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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 2150
Location: Orlando, FL | What inspires me is desire, specifically, the desire to play, to make music and to express myself - to create something. When I am playing I don’t want to stop. I spend a lot of the time I’m not playing thinking about playing. If I played guitar half as much as I thought about it, I would be twice the guitar player I am. I begrudge a lot of the mundane tasks that keep me from playing guitar. The only times I don’t wish I was playing is when I’m enjoying time with my wife and family. Since I don’t get to play as much as I want, when I pick up my guitar, it feels really good. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to play, because I’ve been thinking about it in the hours I couldn’t pick up a guitar. Sometimes I just start with one chord or a melody and see what comes out. Occasionally I even practice, but mostly I just play, because that’s what I really want to do.
Also watching or listening to a good band or guitarist brings on the desire to play. Hell, even watching a really bad guitarist inspires me to play.
Like Mark, OFC gatherings have been very inspirational for me. Watching and playing with so many people who play so many different types of music has inspired me to play more. The talent level and humility of the people I have met in the OFC has been incredible.
Playing different guitars can also be inspiring. When I pick up my nylon string, or my National, or my archtop, I try different things than I would on my 07 Collectors or my 47RI. Each one feels different and makes me think differently about the choices I make when playing.
On a good day, life inspires me to play.
Good topic Miles. Thanks! |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I remember in high school, the Tech Drawing teacher asked the class whether, when listening to songs, do you listen to the music or the lyrics.
I was the only student that didn't say 'lyrics'. I consider the vocals another instrument, and only learn the lyrics if I'm learning the song. I realised early that my song preferences are heavily bass driven - if it's got a distinctive, driving bassline, I love it. Obviously, I was always going to be a bass player.
But it's not a solo instrument. So I was learning to play acoustic guitar as well, having heard that guitar players are 'chick magnets' (unaware that magnets can also 'repel')
So I'm sitting on the living room floor at a late-teens party and someone starts strumming a few tunes by the 'Ozark Mountain Daredevils' and from that moment I was hooked on country rock. One of the greatest 'undiscovered' bands of the '70's.
The Ozarks also got me interested in the harmonica.
So that's 3 instruments I play badly now. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | Before you ask, I have no idea of why a Tech Drawing teacher would ask such a question in a Tech Drawing class... |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | And the inverse of Miles' original question would be 'What DOESN'T inspire you?' My response seems to be out of sorts with the general consensus too.
Most people are inspired by the Tommy Emmanuels, Eric Claptons, Peter Greens or SRV's of the world. If I go to see an absolutely phenomenal guitarist, it leaves me with no desire to pick up a guitar. Watching someone that good just seems to confirm how crap I still am after all these years. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I'm withya Muzza on not being "inspired" exactly by the likes of great guitar players. However, it doesn't turn me off either. My feeling like crap about my playing is fact more than feeling. I no longer play as well as I once used to, and I know how much work it took to get there then. I don't have the time, patience or desire to make that investment again. But I digress...
The guitar players I look up to... well they are professional full time players for the most part. Of course they are great, they have invested a lot of time into it, it's not a hobby, it's their livelihood. I don't have that kind of time on planet earth anymore.. Bottom line... I'm not going to play like someone who's playing 4-6 hours a day for 40 years with several degrees from Julliard... until I've played for 4-6 hours a day for 40 years and at least learn to spell Julliard (sp). So I just sit back and enjoy. I do get a little depressed realizing that if I had some encouragement instead of discouragement... "that coulda been me"... Maybe it wouldn't have been, but I'll never really know.
As far as the music vs lyrics.. it's both for me. I'll listen to short instrumentals, or a couple of instrumental tunes, but couldn't listen to a whole instrumental album. If there are lyrics, I want to hear them and understand them.
My thought has always been that if you can't understand or hear the lyrics... why are they there?? |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4827
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I took up guitar so I could put music to the songs I was writing.
