My Dad died last Dec. 9, 2019 and he petitioned my Mom last June 5. I am totally devastated and alone. I was able to write a song because of so much sadness. It has melody but I want it to have a guitar sound. I decided to learn to play guitar maybe just 4 days ago. I bought a guitar online and still waiting for it to be delivered. I am confident it's not gonna be too late to learn at 35. I promise to create music that will be worth sharing to others. This is going to be my story.
I've seen a man in his 70s pick it up in one of these comment sections. Better times will come. In fact, it's been 10 months. Maybe they already have? Update?
I'm still quite new to guitar but here's my story.. when I was a kid I fell in love with rock, metal music like Blink, Sum 41, Metallica, Slipknot etc and I used to watch guitar covers just for fun. When I was 15 I decided it's time to get guitar to myself. Couldn't find any teachers so that held me back for a while but I found a summer job and that summer I got myself a good yamaha electric guitar. I practised all the time on my own, learnt notes, how to read tabs, simple songs and later moved on to music theory, recording covers for youtube. Now in my 20s I'm still trying to find my sound and style. I'm a fan nowadays of Ichika, Tom Henson, Wes Borland, Cole Rolland etc. I love writing and sharing my music much more than playing covers and I really hope I can make a living out of it one day. If you read this, thank you. I wish you all the best my guitarist fellas!
My guitar and music story: Ever since I was really young, my dad was always playing music. AC/DC and Black Sabbath were the bands of my childhood. My dad also played guitar, so I would often see guitar cases and amps a lot when I was a kid. When my parents got divorced, I wasn't as close to my dad due to having to go with my mom so often. Quite a few years went by, until I was watching WWE with my family on a Friday night, and I heard "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day (the old intro theme to Smackdown) and I got back into music. I also was introduced to Metallica from WWE (The Undertaker and Triple H end of an era fued) with "The Memory Remains." I decided I wanted to try drums, my dad had guitar and I wanted to try drums. One Christmas, my grandma got me a cheap electric kit and I tried to learn drums. To say the least, I sucked, but I was having fun. My dad kept playing guitar and kept showing me that. I continued on my path of metal, rock, and punk, and then in 7th grade I took a guitar class. I got a Fender acoustic and my dad taught me "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I took that guitar class and learned the basics, but it wasn't the music I wanted to play. The only thing I really remember from that class was an E minor chord, and the basics to the into to "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. My friend also taught me "Hell's Bells" by ACDC during that class. I kept playing that fender acoustic, and played "Iron Man" in my 8th grade talent show. I kept learning new songs on it, a lot of Metallica riffs and then just random riffs I wrote. I started playing on my dad's electric because I found this band "Avenged Sevenfold." I wanted to learn their riffs and just play with distortion. The summer before my Sophmore year of high school, I got an Ibanez start style electric guitar. I fell in love with that guitar and learned so much more. I played 2 open mics for my school's drama club. The first one I played "Spit out the Bone" by Metallica and "Iron Man" again. I played that song a lot. The second I played "Seek and Destroy" and "Master of Puppets" by Metallica. Neither in full, but I had so much fun with it. Then that Christmas, I got my main guitar to this day, an Epiphone Special 2 Les Paul. When I got that, I just riffed and learned all sorts of songs. Again, a lot more Metallica and Black Sabbath. Later my sophomore year, I performed a Metallica medley in my schools talent show. That was one of my favorite performances I've had. I had so much fun with it and continued playing. Around that same time, I finished making my own acoustic guitar. My sophomore year, I took a woodshop class where I could make my own guitar. I finished it the last day before it was due after pouring blood, sweat and tears into it. I still have it and love that guitar. I then played another open Mic for my drama club playing a medley of songs from "St. Anger" by Metallica (I found drop C tuning and wanted to perform in it) and "Nightmare" by "Avenged Sevenfold" in drop C as well. I ended that school year off finding my own amp. I found a Vox modeling amp at a pawn shop and loved it. We bought it, but I couldn't play it until my birthday of that year. Also around that time, I learned the "Bohemian Rhapsody" solo after seeing that movie. I ended up getting my amp for my birthday and played the hell out of it. I loved it and it was so cool having my own gear instead of borrowing my dad's Fender amp. A few weeks after my birthday, I bought my first guitar with my own money. I bought an Ibanez 7 string and it was so cool. My dad and I loved it, so I got it. We stopped by our local guitar store to buy a whammy bar for it on the way home, and then I played it for hours. I kept playing guitar and just having fun. I played "Spit out the Bone" again at another open mic at the beginning of my junior year. I also listened to the first 3 Metallica albums on a bus ride to a Shakespeare theatre competition (yes I'm a theatre kid XD) and got a lot more inspiration to play again and learn some more older Metallica riffs. When I got back from that competition, I had my first experience with live music. One of my friends in theatre took me to my first concert. We saw Tool live, and that was the best experience I've ever had. Tool was incredible and getting to hear them live was amazing! I got so much more inspiration to learn and play more that night. I went home and over the next few days, I learned Tool riffs. I then fell into a depression, one of the lowest points in my life. I had no motivation, no creativity, and just full of hate. I dropped everything and just closed myself off. Thanks to my friends, I got through it a bit and got back around to playing guitar again. I'm still struggling with depression and anxiety, but I'm learning to handle it and cope with it. Guitar has helped with that and helped me cope with it all. Ever since this quarantine began, I have been spending a lot more time playing guitar. Each day, I spend at least half an hour playing and riffing around on my guitar. I've been playing guitar for almost 5 years now, and it has introduced me to so many more musicians, I've met some of the best people I know because of it, and it will always tie me to my dad. He got me into it, and I ran with it. Guitar will always be a part of my life, and I hope to make a career out of performing. Wether it be in music, or theatre, I will bring guitar into it. Love the videos man! Great work and thanks for being so dedicated to guitar, your students, and your viewers! Keep up the great work! \m/
I'm 57, I remember the first rock and roll song i heard was the Stones "I Cant get no satisfaction" I was alone and figured out how to play the record on one of those big cabinet record players that had a black and white TV in it. It was in 67 or 68, Anyway very long story short, love the 70's music mostly and play guitar just once in a while in spurts. Im envious of kids these days that have all these videos available to learn and how my musical life would have been so much different if I would had access to all this that we have today. I stayed mainly a fan of music and never took playing the guitar serious enough, but now since youtube I've gone back to the basics and learning the fretboard and some theory. Enjoy your videos and thanks for sharing your story. Your a very good teacher.
I'm 51 and had a hard shock 2years ago I had a stroke, luckily it only took my left side made it week and covid lock down left me isolated, so I've always loved to sound from guitar and thought no better time to learn get my hand moving again, I known cord shapes but can't get quick enough in changes so always a second pause between,,,, any ideas out there
I'm an eighteen years old guitar player from Syria I started to play guitar 3 years ago,started on classical guitar and it was really useful for me later because I developed legato and chord shapes early on in my long to be journey. now I play Electric guitar.it was my real intention when I wanted to pick up this hobby,I was inspired by Slash,Randy Rhodes,James Hetfield,Dave Mustaine and these kind of guitar gods,I was into some rock bands(Skillet) and mainly Heavy metal after a year of playing electric guitar,I've been on a stage 2 times,this is when it was turning to something more than a hobby,I started listening to some old amazing arabic music,and Progressive metal,mainly dream theater this when I started to enjoy every kind of music on it's own,and I took interest in other aspects of music went deep in music theory,started to research about composing and arranging,took a mixing and producing class,started doing gigs and live shows more often,despite the crisis and war,we don't kill our motives I know it's a long way to get out of this mad and cruel place,and it will be harder outside,but that won't stop me,I finished my senior high school class with excellent grades,and went to college to study Computer Science,in hope to get somewhere in my long life journey to not only start living off just making music,this journey is for greater things for me and for my country,in search for success and greatness in this charming art and craft
Your motivation and passion is just unbelievable. Just keep playing and progressing, and remember that no one and nothing can stop you. Hope your country will soon find some peace. Virtual hug from Italy.
You are my hero. You've faced overwhelming odds and continue to succeed. Going back to old serious music like Arabic classical music is awesome. Love to you from the USA!!
When I was growing up, my dad played guitar, my mom played autoharp and they both sang. Sometimes, they even visited my school and performed for my classmates and me. Of course, I wanted to play drums. We couldn't afford them though so I just drummed my fingers on anything I could find. Years later, I learned how to make beats on my computer. Then, my dad bought a second acoustic guitar so I started borrowing his first acoustic. I got good enough, watching videos like these, that he paid for 6 months of lessons for me. When he died, his guitar was the one thing I absolutely had to have. With the money he left my family, I finally bought some drums. I promised myself I'd learn how to sing and write songs. So I did. Then, I learned how to accompany myself on other instruments. Eventually, I learned how to mix/master music and I still write and perform songs. But these days, little gives me more joy than to teach others how to play music and write songs.
beautiful story - I think the ability to learn music and play instruments well is passed down through the family - hope if you have kids, you encourage them to play early in life -
My parents divorced at 15 and i was laitenung to ACDC, Metallica, Ozzy, so got a guitar, Epiphone SG, and learned to playy favorites. Started a band smashing pumpkins with electronic production, my HS friends stayed together into college then moved to LA to make it big. Signed a record deal but album never released. My teacher, who gave me his 96 foam green strat in pieces, my pride and joy, taught me blues and stones, strumming solos muting 5 strings but in rhythm. Learned to hit dissonant notes, play even flamenco and my signature was bending notes and playing in pocket. Vox valvetronix amp with 20 presets for live, love edge style delay riffs. Lived in south korea.. btw.. want to get back in after a decade of not playing much
Hi there my start with guitar was with my FATHER he played guitar, he played folk music but i was really young, and then years later i started trying to play guitar but i had so many ppl telling me that i could never learn to play and what not so i gave up 9 times untill 2011 and i started playing again and i have not stoped since and i proved to myself that I can LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR..... best thing i ever did
In 1967 a door-to-door salesman knocked and I answered. He asked the 10yo boy standing there if he wanted to be in a band. In 1967 what young male didn't want to be in a band! It turns out, he was a salesman for Milton Mann's Accordion Studio - but that meant nothing, I was going to be in a band! I begged my dad, he told my great-grandmother (a Lawrence Welk fanatic) and she paid for my instrument and lessons. I spent the next 8 years learning to read music and translate it to my hands. The school had a band, of 35 accordionists, and we played contemporary songs composed for the instrument. By the time I turned 18, playing Led Zeppelin "Whole Lotta Love" on the accordion was not vey cool. I traded in my instrument for an acoustic guitar, bought a fake book and leaned all of the basic chords fairly quickly. I couldn't afford lessons, so It kind of fell off. In 1984 I bought an Ibanez Roadstar II from a pawn shop, found Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine and practiced every day. Started a band with my local mates and we played gigs around locally. I took up bass because other bands would ask if i could (Bass players were apparently hard to find back then). Gigged on bass for about 5 years and have been playing guitar and bass for personal enjoyment ever since.
The song Plush on "Core" by Stone Temple Pilots made me want to play bass and electric guitar because It was my favorite album at the time and it still is. Love that album and it inspires me to this day (thank you Radio X from GTA San Andreas)
That album is godly! I became an instant STP fan after hearing (and seeing the video for) Plush! I've loved everything they've put out since - even this latest new all-acoustic album. While I, like everyone else, DO miss Scott. The new guy isn't bad at all!
I also was inspired to learn guitar by the song Plush off the Core album. It was the first album I hear by them but I'd say my favorite STP album right now is Tiny Music. I'd say that that album is where they hit their peak creatively, although I still enjoy their new stuff with Jeff too.
One of he first albums I ever listened to was (GI) by The Germs. When I listened to that record and learned that they could barley play their instruments at the start but said fuck it, it gave me motivation. That’s what I love about about Punk Rock. Passion over technique.
Hell yeah. Germs rule. One thing I always wondered though: in the intro for "No God" it has that little part taken from that Yes song (I think it was "Roundabout"). Always wondered who played that or if it was sampled. I doubt Pat Smear would've been able to play that at that point in his career. Great transition into the song though.
Hell yeah on The Germs. Pat Smear is still kicking ass with the Foo Fighters!! Check out my new track when you get a second - here it is - ruclips.net/video/Y6AGtxbVbZw/видео.html
I'm a 17 year old aspiring musician from New York, and I have been playing guitar for 7 years. For my entire life, I've been surrounded by music. When I was born my parents played Nirvana/Alice in Chains unplugged in my crib as I napped (me being named after Kurt cobain, and Layne Staley). I remember one of my happiest childhood memories I must've been 4, or 5, driving with the top down to our jeep, blasting Sweating Bullets on a road trip. My dad is a drummer, my mother is a bassist in a local band, and my brother is a drummer in a local Thrash Metal band that has released an independent EP. Music is a major part of my life, specifically thrash metal. In complete honesty, I'm a complete Megadeth fanboy. I follow every band members Instagram, I even met Dave Ellefson for his Basstory tour, I read Dave Mustaines book, and both of Ellefsons, Hell they are my most listened to band on spotify for the decade(over 300 hours listened). Safe to say Megadeth is my favorite band. For years I took guitar lessons once a week, but eventually became financially unable to, so I had to put the guitar down. Eventually, I picked the guitar back up and began to self teach, which I still do to this day. My mom scraped together enough money to enroll me into a "music school". It basically was a class that teaches fundamentals of making a band, and you have an instructor help you create one with other students. for a little over a year it was just me, and the instructor in the band when I found that few people my age were as determined, let alone as interested in playing metal as I was. Fast forward 6 months, I managed to get a band together, Me on lead/rhythm guitar/ vocals, Tommy on drums, Evan on Guitar, and the instructor on bass. we called ourselves "KnuckleBeast", and previously "The Backhand City Steves". We played a few gigs with a setlist of Metallica covers, but eventually the guitarist stopped showing up, and even bailed out on the last gig, leaving me to do all the lead, rhythm, and vocals to all the songs, but I stepped up and nailed em. (thanks for posting a video on the AJFA intro!) The band fell apart after the last gig, and I left the school. It has been 2 years, and I've been practicing non-stop, and building a following on Instagram by posting songs I've learned, and my progress. My biggest accomplishment so far was when I taught myself the Tornado of Souls solo through the Rust In Peace tab book. While I consider myself to be a good guitarist, I want to be great, and to one day become the next Megadeth, Or Anthrax, or Metallica, or Pantera. I'm determined, but I lack the experience, and financially it's very hard for us to get me a guitar teacher, as my mother Is sick with an autoimmune disease, and mostly out of work, and my parents are divorced. I'm taking this time off on a so called " Corona-cation", to really become sick on the guitar (no pun intended) and your videos definitely help!
2016,Freshman, playing bass,wonderwall kind of stuff 2017,get access to youtube(China blocked foreign internet),watching your videos 2018,2019,still watching your videos, begin to play guitar. 2020,graduated,still watching your videos. really,really, helped me a lot. I learned theory,technique..which is really hard to learn in China. Thank you, appericiate!
Originally, I started as a drummer in 1976. Groups like KISS and Boston influenced me to become a musician. And there were a lot of musicians on both sides of my family. I used to beat this old chair with bird perches until I started using a drum-set at a rich kids' school my friends parents worked at. The music teacher there caught me playing and was impressed by my enthusiasm. So, he gave me the combination to the drum-set locker! Even then, I could never afford a drum set. I took up guitar in 1978 after seeing the picture of Ace Frehley looking awesome in the Evolution of KISS booklet included with KISS Alive II. That same friend of mine's parents (that worked at the rich kids' school) were trying to force him to learn guitar and he wanted none of it. So, he had a beat up 60's Teisco style guitar with no strings and 1 single coil. I got him to give it to me so I could learn. He secretly gave me the guitar behind his parents' back by running outside with it while they weren't looking and dropping it on the ground! I was waiting in the bushes. I ran out, grabbed it, and ran all the way home! I was poor - so I could only afford the high E string. My mom saw me playing and saw that I had a talent for it. She got the guitar restrung and set-up. She also got me enrolled in guitar lessons. I took ONE lesson and was very bored. I wanted to learn chords and this guy was teaching me leads on 2 strings. I had 6 strings now and wanted to play ALL of them! So, I went to the library, took out some books on playing guitar which had chord boxes and songs in them, and the rest is KISStory! 😎👍🎸
I suppose my story is quite different from everyone else. I was forced to play guitar by my mother. I was highly unmotivated by this because the music I listened to back then was primarily songs from the radio and 90's rnb. Because I was going to get music lessons regardless, I pleaded to my mum for me to play bass instead of guitar. She said no and a few weeks later, I got my first lesson. All I could tell you was that any 'homework' my guitar teacher set me I did not complete due to the sheer boredom and lack of motivation being forced to play this instrument. Over time I thought about quitting, but I feared that my parents weren't going to be happy with my decision. Surprisingly during the lessons, my guitar teacher and I would have discussions about music. And over time, my own music taste started to develop. I started to listen to Alternative Rock, which then evolved into Hard Rock, then Glam metal etc. Listening to these genres gave me a sense of motivation to my guitar playing and I then started to practice outside my lessons. However, my motivation only lasted for a few weeks and I relapsed back to not practicing. The next year, my music taste evolved even further to the point where I would listen exclusively to Metal. I had this sort of 'elitist' mindset back then regarding mainstream music as I avoided listening to anything on the radio (I got rid of that mindset the following year). My guitar playing during that time was a bit erratic, as I was playing continuously only at the start and end of the year. I stopped having lessons at the start of the year and focused solely on being self-taught. This time, I was progressing a lot faster as I was able to play the clean section of Fade to black in a week (I would only play about an 1-2 hours a day). During this time, I believed that I was able to finally gain momentum and continue practicing my guitar consistently leading to next year, but I was wrong. I quit guitar for about a year because as I mentioned earlier, I never fell in love with the instrument. I sold both my electric guitars and at around this time, I decided to play bass instead. I bought my first bass guitar with all the money I had, which meant that I practiced without an amp. But, I was still unable to keep myself motivated and quit after a month. However at the end of the year, my friends from school took up instruments and I decided to join in and practice with them. The next year, I would play in the school band and perform in front of the school during special occasions. As for my guitar playing, I took it up again and have been practicing consistently for more than a month now. I had to take a one week break though as the nerves in my middle finger were injured and I would feel sharp pain every time I would press it against the fretboard. For some reason though, I now enjoy playing the instrument and persevered through all the challenging phases that I have encountered during my practice for the past 5 weeks now. As for my mother, she isn't the villain in this. Without her forcing me to play this instrument, I wouldn't be able to find the genre of music that I connect with the most (metal), and instead, I'll be stuck listening to mainstream music for the rest of my life (which isn't all that bad but still, metal is cool). I think I wrote too much.
First, thank you for your content and lessons. I’m 39 yrs old. Bought myself my first guitar for my 21st birthday. Self-taught. Tab books, guitar world, ect. Kurt Cobain inspired me to believe I could do it. Became a Dad. Years later, I’m still playing. Picked up drums about 10 yrs ago and Bass at some point as well. Now, over the last couple years, I have committed to building a usable recording studio in my basement. I’ve collected a heap of excellent gear. Now, I am currently getting reading to begin writing and recording what will be a full album.
