? You clean my brushes every day and I'll teach you a new chord a day and a song a week. That was almost thirty years ago and, despite his 20 year stint in the army which took him all over the world, I stay in touch with him and his family to this day.
Have to - he still owes me "Classical Gas".
(Great thread, Karen ;) ) |
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Location: closely held secret | Hootie??? |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | When I was 16 a friend who was a guitar player asked me if I'd like to learn. After eight years of frustrating piano lessons and a two year gap I wasn't sure if I wanted to mess with another musical instrument but I decided to give it a go.
He came to my place with two guitars, handed one to me and showed me an E minor. I was hooked. He got "bored" with it and said "you'll have to learn the rest yourself but you can have the guitar."
I've still got the guitar, a Watson (pictured in my photo gallery) and thankfully I progressed past the E minor stage. Taught myself to play with the assistance of a heap of Neil Young song books with the little chord diagrams above the music...once I knew the basic chords I used to practise in my bedroom with the lights turned off so I could learn to play chords without having to constantly watch the fretboard. Had my first formal lessons about two years ago and I'm still hooked and always trying to learn something new.
I'm still in touch with my old mate who gave me the guitar but the tyranny of distance means we see each other only once every couple of years. When we do get together we play a few songs, drink too much beer, and I tell him to have his old guitar back but he won't accept. He's happy to know it's in good hands.
Great thread Karen.....it's brought some memories back to me :) |
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Location: Marlton, NJ | Mom - it was something that she started doing as an adult and was very supportive and encouraging when I also wanted to try it. |
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Location: Michigan | It has to Lanaki for me. He encouraged me last year to stop eating meat and become a guitar player after a brutal surgery that I had.He was very supportive to me in a time of extreme
un-comfortability and kept me off my ass while I was healing telling me to stay standing while playing the guitar.Thanks Lanaki.GWB |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | My Father for Teaching me How to Hear Differences,and Building soundsystems and starting on Violin,my Mother for the Guitar,my recorder playing Spouse for inspiration..my eldest Son for Forcing me to keep on playing those wretched things...
Vic :cool: |
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Location: big island | wow GWB...i don't know what to say. "thanks, i think" is all i can come up with :cool: |
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Location: East Tennessee | Wow! What great stories.
I would have to say both of my parents. My mom for wanting me to play some kind of musical instrument. My Dad for giving the interest in guitars. He had an old Sears guitar,(wish I still had it). Let me start paying on it.
Thanks Karen for starting this thread. :cool: |
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Location: GA USA | Originally posted by The Wabbit Formerly Known As Waskel:
Hootie??? Not THAT HOOTIE INGRAM , but "the real Hootie" was head coach at Clemson in the early 70's and my bro's friends started calling him Hootie. So it's all I've called him for 35 years. |
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Location: Tennessee | For me, it was really when I was about 20 and living in Malibu. I was befriended by a lonely recluse named Neil who kind of walked me through a lot of stuff he was into ... mostly minor keys. I was sort of drowning in self-doubt about my abilities and he showed me that real simple stuff can often be the most powerful, and it's all about the heart you put behind what you're doing. In other words, you don't have to be technically great to be considered great. One note can go a long way.
Of course, I still wish I could be technically great and there are times I continue to drown in self-doubt. :cool: |
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Location: ranson,wva | i grew up around music,my stepmothers father and brothers all played bluegrass and some delta blues. i started playing mandolin about the age 12 but i didnt take the lessons verry long because my fingers were too big for the fretboard.
10yrs latter i decided to learn guitar.no lessons,self taught. i must say that after meeting some of you at the 06 nor'easter gathering i have pushed my self to be a better player. the most influential person in my life was my grandmother..she taught me to never quit....i live true to those words......great thread karen........jason |
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Location: Michigan | For me it would probably be my parents, my dad for giving me a great starter guitar which i still have (alvarez electric) and my mom for always supporting me. after them, my wife, who inspires me everyday with her simple style and use of almost any instrument she plays (she just serves the song with it, no wasted notes). Finally Bvince for giving me the opportunity to use what had been stagnating in me for a while, and helping me to understand the Purpose of music, also he got me interested in ovations. |
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Location: New South Wales, Australia | When I was six or seven I chopped off my ring finger at the top knuckle...(it was my sister's fault lol)...it was pretty gory..lots of blood and I could see the bone.
My mum drove me to hospital and the doctors told her they would have to amputate the finger. I was in the surgery and she was out in the waiting room and I heard the scream...."noooo, he'll never play the violin."
Anyway, some 42 stitches later and plenty of tape, the doctors managed to save my finger. It still works pretty good but I never did learn the violin. Wouldn't mind trying it now. |
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Location: North Carolina | Edward Lincoln Chapman, who was playing songs that I had heard on the radio. I hadn't known that real people could actually do that. So I figured, why not me? Thanks, Neddy. |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I don't want to be a wet blanket on this thread, but I still want to participate so....
"the person (or perhaps people) whose encouragement helped you along your journey as a guitar player."