Then, later in highschool, I noticed that whereas we on the Rugby team all had to share three girls the guys in the band would have 5 or 6 for the four of them. I liked the math.
But that's not inspiration. That's motivation.
When I think about it, I'm not really inspired to play, as such. It's kinda like breathing...if I don't do it for a while I get a bit uncomfortable.
Not that I'm all that good a player really. But I put it away once for a year when I first quit playing for a living. Almost a year later I'd been really 'down' without knowing why. Saw my Ovation hidden in the back of the closet, pulled it out and played for a couple hours, and felt much better.
This weekend was the Vancouver Island Music Festival. Got to hear Adrian Belew and be reminded I'm not actually a guitar player, I'm a guy who plays guitar. Also a family group from Chad by way of Quebec called H'Sao who helped me understand I also have a limited concept of rythme or harmony. It's a good thing I'm cute!
Miles, the security is now top notch at the event and we all got two good nights sleep....though I did do the Midnight Tour Jam with Dave until 2AM Saturday. (after the mainstage shuts down some campers start to jam for a couple hours at their campsites.)
I guess I play because I have something to say. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7222
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | The VIMF wasn't in the cards this year. Really hoping next year to arrive by boat :) Glad they are getting a handle on things. It's a great festival that had all the earmarks of going bad quickly if it wasn't managed better. |
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Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281
Location: Ohio | My grandason..... I hand not played in a long while, and one he asked what wass in the funny box, so I took it out and showed hime. Strummed a few chords and he started to laugh...I played Puff the Magic Dragon and he just sat and listened...WHen I was done, he started yelling for more..So now whenever he comes to visit, Puff comes out to play.. This to me is real inspiration |
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Joined:
February 2008
Posts: 747
| Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
...I do get a little depressed realizing that if I had some encouragement instead of discouragement... Encouragement v. Discouragement is an extremely subjective dichotomy in my view.
A couple of years ago I recorded Fort Worth Blues on my computer using a microphone that was so bad that I practically had to eat the damn thing to get it to work.
I cleaned it up a bit with some cheap programme and stuck it it on a CD. I was playing it on the stereo when my wife walked in so I said what do think of that and she says well I don't like those guys, never did - I said well that's me playing that and then she says "well it's no worse than the shit you usually listen to."
So, I'll take that as a compliment...lol |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Inspired to learn by listening to my freshman college roommate. He had a Pacemaker and played and sang very well. He made it look so easy I figured I could do it. Needless to say his talent made it look easy. I began with one song...uggg...Stairway to heaven. It took me forever.
I continued to play, at worship in college and then after when children came along I would play for them just about every night before bed.
I lost my inspiration as they grew and started to get involved in school activities and sports.
I saw an add in Craigslist for an Ovation that needed a lot of TLC. Since I always had a hankering for one since my college roommate played I picked it up. My wife asked me if I was crazy since I did not even play the guitar I had? (ever heard that before) I knew nothing about ovations so was quite pleased to find out later I had hit the jackpot with a deep bowl, A braced legend. I got fired up and could not put it down. This was about a year and a half ago. Since then I have picked up a couple of others (including a Pacemaker and UTE) and really enjoy picking it up every day and working on something new or polishing up an old tune. I am playing songs now I would have given up on years ago. I just keep at it and when I get the song to where I want I feel a great deal of satisfaction. When I hit a playing lull I often go back to a song or a part of a song that I had given up on because it was too difficult. When I get it, I feel great.
I play at Church once a month which can be a bit intimidating for me since we usually have 6-7 songs and most of them are new to me. We have a great leader who emphasizes that we are "leading worship" and not performing and we should be having fun. For the most part I do. I still get very intimidated playing with those who's skill is better than mine. This is the thing I really have to work through. Again, I have to remember I do this for fun.
I guess in the end it is the sound of the guitar that inspires me. The perfect note in tune, the way I can hear my freshly cut nails pluck the strings of my UTE. I get the same feeling I get when I pull out an old James Taylor CD...just like sitting down with and old friend and listening to a good story I have heard a thousand times only it is my music with my guitar.