I had two older brothers that introduced me to all the greats , one was into the eagles , tull , chicago...the other cream , zeppelin, doors....mom and dad listened to oldies rock and roll and classic country so I was exposed to pretty constant music at an early age. As I got older I loved all of the music my family listened to and I was the perfect age as I started high school in 1980 🤟 Van Halen was my first album I owned (graduated from 8tracks) I asked for a bass guitar for Christmas and santa brought me a bass. I knew nothing about playing , had nobody to teach me and no youtube ! Traded the bass for a guitar and had a couple friends that played so I learned some guitar but was not serious about learning so I eventually quit and went on with life. Flash forward to a year ago ...53 years old , wife , kids, great job and RV's. After two back surgeries the off roading hobby had to go but everyone needs hobbies and I have several friends now who play guitar. Asked around and a guy at work had a lyon Paul Stanley model for $75 and I picked up an amp from a pawn shop. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money incase this wasn't gonna take hold. Well it took hold and if I was as into it back then ? I would be "like mike" . Since I restarted my journey not quite a year ago , i have 3 basses , two bass amps , 11 guitars (including the American standard strat i found at a pawn shop) 3 amps and various effects. Most of my guitars come from pawn shops and I'm constantly working on them and having a blast learning how to upgrade them and set them up. Kids are grown so it's the wife , me and the dogs so I practice atleast an hour a day and spend most of my RUclips time watching something to do with the guitar. Long story I know (I'm 54 soo....) but I am having a blast and enjoy the guitar community so rock on my brothers and sisters !
When I was 7 my parents took me to some sort of open day at our local music school and there I apparently decided that the guitar was the instrument for me. For the first three years or so I had lessons at that music school, but then my teacher stopped (the situation at that school was pretty bad since the government decided to cut back on funding), so I went to another teacher, played there for about two years, but he was already in his 60's or something and in a pretty bad place personally as far as I remember, so I had to find another teacher. Anyway, my first two teachers were both pretty theory-oriented and I think that might have partially been the reason why I feel that I did not make a whole lot of progress in that period. My current teacher however focuses more on actually playing and really tries to get all of his students excited about music and that made such a huge difference for me, because since then I've really become quite passionate about music in general and it makes playing guitar so much more rewarding. I really advice anyone to look for a passion of music in a teacher, cause if he's not enjoying himself, chances are you probably won't either.
I have always felt hypnotized by the electric guitar, but never found or made the time to learn. Now I find myself in my 50s with a strong desire to learn. Here is how my journey to learning is going. It starts with a friend at work giving me an old electric Harmony just before Christmas 2018, it still had a thick layer of dust on it when he handed it to me, but hey I now had my first guitar, and it was free. A few weeks later after Christmas I stoped in to the local Goodwill and was stoked to find an old practice amp for only $3.00. Another stop by a music store for a cord and some picks, bringing my setup to a whopping $23.00. I jumped on line searching for some free lessons, I didn't need much, just to learn to play a few chords. I even found an old book at a used book store. I practiced learning some chords but felt that the frets seamed to close as well as the strings. I was getting frustrated and not sure what to do. I did not want to spend a bunch of money on a new guitar and still not be able to play. I was talking to my nephew one day and he said he had an acoustic he would loan to me. I was surprised to find that I could get my fingers to make the chords on the acoustic without much trouble. This helped my practice but was driving the wife a little crazy listening to my beginner plucking. So to keep a happy wife, my practice times got shorter and less frequent. Now you would think that would be the biggest practice issue, but it wasn't. I ended up changing jobs, on top of that the new job was in a different country. We pack up the house, including the guitar, to be shipped overseas. Once we finally get to Italy, and before we can get moved in to a house, Covid 19 locks down Italy, and we are stuck in a hotel. Now I can't get my guitar, and don't know when I will be able to, music stores are not open, so I do the next best thing. I ordered a new guitar set up online to be shipped to me, of course they can't ship the guitar or amp here for some reason, so I have it sent to my brother for him to mail it to me. This was a little over two weeks ago, still waiting for it to arrive. I have been staying motived watching lots of videos, some good like yours, and others not so good. I have also kept busy by learning the notes on the fret board, now if my guitar ever arrives I will see if I can actually locate them... and relearn the chords. I am still just as much a beginner as the day I received the Harmony, but I have developed a strong drive to learn how to play. Oh, and the new setup will allow me to use headphones so I don't drive the wife too crazy. Sorry for getting long winded for a guy who can't even play... Love your video's, keep up the good work!!!
My mother had an old acoustic and tried to teach me when I was like 10y.o. but I didn’t really enjoyed it. Later when I was 14-15 I made metalhead friends at school who played guitar and I really enjoyed watching them play. I told them I had an acoustic and everything except one string broke and we never replaced them for ages so at my 16th birthday they bought me new strings and taught me basic songs that I could practice, I had no excuse not to learn it then LOL. During that year I bought a 2nd hand Nevada (cheap fender strat wannabe) and learned a lot with it, I made the high school talent show with my friend where we played Iron Maiden’s The Trooper. We also played during our graduation ceremony. With my guitarist friends we talked about our dream guitars once and they remembered what I said. For my 17th bday them and two other friends bought it together as a gift and I am forever grateful to them. This guitar is an Ibanez Jem. So yeah now I’m still completely addicted to guitar and learning new songs and trying to start a band😋🤘🎸 Btw, I have to thank you a lot because I learned a lot watching your channel as I am mostly self taught! 🙏 Keep rocking!
It seems like there are 2 types of musicians. There is the Creator whom uses instruments to express themselves and there is the Embracer whom uses the instruments to bond and get a deeper closeness with the music that they love and to which they have an emotional connection. While there is crossover, you can see the dominate reason for playing when asked to play “something”. The creator will want to play something original and the embracer will want to play something they learned.
My brother started playing when I was 7 or 8 and I never really ever wanted to be a guitar player well flash forward about 3 years and my brothers in a band now and they played a talent show at there school they played pool house by the backseat lovers and after that it changed my life . I started listening to music , I grew out my hair , and gained a good sense of fashion . Flash foward again about 2 years so now it’s 2022 my brothers band changed there name and started playing shows and put out music . And because of them I started playing ALOT of rockband 2 and for Christmas I was at my grandmas Christmas party and then I got a squier beginner guitar with a squier frontman 10g and back then I was not really all that good the only chords I knew where e, amaj7 and c . Another thing I didn’t mention was at my school they had beginner guitar lessons which I took but I didn’t have an acoustic but we got one just in time for the class and I was practicing about an hour every day . Flash forward to last month school was coming to an end and I didn’t want to not have lessons over the summer so I started with my brothers guitar teacher and right now I’ve been playing for about 5 and a half months . Another funny story is the day I was starting lessons with my teacher I have right now I broke my d string and we had to restring like 10 minutes before I left
I started in March of this yr, at age 41. I have wanted to play since I was a kid, but my parents never got me a guitar. Growing up I was exposed to all genres of music, my mom would just pick a radio station & we would listen to it all day. So I grew up with a love for all types music. There is just something about guitar music, whenever I hear a really good riffs & solos. it's an undescribable feeling, I can feel it through out my whole body.. all the way to my soul. So I just decide it time & I'm very happy that I did.
When I started listening to thrash and really feeling riffs and solos is when I got the idea. I wanted to play drums because I’m unconsciously obsessed with beats and my foot is always tapping and fingers always drumming. But drumsets were just so massive and loud it would have never worked. And I never made the step to learn guitar because I was trying to teach myself which obviously wasn’t going well. But I decided that if I never learned how to play and that I never performed the type of music I love for people, I would regret it for the rest of my life. So Here I am getting good enough to do thrash solos and looking for other people my age to play with
my story was i was about 9 years old and my mom wanted me to get into a different instrument then piano and she bought. me a cheap amazon guitar and it was winter 2022 and i had 2 guitar lessons in my life then started to teach myself now i have been playing for a year and a half and i played my first stage and played don't stop Believing in january of this year
I started playing at age 35 and had private lessons until just a few years ago. A good friend of mine who teaches said I don't need lessons anymore so I stopped . Sadly I lost my Daughter in April this year and now don't have the heart to play anymore . I'm 57 now .
20 years ago a work colleague signed us up for a Tallent contest at our National Sales meeting in New Orleans. This was after he asked if I played guitar. I said I played stairway to heaven, like many kids in high school. I bought an acoustic guitar and shortly afterward a red ibenez. We practiced for 3 months prior to playing on Bourbon Street in front of a 100+ drunken (thankfully) coworkers. I sat on a bench while my leg shaked uncontrollably throughout the performance. My dream was to go back and actually play something recognizable. 2 years ago I had the opportunity to play 5 songs during our Global dales meeting with about 250+ people at preservation hall on stage and we even had a sound technician. I was definitely not great but less nervous and had a great time! Played the easy classics Stand By Me, Taking Care of Business, Can’t you see, La Bamba,Twist and Shout with a full band. This gave me motivation to keep playing and improving. 🎸 🎶
When I was very young (about 6 years old), I played keyboard at school for a year or two, but I had no interest in it and dropped it. I didn't touch another instrument until seventh grade, when I had to play clarinet for school as it was a compulsory subject, the same for guitar (acoustic) in eighth. However, I still had no interest at all in music and only listened to the radio as background noise or whatever, and with no particular genre of interest. Fast forward to eleventh grade, and I was in the same chemistry class as a friend of mine (C), and he sat between myself and another friend of his (M), though I didn't know M at the time. We ended up becoming friends too because he was in a bunch of my other classes. C played guitar and M played bass, and they would often talk about metal music though it was a subgenre (usually extreme stuff like technical death metal, and djent-y stuff) that I would never get into. M was also in a couple of bands at the time (they're both defunct now, but he's in another one now) and would talk about it. At that time my only exposure to metal was as film soundtracks and stuff like that, and I had this preconception that it was all screamo stuff, but hearing them talk about it made me want to check out what it was. So one day I went home and looked up "good metal songs" on Google and clicked on the music video for Painkiller by Judas Priest because I recognised the band name. It was too hardcore for me at the time (the distortion, vicious playing, and chaotic video direction) pretty much put me off of it and I considered dropping it right then and there, but that drum solo intro was incredible. So I checked some other stuff out and got to Iron Man by Black Sabbath, and that changed everything. I thought the main solo in that song was the absolute coolest thing I'd ever heard, so much attitude and style, a world away from the radio hip hop and pop that I was accustomed to. From that moment, I decided that I wanted to play guitar. I wanted to be able to play like that. I didn't actually get my first guitar until Christmas of my final year of high school (so well over a full year later), and it was a cheapo strat knockoff kit guitar that my cousin gave me (I still have it) because he didn't use it anymore. And I guess that was that.
@@shaggymotionless4269 It just was. Music was a compulsory subject in 7th and 8th grade, without choice about instrument. It was just like any other subject. I can't tell you why though
I am fairly new to the guitar. I started last year in November and I started on acoustic guitar even though I was into rock and metal at the time. My uncle taught me a few things and told me that if the next time he saw me and I impressed him he would get me an electric guitar for Christmas. So I spent a ton of hours working endlessly on learning scales and chords and by the time of Christmas I had impressed him and he got me a Fender Stratocaster which Is my favorite type of guitar. I was able to get that because he wasn't using it as much and he knew It was my favorite.
As with guitar, my great grandparents had a old Japanese made Classical Guitar. And I had a friend that really encouraged me to get into music *i was never really into music* and I asked one day if they still had it. And they did! In 3 months I felt like I've gotten somewhere with it, I then started getting lessons. This is where I purchased my first ever acoustic guitar. This was the first time I did anything with the steel string, and then here I am today😄
I went to see a mandolin/ fiddle ensemble named "Barrage". I was 43 yrs old. I fell in love with the Shape of the f style mandolin and I wanted one just as apiece of art. The next day I bought one. I learned to play it in a half assed manner. And then I figured I'd try a guitar. I immediately left the mandolin behind (as my main instrument). And now at 70 yrs. old I am proud to say that I've become a half assed guitar player. Now, being a coffin dodger, I don't think I have enough time left for anything else. So I will stick with guitar and watch my half assed abilities decline but I will go out playing Hendrix double stops for as long as I can! Kevin O'Rourke
My dad has been playing guitar for 33 years and when i was little, he showed me AC/DC, Iron Maiden and a lot more bands and i loved them, but eventually i got bored. When i was 12, almost 13, my parents asked me what i wanted them to give me for christmas and i didn't know what to say, so i just said: "well, why not try the guitar" and they got me one for christmas. The first to months i didn't really play it but then we had to do a project for English class in my school where i had to pick a band and stand in the front of the class and explain all about the band, the members, their best songs, etc. For the project i chose the band Iron Maiden because it was like the only one i kind of knew. So doing the presentation, made me hear Iron Maiden again, and I loved it. I loved it so much that i asked my dad to take me to the Iron Maiden concert, which was in September, I was going to have to wait 7 months for it but i didn't care. So then I realized that i already had a guitar of my own and that I could eventually play all that music, so basically when i got into rock and metal again was when i really started playing more seriously the guitar. And i haven't stopped until then. I'm 14 years old now, i'm Mexican, and i got to see that amazing Iron Maiden concert. Thanks for reading.
My cousin started attending guitar lessons at a place 5 minutes away from my home. My mother got to know this and immediately wanted me to take them as well. I wasn't even interested in music at that time, but being 11 years old I had to follow her command. My mother was so keen on sending me there that I didnt even have a guitar during my first class. The teacher just laughed at me and told me to observe others, which i did for the next one and a half hours. Good times. Now after almost 8 years my parents live in constant fear that someday I'll abandon my studies to take up music somewhere. That's what they get for embarrassing me :P
Always loved rock&metal guitar but never had the time and patience to learn to play. Now I'm 60, retired and have a lot of time so I began 6 months ago and I love it !
Mesmerized by the guitar since 10 y.o., buying my first LP in 1980 with my own coin; 'Live at Last' ... Sabbath... now nearing 50, the bug and drive remains unabated! Rock On!!
I always had a guitar lying around, but, didn't get serious about playing until I was 40-ish. I took lessons for a while with a guy who I became friends with, but, he wasn't the right teacher for me. As I continued to self teach I developed a circle of friends who were/are much better players than i was/am. Playing with them has made me better. We write and record songs, totally have fun with no pressure. Plus, RUclips and people like Mike have been a huge help.
started playing guitar just after my 21st birthday a little over a year ago. coming up on the 2 year mark in november and i’m just hoping that i didn’t start to late to become something great. i played the flute back when i was in school and used to really enjoy it, but stopped in high school cause i no longer had the opportunity to play with others. ever since i’ve felt kinda unfulfilled and like something was missing. then i picked up the guitar cause i always loved rock and metal, and have had a hard time putting it down ever since. i remember when starting it felt really hard, but i had this passion in me to try to do something bigger than me and try to perfect my sounds. so many people on youtube teach guitar, but few of them teach ideas the way you do. thank you for teaching me to keep trying no matter how hard it is and inspiring me to try to make my sound the best i can!!
I love videos like these, they show such a human side of you which I personally love to see. as someone who considers you my guitar teacher, it really makes me feel like I can connect to your teachings on a more personal level. thank you for everything you do, it means a lot.
My story goes back to 1986. Had just turned 16 and bought my 1st guitar and amp with money from my first job . I bought a Yamaha SE150 and a peavy rage amp. Lol! Also bought guitar for the practicing musician and learned fr0m tabs....remember Wolf Marshall? Jammed with other friends who played guitar. Never could find drummer or bassist. Joined the Army in 1989 and was deployed during Desert Storm. While in i bought a Fender Strat HM series and Princeton Chorus. Just recently bought a Wolfgang signature MIJ and Blackstar HT club 40. Aying the guitar has been a blessing and has gotten me through some rough times. Its always there for me and is extremely therapeutic. 53 now and still playing and learning even though just as a hobby i still love it.
My grandfather was a bass player back in the 60s-70s, and kept playing till he had his first stroke. He was a second father figure to me, so to get closer to him I picked up a guitar so I could play with him on bass. After his stroke, I also picked up his bass. I was always looking for the next thing I could play to impress him. Last one I learned was outside of his music taste, as he liked country, but I learned the first solo from Fade to Black. Before I could finish the song, he passed from cancer. 4 years later, and I still play, partly bc of my love for music, and partly bc it makes me feel like he's still with me.
I got really into guitar when I was stationed in Japan, just for something to do after work besides drink. When I got out of the military and started school, my band teacher pressed me into bass, and as much as I liked bass, I wanted to make death metal riffs on guitar. Been about 6 years now since me and Sapp jammed on duty together.
Cheers to that! Even if Im having something of a not very musicly inspired moment, I can rewire myself back to brutality by plugging, (either my Jackson sl2, or oddly my Mex Fender Telecaster std, because death metal tele!) Into the bonsai pedal, to 25 watt jcm800 lunchbox head, & the goofiest mini mongrel stack ever. (1×12 egnater somethin'? I put a celestian Creamback 75 in, it, under a no clue , could pass for blue... maybe tolex, w/ unknown brand knockoff vin 30 on top) simple, loud, and old Death, Sepultura, & Nile riffs sound demonic, & yet perfect. Because what is more fun than death metal riffing on guitar... doing with a nice high gain amp
So... when i was a teenager around 15 i got my first acustic guitar,my folks never encourage me to play any instrument but then one day, one of my cousins broke his acoustic guitar and my father repair it and gave it to me. It was awfull but i learn my first chords with it. Later on around 18 me and my friends thought about join in a band, my friend was a bit ahead learning guitar so i got the bass. I bought a used bass and we started playing in rented rooms with amps. It was a blast we were into alternative rock i was in love with distorted guitar sound like in ramones the cult, dinossaur jr . But we knew we wouldnt get far cos we were just making covers of simple punk songs with power chords, i just following the guitar chords with my bass, and as i was more into college i droped out the band. Later on i bought a new acoustic guitar and learn a bit more chords and played in our house for fun. Fast forward, in 2018 i bought an epiphone sg an amp and a simple pedal board and started watching music channels like this one, and i learned how to read tabs, i know a lot more chords, improve thecnique like bends vibrato and its been a blast. My goal now is setup a track list i can play using backing tracks with solos and everything, i m getting there. My wife sometimes comes up to check if its the original music playing or backtrack with me playing so i guess im on the right path. :)
My dad used to play guitar, and I would sing 'killing me softly'. Well I was 15, and I asked for a guitar and he bought me a beautiful yamaha acoustic for my Xmas present that year. He got me a couple lessons and within the year I got thrown out and I was hungry and I sold it for wayyyy less than it's value and he got so upset. But I'd always wanted to replace it. Well he passed away in 2014, but I bought my ibanez electric guitar this year and want to learn properly how to play so that's why I am here. Its for a love of the instrument and metal and in honor of my father. I write metal songs and I want to play them properly too!! Thanks for all you've done for me Mike!!
My dad had a guitar in his closet he would sometimes play and my grandparents had a few instruments of similar descriptions. My parents said me and my siblings had to learn an instrument and I was learning piano at the time and it wasn't doing it for me. I ended up just playing around on the guitar and I really liked it. Let's just say it spiralled out of control. Then I went to high school and I met some friends who were at a similar skill level and we just kept getting better.