Me. |
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Location: GA USA | Or your sidekick, Mini-me. |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | My mother. Like every kid in the early 60's I wanted to play guitar just like the Beatles. Mom bought me the obligatory Montgomery Wards single pu solid body and 5 watt amp. Came with a free 4 foot chord and an elastic capo. Dad would often work late (with the car), so mom would take me on the bus to the next town for lessons once a week. I never appreciated it at the time and never thanked her. Now she's gone.
Fast forward 1 generation. When my kids (now 21 and 24) were young we forced then to study piano for 2 years. No negociation. It was just like any other academic subject, you didn't have a choice. They freaking hated it. Tears, fights, it was aweful. Now, 15 years later they got an apartment together in NYC (son graduated last year, and daughter is a junior). The FIRST thing they did, even before buying a television or pots and pans, was to buy a PIANO. And they argue over who gets to play it the most.
Dave |
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Location: NJ | well I my first introduction to the guitar were the singing cowboys, particulary roy rogers and the sons of the pioneers. I wanted to play guitar because it was a cowboy instrument.
took lessons off and on as a kid, when I was in high school I joined a band as rhythm guitar player. the lead player quit and the drummer decided I would then be lead player. So bobby arra I guess you are the reason i learned to play leads. (send all your complaints to him directly)
in college I took a bunch of lessons from a classical player at the school, he hated rock guitar he hated folk guitar he tolerated jazz his focus and passion was classical. I had no choice but to take lessons from him and although he was not that great of a teacher, he did teach me good technique and give me a very good stronghold in the basic structure nature of how to play.
ask me about him after I had a few beers. I have a ton of good stories. Forgot his name though..... |
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Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Al, do you know Pete Romano- (Moorestown boy)- Jazz player? Round about your age. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | "Stratocaster Mikey"
In Harvard Square, Cambridge MA, in the '70's there were dozens of dedicated Street Musicians. And there was Mikey & his Strat (both white) and his Pignose, and a half-dozen effects pedals. He could play any Hendrix tune, plus ANYTHING else.
Plus there were many others Street Players. Kieth and his Blue Gibson SG, who looked like Hendrix, but refused to play anything by Hendrix. Freddy (Acoustic Jazz) and a half-dozen others. These people could play better than most of the artists you hear on the radio.
These folks made enough nickels and dimes to pay rent. They couldn't get Real Jobs doing what they like so... Play for 30 minutes, make $60, go get beer, let someone else have the corner. Some gave private lessons to college kids on the side.
This is where someone gave me a beat-up Guild... With signatures carved in the back of everyone who learned their first seven chords on it.
But after all those years, it wasn't until November '05 that I bought my Pseudo-Strat and started to try to really learn to play "Before I Die."
Still only know variations on those seven chords. |
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Location: NJ | Originally posted by Jeff W.:
Al, do you know Pete Romano- (Moorestown boy)- Jazz player? Round about your age. no jeff but the name sure sounds familiar |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | Not to hijack the thread but there's nothing like the street scene. The wife and I spent four days in New Orleans a few years back (obviously before the storm) and the street performers were outstanding. I left more money in guitar cases that half week than I did anyplace else. I've seen some great talent on Boston and NYC streets too. My hat is off to anyone who can do that. |
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Location: Central Oregon | Edit- I'll try pix again in a bit... |
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Location: Central Oregon | My dad started teaching me to play when I was nine. In this picture he's playing my Kalamazoo & I'm playing his Gibson. The Gibson was originally an L-5 acoustic was what I was told. It was customized by a guy named Aschow the was a luthier in Frisco back in the 30's. Supposedly he customized it for some C&W guy that never came back for it so my dad bought it. It said "Aschow" where it should have said Gibson on the headstock. He installed the pup & did the cutaway. Very factory looking job. I know my dad took it to war with him in 1941 & it went all over the South Pacific. I wish I had it now.
I hope this works this time... Dammit! I can't get this picture to post. I'll try later..  |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | "These folks made enough nickels and dimes to pay rent. "
Wow!!! I totally forgot about that. In 76-77 myself ,a girlfriend who sang, another girl who also played guitar and some other friends used to go up from Hartford early Friday morning to the Common. We'd make sure we were there for the lunch crowd. Open up two guitar cases, and just sit on the grass and play for a couple of hours. Basically until he had enough money for food and drink for the weekend, and gas to get back.
There were some great musicians up there that were regulars. The cool part was you didn't have to be great. Everybody that came to the park knew the musicians were probably students, of course the better ones drew bigger crowds and made more money, but there was room for everyone.
As it was/is Taxachusetts, everyone always had change to get rid of. I think we were providing a service :) |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | So Miles, I'm in the Boston-area with my friend "Buddha" (Buhn Po), who is playing guitar for change. I'm holding the guitar, strumming alittle while he rolls a cigarette. I go to hand it back, and he sez, "Keep going, you're doing fine."
'But Buddha, I suck at this! I know three songs.'