Great question. |
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Joined:
April 2010
Posts: 1227
Location: Connersville, Indiana | In the 60's my mom would play album after album. She taught he how to dance. The twist, The stroll ect. We would sing Sugar Shack and Crimsons and Clover together. I wrote my first song when in the summer after 3rd grade. We were moving from Delmar Iowa to Clinton Iowa. I can still sing that song. So I listened to music and even went to sleep by music. When I was 14 my neighbor that I babysat for, played in a band. He played a strat and an Ovation. At that moment I feel in love with the Ovation. It was different than any guitar I had ever seen. My neighbor would sing Pencil thin Mustach on his Ovation. He then gave me an old Japan made electric guitar and he taught me my first song. Johnny B. Good and then Rolling on the River by CCR. I then started writing and teaching myself the play. I found that I had a hard time singing other people's songs....So I concentrated and writing and singing my own songs. Some good, Some sucked. I kept working at it. My first real guitar I bought from a kid at school. It was a 1961 Fender flat top. When I was in the Army the guitar went with me to over 30 contries and 48 states. I would see something or hear a phase someone said and I would start to plan on how to write a song about that. I have now released a CD called CRY FOR HELP. It is on the Ovation Fan Club site for free down load. I have played in many coffee shops, campgrounds, county fairs, and even on vacation in Cancun I was on stage at my hotel playing my music. I continue to write and sing my own music. I wish my voice was better but because of 4 chest surgeries it is difficult to project, but that does not stop me from trying. I hope everyone likes the music on my cd if you check it out.
Kit Mann Ovation plug it in |
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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | I am not necessarily inspired by watching other guitarists. I don't want to sound like others. First and foremost, I don't think I can because most recording artists are darn good, and certainly much better than me. Second, I may like somebody's general style of playing and it may give me some ideas as to my own, but it does not inspire me to play exactly like them. Third, what we hear in a recording is generally studio quality perfection, with sometimes hundreds of hours of professional editing using hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment after the fact to make it perfect. Attempting to duplicate that type of sound quality is lunacy. Even the artists themselves can't duplicate their recordings in a live setting. Rather, I like to think I have developed (and continue to develop) my own style, such as it is. This works in my environment because, for the most part, I very rarely hear recordings of the songs we are asked to play. Therefore, I have no idea what it is supposed to sound like, so we, as a band, make it sound like whatever appeals to us. In addition, I (as do the others, although maybe not quite as much) often go into some ad libbed counter melodic lead line which isn't written anywhere in the music. As a result, I like to think we are making music. Sure, somebody else wrote it, but we're at least giving it our own interpretation. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | My kids who come every evening saying "Daddy can you play the guitar for us?" It's hard to beat that! |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | What inspires me is to try to play the music that is going on in my head. I don't always have the ability to do that so I have to keep practicing and moving on.
I retired from playing several times and I keep going back because there is nothing like performing in front of a group of people and having them love what you do, be it originals and covers, that brings out my best playing and performances. |
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Joined:
November 2004
Posts: 4413
| Originally posted by MusicMishka:
My kids who come every evening saying "Daddy can you play the guitar for us?" It's hard to beat that! Cool.
My kids give back their allowances to stop me.
And my wife increases my allowance to stop me.
Money is what inspires me. |
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Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | What inspired me to start playing in the first place? My 2 biggest answers are: 1) When I heard Jose Feleciano's "Light My Fire", and
2) Listening to early Gordon Lightfoot. Not sure if it was Gord or Red Shea that did it for me since, back in the day, I really wasn't aware there were 2 guitarists playing. I have always played a 12 string since, but I've always been "soothed" by the sort of playing that Red and Terry Clements add to the mix.
As for what inspires me now...it's the most calming thing I can do with a small moment in my hectic day. Even if it's only 3 min. before I crawl into bed, that's enough : )
John <>{ |
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What inspires or inspired you, if anything?