I bought my first guitar when I was 15 (38 years later I still have it). My big influence when I started was George Harrison. The Beatles' album were always available at my house growing up. The more I managed to isolate George's guitar work, the more I wanted to learn it. All my friends were into Van Halen (which I'm still not a fan of), but I found many guitarist of the 1960's to be more organic in their playing. Later a friend got me into Jimi and I was hooked. The first time I listened to "Are You Experienced?", my playing was never the same. When I was 25, I sold all my gear, I had a family to take care of and we needed the money. In my 40's, my wife surprised me with an Epiphone Las Paul Junior and I fell right back into playing. Now at 53, my morning routine is practice and coffee. Playing guitar is something I hope to stay with the rest of my days...🎸
I started playing at 15 years old. Stopped playing around 18,I picked it up again last year. I'm 52 years old now. If the internet and RUclips was around back then I probably wouldn't have put it down. I've made considerable progress in the last year,your web site and channel have helped me,alot.
This is a great story. I am your subscriber and very much admire sincerity in your teaching approach. No pose, no pretense - just desire to help. Thank you!
My dad played bass in local bands for about 20 years, he's always been a huge metalhead throughout my childhood. My parents were always supportive of whatever strange instruments us kids would play, I remember I was really in to the ocarina for a few years, but my dad consistently pushed us to play the guitar or bass, which is something that we were never interested in. He gave me an old Sigma acoustic guitar when I was 8, but it sat and collected dust in my bedroom for years. At around age 15, I started getting in to punk rock, mostly old Green Day songs but also some Ramones and Black Flag, that kinda basic stuff. It was around this time that my dad left my mom for another woman. We were all devastated, none of us could have ever expected it. To cope, I picked up that Sigma to learn something for the first time, being my favorite Green Day song, Dry Ice. Playing those simple power chords read off of ultimateguitar tabs filled a void that I didn't realize was there. It was more fulfilling than anything I'd ever experienced. That impulsive interest in the guitar quickly turned into a love for the instrument, steering away from tabs and developing a knack for playing by ear. I eventually got bored of playing sloppy punky power chords and gravitated more towards metal music due to the sheer speed and precision of their playing, I wanted to play just like that. I can't explain the feeling of playing The Four Horsemen all the way through for the first time; it was a euphoric high, I felt like I had a purpose for the first time. I've never been in a band, unfortunately, especially considering I'll be 18 in a few weeks. I've still yet to find that "scene" around here or meet local people who are in to playing this type of music, so I've just spent the past 3 years playing alone in my bedroom for hours lol. Holy shit that was a lot haha kinda went off. I love hearing other people's guitar stories, thought I would share mine for once. Thank you for reading :)
My guitar teacher introduced me to MASTER OF PUPPETS and I was sold right there. I couldn't sleep until I could play it and I now just love metal and other so.e genres as well and man that song is inspirational!!!
Great story, Mike! I was amazed at how many similarities mine has to yours! Good stuff! As a small child (age 5-ish), I loved the Beatles, and would get my mother's pots and wooden spoons and beat on them while listening. Must've driven my parents crazy! I always wanted a drum set, but... In grade school, I was forced to take piano (wish I would've listened). I learned the basics of reading music, but wasn't yet into it. Still wanted a drum set... In junior high school, I took percussion, and thought "Wipeout" was the coolest thing ever! Practiced it incessantly...Pushed my parents for that drum set, but they refused. My older brother had tried the acoustic guitar, but didn't really take to it. It was missing a few strings, but I started to goof around on it. I was too small to hold it properly, so I put it across my lap (like a lap steel guitar) and used my thumb to smash the notes (I've since learned one doesn't have to smash the notes, as you emphasize in your course). For some reason, I've always been able to listen to a song and play it, even back then when I first sat with his acoustic guitar. The first song I played along with was Aerosmith's "Last Child" from their "Rocks" album. I had no idea if I was in the guitar was tuned properly, but it didn't matter because all the notes were on one string. Learning the basic riff and playing along with the record kept my interest. At 13, I was working for $2.00/hr cleaning a friend's construction site (still no drum set). I continued to seek to no avail that drum set. My first check was for $78.00, and, since I couldn't afford a full drum set, went and bought a Fender Vibro Champ Amp and Aria LP knockoff. Took lessons for 6 months, was told by my instructor, "you're learning faster on your own" but now wish I would've continued the lessons. Loved and played the hell outta Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Van Halen, Journey, Boston, etc. As a middle child, I spent a lot of time being "grounded" both for deserved and undeserved (thanks bros and sistahs) behaviors, so I put to good use my time and sublimated for the better and learned to play the guitar. In high school I was in a Christian Youth Ministry Band that played rock and roll every week, which was fun. I continued to play through college, but not in a band. After college, I went to medical school and didn't get to play too much because I was too busy. I started playing more in residency, and after I went in to practice joined a couple of other physicians (another anesthesiologist and one neurosurgeon) in a band, played some parties, which was pretty fun, but didn't last that long. Now, I've hooked back up with the keyboardist from the high school Christian band (he's the music director at his church), and have been playing with a couple other guys gearing up to start playing for fun. It's a great hobby to have which will endure one's entire life, and will always present a challenge. I'm still trying to improve/hone my skills after 44 years of playing! Interesting/Funny N.B. My younger brother asked my parents for a drum set when he was in junior high school, and guess what? He got it! He was very good-"studio" quality while in high school, mastered the drums, then moved on to learn and play the guitar too. I went to see his band play (they were underaged) at a club I frequented. His "band" "opened" that night for DimeBag Darrell and Pantera. (This was while Pantera were still in high school and hadn't yet made it big. I thought, "Dang, that guy (DBD) is really fast and really good!" ) My brother is now a physician in another city, and has a jam room in his house with stage, PA, drum set, etc...we jam whenever we get together...Good stuff!
My earliest rock n roll experience was Kiss Alive II. One day when I was a little kid, my mom bought a cheap record player at a thrift store and dug out her old records. She showed me how it worked. One day I was flipping through her records, Sonny & Cher, Barbara Streisand, etc, etc, and then...KISS. I remember looking at the cover art and thinking, "whoa, what is this." Loved it. Anyways, at 16, a friend of mine gave me a crappy Harmony Strat copy because his parents got him a new guitar (my parents couldn't afford to get me a guitar). Been playing ever since. I really should be a lot better than I am though. I just don't understand why I'm not improving more. I am 33 now so been playing 17 years (wow). I have played guitar in one band that never ended up playing shows (our drummer passed away as we were writing material) and have played bass in 2 bands that gig and do a little touring (all original music). I would describe myself as an intermediate guitar player. I can perform a setup on my guitars and have basic theory knowledge (all the basic modes, scales, etc). I just can't seem to get my playing more fluid, effortless, and accurate. Any of the bands I've played in have been punk rock. I am a good enough player for that genre and can even do basic punk solos if needed. There's no way I could hang in a metal band. Also, I have never written an entire song and don't know how. I've written a ton of riffs and then never know where to go next. And lyrics...forget about it. I got nothing to say. I primarily listen to punk rock ('77), power pop, glam, etc. but I do also enjoy some metal (especially black metal) as well as blues, bossa nova, and other styles. I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have learned little techniques over the years from so many different genres. Maybe a jack of all trades, master of none kinda thing? I dunno. I don't wanna be the next Malmsteen (honeslty find that level of virtuosity boring) but would love to at least be as good as Johnny Thunders. Sorry to ramble on so long. Take care.
always wanted an electric but i got an acoustic, its okay i can work with this. started playing guitar 8 months ago. now playing and practising it is all i do.
I'm a lifelong Prince fan, and there is a great podcast about Prince where all the hosts are musicians and had insights on his music that I couldn't get, and I started thinking of taking up bass. Then in early 2015 I was getting tired of just watching TV after my kids went to bed so I went to buy a bass but decided on a regular guitar instead. Never looked back.
Early 50's here. Left handed and a never time for myself. Music has always played a roll in maintaining sanity. the late 80's and 90's military career was one for the ages, to family life with times that were again for the ages. Finally, I now have a Ibanez Gio Blue Burst and a Marshall amp for the past year that I've learned a lot of as time permits. The influences of those from early days, Ozzy, Slash, Maiden, Metallica and many other bands from back in the day. Just a joy to play is the only rule. Playing by ear is more natural but learning the chords and scales is necessary too. Finding the right "youtubers" is also paramount in learning. Finding your channel has been good so far. Thanks!
I'm a bit late, but here's mine. I have always been interested in music, but I didn't start having an interest in guitar until I heard of Queen only a few years ago. The music just spoke to me, particularly with Brian May. The fact that this gritty and powerful sound was coming from one guy amazed me. As I listened to it more and more, I wanted to be able to play like that. So for Christmas, I got a Strat knockoff that was actually really good, and its still my main guitar. I started taking lessons, and I quickly became dissapointed with the fact that Brian May was just too complex for me at the time. I also have elos danlos syndrome, which has affected it to some degree, mainly when I started out. After a while, I switched teachers, and I met my current guitar teacher for the first time, who I still learn from today. I definitely began to get better more and more overtime. At this time, I started listening to The Rolling Stones, who still are a massive inspiration to me. I found Stones songs to be more simple, which was great as a basis to learn more complex cords and riffs. I then played my first live show with the music school, which was a huge motivator for me. I've still continued to play live, and I don't think Ill stop anytime soon.
Lot of good things in life then a lot of bad things in life that lead to me getting my eggs scrambled. Doctor told me that I needed to do something to work my mind so at the age of 44 picked I up a 3 string fretless cigar box guitar. Went to some lessons to the only guy in my area that could teach cigar box and he told me its never to late to pick up a guitar. So I did and I loved it I am 46 now and I am not good but I go to my lesson each week and I have to practice a lot. I will say this when I first held a guitar in that first lesson there is no way I thought I would be where I am right now. I new that my goal was years and years away not weeks or months plus I got a late start. I love the work and the challenge because it feels great when you start something and weeks sometimes for me months you bust through a wall. So if you are reading this its never to late but it is hard to find a instructor that is good at teaching adults. I ran into a couple babysitters that looked like that hated teaching. I can't say enough about my instructor he is great we were making a lot of progress until this Virus. He back to doing studio work right now cant wait to get back at it...
I got into a lot of classic rock as a kid after having had listened to the music from my parents’ generation (bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who) and the very first band I ever got into when I was 10 years old (I’m 21 now) was The Beatles, and after listening to the music I knew that I wanted to play guitar. As I got a bit older I got into bands like Van Halen wanted to learn some cool fast stuff, and when I heard my first Pink Floyd song (Comfortably Numb) in one of my guitar lessons I realized that you can also do melodic stuff on guitar. Those bands are still some of my favourite bands and I still credit George Harrison, Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmour for getting me into guitar. When I was 13 or 14 then found out about this program my music school offered that allowed kids to to get together and play in a little band, so I started doing that and at first I wasn’t very good (as I had been playing for only a few years), but now I’ve been doing that probably for the last 7-8 years and I’ve been enjoying it ever since (I play lead guitar and sing, and a lot of people tell me I’m the most energetic person onstage, which is true because I do jump around a lot), I also have a band that my friends and I made a few years ago (we were called CAGE after our initials) and it’s a lot of fun, we mainly play covers but we’ve also written (and recorded) a couple of originals. Lastly, I got accepted into this music program at a college I had been applying to a few weeks ago (I had auditioned with my guitar) and I’m really happy that I’m going to go to school for music, which is what I’ve always wanted to do after graduating from high school
Elvis opened the door for me with the '68 TV special. I saw it in the summer of '69 (I was thirteen); the next day I went in for ear surgery. My parents asked if they could get me something to help with my recuperation. I said I wanted guitar lessons...
I was at a Fall Out Boy concert in Tuscon, AZ in November 2018 and I was like, I want a guitar and learn to play it. Last year my girlfriends got me my first acoustic guitar and painted it with all the Concerts we've been to. Been fun learning it from you!
When I was eight I heard the intro to Holiday be Green Day and knew I wanted to be a guitarist. My mom bought me a cheap acoustic guitar and signed me up for lessons at my local music shop. I quit after three weeks because I was impatient. 10 years later I was at my cousins wedding and was fascinated by the guitar player. I went home and grabbed the guitar I recieved when I was eight. I looked up some basic open chords and started enjoying it. A few months later I bought a cheap electric guitar starter pack and got a guitar teacher. This time I was serious about learning. Already knowing Am, Em, G, C, and D my teacher was able to get me strumming along to some songs quickly. I took lessons for about half a year and decided to stop. Since then, I have played just about everyday for 3 years. It all started with hearing Green Day for the first time.
I loved your story and your approach to guitar. I just found your channel 2 weeks ago and joined your website and I already know your methods are going to help me get past so many of the things I've struggled with on guitar for a long time. You teach in a way that makes sense to my brain and thank you! I've wanted to play guitar since I was a kid. My parents bought me an acoustic guitar for Christmas one year and within 2 weeks most of the strings were broken and I was using a penny as a pick. Unfortunately I never got another guitar until I was about 18 years old. But I always wanted to play. Me and my friend would use a tennis racket as a guitar and play air guitar to Judas Priest for hours. I always remember just the sight of a guitar was magical to me. Seeing a real guitar in person was the coolest thing, but I never knew anybody that played so I had to fantasize about playing from pictues. In 7th grade a teacher I had let us play tapes in class sometimes and a friend brought in Master of Puppets and I was hooked instantly. Since that time my desire to play went into overdrive but I still never had a guitar. At about age 18 I bought a cheap pawn shop guitar and a friend taught me power chords and a few simple Metallica riffs that I sucked at for years. Playing guitar has been something I've struggled with for decades. Sometimes I would practice a lot and then there would be years at a time that I wouldn't play at all. Because of this I never got better, but even during the times I played a lot I never progressed. I learned over the years to play with a lot of tension which is hard to break once you practice with a lot of tension in your muscles for years. I recently decided I wanted to finally get "good" and play cleaner and faster and without constant mistakes but have been putting it off because I assumed this meant years of mindless exercises just to get any progress at all. Then I found your channel and have learned a ton in a short time. I never had a practice routine other than "practice with lots of mistakes for 2 hours" and wonder why I never get better. Just your down picking videos have already shown me I can improve problem areas quickly and the spider exercise will get my hands synched. I know it will take work, but at least you teach in a way that's not so boring and dry like SOOO many teachers out there. Your videos on the 3 note per string color forms are the first time I've ever tried to even learn any theory (something I assumed was going to be impossible) and it instantly clicked. You teach things in a way that my brain understands so most of my guitar journey is yet to come, and I know I'll be making improvements much quicker now. Anyway, I enjoyed your story and also used to play Metallica on air drums and was pretty good at playing One, but ultimately guitar is the instrument I love. Cheers
When I was 6 I took piano lessons and I don’t remember much of it but I really didn’t like it at all. So I quit taking piano and I wanted to play guitar, so one time when my Dad and I were in a Walmart we saw this small guitar, and I wanted it so he got it for me. But I never took lessons or really learned how to play. Fast forward a couple years I really started getting into more rock music like Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Blink 182, etc. So I really wanted to learn how to play songs on guitar. So when I was just starting 9th grade I took guitar classes at my school, and I was really excited that I could get to play a guitar. So after we had come back from Christmas break my parents and I went to Guitar Center and we got my first “real” guitar. So I could actually get to practice on it. And before I got my guitar I started getting into more guitar RUclipsrs, which really taught me a lot about playing guitar and different techniques and stuff. I probably learned more from those videos than I ever did in that class. So then summer came and since I didn’t have school, I would just play guitar. I wasn’t forcing myself to practice I was just playing whenever I wanted to and it felt great. I learned how to play lots of songs and it felt really good to be able to play so many songs. I began to learn full songs and I could play them all the through. I also watched a lot of guitar RUclipsrs that showed me different techniques and different things that I could do on my guitar. I also really got into Metallica so I would play their stuff all the time and I really enjoyed learning their songs and being able to play them. To this day I play guitar everyday and I don’t think I’ll be quitting anytime soon. Wish I had an electric tho.
hope it stays a lifelong passion ---I got burned out on a lot of my passions (sports) ---it sounds like your'e enjoying yourself playing and that's great!
I’m a newer guitarist. This is my story so far. So I’ve always loved music it’s always been a big part of my life as fare back as I can remember. I always thought drums looked cool my grandmother had pianos I would play she would always tell me it was great and even as a little kid I could still tell that she was curious that she wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better and as I got older I saw this in her responses to my playing even more. Then I found a old instrument in my mums house is was a peace of wood with metal strings on it (I didn’t know what guitars were wet) eventually I found out it was a 12 string acoustic that my great uncle Bobby owned then not long after that I found out I come from a long line of musicians. I saw someone on tv playing a guitar and I got the old 12 string from the corner and tried to play my mom told me that it sounded good. A few years later my mom said that because I have long fingers and big hands I would be good at playing guitar or piano. A while after I wanted to learn to actually play a guitar so my mom helped me find a local teacher and it makes me chuckle that he said he’s been teaching for almost 30 years and has never had a lefty until I came along. When I first started I was playing upside down because I was using a loner guitar but eventually I got my own guitar and it is a right handed guitar but the strings are made for lefty. Ever since I got that guitar I see peoples faces light up when I play even my teacher. Everyone tells me I should be a singer and guitar player because I have a unique voice. Some people even tell me I should put my voice to good use before they even know I play. Now playing is my passion it’s my favorite thing to do even if I’ve had a bad day I still think I can go home and play. That’s my story so far but I’m positive there will be more.
I just started learning guitar about 2 weeks or so. The story was, back in nov '19 my Dad just got out from hospital. And the very first thing he asked me was to drive him to the nearest music store. He wants to learn to play guitar, because he felt it was one of his lifetime dream to actually have his own guitar and learn. So i got him a Yamaha c 70, and get a private tutoring set up. But he only had a week of tutorial before his health deteriorated fast and last January he passed away. And just 3 weeks ago, when i cleaned up the house that i saw his c 70. So i figured, while he might never really got to play music with it.. i might as well learn to play music on it. In a way it brings the good memories i had with him and honoring him. Thanks for your videos, yours is one of those tutorials that really makes sense to me. Thank you. 🙏
My story started back in the 50's and 60's learning rock an roll as a kid knowing nothing. I messed around in band at grade school and middle school. As I got older I lost intrust in music and decided to become a hood in high school. Graduated high school and did one year in college working on aircraft. In 1969 I was drafted in the army during Vietnam, but ran down and joined the navy real fast. My mother didn't raise dumb kids! About 1971 started to get interested in guitar from a guy aboard ship but that didn't last. I retired from the navy in 1991 and became a civilian. Retired from a manufacturing job after 20 years and here I am at almost 72 years old wanting to learn guitar from MIKE for the next twenty years. Whod a thunk? Mike I love your videos man. I'm a level 2 that's going to become a level 4.
I've been playing for about 2 1/2 years. I got really into Metallica in like May of 2017 in the 6th grade, had never heard anything like it before and fell in love upon my first listen of Master of Puppets. In September or so of that year I was doing warmups on clarinet for morning band practice and 4 of the notes in one of the chromatic runs in the song we were doing sounded like For Whom The Bell Tolls. After that I realized that I really wanted to replicate this kind of music I'd been obsessed with for months, so I started to teach myself to play with some of my dad's guitars. My dad suggested I learn Sad But True, so he taught me that for a day or two and after that I started practicing guitar all day after school to procrastinate on my homework. I used Songsterr to eventually learn basically every Metallica song written, and then moved on to other harder things. I'd like to think I've progressed somewhat faster than average, because of how much free time I have, how often I want to practice (all of the time of course), and because of how much great info there is to be learned from RUclips channels like this one. I now write music for fun and am actually considering a career in something music-related, but I still have a few years to get that all figured out.
