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January 2005
Posts: 4903
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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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
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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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Al, do you know Pete Romano- (Moorestown boy)- Jazz player? Round about your age. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
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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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
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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October 2005
Posts: 5332
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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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | Edit- I'll try pix again in a bit... |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 1380
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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December 2001
Posts: 7247
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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September 2006
Posts: 10777
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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April 2006
Posts: 2491
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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December 2001
Posts: 7247
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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January 2002
Posts: 14127
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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March 2005
Posts: 12761
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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November 2004
Posts: 4413
| 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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July 2006
Posts: 95
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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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 2241
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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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 2241
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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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4833
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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December 2004
Posts: 370
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...
