I honestly can't say that there was any one thing in my life that made me want to play...it's not like other's who heard a Beatles tune or something and just had to start playing guitar. Honestly, I wanted to play guitar as far back as I can remember. I had originally started playing when I was 4 but quit after a few years and didn't pick it up again until I was 17. Now I will say that at that time (when I was 17) when I went back for lessons, I was lucky enough to get a teacher that was concerned about what -I- wanted to play as apposed to just sitting me down with those crap Sam Fox/Mel Bay books like so many teachers do. That was probably my greatest motivations...having an electric guitar and playing the kind of music that -I- liked.

As to what keeps me going now...I guess at this point in my life it's just simply a part of who I am. Over the past 27 years that I've been playing guitar I've had many "day jobs"...I've worked as a line cook, a pizza delivery guy, a machinist, retail sales, a computer tech and so on but through all of that I've ALWAYS been a guitar player and a musician (and it took me a dreadfully long time to realize that!). As my wife has often said, if I don't play for any extended period of time, I tend to get rather "cranky"...I can't really define it and probably never will but there's something inside of me that just needs to play...even if it's just a little bit every couple of days.

Now I will say that I don't really like to play when I'm sad or depressed about something...at least not usually (the recent passing of my mother was a bit different). I think I get more frustrated with my playing and that I don't really play as well when I'm in that frame of mind...with guitar at least...playing drums is actually one of my "stress coping" things...I get pissed off about something and go bang on the drums for a bit! LOL! Guitar though, I play my best when I'm happy and when I'm enjoying myself...and as such, I'm usually happy when I'm playing. I guess you could say that's part of what keeps me going too...associating playing guitar with "being happy".

I would also have to say that just listening to music often does it for me too. If I'm watching something like Clapton's Crossroads or Pink Floyd's "Pulse" for example (or anything that I really enjoy), I'm usually sitting there wailing away on air guitar or air drums and at some point I usually end up just grabbing a guitar and playing along with whatever it is I'm watching. Then of course there's the whole "band" issue as well...for example, right now I'm in a new project band that's just getting off the ground and while we're already doing a lot of tunes I already know, there's just a few tunes there that I've never played before (such as Santana's "Europa") so in that situation, I -have- to sit down to learn and practice the tunes...it goes with playing in a band.

Anyways, just my $.02 worth,
Jim

Well for me it was the Beatles and the whole British invasion which I was born into. My brother who is 7 years older and has a huge vinyl collection always has music blasting in the house and is responsible for about 80% of what I listen to. The other 20% is harder based music which I discovered on my own.

I can bounce from Bubble Gum to Shred but that is the great thing about music which is such an important part of my life. It is funny but I think most of us can relate to chapters in our lives with what we were listening to during that period.

The guitar has been a great friend and no matter the mood has always been there to give me a rush, but it was not an easy road. I wish I had found a teacher like lomitus who was very fortunate to find someone like that. I had three lessons in my life when I was 11 from a teacher that was 80 and had me playing from the infamous Mel Bay book Oh Susana and Big Rock Candy Mountain.lol That was not for me and I never had another lesson in my life. Also I ran with a very wild crowd in which no one played an instrument. So I am amazed myself at the level I reached alone.

Not till later did I finally hang out with players and one in particular really got me into the blues which is a journey everyone should take as it really shows where mostlty everything derived from.

Well now like Guitslinger I can barely play at all but I still try to do what I can and hope that I can get back to being able to playout.

I just never trust anyone who doesn't like the Beatles!

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Chuck Berry is the reason I wanted to play the guitar. I was given a few old albums by my aunt and uncles as a little kid, mostly Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys. But there was a greatest hits by Chuck Berry in there that just clicked with me. I was very young at the time, but I knew that was rock 'n' roll.

The Rolling Stones are my favorite band and I am inspired by their classic songs (every album up to and including Some Girls...the rest are rather spotty) when it comes to my song writing.

I love all kinds of music, but it's classic R&B and blues that really speak to me. Because of that I'd have to say my biggest inspirations are Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Big Joe Turner, B.B. King and the great Freddie King. Freddie King is a huge inspiration of mine for so many reasons. The power and the passion of his music and his playing is like no other.

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I was so glad to read this line you wrote. This is the very same issue I wrestle with all the time. Ironically, I play the blues a lot, too. But when I'm sad or depressed, I just can't play with shadoobie. I will try to play through it and sometime will lift myself out of the funk I'm in, but not always. Glad to know I'm not alone on this.

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My uncle, but just as a past time.

Daron malakian: As a hobby

Kurt Cobain: As passion

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riley

I think I get your points, I just have a slightly different angle on it. I do feel I play better when I'm happy, as you guys have said, but at the same time, I can pick up a guitar during the low points and it will usually pull me out of the hole. So, I guess it's a double deal for me, I associate playing guitar with "being happy" and with "becoming happy". Make sense?

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Strat+Tweed=Tone

"People among us who sing with their hands." That's a very elegant turn of a phrase. I would definitely say that Gilmour falls into that category as well.

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I really like all them "Aster" guitars. You know, like the Stratoc, Telec and Jazzm.

Absolutely, and there are so many more. Eric Johnson and (insert gasp here) Steve Vai come to mind, too, since that's the playlist I've got going on the laptop right now.

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Strat+Tweed=Tone

I'll be honest the only reason I started playing was to get laid. I was a spotty, greasy, hormonal teenager with serious angst. I couldn't get a girlfriend to save my life so thought "hey rock stars get chicks all the time so what the heck". And you know what - IT WORKED!!

Waaaaaaaaaaaay back in the 1960's... four guys from Liverpool, UK...

Might have been that opening riff to "Day Tripper"... yeah, that was it.

So here I am... 56 years old and finally I have a guitar.

What got me interested in playing was watching my uncle and his band practice at home in the late 50s.
What "inspired" me was Duane Allman's playing.

Women

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you can save the world with your guitar one love song at a time it's just better, more fun, easier with a fender solid body electric guitar or electric bass guitar.

It makes me feel good.

At lunch there was a bunch of old farts (I can say that as I am one) playing Black Magic Woman, among other things, in the atrium. One long-haired younger dude on a LP playing rhythm, and an older guy playing lead on his ES 335. Tenor sax, drummer, bass and piano. Plus one elderly gentleman sitting with them, but not playing who looked EXACTLY like BB King. Anyway these guys were kickin a@@ and having fun in their 50s and 60s. And as slick as goose sh$$. That got me re-energized.

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2015 Epiphone Casino Goldtop
2011 Taylor 814ce
2009 EC Custom Shop Merc Blue
2008 Schecter ATX
1964 Epi Granada E444T
Fender Super Champ XD

+1

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riley