I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but never had that motivational push to actually do it. One random day in 2017, a friend brought his guitar to school and started playing Californication, i was totally amazed. He kinda noticed and handed it to me and started teaching me how to play it. 2 months later i asked for a guitar as my 17th birthday present and that is where it all began.
I really like how you give something from you before you invite others to follow your example. I don't think I'd write this otherwise. The very first girl I fell in love with.. someone told me she was into Iron Maiden, so i asked the metal guy in my class to make a tape for me. The first time listening to Live After Death made me almost nauseous, that wall of sound was like nothing I had ever experienced. It quickly got under my skin, and when i saw the video for Indians by Anthrax my life had taken a direction of its own. I bought a cheap guitar and started The Journey With No End: bedroom guitarist, cover bands... you know, cheap distortion pedals and hired amps. About 10 years ago, so 14 guitars, two Marshall stacks and three 19" racks later, i was asked to play lead guitar in an Obituary tribute band, which changed my approach in playing and practicing. I really had to sit down and analyze songs, note for note which made me a lot more time-effective. Also, my singer and I had the same attitude in wanting to make that band something awesome. Giving our t-shirts to Obituary, and their awesome response to that, was a real great incentive. From there, I met a lot more bands in the metal scene, and ended up touring Europe as a guitar tech, and stage manager for a US band. Last year, we discussed how the band sounded, the singer found it hard to combine singing and playing guitar and it came up that I'd play on the next run. Complication was that I live in Europe and there really wasn't an opportunity to get together before the tour, so I got both the albums and locked myself up for 3 months to learn these ridiculously complicated, horribly fast 80s thrash metal songs. One of the songs is even called 'Technical Arrogance'. My practice motto was "Play it like you wrote it", and that pushed me a lot to try harder and really nail the songs, get the stops right, all that stuff. When the tour came, last november, the band and I met in Germany. We had no time to practice together, so our first rehearsal together was on stage on a festival. For me, that tour was the finale of my musical journey. I felt proud, supported and humble. Everything that comes next is a bonus. I hope sooner rather than later.
Started when I was 18 cause I loved music and thought it was a great way to communicate and I thought people would like me more, I guess... As soon as I had the basics down, I started writing songs and basically stopped to practice new things for most of the time. Progress was super slow, but still I am happy with where I am. I guess I am more a writer than a guitar player. But I love playing, too. And singing. Don't know what I would do without it. And I just love guitars. Always got "just one more". It's the biggest part of my life and I'll never stop.
What a great story! Also, I just watched that David Gilmour video yesterday, so that's cool. I haven't been playing guitar for that long, but here it is: Something like three years ago, my parents asked me and my brother if we wanted to learn any instruments, I chose piano and he chose guitar, but since classes were expensive, I couldn't go to any class, but he did. So he would come home and teach me whatever he had learnt. After a while he stopped playing and I went to classes, but she wasn't a good teacher. I was not having fun at all, and knew no music theory, chords, or ear training, besides, it was classical music, which I did not really like... I stoped playing guitar too, but for some reason decided to ask my parents for an electric guitar a few months ago, they agreed. I have learnt a lot only through RUclips videos, and feel like I can finally understand music a bit more. Music is finally fun. I'm also waiting for the virus to go away, so I can go to classes with a good teacher.
My Mom was playing classical guitar not very often. 3 Years ago I was listening to ACDC-Live in my dads car. Hells Bells was totaly fascinating to me and I learned the Songs by ear on my mums old nylon. I took piano lessons so it was easier to me. One of my inspirations were Malcolm Young Jimmy Page Randy Rhoads.
I came late to this party, obviously. ;) I grew up in a very musical family. Mom played piano every day for her peace and sanity (6 kids) and as a preschooler I would fall asleep listening under the piano bench. Dad would play his acoustic guitar at the bottom of the stairs every night as a lullaby. Entertainment on road trips meant singing harmony to old show tunes, folk and cowboy songs. My 4th grade teacher, Mr. Brendell, was a nerd and a Vietnam veteran who was passionate about learning and music (our poor public school in Burbank, CA was lucky to have him) He had a record player and shelves of albums in the classroom with which he taught us music history and appreciation, all the way from tribal music to Rachmaninov, Etta James, Glenn Miller, the Everly Brothers, the Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, BeeGees and Michael Jackson. It was an amazing education. After my mom passed, I married, my Dad's guitar was given to my brother and my Mom's piano was promised to another family member, I felt a little lost. I'm 43 and my cute, tone-deaf husband and I are starting a family with foster kids. I had no idea how to raise kids without music in our home. A friend of ours bought me an acoustic guitar for my birthday this year. I'm only self- and RUclips-taught so far, but my brother and I are practicing "Streets of Laredo" for my dad, who is passing soon. When my dad told me I couldn't have Mom's piano, I asked for his record player and vinyl collection, which he agreed to, so I am content. As our family grows and changes, so will our music. I anticipate my next guitar will be a bass or jazz guitar so I can jam with my kids while they rock out and I embarrass them in front of their crushes.
I am 15. I started playing 2 years ago. I was self-taught on guitar for about a year and a half. Before finding the guitar I played clarinet for school band for 4 years, about a year of that I played at the same time as the guitar. I don't play clarinet for school band anymore. I started listening to a lot of Green Day and RHCP and wanted to play their stuff. I borrowed my older brother's guitar and amp and started out. Again I was self-taught for a year and a half. I didn't really know what I was doing during that year and a half. I was mostly just learning songs rather than skills and theory. Then I convinced my parents to let me have lessons. And my playing has improved so much, so fast! I play every day and am trying to work my skills and get a better understanding of theory. I'm really not all that great but I'm working every day to improve. I'm trying to regiment my practice and find some exercises right now. I really hope to be able to teach when I graduate high school!
I'm actually new again to guitar. My father was a guitarist who was a fantastic player & gave me & my sister a guitar when we were just teenagers & started teaching us to play though I was already playing the flute & has been for years. I picked up the guitar very easily but just didn't have enough time to play the flute, learn the guitar, keep up w/my studies, athletics & any other hobbies so, I sort of gave up the guitar until after I learned to play the drums. After I learned to read drum music & became proficient enough playing the drums to play with a band & perform in public I did that for awhile & decided it's about time I picked up the guitar again. So, I purchased a new beginner acoustic guitar I started trying to learn how to play scales, chords & a few songs on my father had taught years ago. Then, I bought a new Taylor electrified, acoustic guitar, a new electrified, acoustic PRS guitar & a new amp, as well. I'm just beginning to look for an instructor to teach me & to help me decide what type of guitar (acoustic or electric) I should invest the bulk of my time, energy & money into learning to master playing. That's why I've subscribed to your videos & going to visit your website to see what else you have to offer there. You truly are a phenomenal teacher & inspire me thus far to pursue guitar more intensely than I ever have. So, though I consider myself a beginner, I cannot wait to learn from you. I have a feeling I'll advance as rapidly as I'm possibly able to.
My story has just begun a couple of years ago. One day I just picked up my friends guitar, and after some days just fell in love with the instrument. I hope to get somewhere with my love
I remember my older brother came home from my grandpas house from staying there for a weekend, and he walked in with this beautiful red Jackson electric guitar and that's when I started, been playing on and off until I turned 17 and took it seriously with a buddy of mine, and here I am at 23, trying my best
I am doing guitar as a way to improve hand strength and to finally free the guitar from my closet. I found you while looking online for a teacher. I found your lesson that began with Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye eddie. It is part of my day now. Thank you for being online!
Here's my story: I started in about 2019 when my parents made me take guitar lessons to give me something to do on the side, I got a cheap strat for christmas and a little vox practice amp. At that time, I really didn't like playing my instrument, it felt like homework to my young self, so I never made much progress in those years. Fast forward to the start of high school, my dad showed me one of his favorite AC/DC songs, Jailbreak, I heard it and immediately loved it, that was my introduction to rock music. I then took it to myself to learn the rhythm to that song, all of a sudden I just had a spark of passion, I went from struggling with open chords to playing solos in a year, I kept expanding and expanding my music taste until my buddies and I decided to start a band after learning my friend had a great singing voice. We started out as a bunch of beginners with me as the most experienced musician in the band. Fast forward to today. We're a lot better and have started playing classic rock gigs, I now play bass and drums along with guitar and even compose my own music at 16 years old! My first single has its own story in itself. In English class, for our final project, we had to do something creative involving one of the books we read. I decided to write a song about Macbeth, after a lot of work and collaboration, I submitted it and my teacher loved it so much that she suggested I put it on Spotify. So I did, and now I'm an indie musician with hopes of growing and getting to make music professionally! Thanks so much to whoever read my story, and by the way, check out "Out Damned Spot" by Benny Millman on Spotify!
One of my best friends passed in the trade Center on 911 he played guitar and I was had always wanted to learn so in his honor I taught myself how and it has become a refuge and a challenge and one of the things I enjoy after my kids and my wife it’s become almost to complete obsession second to my career of being a chef I want to get better and I appreciate what you’re doing on the channel thank you
began with bass back in 2014 because I heard a solo from that. so I began learning it. Had a lot of experience and after a long way practicing, I decided to experiment to guitar. From then I had too much fun enjoying playing them.
I've always had an interest. At at 57 I finally bought my first guitar. My biggest motivation was singing love songs to my wife. Spent six months researching guitars and you tube lessons. I was spending at least an hour a day practicing lessons I had found. I picked "Horse With no Name", as a song to learn first. It took me about a week to get where I was getting fairly decent. I kept adding chords and songs as I improved. A year and a half now I'm starting to play bar chords. My next goal is to become proficient riffs and lead. The first thing I do in the morning is pic up my guitar and play a song for my wife, same thing at night when I go to bed. It's been an incredible journey and I just love it. Wished I had started years earlier.
Grew up poor. Fell in love with metal as a kid. Went to college. Graduated. Got a job. Finally bought myself a guitar and an amp. Started learning by myself. I know some chords and just enough to play along with some stoner doom songs. Still learning. Still loving it.
When I was 10, I got this “toy” guitar from my grandparents and I’m starting to like it. As soon as I was interested in guitar, my parents wanted me to do lessons. That was when I got a real guitar and took lessons at this music store. I wanted to learn the clean Enter Sandman riff; however, my teacher thought it was best for me to learn hot cross buns and Mary had a little lamb while reading sheet music. My motivation to learn guitar dwindled. It was more a chore than a fun thing to do. I decided to quit. For a few years, I’ve been on and off guitar, thinking that this is the time that I stick to it but I end up quitting. When I was 14, something clicked in my head and I wanted to start playing guitar. This time, it stuck. I’ve been using RUclips to learn guitar. A year later, I decided to take guitar lessons from guitar center. This time, lessons were fun because instead of learning how to read music and play simple songs, I was learning Master of Puppets and how to improvise solos. I love guitar!!!
My story is that I started in middle school in May of 2017. I loved music to death back then and still do. I would listen to isolated guitar tracks of my favorite songs and just wonder how the hell they even pulled that off. Had a lot going on at home as well, so guitar was my escape. One day my mom and I went to Guitar Center. There was a crappy 24 fret Ibanez Gio on the wall for $60. Convinced my mom to buy it and it was my starter guitar, still got it too. Went home, plugged in my friend’s crappy amp and tried to play Em. He said “uhh, dude. It’s not supposed to sound like that.” I got better and better at it and was able to acquire my dream guitars over the years. Now it’s my life, and nothing makes me more frustrated, happy and rewarded. If I’m not playing, I have music playing. It’s my life, what I’m destined to do.
You’re very lucky. Having a passion from a young age and knowing you want to pursue it. Your experiences obviously have matured you as a musician. I never had that. I did have the privilege of listening to very diverse types of music and started to play a couple of eastern instruments like a lute and a snare drum but when it came to guitar I knew there was something I loved in it but wasn’t sure what I would play. My best friend was heavily in to guitar and he even moved from London to Boston to study guitar at Berklee. He had a bunch of guitars and introduced me to metal and also Latin guitar. Rhythm guitar didn’t really appeal to me and I loved lead guitar but didn’t want to just learn little short solos. I wanted to play an entire song and have it be expressive. That’s when I discovered a passion for blues and finally after more than half a life time of observing from the side lines I have finally picked up a guitar and starting to learn. It’s been 6 weeks and I literally can’t put it down!
My father played guitar, so there was always a guitar laying around the house usually a 50's Kay acoustic/electric or his 1965 Silvertone Bobcat. At the age (10) I got a Beatle song Book. By the end of summer I was able to play about 90% of the songs. The other 10% somehow didn't sound correct. Later I found out that some of those chords were for Piano. I was really a 3 chord wonder. My first electric guitar was a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which I had strung with 9's super slinky strings. I took lessons for about 3 months. After graduating from the University and got married. Playing the guitar wasn't a priority and it stayed in the guitar case under the bed for years. My wife's cousins formed a band and I was invited in. I then realized how much I didn't know or just forgot. About 5 years ago, I decided that I would actually start to learn music theory (a game changer).I force myself to learn different styles. I now have 11 electric guitars (4) Gibson's (3) Fender's (1) Gretsch (1) Kay Howling Wolf 1950' bass guitar, my dads. (1) Fender Jazz bass and (1) Ibanez bass. A Martin DSS17, Taylor 214 and Ibanez 240 AW acoustic. I realized that I will never master this amazing instrument. I play a different guitar every morning for about 2 hours while having my coffee in bed.
Cousin Jeff changed your destiny forever with metallica. I have a similar story. I'm glad that there is a channel where music can reach out and touch people and that you are the guide for them/us.
This is not a story of how I started, but I remember lending my guitar to a friend on a talent show because his jack was not screwed well. During his presentation I fixed it with a metal ruler that I used as a screwdriver.
for some people music got them into guitar but for me guitar got me into music. when i started playing i discovered the tones i liked out of my guitar and started to realize there where entire genres revolving around that tone. when i first started playing i mainly only listened to nirvana and more of the mainstream bands but as i started investigating i came across bands that have kind of shaped who i am as a guitar player. as i progress i realize how intricate some of these guitar parts from musicians like randy rhoads, van halen, and dimebag darrell really are and it creates both an appreciation for them as a musician and the guitar as an instrument.
I used to be a creative kid, painted a lot of scale models and toy cars. when i was around 8 years old I saw a guitar in a movie and asked for a one for christmas. I recieved an acoustic guitar and let it catch dust for 6 years. In my puberty years i wanted to "get girls" and took guitar lessons and kept playing for 2 years. I discovered the magic of alcohol and video games and let it consume most of my time and made me forget about guitars entirely for 10 (very sad) years. I finally picked back up on my creativity and started woodworking which got me into a massive rabbithole on youtube, which inevitably recommended me a video of someone "building a guitar". I got hooked and built a "guitar" myself. I got reminded of the times when i was actively plaing. I convinced a friend to sing and found a band. We made music for a few years until we went separate ways. Thanks to all the good content on youtube, I decided to pick my guitar back up and practice again. I'm having a hard time anwering the question "how long do you play guitar for?"
When I first heard Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon I was hooked on rock music. I must've been 15 years old at the time. I grew up listening to classic rock hits on my parents record player, but I just listened to what they put on. That year a friend from the neighborhood started playing guitar and I saw him play and I wanted to try. Alas his guitar was left-handed. Since I had been playing the trumpet in the school band since I was 12 I figured I could do it. So my dad took me to a pawn shop on my 16th birthday and we got an acoustic guitar. I played for several years, but eventually got disheartened by my struggle to play some songs as I lost my fretting hand pinky finger in an accident when I was 8. I've always had a guitar around even when I didn't play. During the coronavirus quarantine my computer broke, so I picked up my guitar and and started playing with some jamming tracks on RUclips. I was "shredding" out solos and lead parts with blues rock backing tracks. It was too much fun. I recently started a garage band with some guys from Craigslist and I started to learn the bass to fill in for our bassist, because he wants to play guitar on some songs. It's my first band, but it's awesome. A little late to the game but it's no biggie.
Music has always been a part of my life. I would mainly always listen to Queen when I was a kid, and Dr. Brian May was my first inspiration to start guitar. I signed up for guitar class in 7th and 8th grade, and only got it in 8th grade, only to be switched out after a week and a half. That really zapped my inspiration, until Kirk Hammett did his Guitar Center interview, and the story behind the bridge riff in Creeping Death rekindled my interest in the guitar. I eventually burned out again and it took until I ran across Band-Maid a couple years later, and was in awe at Kanami Tono's style and technique to get inspiration again, and I just haven't dug my guitar back out.
Wanted to play since I was a kid but they didn't have lefty cheap. Tried right handed never felt right. Lived life now at 50 I walk into guitar center there's a 100 squire put it on and fell in love instantly. 5 months later waiting on a Jem Jr. I practice every day I'm all over the place with my learning. But just hitting a note right. Or doing the exercises. And finding out that what I did today for practice won't show up for a day or 2 later is cool to me. I know if I practice today 1 day soon I will be able to play. Not trying to plug another channel here but a thing that's helped me a lot is elevated jam tracks they almost make me think I can play. Now I find your channel and I got some binge learning to do haha Thank you sir!
I've always been into rock/metal from an early age. When I was in kindergarten my older sister showed me Linkin Park. From then I got into hard rock/ nu metal. My taste in music would further advance in 6th grade when I got into SOAD and Breaking Benjamin. My taste would further evolve into something I could of never imagined. I discovered Dream Theater and Metallica, Pantera. But Dream theater was the main reason I wanted to play an instrument. So for Christmas I got a tiny drum set for 5 year olds. After a weeks of trying to play it. I stopped and decided to pick up guitar. My younger brother had a cheap acoustic guitar with a few strings missing. But that's what I started on, then I got a fender squir. I got a cheap practice amp from a pawnshop. After a few months of having the guitar without one. Now on to my freshman year of high school. I started selling homemade breakfast burritos to my friends. It was hard work but it paid off . I saved up 750$ and bought a 400$ Ibanez s series. Now I'm still in high school but its been awhile since I bought my Ibanez. Now with covid I'm practicing so much more. And I can tell that my guitar journey is just beginning.
Started playing in my bedroom 10 years ago
10 years later and im still in my bedroom
Keep on rockin 👍
Story of many legendary bedroom guitarists :)
True story
inspirational
nothing wrong w/ that - as long as you're enjoying playing at whatever level you want to - not every guitarist is going to get to the stage.
My Dad died last Dec. 9, 2019 and he petitioned my Mom last June 5. I am totally devastated and alone. I was able to write a song because of so much sadness. It has melody but I want it to have a guitar sound. I decided to learn to play guitar maybe just 4 days ago. I bought a guitar online and still waiting for it to be delivered. I am confident it's not gonna be too late to learn at 35. I promise to create music that will be worth sharing to others. This is going to be my story.
I've seen a man in his 70s pick it up in one of these comment sections. Better times will come. In fact, it's been 10 months. Maybe they already have? Update?
It's never to late dude. I've had friends that started at thirty.
I'm sorry, man. I hope you'll find solace in the guitar, and in the melodies you create.
this is a heavy story
Hope you are doing better now.