He sez, "It doesn't matter. You can just sit there with a guitar in your lap and the case open, people will think that you are taking a break, and still toss-in money."
Oh, and yes, the people understand the panhandlers. It's a New England thing. I still carry money specifically for Panhandlers. It is accepted. (Been there, Done that.) But nowadays, people in PDX sit with a sign, expecting money. (no guitar, no story, no making you laugh even though you know they are lying!)
I miss Boston. Ain't been there in 21 years. Probably wouldn't recognize it if I went back.
[Excuse me for the minor diversion of this thread] |
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Anybody gotten Arrested for Buskin`...overhere there`s only One place,..the pedestrian street,known as "Stroeget" , way back in the 70`s it was n`t allowed to play music on the street,so anything could happen , cops could dish out a fine,drag U to jail for the evening , and once a cop litterally " dove " for the legs of a buddy of mine who tried to run of ,another time a copper sneaked up,grabbed my buddy`s wrist ( while he was playing ) and snarled .." U are terrible at this "..and once I got a fine,and I did n`t even have a guitar,but Eric ( the cop ,we knew each other "well" ) maintained that I probably had been playing , but he just had n`t seen it,another time I had been to Norway,and had bought duty free cigs , lighting one ,Thomsen ( another cop ,yes, I knew him well ) showed up,wrote down my name saying , " U know better than to smuggle tobacco ".....nowadays they`ve imposed rules , U can play between 4 am - 8 am ,so in summertime, the street is packed with ,Jugglers , Magicians , Moosies , U name it , Oh ,did I forget to say, the gig can be for 15 min.pr. performance...Yah , Danmark is a Free Country..... ;)
" We shall overcome someday.."
Vic :cool: |
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Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I've been back to Boston often, and in fact every chance I get. Gonna be tougher now that I'm on the left coast.
Young girl on the T coming in from Natick asks older lady sitting next to her "Why are you coming to Boston?" Lady responds "to get Scrod." Girl responds, "me too!!, but I didn't know it had a past tense."
Back in the day, the folks playing for tips weren't really considered panhandlers, although I'm not sure anyone really even thought about it. It was just something that was done. Today there are actual panhandlers/beggars. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Where credit is due......
Ed Sullivan
it was his show that had the Beatles on that February night that the world changed. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | My parents started us all in music before guitars became the rage. Mom had the voice. Dad forced us to practice.
My start on guitar was based on 2 accidental events in my first year of college. A guy in the choir played guitar and butchered the intro to "Diary" by Bread. I plucked it out on my brother's unused "starter" guitar. Another friend needed money and sold me his Univox. That's when I started learning guitar on my own. Never had a lesson and it shows. I can't really blame anyone but me. |
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| Nice coincidence Miles - I ate scrod fishcakes in Salem today. They were fantastic. And the Guinness was as good as it gets. I love this place.
And I can only blame me for my guitar playing. |
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Location: St Louis | Believe it or not it was my two boys (now 15 and 10). I played a little in high school...then life happened and I stoped playing.
Fast forward 30 years. My boys got tired of me always saying "I wish I could still play the guitar" when I listened to music around the house (almost constantly) so they had my wife (Mom), without me knowing, take them to our local music store and they bought me an electric.
That was two years and two guitars ago and I haven't stopped yet.
They deserve credit where credit is due... |
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Location: Simpsonville, SC | I sang in a little garage band in the early 70's. We did'nt have a rhythm guitar player so I was given an old acoustic and taught a few chords.
What encouraged me was playing in small gatherings...all the beautiful young lasses loved you if you even held onto a guitar, never the less played...I fit the bill just fine.
Three Song Rule:(applies to small quaint groups)
song 1)everyone listens to the whole song
song 2) half the group returns to idle chatter and half listens to the song
song 3) only musicians and those young lasses with wide eyes were left
I guess that you know by now that I only knew three songs!
My inspiration to play the guitar??????? |
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Location: Simpsonville, SC | Follow up:
I married one of these lovely lasses and have two great kids! They all are my inspiration now.
Sorry, got to go! The wife is requesting that I play her a few songs... ;) ;) ;) |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by cwk2:
Ed Sullivan......it was his show that had the Beatles on that February night that the world changed. That would be February of '64. The Beatles were already big in Canada, having charted hits since Feb. '63. |
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Location: Isle of Man, UK | It'll sound cheesy and not go down a storm, but it's Eric Clapton for me.
I had musical grounding from when I was 7, on the violin, but when I heard Unplugged, I just knew that I wanted to be able to play like that. Found my Dad's 20yr old £10 nylon string (which still just about worked), bought the tab book, a chord diagram book and the cd, sat down and learned the whole album start to finish one summer (I was still at school back then, so it took about 3 months of 5 hour a day sessions).
That was 15 years ago, and I've learned at least two more songs since then!
Now that I've got Rockabilly, I tend not to revisit that style of playing as often as maybe I should. A great way to start!
JB |
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Giving credit where credit is due...