I'm still quite new to guitar but here's my story.. when I was a kid I fell in love with rock, metal music like Blink, Sum 41, Metallica, Slipknot etc and I used to watch guitar covers just for fun. When I was 15 I decided it's time to get guitar to myself. Couldn't find any teachers so that held me back for a while but I found a summer job and that summer I got myself a good yamaha electric guitar. I practised all the time on my own, learnt notes, how to read tabs, simple songs and later moved on to music theory, recording covers for youtube. Now in my 20s I'm still trying to find my sound and style. I'm a fan nowadays of Ichika, Tom Henson, Wes Borland, Cole Rolland etc. I love writing and sharing my music much more than playing covers and I really hope I can make a living out of it one day. If you read this, thank you. I wish you all the best my guitarist fellas!
Nice.
Started on Metallica tunes too! Subscribed to your channel. Great job on what’s my age again!
Andy Dion Yeah it seems like lots of people really wanted to play Metallica on guitar.
My guitar and music story:
Ever since I was really young, my dad was always playing music. AC/DC and Black Sabbath were the bands of my childhood. My dad also played guitar, so I would often see guitar cases and amps a lot when I was a kid. When my parents got divorced, I wasn't as close to my dad due to having to go with my mom so often. Quite a few years went by, until I was watching WWE with my family on a Friday night, and I heard "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day (the old intro theme to Smackdown) and I got back into music. I also was introduced to Metallica from WWE (The Undertaker and Triple H end of an era fued) with "The Memory Remains." I decided I wanted to try drums, my dad had guitar and I wanted to try drums. One Christmas, my grandma got me a cheap electric kit and I tried to learn drums. To say the least, I sucked, but I was having fun. My dad kept playing guitar and kept showing me that. I continued on my path of metal, rock, and punk, and then in 7th grade I took a guitar class. I got a Fender acoustic and my dad taught me "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath and "Enter Sandman" by Metallica. I took that guitar class and learned the basics, but it wasn't the music I wanted to play. The only thing I really remember from that class was an E minor chord, and the basics to the into to "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. My friend also taught me "Hell's Bells" by ACDC during that class. I kept playing that fender acoustic, and played "Iron Man" in my 8th grade talent show. I kept learning new songs on it, a lot of Metallica riffs and then just random riffs I wrote. I started playing on my dad's electric because I found this band "Avenged Sevenfold." I wanted to learn their riffs and just play with distortion. The summer before my Sophmore year of high school, I got an Ibanez start style electric guitar. I fell in love with that guitar and learned so much more. I played 2 open mics for my school's drama club. The first one I played "Spit out the Bone" by Metallica and "Iron Man" again. I played that song a lot. The second I played "Seek and Destroy" and "Master of Puppets" by Metallica. Neither in full, but I had so much fun with it. Then that Christmas, I got my main guitar to this day, an Epiphone Special 2 Les Paul. When I got that, I just riffed and learned all sorts of songs. Again, a lot more Metallica and Black Sabbath. Later my sophomore year, I performed a Metallica medley in my schools talent show. That was one of my favorite performances I've had. I had so much fun with it and continued playing. Around that same time, I finished making my own acoustic guitar. My sophomore year, I took a woodshop class where I could make my own guitar. I finished it the last day before it was due after pouring blood, sweat and tears into it. I still have it and love that guitar. I then played another open Mic for my drama club playing a medley of songs from "St. Anger" by Metallica (I found drop C tuning and wanted to perform in it) and "Nightmare" by "Avenged Sevenfold" in drop C as well. I ended that school year off finding my own amp. I found a Vox modeling amp at a pawn shop and loved it. We bought it, but I couldn't play it until my birthday of that year. Also around that time, I learned the "Bohemian Rhapsody" solo after seeing that movie. I ended up getting my amp for my birthday and played the hell out of it. I loved it and it was so cool having my own gear instead of borrowing my dad's Fender amp. A few weeks after my birthday, I bought my first guitar with my own money. I bought an Ibanez 7 string and it was so cool. My dad and I loved it, so I got it. We stopped by our local guitar store to buy a whammy bar for it on the way home, and then I played it for hours. I kept playing guitar and just having fun. I played "Spit out the Bone" again at another open mic at the beginning of my junior year. I also listened to the first 3 Metallica albums on a bus ride to a Shakespeare theatre competition (yes I'm a theatre kid XD) and got a lot more inspiration to play again and learn some more older Metallica riffs. When I got back from that competition, I had my first experience with live music. One of my friends in theatre took me to my first concert. We saw Tool live, and that was the best experience I've ever had. Tool was incredible and getting to hear them live was amazing! I got so much more inspiration to learn and play more that night. I went home and over the next few days, I learned Tool riffs. I then fell into a depression, one of the lowest points in my life. I had no motivation, no creativity, and just full of hate. I dropped everything and just closed myself off. Thanks to my friends, I got through it a bit and got back around to playing guitar again. I'm still struggling with depression and anxiety, but I'm learning to handle it and cope with it. Guitar has helped with that and helped me cope with it all. Ever since this quarantine began, I have been spending a lot more time playing guitar. Each day, I spend at least half an hour playing and riffing around on my guitar. I've been playing guitar for almost 5 years now, and it has introduced me to so many more musicians, I've met some of the best people I know because of it, and it will always tie me to my dad. He got me into it, and I ran with it. Guitar will always be a part of my life, and I hope to make a career out of performing. Wether it be in music, or theatre, I will bring guitar into it.
Love the videos man! Great work and thanks for being so dedicated to guitar, your students, and your viewers! Keep up the great work! \m/
I'm 57, I remember the first rock and roll song i heard was the Stones "I Cant get no satisfaction" I was alone and figured out how to play the record on one of those big cabinet record players that had a black and white TV in it. It was in 67 or 68, Anyway very long story short, love the 70's music mostly and play guitar just once in a while in spurts. Im envious of kids these days that have all these videos available to learn and how my musical life would have been so much different if I would had access to all this that we have today. I stayed mainly a fan of music and never took playing the guitar serious enough, but now since youtube I've gone back to the basics and learning the fretboard and some theory. Enjoy your videos and thanks for sharing your story. Your a very good teacher.
Mate hearing that inspires me please please don't stop ya teaching cos you've inspire me
I'm 51 and had a hard shock 2years ago I had a stroke, luckily it only took my left side made it week and covid lock down left me isolated, so I've always loved to sound from guitar and thought no better time to learn get my hand moving again, I known cord shapes but can't get quick enough in changes so always a second pause between,,,, any ideas out there
I'm an eighteen years old guitar player from Syria
I started to play guitar 3 years ago,started on classical guitar and it was really useful for me later because I developed legato and chord shapes early on in my long to be journey.
now I play Electric guitar.it was my real intention when I wanted to pick up this hobby,I was inspired by Slash,Randy Rhodes,James Hetfield,Dave Mustaine and these kind of guitar gods,I was into some rock bands(Skillet) and mainly Heavy metal
after a year of playing electric guitar,I've been on a stage 2 times,this is when it was turning to something more than a hobby,I started listening to some old amazing arabic music,and Progressive metal,mainly dream theater
this when I started to enjoy every kind of music on it's own,and I took interest in other aspects of music
went deep in music theory,started to research about composing and arranging,took a mixing and producing class,started doing gigs and live shows more often,despite the crisis and war,we don't kill our motives
I know it's a long way to get out of this mad and cruel place,and it will be harder outside,but that won't stop me,I finished my senior high school class with excellent grades,and went to college to study Computer Science,in hope to get somewhere in my long life journey to not only start living off just making music,this journey is for greater things for me and for my country,in search
for success and greatness in this charming art and craft
Your motivation and passion is just unbelievable. Just keep playing and progressing, and remember that no one and nothing can stop you. Hope your country will soon find some peace. Virtual hug from Italy.
interesting story - be safe in Syria.....
Everything we learn is a gift that we keep. Those gifts also keep us strong, because we know we have that strength inside us.
You are my hero. You've faced overwhelming odds and continue to succeed. Going back to old serious music like Arabic classical music is awesome. Love to you from the USA!!
@@matteobonichi2843 Thanks man,Be safe ::)
When I was growing up, my dad played guitar, my mom played autoharp and they both sang. Sometimes, they even visited my school and performed for my classmates and me. Of course, I wanted to play drums. We couldn't afford them though so I just drummed my fingers on anything I could find. Years later, I learned how to make beats on my computer. Then, my dad bought a second acoustic guitar so I started borrowing his first acoustic. I got good enough, watching videos like these, that he paid for 6 months of lessons for me.
When he died, his guitar was the one thing I absolutely had to have. With the money he left my family, I finally bought some drums. I promised myself I'd learn how to sing and write songs. So I did. Then, I learned how to accompany myself on other instruments. Eventually, I learned how to mix/master music and I still write and perform songs. But these days, little gives me more joy than to teach others how to play music and write songs.
beautiful story - I think the ability to learn music and play instruments well is passed down through the family - hope if you have kids, you encourage them to play early in life -
A favorite story of mine so far
My parents divorced at 15 and i was laitenung to ACDC, Metallica, Ozzy, so got a guitar, Epiphone SG, and learned to playy favorites. Started a band smashing pumpkins with electronic production, my HS friends stayed together into college then moved to LA to make it big. Signed a record deal but album never released. My teacher, who gave me his 96 foam green strat in pieces, my pride and joy, taught me blues and stones, strumming solos muting 5 strings but in rhythm. Learned to hit dissonant notes, play even flamenco and my signature was bending notes and playing in pocket. Vox valvetronix amp with 20 presets for live, love edge style delay riffs. Lived in south korea.. btw.. want to get back in after a decade of not playing much
Hi there my start with guitar was with my FATHER he played guitar, he played folk music but i was really young, and then years later i started trying to play guitar but i had so many ppl telling me that i could never learn to play and what not so i gave up 9 times untill 2011 and i started playing again and i have not stoped since and i proved to myself that I can LEARN TO PLAY GUITAR..... best thing i ever did
The best A-o-G video ever
In 1967 a door-to-door salesman knocked and I answered. He asked the 10yo boy standing there if he wanted to be in a band. In 1967 what young male didn't want to be in a band! It turns out, he was a salesman for Milton Mann's Accordion Studio - but that meant nothing, I was going to be in a band! I begged my dad, he told my great-grandmother (a Lawrence Welk fanatic) and she paid for my instrument and lessons. I spent the next 8 years learning to read music and translate it to my hands. The school had a band, of 35 accordionists, and we played contemporary songs composed for the instrument. By the time I turned 18, playing Led Zeppelin "Whole Lotta Love" on the accordion was not vey cool. I traded in my instrument for an acoustic guitar, bought a fake book and leaned all of the basic chords fairly quickly. I couldn't afford lessons, so It kind of fell off. In 1984 I bought an Ibanez Roadstar II from a pawn shop, found Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine and practiced every day. Started a band with my local mates and we played gigs around locally. I took up bass because other bands would ask if i could (Bass players were apparently hard to find back then). Gigged on bass for about 5 years and have been playing guitar and bass for personal enjoyment ever since.
The song Plush on "Core" by Stone Temple Pilots made me want to play bass and electric guitar because It was my favorite album at the time and it still is. Love that album and it inspires me to this day (thank you Radio X from GTA San Andreas)
That album is godly! I became an instant STP fan after hearing (and seeing the video for) Plush! I've loved everything they've put out since - even this latest new all-acoustic album. While I, like everyone else, DO miss Scott. The new guy isn't bad at all!
@@Axess-sv8nq nicee , it's one of my favorite albums of all time, the deleo brothers are badass
Love STP! That whole album is so great! Check out my new track when you get a second - here it is - ruclips.net/video/Y6AGtxbVbZw/видео.html
I also was inspired to learn guitar by the song Plush off the Core album. It was the first album I hear by them but I'd say my favorite STP album right now is Tiny Music. I'd say that that album is where they hit their peak creatively, although I still enjoy their new stuff with Jeff too.
The River...Crackerman...
63 years old and two weeks in!
One of he first albums I ever listened to was (GI) by The Germs. When I listened to that record and learned that they could barley play their instruments at the start but said fuck it, it gave me motivation. That’s what I love about about Punk Rock. Passion over technique.
Hell yeah. Germs rule. One thing I always wondered though: in the intro for "No God" it has that little part taken from that Yes song (I think it was "Roundabout"). Always wondered who played that or if it was sampled. I doubt Pat Smear would've been able to play that at that point in his career. Great transition into the song though.
Hell yeah on The Germs. Pat Smear is still kicking ass with the Foo Fighters!! Check out my new track when you get a second - here it is - ruclips.net/video/Y6AGtxbVbZw/видео.html
Gimme gimme this gimme gimme that ahhh ahah tahttttaaaa
I'm a 17 year old aspiring musician from New York, and I have been playing guitar for 7 years. For my entire life, I've been surrounded by music. When I was born my parents played Nirvana/Alice in Chains unplugged in my crib as I napped (me being named after Kurt cobain, and Layne Staley). I remember one of my happiest childhood memories I must've been 4, or 5, driving with the top down to our jeep, blasting Sweating Bullets on a road trip. My dad is a drummer, my mother is a bassist in a local band, and my brother is a drummer in a local Thrash Metal band that has released an independent EP. Music is a major part of my life, specifically thrash metal. In complete honesty, I'm a complete Megadeth fanboy. I follow every band members Instagram, I even met Dave Ellefson for his Basstory tour, I read Dave Mustaines book, and both of Ellefsons, Hell they are my most listened to band on spotify for the decade(over 300 hours listened). Safe to say Megadeth is my favorite band. For years I took guitar lessons once a week, but eventually became financially unable to, so I had to put the guitar down. Eventually, I picked the guitar back up and began to self teach, which I still do to this day. My mom scraped together enough money to enroll me into a "music school". It basically was a class that teaches fundamentals of making a band, and you have an instructor help you create one with other students. for a little over a year it was just me, and the instructor in the band when I found that few people my age were as determined, let alone as interested in playing metal as I was. Fast forward 6 months, I managed to get a band together, Me on lead/rhythm guitar/ vocals, Tommy on drums, Evan on Guitar, and the instructor on bass. we called ourselves "KnuckleBeast", and previously "The Backhand City Steves". We played a few gigs with a setlist of Metallica covers, but eventually the guitarist stopped showing up, and even bailed out on the last gig, leaving me to do all the lead, rhythm, and vocals to all the songs, but I stepped up and nailed em. (thanks for posting a video on the AJFA intro!) The band fell apart after the last gig, and I left the school. It has been 2 years, and I've been practicing non-stop, and building a following on Instagram by posting songs I've learned, and my progress. My biggest accomplishment so far was when I taught myself the Tornado of Souls solo through the Rust In Peace tab book. While I consider myself to be a good guitarist, I want to be great, and to one day become the next Megadeth, Or Anthrax, or Metallica, or Pantera. I'm determined, but I lack the experience, and financially it's very hard for us to get me a guitar teacher, as my mother Is sick with an autoimmune disease, and mostly out of work, and my parents are divorced. I'm taking this time off on a so called " Corona-cation", to really become sick on the guitar (no pun intended) and your videos definitely help!
2016,Freshman, playing bass,wonderwall kind of stuff
2017,get access to youtube(China blocked foreign internet),watching your videos
2018,2019,still watching your videos, begin to play guitar.
2020,graduated,still watching your videos.
really,really, helped me a lot. I learned theory,technique..which is really hard to learn in China.
Thank you, appericiate!
Originally, I started as a drummer in 1976. Groups like KISS and Boston influenced me to become a musician. And there were a lot of musicians on both sides of my family. I used to beat this old chair with bird perches until I started using a drum-set at a rich kids' school my friends parents worked at. The music teacher there caught me playing and was impressed by my enthusiasm. So, he gave me the combination to the drum-set locker! Even then, I could never afford a drum set. I took up guitar in 1978 after seeing the picture of Ace Frehley looking awesome in the Evolution of KISS booklet included with KISS Alive II.
That same friend of mine's parents (that worked at the rich kids' school) were trying to force him to learn guitar and he wanted none of it. So, he had a beat up 60's Teisco style guitar with no strings and 1 single coil. I got him to give it to me so I could learn. He secretly gave me the guitar behind his parents' back by running outside with it while they weren't looking and dropping it on the ground! I was waiting in the bushes. I ran out, grabbed it, and ran all the way home!
I was poor - so I could only afford the high E string. My mom saw me playing and saw that I had a talent for it. She got the guitar restrung and set-up. She also got me enrolled in guitar lessons. I took ONE lesson and was very bored. I wanted to learn chords and this guy was teaching me leads on 2 strings. I had 6 strings now and wanted to play ALL of them! So, I went to the library, took out some books on playing guitar which had chord boxes and songs in them, and the rest is KISStory! 😎👍🎸
I suppose my story is quite different from everyone else.
I was forced to play guitar by my mother. I was highly unmotivated by this because the music I listened to back then was primarily songs from the radio and 90's rnb. Because I was going to get music lessons regardless, I pleaded to my mum for me to play bass instead of guitar. She said no and a few weeks later, I got my first lesson. All I could tell you was that any 'homework' my guitar teacher set me I did not complete due to the sheer boredom and lack of motivation being forced to play this instrument. Over time I thought about quitting, but I feared that my parents weren't going to be happy with my decision. Surprisingly during the lessons, my guitar teacher and I would have discussions about music. And over time, my own music taste started to develop. I started to listen to Alternative Rock, which then evolved into Hard Rock, then Glam metal etc. Listening to these genres gave me a sense of motivation to my guitar playing and I then started to practice outside my lessons. However, my motivation only lasted for a few weeks and I relapsed back to not practicing. The next year, my music taste evolved even further to the point where I would listen exclusively to Metal. I had this sort of 'elitist' mindset back then regarding mainstream music as I avoided listening to anything on the radio (I got rid of that mindset the following year). My guitar playing during that time was a bit erratic, as I was playing continuously only at the start and end of the year. I stopped having lessons at the start of the year and focused solely on being self-taught. This time, I was progressing a lot faster as I was able to play the clean section of Fade to black in a week (I would only play about an 1-2 hours a day). During this time, I believed that I was able to finally gain momentum and continue practicing my guitar consistently leading to next year, but I was wrong. I quit guitar for about a year because as I mentioned earlier, I never fell in love with the instrument. I sold both my electric guitars and at around this time, I decided to play bass instead. I bought my first bass guitar with all the money I had, which meant that I practiced without an amp. But, I was still unable to keep myself motivated and quit after a month. However at the end of the year, my friends from school took up instruments and I decided to join in and practice with them. The next year, I would play in the school band and perform in front of the school during special occasions. As for my guitar playing, I took it up again and have been practicing consistently for more than a month now. I had to take a one week break though as the nerves in my middle finger were injured and I would feel sharp pain every time I would press it against the fretboard.
For some reason though, I now enjoy playing the instrument and persevered through all the challenging phases that I have encountered during my practice for the past 5 weeks now. As for my mother, she isn't the villain in this. Without her forcing me to play this instrument, I wouldn't be able to find the genre of music that I connect with the most (metal), and instead, I'll be stuck listening to mainstream music for the rest of my life (which isn't all that bad but still, metal is cool).
I think I wrote too much.
Not too much at all. I read the whole thing.
Tldr
First, thank you for your content and lessons.
I’m 39 yrs old. Bought myself my first guitar for my 21st birthday.
Self-taught. Tab books, guitar world, ect.
Kurt Cobain inspired me to believe I could do it.
Became a Dad. Years later, I’m still playing. Picked up drums about 10 yrs ago and Bass at some point as well.
Now, over the last couple years, I have committed to building a usable recording studio in my basement. I’ve collected a heap of excellent gear.
Now, I am currently getting reading to begin writing and recording what will be a full album.
I had two older brothers that introduced me to all the greats , one was into the eagles , tull , chicago...the other cream , zeppelin, doors....mom and dad listened to oldies rock and roll and classic country so I was exposed to pretty constant music at an early age. As I got older I loved all of the music my family listened to and I was the perfect age as I started high school in 1980 🤟 Van Halen was my first album I owned (graduated from 8tracks) I asked for a bass guitar for Christmas and santa brought me a bass. I knew nothing about playing , had nobody to teach me and no youtube ! Traded the bass for a guitar and had a couple friends that played so I learned some guitar but was not serious about learning so I eventually quit and went on with life. Flash forward to a year ago ...53 years old , wife , kids, great job and RV's. After two back surgeries the off roading hobby had to go but everyone needs hobbies and I have several friends now who play guitar. Asked around and a guy at work had a lyon Paul Stanley model for $75 and I picked up an amp from a pawn shop. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money incase this wasn't gonna take hold. Well it took hold and if I was as into it back then ? I would be "like mike" . Since I restarted my journey not quite a year ago , i have 3 basses , two bass amps , 11 guitars (including the American standard strat i found at a pawn shop) 3 amps and various effects. Most of my guitars come from pawn shops and I'm constantly working on them and having a blast learning how to upgrade them and set them up. Kids are grown so it's the wife , me and the dogs so I practice atleast an hour a day and spend most of my RUclips time watching something to do with the guitar. Long story I know (I'm 54 soo....) but I am having a blast and enjoy the guitar community so rock on my brothers and sisters !
When I was 7 my parents took me to some sort of open day at our local music school and there I apparently decided that the guitar was the instrument for me. For the first three years or so I had lessons at that music school, but then my teacher stopped (the situation at that school was pretty bad since the government decided to cut back on funding), so I went to another teacher, played there for about two years, but he was already in his 60's or something and in a pretty bad place personally as far as I remember, so I had to find another teacher. Anyway, my first two teachers were both pretty theory-oriented and I think that might have partially been the reason why I feel that I did not make a whole lot of progress in that period. My current teacher however focuses more on actually playing and really tries to get all of his students excited about music and that made such a huge difference for me, because since then I've really become quite passionate about music in general and it makes playing guitar so much more rewarding. I really advice anyone to look for a passion of music in a teacher, cause if he's not enjoying himself, chances are you probably won't either.
makes a huge difference in who the teacher is, doesn't it? outstanding story/point....
I have always felt hypnotized by the electric guitar, but never found or made the time to learn. Now I find myself in my 50s with a strong desire to learn.
Here is how my journey to learning is going. It starts with a friend at work giving me an old electric Harmony just before Christmas 2018, it still had a thick layer of dust on it when he handed it to me, but hey I now had my first guitar, and it was free. A few weeks later after Christmas I stoped in to the local Goodwill and was stoked to find an old practice amp for only $3.00. Another stop by a music store for a cord and some picks, bringing my setup to a whopping $23.00.
I jumped on line searching for some free lessons, I didn't need much, just to learn to play a few chords. I even found an old book at a used book store. I practiced learning some chords but felt that the frets seamed to close as well as the strings. I was getting frustrated and not sure what to do. I did not want to spend a bunch of money on a new guitar and still not be able to play. I was talking to my nephew one day and he said he had an acoustic he would loan to me. I was surprised to find that I could get my fingers to make the chords on the acoustic without much trouble. This helped my practice but was driving the wife a little crazy listening to my beginner plucking. So to keep a happy wife, my practice times got shorter and less frequent. Now you would think that would be the biggest practice issue, but it wasn't.
I ended up changing jobs, on top of that the new job was in a different country. We pack up the house, including the guitar, to be shipped overseas. Once we finally get to Italy, and before we can get moved in to a house, Covid 19 locks down Italy, and we are stuck in a hotel. Now I can't get my guitar, and don't know when I will be able to, music stores are not open, so I do the next best thing. I ordered a new guitar set up online to be shipped to me, of course they can't ship the guitar or amp here for some reason, so I have it sent to my brother for him to mail it to me. This was a little over two weeks ago, still waiting for it to arrive.
I have been staying motived watching lots of videos, some good like yours, and others not so good. I have also kept busy by learning the notes on the fret board, now if my guitar ever arrives I will see if I can actually locate them... and relearn the chords. I am still just as much a beginner as the day I received the Harmony, but I have developed a strong drive to learn how to play. Oh, and the new setup will allow me to use headphones so I don't drive the wife too crazy. Sorry for getting long winded for a guy who can't even play...
Love your video's, keep up the good work!!!
My mother had an old acoustic and tried to teach me when I was like 10y.o. but I didn’t really enjoyed it. Later when I was 14-15 I made metalhead friends at school who played guitar and I really enjoyed watching them play. I told them I had an acoustic and everything except one string broke and we never replaced them for ages so at my 16th birthday they bought me new strings and taught me basic songs that I could practice, I had no excuse not to learn it then LOL. During that year I bought a 2nd hand Nevada (cheap fender strat wannabe) and learned a lot with it, I made the high school talent show with my friend where we played Iron Maiden’s The Trooper. We also played during our graduation ceremony. With my guitarist friends we talked about our dream guitars once and they remembered what I said. For my 17th bday them and two other friends bought it together as a gift and I am forever grateful to them. This guitar is an Ibanez Jem. So yeah now I’m still completely addicted to guitar and learning new songs and trying to start a band😋🤘🎸
Btw, I have to thank you a lot because I learned a lot watching your channel as I am mostly self taught! 🙏
Keep rocking!
It seems like there are 2 types of musicians. There is the Creator whom uses instruments to express themselves and there is the Embracer whom uses the instruments to bond and get a deeper closeness with the music that they love and to which they have an emotional connection. While there is crossover, you can see the dominate reason for playing when asked to play “something”. The creator will want to play something original and the embracer will want to play something they learned.
My brother started playing when I was 7 or 8 and I never really ever wanted to be a guitar player well flash forward about 3 years and my brothers in a band now and they played a talent show at there school they played pool house by the backseat lovers and after that it changed my life . I started listening to music , I grew out my hair , and gained a good sense of fashion . Flash foward again about 2 years so now it’s 2022 my brothers band changed there name and started playing shows and put out music . And because of them I started playing ALOT of rockband 2 and for Christmas I was at my grandmas Christmas party and then I got a squier beginner guitar with a squier frontman 10g and back then I was not really all that good the only chords I knew where e, amaj7 and c . Another thing I didn’t mention was at my school they had beginner guitar lessons which I took but I didn’t have an acoustic but we got one just in time for the class and I was practicing about an hour every day . Flash forward to last month school was coming to an end and I didn’t want to not have lessons over the summer so I started with my brothers guitar teacher and right now I’ve been playing for about 5 and a half months . Another funny story is the day I was starting lessons with my teacher I have right now I broke my d string and we had to restring like 10 minutes before I left
I started in March of this yr, at age 41.
I have wanted to play since I was a kid, but my parents never got me a guitar.
Growing up I was exposed to all genres of music, my mom would just pick a radio station & we would listen to it all day.
So I grew up with a love for all types music.
There is just something about guitar music, whenever I hear a really good riffs & solos.
it's an undescribable feeling, I can feel it through out my whole body.. all the way to my soul.
So I just decide it time & I'm very happy that I did.
When I started listening to thrash and really feeling riffs and solos is when I got the idea. I wanted to play drums because I’m unconsciously obsessed with beats and my foot is always tapping and fingers always drumming. But drumsets were just so massive and loud it would have never worked. And I never made the step to learn guitar because I was trying to teach myself which obviously wasn’t going well. But I decided that if I never learned how to play and that I never performed the type of music I love for people, I would regret it for the rest of my life. So Here I am getting good enough to do thrash solos and looking for other people my age to play with
my story was i was about 9 years old and my mom wanted me to get into a different instrument then piano and she bought. me a cheap amazon guitar and it was winter 2022 and i had 2 guitar lessons in my life then started to teach myself now i have been playing for a year and a half and i played my first stage and played don't stop Believing in january of this year
I started playing at age 35 and had private lessons until just a few years ago. A good friend of mine who teaches said I don't need lessons anymore so I stopped . Sadly I lost my Daughter in April this year and now don't have the heart to play anymore . I'm 57 now .
20 years ago a work colleague signed us up for a Tallent contest at our National Sales meeting in New Orleans. This was after he asked if I played guitar. I said I played stairway to heaven, like many kids in high school. I bought an acoustic guitar and shortly afterward a red ibenez. We practiced for 3 months prior to playing on Bourbon Street in front of a 100+ drunken (thankfully) coworkers. I sat on a bench while my leg shaked uncontrollably throughout the performance. My dream was to go back and actually play something recognizable. 2 years ago I had the opportunity to play 5 songs during our Global dales meeting with about 250+ people at preservation hall on stage and we even had a sound technician. I was definitely not great but less nervous and had a great time! Played the easy classics Stand By Me, Taking Care of Business, Can’t you see, La Bamba,Twist and Shout with a full band. This gave me motivation to keep playing and improving. 🎸 🎶
When I was very young (about 6 years old), I played keyboard at school for a year or two, but I had no interest in it and dropped it. I didn't touch another instrument until seventh grade, when I had to play clarinet for school as it was a compulsory subject, the same for guitar (acoustic) in eighth. However, I still had no interest at all in music and only listened to the radio as background noise or whatever, and with no particular genre of interest.
Fast forward to eleventh grade, and I was in the same chemistry class as a friend of mine (C), and he sat between myself and another friend of his (M), though I didn't know M at the time. We ended up becoming friends too because he was in a bunch of my other classes. C played guitar and M played bass, and they would often talk about metal music though it was a subgenre (usually extreme stuff like technical death metal, and djent-y stuff) that I would never get into. M was also in a couple of bands at the time (they're both defunct now, but he's in another one now) and would talk about it. At that time my only exposure to metal was as film soundtracks and stuff like that, and I had this preconception that it was all screamo stuff, but hearing them talk about it made me want to check out what it was.
So one day I went home and looked up "good metal songs" on Google and clicked on the music video for Painkiller by Judas Priest because I recognised the band name. It was too hardcore for me at the time (the distortion, vicious playing, and chaotic video direction) pretty much put me off of it and I considered dropping it right then and there, but that drum solo intro was incredible. So I checked some other stuff out and got to Iron Man by Black Sabbath, and that changed everything. I thought the main solo in that song was the absolute coolest thing I'd ever heard, so much attitude and style, a world away from the radio hip hop and pop that I was accustomed to. From that moment, I decided that I wanted to play guitar. I wanted to be able to play like that.
I didn't actually get my first guitar until Christmas of my final year of high school (so well over a full year later), and it was a cheapo strat knockoff kit guitar that my cousin gave me (I still have it) because he didn't use it anymore. And I guess that was that.
Why was it compulsory to play an instrument? I do clarinet and we have to pay extra a year and have to choose music
@@shaggymotionless4269 It just was. Music was a compulsory subject in 7th and 8th grade, without choice about instrument. It was just like any other subject. I can't tell you why though
I am fairly new to the guitar. I started last year in November and I started on acoustic guitar even though I was into rock and metal at the time. My uncle taught me a few things and told me that if the next time he saw me and I impressed him he would get me an electric guitar for Christmas. So I spent a ton of hours working endlessly on learning scales and chords and by the time of Christmas I had impressed him and he got me a Fender Stratocaster which Is my favorite type of guitar. I was able to get that because he wasn't using it as much and he knew It was my favorite.
As with guitar, my great grandparents had a old Japanese made Classical Guitar. And I had a friend that really encouraged me to get into music *i was never really into music* and I asked one day if they still had it. And they did! In 3 months I felt like I've gotten somewhere with it, I then started getting lessons. This is where I purchased my first ever acoustic guitar. This was the first time I did anything with the steel string, and then here I am today😄
I went to see a mandolin/ fiddle ensemble named "Barrage". I was 43 yrs old. I fell in love with the Shape of the f style mandolin and I wanted one just as apiece of art. The next day I bought one. I learned to play it in a half assed manner. And then I figured I'd try a guitar. I immediately left the mandolin behind (as my main instrument). And now at 70 yrs. old I am proud to say that I've become a half assed guitar player. Now, being a coffin dodger, I don't think I have enough time left for anything else. So I will stick with guitar and watch my half assed abilities decline but I will go out playing Hendrix double stops for as long as I can!
Kevin O'Rourke
My dad has been playing guitar for 33 years and when i was little, he showed me AC/DC, Iron Maiden and a lot more bands and i loved them, but eventually i got bored. When i was 12, almost 13, my parents asked me what i wanted them to give me for christmas and i didn't know what to say, so i just said: "well, why not try the guitar" and they got me one for christmas. The first to months i didn't really play it but then we had to do a project for English class in my school where i had to pick a band and stand in the front of the class and explain all about the band, the members, their best songs, etc. For the project i chose the band Iron Maiden because it was like the only one i kind of knew. So doing the presentation, made me hear Iron Maiden again, and I loved it. I loved it so much that i asked my dad to take me to the Iron Maiden concert, which was in September, I was going to have to wait 7 months for it but i didn't care. So then I realized that i already had a guitar of my own and that I could eventually play all that music, so basically when i got into rock and metal again was when i really started playing more seriously the guitar. And i haven't stopped until then. I'm 14 years old now, i'm Mexican, and i got to see that amazing Iron Maiden concert. Thanks for reading.
My cousin started attending guitar lessons at a place 5 minutes away from my home. My mother got to know this and immediately wanted me to take them as well. I wasn't even interested in music at that time, but being 11 years old I had to follow her command.
My mother was so keen on sending me there that I didnt even have a guitar during my first class. The teacher just laughed at me and told me to observe others, which i did for the next one and a half hours. Good times.
Now after almost 8 years my parents live in constant fear that someday I'll abandon my studies to take up music somewhere. That's what they get for embarrassing me :P
Always loved rock&metal guitar but never had the time and patience to learn to play. Now I'm 60, retired and have a lot of time so I began 6 months ago and I love it !
Mesmerized by the guitar since 10 y.o., buying my first LP in 1980 with my own coin; 'Live at Last' ... Sabbath... now nearing 50, the bug and drive remains unabated! Rock On!!
I always had a guitar lying around, but, didn't get serious about playing until I was 40-ish. I took lessons for a while with a guy who I became friends with, but, he wasn't the right teacher for me. As I continued to self teach I developed a circle of friends who were/are much better players than i was/am. Playing with them has made me better. We write and record songs, totally have fun with no pressure. Plus, RUclips and people like Mike have been a huge help.
started playing guitar just after my 21st birthday a little over a year ago. coming up on the 2 year mark in november and i’m just hoping that i didn’t start to late to become something great. i played the flute back when i was in school and used to really enjoy it, but stopped in high school cause i no longer had the opportunity to play with others. ever since i’ve felt kinda unfulfilled and like something was missing. then i picked up the guitar cause i always loved rock and metal, and have had a hard time putting it down ever since. i remember when starting it felt really hard, but i had this passion in me to try to do something bigger than me and try to perfect my sounds. so many people on youtube teach guitar, but few of them teach ideas the way you do. thank you for teaching me to keep trying no matter how hard it is and inspiring me to try to make my sound the best i can!!
I love videos like these, they show such a human side of you which I personally love to see. as someone who considers you my guitar teacher, it really makes me feel like I can connect to your teachings on a more personal level. thank you for everything you do, it means a lot.
My story goes back to 1986. Had just turned 16 and bought my 1st guitar and amp with money from my first job . I bought a Yamaha SE150 and a peavy rage amp. Lol! Also bought guitar for the practicing musician and learned fr0m tabs....remember Wolf Marshall? Jammed with other friends who played guitar. Never could find drummer or bassist. Joined the Army in 1989 and was deployed during Desert Storm. While in i bought a Fender Strat HM series and Princeton Chorus. Just recently bought a Wolfgang signature MIJ and Blackstar HT club 40. Aying the guitar has been a blessing and has gotten me through some rough times. Its always there for me and is extremely therapeutic. 53 now and still playing and learning even though just as a hobby i still love it.
My grandfather was a bass player back in the 60s-70s, and kept playing till he had his first stroke. He was a second father figure to me, so to get closer to him I picked up a guitar so I could play with him on bass. After his stroke, I also picked up his bass. I was always looking for the next thing I could play to impress him. Last one I learned was outside of his music taste, as he liked country, but I learned the first solo from Fade to Black. Before I could finish the song, he passed from cancer. 4 years later, and I still play, partly bc of my love for music, and partly bc it makes me feel like he's still with me.
I got really into guitar when I was stationed in Japan, just for something to do after work besides drink. When I got out of the military and started school, my band teacher pressed me into bass, and as much as I liked bass, I wanted to make death metal riffs on guitar.
Been about 6 years now since me and Sapp jammed on duty together.
Cheers to that! Even if Im having something of a not very musicly inspired moment, I can rewire myself back to brutality by plugging, (either my Jackson sl2, or oddly my Mex Fender Telecaster std, because death metal tele!) Into the bonsai pedal, to 25 watt jcm800 lunchbox head, & the goofiest mini mongrel stack ever. (1×12 egnater somethin'? I put a celestian Creamback 75 in, it, under a no clue , could pass for blue... maybe tolex, w/ unknown brand knockoff vin 30 on top) simple, loud, and old Death, Sepultura, & Nile riffs sound demonic, & yet perfect. Because what is more fun than death metal riffing on guitar... doing with a nice high gain amp
So... when i was a teenager around 15 i got my first acustic guitar,my folks never encourage me to play any instrument but then one day, one of my cousins broke his acoustic guitar and my father repair it and gave it to me. It was awfull but i learn my first chords with it. Later on around 18 me and my friends thought about join in a band, my friend was a bit ahead learning guitar so i got the bass. I bought a used bass and we started playing in rented rooms with amps. It was a blast we were into alternative rock i was in love with distorted guitar sound like in ramones the cult, dinossaur jr . But we knew we wouldnt get far cos we were just making covers of simple punk songs with power chords, i just following the guitar chords with my bass, and as i was more into college i droped out the band. Later on i bought a new acoustic guitar and learn a bit more chords and played in our house for fun. Fast forward, in 2018 i bought an epiphone sg an amp and a simple pedal board and started watching music channels like this one, and i learned how to read tabs, i know a lot more chords, improve thecnique like bends vibrato and its been a blast. My goal now is setup a track list i can play using backing tracks with solos and everything, i m getting there. My wife sometimes comes up to check if its the original music playing or backtrack with me playing so i guess im on the right path. :)
My dad used to play guitar, and I would sing 'killing me softly'. Well I was 15, and I asked for a guitar and he bought me a beautiful yamaha acoustic for my Xmas present that year. He got me a couple lessons and within the year I got thrown out and I was hungry and I sold it for wayyyy less than it's value and he got so upset. But I'd always wanted to replace it. Well he passed away in 2014, but I bought my ibanez electric guitar this year and want to learn properly how to play so that's why I am here. Its for a love of the instrument and metal and in honor of my father. I write metal songs and I want to play them properly too!! Thanks for all you've done for me Mike!!
My dad had a guitar in his closet he would sometimes play and my grandparents had a few instruments of similar descriptions. My parents said me and my siblings had to learn an instrument and I was learning piano at the time and it wasn't doing it for me. I ended up just playing around on the guitar and I really liked it. Let's just say it spiralled out of control. Then I went to high school and I met some friends who were at a similar skill level and we just kept getting better.
I bought my first guitar when I was 15 (38 years later I still have it). My big influence when I started was George Harrison. The Beatles' album were always available at my house growing up. The more I managed to isolate George's guitar work, the more I wanted to learn it. All my friends were into Van Halen (which I'm still not a fan of), but I found many guitarist of the 1960's to be more organic in their playing. Later a friend got me into Jimi and I was hooked. The first time I listened to "Are You Experienced?", my playing was never the same. When I was 25, I sold all my gear, I had a family to take care of and we needed the money. In my 40's, my wife surprised me with an Epiphone Las Paul Junior and I fell right back into playing. Now at 53, my morning routine is practice and coffee. Playing guitar is something I hope to stay with the rest of my days...🎸
I started playing at 15 years old. Stopped playing around 18,I picked it up again last year. I'm 52 years old now. If the internet and RUclips was around back then I probably wouldn't have put it down. I've made considerable progress in the last year,your web site and channel have helped me,alot.
I plan on subscribing to Mike's site once my current basic class online is completed
This is a great story. I am your subscriber and very much admire sincerity in your teaching approach. No pose, no pretense - just desire to help. Thank you!
My dad played bass in local bands for about 20 years, he's always been a huge metalhead throughout my childhood. My parents were always supportive of whatever strange instruments us kids would play, I remember I was really in to the ocarina for a few years, but my dad consistently pushed us to play the guitar or bass, which is something that we were never interested in. He gave me an old Sigma acoustic guitar when I was 8, but it sat and collected dust in my bedroom for years. At around age 15, I started getting in to punk rock, mostly old Green Day songs but also some Ramones and Black Flag, that kinda basic stuff. It was around this time that my dad left my mom for another woman. We were all devastated, none of us could have ever expected it. To cope, I picked up that Sigma to learn something for the first time, being my favorite Green Day song, Dry Ice. Playing those simple power chords read off of ultimateguitar tabs filled a void that I didn't realize was there. It was more fulfilling than anything I'd ever experienced. That impulsive interest in the guitar quickly turned into a love for the instrument, steering away from tabs and developing a knack for playing by ear. I eventually got bored of playing sloppy punky power chords and gravitated more towards metal music due to the sheer speed and precision of their playing, I wanted to play just like that. I can't explain the feeling of playing The Four Horsemen all the way through for the first time; it was a euphoric high, I felt like I had a purpose for the first time. I've never been in a band, unfortunately, especially considering I'll be 18 in a few weeks. I've still yet to find that "scene" around here or meet local people who are in to playing this type of music, so I've just spent the past 3 years playing alone in my bedroom for hours lol.
Holy shit that was a lot haha kinda went off. I love hearing other people's guitar stories, thought I would share mine for once. Thank you for reading :)
My guitar teacher introduced me to MASTER OF PUPPETS and I was sold right there. I couldn't sleep until I could play it and I now just love metal and other so.e genres as well and man that song is inspirational!!!
Great story, Mike! I was amazed at how many similarities mine has to yours! Good stuff!
As a small child (age 5-ish), I loved the Beatles, and would get my mother's pots and wooden spoons and beat on them while listening. Must've driven my parents crazy! I always wanted a drum set, but...
In grade school, I was forced to take piano (wish I would've listened). I learned the basics of reading music, but wasn't yet into it. Still wanted a drum set...
In junior high school, I took percussion, and thought "Wipeout" was the coolest thing ever! Practiced it incessantly...Pushed my parents for that drum set, but they refused. My older brother had tried the acoustic guitar, but didn't really take to it. It was missing a few strings, but I started to goof around on it. I was too small to hold it properly, so I put it across my lap (like a lap steel guitar) and used my thumb to smash the notes (I've since learned one doesn't have to smash the notes, as you emphasize in your course). For some reason, I've always been able to listen to a song and play it, even back then when I first sat with his acoustic guitar. The first song I played along with was Aerosmith's "Last Child" from their "Rocks" album. I had no idea if I was in the guitar was tuned properly, but it didn't matter because all the notes were on one string. Learning the basic riff and playing along with the record kept my interest. At 13, I was working for $2.00/hr cleaning a friend's construction site (still no drum set). I continued to seek to no avail that drum set. My first check was for $78.00, and, since I couldn't afford a full drum set, went and bought a Fender Vibro Champ Amp and Aria LP knockoff. Took lessons for 6 months, was told by my instructor, "you're learning faster on your own" but now wish I would've continued the lessons. Loved and played the hell outta Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, AC/DC, Van Halen, Journey, Boston, etc. As a middle child, I spent a lot of time being "grounded" both for deserved and undeserved (thanks bros and sistahs) behaviors, so I put to good use my time and sublimated for the better and learned to play the guitar. In high school I was in a Christian Youth Ministry Band that played rock and roll every week, which was fun. I continued to play through college, but not in a band. After college, I went to medical school and didn't get to play too much because I was too busy. I started playing more in residency, and after I went in to practice joined a couple of other physicians (another anesthesiologist and one neurosurgeon) in a band, played some parties, which was pretty fun, but didn't last that long. Now, I've hooked back up with the keyboardist from the high school Christian band (he's the music director at his church), and have been playing with a couple other guys gearing up to start playing for fun. It's a great hobby to have which will endure one's entire life, and will always present a challenge. I'm still trying to improve/hone my skills after 44 years of playing!
Interesting/Funny N.B. My younger brother asked my parents for a drum set when he was in junior high school, and guess what? He got it! He was very good-"studio" quality while in high school, mastered the drums, then moved on to learn and play the guitar too. I went to see his band play (they were underaged) at a club I frequented. His "band" "opened" that night for DimeBag Darrell and Pantera. (This was while Pantera were still in high school and hadn't yet made it big. I thought, "Dang, that guy (DBD) is really fast and really good!" ) My brother is now a physician in another city, and has a jam room in his house with stage, PA, drum set, etc...we jam whenever we get together...Good stuff!
My earliest rock n roll experience was Kiss Alive II. One day when I was a little kid, my mom bought a cheap record player at a thrift store and dug out her old records. She showed me how it worked. One day I was flipping through her records, Sonny & Cher, Barbara Streisand, etc, etc, and then...KISS. I remember looking at the cover art and thinking, "whoa, what is this." Loved it. Anyways, at 16, a friend of mine gave me a crappy Harmony Strat copy because his parents got him a new guitar (my parents couldn't afford to get me a guitar). Been playing ever since. I really should be a lot better than I am though. I just don't understand why I'm not improving more. I am 33 now so been playing 17 years (wow). I have played guitar in one band that never ended up playing shows (our drummer passed away as we were writing material) and have played bass in 2 bands that gig and do a little touring (all original music). I would describe myself as an intermediate guitar player. I can perform a setup on my guitars and have basic theory knowledge (all the basic modes, scales, etc). I just can't seem to get my playing more fluid, effortless, and accurate. Any of the bands I've played in have been punk rock. I am a good enough player for that genre and can even do basic punk solos if needed. There's no way I could hang in a metal band. Also, I have never written an entire song and don't know how. I've written a ton of riffs and then never know where to go next. And lyrics...forget about it. I got nothing to say. I primarily listen to punk rock ('77), power pop, glam, etc. but I do also enjoy some metal (especially black metal) as well as blues, bossa nova, and other styles. I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have learned little techniques over the years from so many different genres. Maybe a jack of all trades, master of none kinda thing? I dunno. I don't wanna be the next Malmsteen (honeslty find that level of virtuosity boring) but would love to at least be as good as Johnny Thunders. Sorry to ramble on so long. Take care.
always wanted an electric but i got an acoustic, its okay i can work with this.
started playing guitar 8 months ago. now playing and practising it is all i do.
I'm a lifelong Prince fan, and there is a great podcast about Prince where all the hosts are musicians and had insights on his music that I couldn't get, and I started thinking of taking up bass. Then in early 2015 I was getting tired of just watching TV after my kids went to bed so I went to buy a bass but decided on a regular guitar instead. Never looked back.
Early 50's here. Left handed and a never time for myself. Music has always played a roll in maintaining sanity. the late 80's and 90's military career was one for the ages, to family life with times that were again for the ages. Finally, I now have a Ibanez Gio Blue Burst and a Marshall amp for the past year that I've learned a lot of as time permits. The influences of those from early days, Ozzy, Slash, Maiden, Metallica and many other bands from back in the day. Just a joy to play is the only rule. Playing by ear is more natural but learning the chords and scales is necessary too. Finding the right "youtubers" is also paramount in learning. Finding your channel has been good so far. Thanks!
I'm a bit late, but here's mine. I have always been interested in music, but I didn't start having an interest in guitar until I heard of Queen only a few years ago. The music just spoke to me, particularly with Brian May. The fact that this gritty and powerful sound was coming from one guy amazed me. As I listened to it more and more, I wanted to be able to play like that. So for Christmas, I got a Strat knockoff that was actually really good, and its still my main guitar. I started taking lessons, and I quickly became dissapointed with the fact that Brian May was just too complex for me at the time. I also have elos danlos syndrome, which has affected it to some degree, mainly when I started out. After a while, I switched teachers, and I met my current guitar teacher for the first time, who I still learn from today. I definitely began to get better more and more overtime. At this time, I started listening to The Rolling Stones, who still are a massive inspiration to me. I found Stones songs to be more simple, which was great as a basis to learn more complex cords and riffs. I then played my first live show with the music school, which was a huge motivator for me. I've still continued to play live, and I don't think Ill stop anytime soon.
Lot of good things in life then a lot of bad things in life that lead to me getting my eggs scrambled. Doctor told me that I needed to do something to work my mind so at the age of 44 picked I up a 3 string fretless cigar box guitar. Went to some lessons to the only guy in my area that could teach cigar box and he told me its never to late to pick up a guitar. So I did and I loved it I am 46 now and I am not good but I go to my lesson each week and I have to practice a lot. I will say this when I first held a guitar in that first lesson there is no way I thought I would be where I am right now. I new that my goal was years and years away not weeks or months plus I got a late start. I love the work and the challenge because it feels great when you start something and weeks sometimes for me months you bust through a wall. So if you are reading this its never to late but it is hard to find a instructor that is good at teaching adults. I ran into a couple babysitters that looked like that hated teaching. I can't say enough about my instructor he is great we were making a lot of progress until this Virus. He back to doing studio work right now cant wait to get back at it...
I got into a lot of classic rock as a kid after having had listened to the music from my parents’ generation (bands like Queen, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who) and the very first band I ever got into when I was 10 years old (I’m 21 now) was The Beatles, and after listening to the music I knew that I wanted to play guitar. As I got a bit older I got into bands like Van Halen wanted to learn some cool fast stuff, and when I heard my first Pink Floyd song (Comfortably Numb) in one of my guitar lessons I realized that you can also do melodic stuff on guitar. Those bands are still some of my favourite bands and I still credit George Harrison, Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmour for getting me into guitar. When I was 13 or 14 then found out about this program my music school offered that allowed kids to to get together and play in a little band, so I started doing that and at first I wasn’t very good (as I had been playing for only a few years), but now I’ve been doing that probably for the last 7-8 years and I’ve been enjoying it ever since (I play lead guitar and sing, and a lot of people tell me I’m the most energetic person onstage, which is true because I do jump around a lot), I also have a band that my friends and I made a few years ago (we were called CAGE after our initials) and it’s a lot of fun, we mainly play covers but we’ve also written (and recorded) a couple of originals. Lastly, I got accepted into this music program at a college I had been applying to a few weeks ago (I had auditioned with my guitar) and I’m really happy that I’m going to go to school for music, which is what I’ve always wanted to do after graduating from high school
Elvis opened the door for me with the '68 TV special. I saw it in the summer of '69 (I was thirteen); the next day I went in for ear surgery. My parents asked if they could get me something to help with my recuperation. I said I wanted guitar lessons...
I was at a Fall Out Boy concert in Tuscon, AZ in November 2018 and I was like, I want a guitar and learn to play it. Last year my girlfriends got me my first acoustic guitar and painted it with all the Concerts we've been to. Been fun learning it from you!
When I was eight I heard the intro to Holiday be Green Day and knew I wanted to be a guitarist. My mom bought me a cheap acoustic guitar and signed me up for lessons at my local music shop. I quit after three weeks because I was impatient. 10 years later I was at my cousins wedding and was fascinated by the guitar player. I went home and grabbed the guitar I recieved when I was eight. I looked up some basic open chords and started enjoying it. A few months later I bought a cheap electric guitar starter pack and got a guitar teacher. This time I was serious about learning. Already knowing Am, Em, G, C, and D my teacher was able to get me strumming along to some songs quickly. I took lessons for about half a year and decided to stop. Since then, I have played just about everyday for 3 years. It all started with hearing Green Day for the first time.
I loved your story and your approach to guitar. I just found your channel 2 weeks ago and joined your website and I already know your methods are going to help me get past so many of the things I've struggled with on guitar for a long time. You teach in a way that makes sense to my brain and thank you!
I've wanted to play guitar since I was a kid. My parents bought me an acoustic guitar for Christmas one year and within 2 weeks most of the strings were broken and I was using a penny as a pick. Unfortunately I never got another guitar until I was about 18 years old.
But I always wanted to play. Me and my friend would use a tennis racket as a guitar and play air guitar to Judas Priest for hours. I always remember just the sight of a guitar was magical to me. Seeing a real guitar in person was the coolest thing, but I never knew anybody that played so I had to fantasize about playing from pictues.
In 7th grade a teacher I had let us play tapes in class sometimes and a friend brought in Master of Puppets and I was hooked instantly. Since that time my desire to play went into overdrive but I still never had a guitar. At about age 18 I bought a cheap pawn shop guitar and a friend taught me power chords and a few simple Metallica riffs that I sucked at for years.
Playing guitar has been something I've struggled with for decades. Sometimes I would practice a lot and then there would be years at a time that I wouldn't play at all. Because of this I never got better, but even during the times I played a lot I never progressed. I learned over the years to play with a lot of tension which is hard to break once you practice with a lot of tension in your muscles for years.
I recently decided I wanted to finally get "good" and play cleaner and faster and without constant mistakes but have been putting it off because I assumed this meant years of mindless exercises just to get any progress at all.
Then I found your channel and have learned a ton in a short time. I never had a practice routine other than "practice with lots of mistakes for 2 hours" and wonder why I never get better. Just your down picking videos have already shown me I can improve problem areas quickly and the spider exercise will get my hands synched. I know it will take work, but at least you teach in a way that's not so boring and dry like SOOO many teachers out there.
Your videos on the 3 note per string color forms are the first time I've ever tried to even learn any theory (something I assumed was going to be impossible) and it instantly clicked. You teach things in a way that my brain understands so most of my guitar journey is yet to come, and I know I'll be making improvements much quicker now.
Anyway, I enjoyed your story and also used to play Metallica on air drums and was pretty good at playing One, but ultimately guitar is the instrument I love.
Cheers
When I was 6 I took piano lessons and I don’t remember much of it but I really didn’t like it at all. So I quit taking piano and I wanted to play guitar, so one time when my Dad and I were in a Walmart we saw this small guitar, and I wanted it so he got it for me. But I never took lessons or really learned how to play. Fast forward a couple years I really started getting into more rock music like Green Day, My Chemical Romance, Blink 182, etc. So I really wanted to learn how to play songs on guitar. So when I was just starting 9th grade I took guitar classes at my school, and I was really excited that I could get to play a guitar. So after we had come back from Christmas break my parents and I went to Guitar Center and we got my first “real” guitar. So I could actually get to practice on it. And before I got my guitar I started getting into more guitar RUclipsrs, which really taught me a lot about playing guitar and different techniques and stuff. I probably learned more from those videos than I ever did in that class. So then summer came and since I didn’t have school, I would just play guitar. I wasn’t forcing myself to practice I was just playing whenever I wanted to and it felt great. I learned how to play lots of songs and it felt really good to be able to play so many songs. I began to learn full songs and I could play them all the through. I also watched a lot of guitar RUclipsrs that showed me different techniques and different things that I could do on my guitar. I also really got into Metallica so I would play their stuff all the time and I really enjoyed learning their songs and being able to play them. To this day I play guitar everyday and I don’t think I’ll be quitting anytime soon. Wish I had an electric tho.
hope it stays a lifelong passion ---I got burned out on a lot of my passions (sports) ---it sounds like your'e enjoying yourself playing and that's great!
I’m a newer guitarist. This is my story so far. So I’ve always loved music it’s always been a big part of my life as fare back as I can remember. I always thought drums looked cool my grandmother had pianos I would play she would always tell me it was great and even as a little kid I could still tell that she was curious that she wasn’t just saying it to make me feel better and as I got older I saw this in her responses to my playing even more. Then I found a old instrument in my mums house is was a peace of wood with metal strings on it (I didn’t know what guitars were wet) eventually I found out it was a 12 string acoustic that my great uncle Bobby owned then not long after that I found out I come from a long line of musicians. I saw someone on tv playing a guitar and I got the old 12 string from the corner and tried to play my mom told me that it sounded good. A few years later my mom said that because I have long fingers and big hands I would be good at playing guitar or piano. A while after I wanted to learn to actually play a guitar so my mom helped me find a local teacher and it makes me chuckle that he said he’s been teaching for almost 30 years and has never had a lefty until I came along. When I first started I was playing upside down because I was using a loner guitar but eventually I got my own guitar and it is a right handed guitar but the strings are made for lefty. Ever since I got that guitar I see peoples faces light up when I play even my teacher. Everyone tells me I should be a singer and guitar player because I have a unique voice. Some people even tell me I should put my voice to good use before they even know I play. Now playing is my passion it’s my favorite thing to do even if I’ve had a bad day I still think I can go home and play. That’s my story so far but I’m positive there will be more.
I just started learning guitar about 2 weeks or so. The story was, back in nov '19 my Dad just got out from hospital. And the very first thing he asked me was to drive him to the nearest music store. He wants to learn to play guitar, because he felt it was one of his lifetime dream to actually have his own guitar and learn. So i got him a Yamaha c 70, and get a private tutoring set up. But he only had a week of tutorial before his health deteriorated fast and last January he passed away. And just 3 weeks ago, when i cleaned up the house that i saw his c 70. So i figured, while he might never really got to play music with it.. i might as well learn to play music on it. In a way it brings the good memories i had with him and honoring him. Thanks for your videos, yours is one of those tutorials that really makes sense to me. Thank you. 🙏
My story started back in the 50's and 60's learning rock an roll as a kid knowing nothing. I messed around in band at grade school and middle school. As I got older I lost intrust in music and decided to become a hood in high school. Graduated high school and did one year in college working on aircraft. In 1969 I was drafted in the army during Vietnam, but ran down and joined the navy real fast. My mother didn't raise dumb kids! About 1971 started to get interested in guitar from a guy aboard ship but that didn't last. I retired from the navy in 1991 and became a civilian. Retired from a manufacturing job after 20 years and here I am at almost 72 years old wanting to learn guitar from MIKE for the next twenty years. Whod a thunk? Mike I love your videos man. I'm a level 2 that's going to become a level 4.
I've been playing for about 2 1/2 years. I got really into Metallica in like May of 2017 in the 6th grade, had never heard anything like it before and fell in love upon my first listen of Master of Puppets. In September or so of that year I was doing warmups on clarinet for morning band practice and 4 of the notes in one of the chromatic runs in the song we were doing sounded like For Whom The Bell Tolls. After that I realized that I really wanted to replicate this kind of music I'd been obsessed with for months, so I started to teach myself to play with some of my dad's guitars. My dad suggested I learn Sad But True, so he taught me that for a day or two and after that I started practicing guitar all day after school to procrastinate on my homework. I used Songsterr to eventually learn basically every Metallica song written, and then moved on to other harder things. I'd like to think I've progressed somewhat faster than average, because of how much free time I have, how often I want to practice (all of the time of course), and because of how much great info there is to be learned from RUclips channels like this one. I now write music for fun and am actually considering a career in something music-related, but I still have a few years to get that all figured out.
I always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, but never had that motivational push to actually do it. One random day in 2017, a friend brought his guitar to school and started playing Californication, i was totally amazed. He kinda noticed and handed it to me and started teaching me how to play it. 2 months later i asked for a guitar as my 17th birthday present and that is where it all began.
I really like how you give something from you before you invite others to follow your example. I don't think I'd write this otherwise.
The very first girl I fell in love with.. someone told me she was into Iron Maiden, so i asked the metal guy in my class to make a tape for me. The first time listening to Live After Death made me almost nauseous, that wall of sound was like nothing I had ever experienced. It quickly got under my skin, and when i saw the video for Indians by Anthrax my life had taken a direction of its own. I bought a cheap guitar and started The Journey With No End: bedroom guitarist, cover bands... you know, cheap distortion pedals and hired amps.
About 10 years ago, so 14 guitars, two Marshall stacks and three 19" racks later, i was asked to play lead guitar in an Obituary tribute band, which changed my approach in playing and practicing. I really had to sit down and analyze songs, note for note which made me a lot more time-effective. Also, my singer and I had the same attitude in wanting to make that band something awesome. Giving our t-shirts to Obituary, and their awesome response to that, was a real great incentive. From there, I met a lot more bands in the metal scene, and ended up touring Europe as a guitar tech, and stage manager for a US band. Last year, we discussed how the band sounded, the singer found it hard to combine singing and playing guitar and it came up that I'd play on the next run.
Complication was that I live in Europe and there really wasn't an opportunity to get together before the tour, so I got both the albums and locked myself up for 3 months to learn these ridiculously complicated, horribly fast 80s thrash metal songs. One of the songs is even called 'Technical Arrogance'. My practice motto was "Play it like you wrote it", and that pushed me a lot to try harder and really nail the songs, get the stops right, all that stuff.
When the tour came, last november, the band and I met in Germany. We had no time to practice together, so our first rehearsal together was on stage on a festival.
For me, that tour was the finale of my musical journey. I felt proud, supported and humble. Everything that comes next is a bonus. I hope sooner rather than later.
Started when I was 18 cause I loved music and thought it was a great way to communicate and I thought people would like me more, I guess... As soon as I had the basics down, I started writing songs and basically stopped to practice new things for most of the time. Progress was super slow, but still I am happy with where I am. I guess I am more a writer than a guitar player. But I love playing, too. And singing. Don't know what I would do without it. And I just love guitars. Always got "just one more". It's the biggest part of my life and I'll never stop.
What a great story! Also, I just watched that David Gilmour video yesterday, so that's cool.
I haven't been playing guitar for that long, but here it is: Something like three years ago, my parents asked me and my brother if we wanted to learn any instruments, I chose piano and he chose guitar, but since classes were expensive, I couldn't go to any class, but he did. So he would come home and teach me whatever he had learnt. After a while he stopped playing and I went to classes, but she wasn't a good teacher. I was not having fun at all, and knew no music theory, chords, or ear training, besides, it was classical music, which I did not really like...
I stoped playing guitar too, but for some reason decided to ask my parents for an electric guitar a few months ago, they agreed. I have learnt a lot only through RUclips videos, and feel like I can finally understand music a bit more. Music is finally fun. I'm also waiting for the virus to go away, so I can go to classes with a good teacher.
Keep looking for opportunities to open up - just like Mike, sometimes things happen that allow to excel in your passion - stick with it!
My Mom was playing classical guitar not very often. 3 Years ago I was listening to ACDC-Live in my dads car. Hells Bells was totaly fascinating to me and I learned the Songs by ear on my mums old nylon. I took piano lessons so it was easier to me. One of my inspirations were Malcolm Young Jimmy Page Randy Rhoads.
I came late to this party, obviously. ;)
I grew up in a very musical family. Mom played piano every day for her peace and sanity (6 kids) and as a preschooler I would fall asleep listening under the piano bench. Dad would play his acoustic guitar at the bottom of the stairs every night as a lullaby. Entertainment on road trips meant singing harmony to old show tunes, folk and cowboy songs.
My 4th grade teacher, Mr. Brendell, was a nerd and a Vietnam veteran who was passionate about learning and music (our poor public school in Burbank, CA was lucky to have him) He had a record player and shelves of albums in the classroom with which he taught us music history and appreciation, all the way from tribal music to Rachmaninov, Etta James, Glenn Miller, the Everly Brothers, the Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, BeeGees and Michael Jackson. It was an amazing education.
After my mom passed, I married, my Dad's guitar was given to my brother and my Mom's piano was promised to another family member, I felt a little lost. I'm 43 and my cute, tone-deaf husband and I are starting a family with foster kids. I had no idea how to raise kids without music in our home. A friend of ours bought me an acoustic guitar for my birthday this year. I'm only self- and RUclips-taught so far, but my brother and I are practicing "Streets of Laredo" for my dad, who is passing soon. When my dad told me I couldn't have Mom's piano, I asked for his record player and vinyl collection, which he agreed to, so I am content.
As our family grows and changes, so will our music. I anticipate my next guitar will be a bass or jazz guitar so I can jam with my kids while they rock out and I embarrass them in front of their crushes.
I am 15. I started playing 2 years ago. I was self-taught on guitar for about a year and a half. Before finding the guitar I played clarinet for school band for 4 years, about a year of that I played at the same time as the guitar. I don't play clarinet for school band anymore. I started listening to a lot of Green Day and RHCP and wanted to play their stuff. I borrowed my older brother's guitar and amp and started out. Again I was self-taught for a year and a half. I didn't really know what I was doing during that year and a half. I was mostly just learning songs rather than skills and theory. Then I convinced my parents to let me have lessons. And my playing has improved so much, so fast! I play every day and am trying to work my skills and get a better understanding of theory. I'm really not all that great but I'm working every day to improve. I'm trying to regiment my practice and find some exercises right now. I really hope to be able to teach when I graduate high school!
I'm actually new again to guitar. My father was a guitarist who was a fantastic player & gave me & my sister a guitar when we were just teenagers & started teaching us to play though I was already playing the flute & has been for years. I picked up the guitar very easily but just didn't have enough time to play the flute, learn the guitar, keep up w/my studies, athletics & any other hobbies so, I sort of gave up the guitar until after I learned to play the drums. After I learned to read drum music & became proficient enough playing the drums to play with a band & perform in public I did that for awhile & decided it's about time I picked up the guitar again. So, I purchased a new beginner acoustic guitar I started trying to learn how to play scales, chords & a few songs on my father had taught years ago. Then, I bought a new Taylor electrified, acoustic guitar, a new electrified, acoustic PRS guitar & a new amp, as well. I'm just beginning to look for an instructor to teach me & to help me decide what type of guitar (acoustic or electric) I should invest the bulk of my time, energy & money into learning to master playing. That's why I've subscribed to your videos & going to visit your website to see what else you have to offer there.
You truly are a phenomenal teacher & inspire me thus far to pursue guitar more intensely than I ever have. So, though I consider myself a beginner, I cannot wait to learn from you. I have a feeling I'll advance as rapidly as I'm possibly able to.
My story has just begun a couple of years ago. One day I just picked up my friends guitar, and after some days just fell in love with the instrument. I hope to get somewhere with my love
I remember my older brother came home from my grandpas house from staying there for a weekend, and he walked in with this beautiful red Jackson electric guitar and that's when I started, been playing on and off until I turned 17 and took it seriously with a buddy of mine, and here I am at 23, trying my best
I am doing guitar as a way to improve hand strength and to finally free the guitar from my closet. I found you while looking online for a teacher. I found your lesson that began with Eddie Ate Dynamite Good Bye eddie. It is part of my day now. Thank you for being online!
Here's my story:
I started in about 2019 when my parents made me take guitar lessons to give me something to do on the side, I got a cheap strat for christmas and a little vox practice amp. At that time, I really didn't like playing my instrument, it felt like homework to my young self, so I never made much progress in those years. Fast forward to the start of high school, my dad showed me one of his favorite AC/DC songs, Jailbreak, I heard it and immediately loved it, that was my introduction to rock music. I then took it to myself to learn the rhythm to that song, all of a sudden I just had a spark of passion, I went from struggling with open chords to playing solos in a year, I kept expanding and expanding my music taste until my buddies and I decided to start a band after learning my friend had a great singing voice. We started out as a bunch of beginners with me as the most experienced musician in the band. Fast forward to today. We're a lot better and have started playing classic rock gigs, I now play bass and drums along with guitar and even compose my own music at 16 years old! My first single has its own story in itself. In English class, for our final project, we had to do something creative involving one of the books we read. I decided to write a song about Macbeth, after a lot of work and collaboration, I submitted it and my teacher loved it so much that she suggested I put it on Spotify. So I did, and now I'm an indie musician with hopes of growing and getting to make music professionally! Thanks so much to whoever read my story, and by the way, check out "Out Damned Spot" by Benny Millman on Spotify!
One of my best friends passed in the trade Center on 911 he played guitar and I was had always wanted to learn so in his honor I taught myself how and it has become a refuge and a challenge and one of the things I enjoy after my kids and my wife it’s become almost to complete obsession second to my career of being a chef I want to get better and I appreciate what you’re doing on the channel thank you
began with bass back in 2014 because I heard a solo from that. so I began learning it. Had a lot of experience and after a long way practicing, I decided to experiment to guitar. From then I had too much fun enjoying playing them.
I've always had an interest. At at 57 I finally bought my first guitar. My biggest motivation was singing love songs to my wife. Spent six months researching guitars and you tube lessons. I was spending at least an hour a day practicing lessons I had found. I picked "Horse With no Name", as a song to learn first. It took me about a week to get where I was getting fairly decent. I kept adding chords and songs as I improved. A year and a half now I'm starting to play bar chords. My next goal is to become proficient riffs and lead. The first thing I do in the morning is pic up my guitar and play a song for my wife, same thing at night when I go to bed. It's been an incredible journey and I just love it. Wished I had started years earlier.
Grew up poor. Fell in love with metal as a kid. Went to college. Graduated. Got a job. Finally bought myself a guitar and an amp. Started learning by myself. I know some chords and just enough to play along with some stoner doom songs. Still learning. Still loving it.
When I was 10, I got this “toy” guitar from my grandparents and I’m starting to like it. As soon as I was interested in guitar, my parents wanted me to do lessons. That was when I got a real guitar and took lessons at this music store. I wanted to learn the clean Enter Sandman riff; however, my teacher thought it was best for me to learn hot cross buns and Mary had a little lamb while reading sheet music. My motivation to learn guitar dwindled. It was more a chore than a fun thing to do. I decided to quit. For a few years, I’ve been on and off guitar, thinking that this is the time that I stick to it but I end up quitting. When I was 14, something clicked in my head and I wanted to start playing guitar. This time, it stuck. I’ve been using RUclips to learn guitar. A year later, I decided to take guitar lessons from guitar center. This time, lessons were fun because instead of learning how to read music and play simple songs, I was learning Master of Puppets and how to improvise solos. I love guitar!!!
What is it with these ridiculously outdated guitar teachers that don't give a damn about their student's interests?
My story is that I started in middle school in May of 2017. I loved music to death back then and still do. I would listen to isolated guitar tracks of my favorite songs and just wonder how the hell they even pulled that off. Had a lot going on at home as well, so guitar was my escape. One day my mom and I went to Guitar Center. There was a crappy 24 fret Ibanez Gio on the wall for $60. Convinced my mom to buy it and it was my starter guitar, still got it too. Went home, plugged in my friend’s crappy amp and tried to play Em. He said “uhh, dude. It’s not supposed to sound like that.” I got better and better at it and was able to acquire my dream guitars over the years. Now it’s my life, and nothing makes me more frustrated, happy and rewarded. If I’m not playing, I have music playing. It’s my life, what I’m destined to do.
You’re very lucky. Having a passion from a young age and knowing you want to pursue it. Your experiences obviously have matured you as a musician. I never had that. I did have the privilege of listening to very diverse types of music and started to play a couple of eastern instruments like a lute and a snare drum but when it came to guitar I knew there was something I loved in it but wasn’t sure what I would play. My best friend was heavily in to guitar and he even moved from London to Boston to study guitar at Berklee. He had a bunch of guitars and introduced me to metal and also Latin guitar. Rhythm guitar didn’t really appeal to me and I loved lead guitar but didn’t want to just learn little short solos. I wanted to play an entire song and have it be expressive. That’s when I discovered a passion for blues and finally after more than half a life time of observing from the side lines I have finally picked up a guitar and starting to learn. It’s been 6 weeks and I literally can’t put it down!
My father played guitar, so there was always a guitar laying around the house usually a 50's Kay acoustic/electric or his 1965 Silvertone Bobcat. At the age (10) I got a Beatle song Book. By the end of summer I was able to play about 90% of the songs. The other 10% somehow didn't sound correct. Later I found out that some of those chords were for Piano. I was really a 3 chord wonder. My first electric guitar was a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Custom, which I had strung with 9's super slinky strings. I took lessons for about 3 months. After graduating from the University and got married. Playing the guitar wasn't a priority and it stayed in the guitar case under the bed for years. My wife's cousins formed a band and I was invited in. I then realized how much I didn't know or just forgot. About 5 years ago, I decided that I would actually start to learn music theory (a game changer).I force myself to learn different styles. I now have 11 electric guitars (4) Gibson's (3) Fender's (1) Gretsch (1) Kay Howling Wolf 1950' bass guitar, my dads. (1) Fender Jazz bass and (1) Ibanez bass. A Martin DSS17, Taylor 214 and Ibanez 240 AW acoustic. I realized that I will never master this amazing instrument. I play a different guitar every morning for about 2 hours while having my coffee in bed.
Pretty simple.
Saw James.
Fell in love.
Tbh I just woke up out of my bed and felt like I wanted a guitar, so I got the guitar from ebay and I started playing it and I love it.
Cousin Jeff changed your destiny forever with metallica. I have a similar story. I'm glad that there is a channel where music can reach out and touch people and that you are the guide for them/us.
This is not a story of how I started, but I remember lending my guitar to a friend on a talent show because his jack was not screwed well. During his presentation I fixed it with a metal ruler that I used as a screwdriver.
Henrique Montalvão why do most guitars have this issue??? It’s just a damn nut!
@@blimeylimey13 vibrations loosen nuts
guitars are just about he most vibration you can get
for some people music got them into guitar but for me guitar got me into music. when i started playing i discovered the tones i liked out of my guitar and started to realize there where entire genres revolving around that tone. when i first started playing i mainly only listened to nirvana and more of the mainstream bands but as i started investigating i came across bands that have kind of shaped who i am as a guitar player. as i progress i realize how intricate some of these guitar parts from musicians like randy rhoads, van halen, and dimebag darrell really are and it creates both an appreciation for them as a musician and the guitar as an instrument.
I used to be a creative kid, painted a lot of scale models and toy cars. when i was around 8 years old I saw a guitar in a movie and asked for a one for christmas. I recieved an acoustic guitar and let it catch dust for 6 years. In my puberty years i wanted to "get girls" and took guitar lessons and kept playing for 2 years. I discovered the magic of alcohol and video games and let it consume most of my time and made me forget about guitars entirely for 10 (very sad) years. I finally picked back up on my creativity and started woodworking which got me into a massive rabbithole on youtube, which inevitably recommended me a video of someone "building a guitar". I got hooked and built a "guitar" myself. I got reminded of the times when i was actively plaing. I convinced a friend to sing and found a band. We made music for a few years until we went separate ways.
Thanks to all the good content on youtube, I decided to pick my guitar back up and practice again. I'm having a hard time anwering the question "how long do you play guitar for?"
When I first heard Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon I was hooked on rock music. I must've been 15 years old at the time. I grew up listening to classic rock hits on my parents record player, but I just listened to what they put on. That year a friend from the neighborhood started playing guitar and I saw him play and I wanted to try. Alas his guitar was left-handed. Since I had been playing the trumpet in the school band since I was 12 I figured I could do it. So my dad took me to a pawn shop on my 16th birthday and we got an acoustic guitar. I played for several years, but eventually got disheartened by my struggle to play some songs as I lost my fretting hand pinky finger in an accident when I was 8. I've always had a guitar around even when I didn't play. During the coronavirus quarantine my computer broke, so I picked up my guitar and and started playing with some jamming tracks on RUclips. I was "shredding" out solos and lead parts with blues rock backing tracks. It was too much fun. I recently started a garage band with some guys from Craigslist and I started to learn the bass to fill in for our bassist, because he wants to play guitar on some songs. It's my first band, but it's awesome. A little late to the game but it's no biggie.
Music has always been a part of my life. I would mainly always listen to Queen when I was a kid, and Dr. Brian May was my first inspiration to start guitar. I signed up for guitar class in 7th and 8th grade, and only got it in 8th grade, only to be switched out after a week and a half. That really zapped my inspiration, until Kirk Hammett did his Guitar Center interview, and the story behind the bridge riff in Creeping Death rekindled my interest in the guitar. I eventually burned out again and it took until I ran across Band-Maid a couple years later, and was in awe at Kanami Tono's style and technique to get inspiration again, and I just haven't dug my guitar back out.
Wanted to play since I was a kid but they didn't have lefty cheap. Tried right handed never felt right. Lived life now at 50 I walk into guitar center there's a 100 squire put it on and fell in love instantly. 5 months later waiting on a Jem Jr. I practice every day I'm all over the place with my learning. But just hitting a note right. Or doing the exercises. And finding out that what I did today for practice won't show up for a day or 2 later is cool to me. I know if I practice today 1 day soon I will be able to play. Not trying to plug another channel here but a thing that's helped me a lot is elevated jam tracks they almost make me think I can play. Now I find your channel and I got some binge learning to do haha Thank you sir!
I've always been into rock/metal from an early age. When I was in kindergarten my older sister showed me Linkin Park. From then I got into hard rock/ nu metal.
My taste in music would further advance in 6th grade when I got into SOAD and Breaking Benjamin.
My taste would further evolve into something I could of never imagined. I discovered Dream Theater and Metallica, Pantera. But Dream theater was the main reason I wanted to play an instrument. So for Christmas I got a tiny drum set for 5 year olds. After a weeks of trying to play it. I stopped and decided to pick up guitar.
My younger brother had a cheap acoustic guitar with a few strings missing. But that's what I started on, then I got a fender squir. I got a cheap practice amp from a pawnshop. After a few months of having the guitar without one.
Now on to my freshman year of high school. I started selling homemade breakfast burritos to my friends. It was hard work but it paid off . I saved up 750$ and bought a 400$ Ibanez s series.
Now I'm still in high school but its been awhile since I bought my Ibanez. Now with covid I'm practicing so much more. And I can tell that my guitar journey is just beginning.