why the guitar?

[brianwalker]

hi everyone,
ive just joined the forum, ive been teaching myself guitar for about 6months,

when i meet new guitarists i always ask what made them want to play the guitar, was it to get famous,to get chicks, or basiclly just to enjoy yourself.

and who inspired you to play be it a guitar legend on a cd or like in my case :- about 6 months ago me and my girlfriend went to visit my girlfriends auntie and uncle (jim) to have dinner and a little drink afterwards, after dinner jim got his guitar out and started to play alot of great songs some i had heard some i hadnt but they all sounded good because they were live about six feet away from me, but the best was yet to come later on in the night jim started to get a bit drunk so we had to sit him down before he fell down :) he sat on the dinning room chair with his feet up on the table with his eyes shut and started to swing on his chair as he played "Chuck Berry - Johnny be good", about half way through the song jim started to get into the song a bit to much and kicked his feet of the table to push him self backwards so as he swung backwards everyone jumped up to stop him going right over on the chair and hurting himself, but like a circus act he just balanced on two legs on the chair still with his eyes shut!!! everyone looked on in amazment as he balanced for about five seconds then just fell forward to put his feet back on the table,

now here you have guy who is to drunk to stand up playing guitar whilst balancing on two legs on a chair, but that isnt what amazed me the thing that i was amazed at was he never missed a beat he just kept belting it out unaware of his "death defying" trick, now to me that is rock n roll

so from that moment on i had to have a guitar

[Blewbyou]

I deleted the second thread

[Orphan John]

You know what? I have really no idea. I suppose i just loved the sound and the amount of feelings and emotions that a guitar could speak on my behalf. If i was angry i would pick it up and bash the hell out of it and i would become calm.

When i was younger me and my friends used to jam around a bit, but afterwards i used to go home and continue playing by myself while they went out clubbing.

It just sort of took over my life and has remained that way since. My guitar is always within reach. I often sit on the sofa noodling away with it while watching TV. I'm not an amazing guitarist by any means, but whether i am sitting alone at home playing or showing a friend how to play something or playing for a couple of friends just for fun, my guitars always make me feel relaxed, happy and chilled out.

Maybe i have some issues that a head shrink would love to get to delve into - lol

[sheepster]

My sister bought herself a cheap guitar from eBay, and I wanted one for myself as soon as I saw it. It was simple sibling rivalry. I wasn't even into popular music at the time, though I've been playing various instruments all my life. I'd recently given up with the cello, and thought "Yeah. A guitar would be awesome."

Since then, I've grown to love the guitar, and started listening to a wide variety of music. I just love the shape of the guitar. The feel. The look. The sound. Hearing music when I play it. The look on peoples faces when they hear a tune they recognize. Being able to come up with my own little noodles. Being able to play music that I like.

Why did I start playing? Because they looked cool. Why do I continue playing? Because it's now an addiction. When I'm out, or when I'm staying somewhere without a guitar, I sometimes get an odd feeling of wanting to play, and it ticks me off because I can't.

[darylb]

At 40 years old, I realized that I had heard myself say "I wish I had learned to play the guitar" too many times. I have always been drawn to the sound of the guitar no matter what the song. So, I bought myself one for Christmas last year and I am completely addicted.

[RobertM]

For me 13 years ago I watched a friend of mine who worked
for me play a les paul honeyburst straight into a marshall , he
had nothing but a drummer ....just him and a drummer...and
he played "simple man" from lynyrd skynyrd , the next week
my now wife but gf at the time bought me a 99 dollar guitar
and a small crate amp and a chord poster , learned all chords
one at a time , where to put my fingers , basically everything
self taught....wanted to throw it out from frustration many
times but just didnt....I had the desire to get better and the
better i got the more fun I have...still getting better after all
these years....I recently found a singer who looks and sounds
like Ronnie van zant (yea i got lucky) for those of you that
know who that is , and a friend of his that cant play one single
note on a bass but wants and has the desire to play...so i will
teach him every bass tune to every song i can play....I guess
by helping him and teaching someone that has that "desire" I
had, makes me feel good and motivates me. Cheers.

[angelicrock]

Its the love of music for me. Guitar wasnt my first instument. I started with violin when I was a kid. I picked up the guitar because my dad had bought one and then decided he didnt have the patience to learn. He gave me the guitar and I started to play.

[Tom T]

I hear ya, my wife bought me a guitar as a wedding present, I tried to play for a year and put it away, 14 yeasr later my next door neighbour started taking lesson so I went with him and really like his teacher so I started taking lessons. I have been taking lessons for a year and a half now and love it. I still can't play but am having fun trying (most days). I only wish I did it along time ago I am 43 now ( wow how the time passes) never taken music in my life but am starting to get it slowly. I would love to play with someone else it's kinda boreing playing alone, ho well one thing at a time :)

[ES335]

dang, im still laughing from that first post. you write comedy like o'henry did Brian. that mental image of the balancing chair is killer; thanks for sharing that one. and by the way if that wouldnt inspire you to play i dont know what would. i had a couple of brother-in-laws that played when i was a teenager and i guess they really got me started. all i can say is it is terrific therapy. i can even remember when i was younger my friends would drop by sometimes and say "play some guitar, bill. my girl just split with me" or something of equal emotional stress. i would plug in that 335 hit some blues licks and it just made things better. so, it wasnt just therapy for me it spilled over to my friends as well.

[sheepster]

all i can say is it is terrific therapy. i can even remember when i was younger my friends would drop by sometimes and say "play some guitar, bill. my girl just split with me" or something of equal emotional stress. i would plug in that 335 hit some blues licks and it just made things better. so, it wasnt just therapy for me it spilled over to my friends as well.
Wow. That's cool. Therapy by guitar. I like it.

[Yarbles]

A little sappy and over-dramatic I know, but I hadn't cried in nearly eight years, shortly after my grandfather died I saw a live video of neil young playing Heart of Gold, I balled my eyes out and went and blew my savings on a guitar the next day and have never looked back, im not really sure what the connection was, but I guess I feel its easier to be personal and get human experience across with a guitar then with words. :)

[Whiskey]

I don't know many people that can sing with as much emotion in their voice as Neil Young. Johnny Cash in Hurt, sure. But those guys are few and far, far between.

[Les Paul]

....'cause chicks dig it.

[Bounty]

No great rock gods started me off. I just simply put wanted to be like my dad. He always played and so I wanted to. The rock god thing came soon after. Jimi H. National anthem was one of the first guitar solos I can ever remember hearing. Where do you go from there. Just play catch up I guess.

[Bigsnake]

I played Trombone back in school band and I always wanted to play another instrument. I would hav eliked to learn piano but friends played guitar so I went with it. It was a good choice.

[Motorbreath]

I picked guitar because to me that's what I heard over everything else... The guitars other then the lyrics are what make the song... I couldn't listen to the drums and tell what song is being played like with a guitar so they didn't interest me, same with bass And there's a bit of the impress chicks in there to :p lol

[Dylan_SOAD]

Because of my favorite band System of a down. They make fun guitar riffs and I enjoyed them so my dad taught me guitar. =D

[Harley]

....'cause chicks dig it.
Yeah, this was probably the main reason I started.

Talk radio was getting a real start back in the late-80's and I listened mostly to those stations. Switched over to music on the weekends when I was partying. There wasn't really a "love of music" for me when I took up the hobby. I was mostly drawn to the mechanics of the instrument.

I've met my last few relationships at shows, including my doctor's wife, also a doctor, who I've been with for over 2 years now. They're now divorced. It wasn't an affair-like ordeal and everyone remains good friends today.

[Jamie]

My two favorite bands are Weezer and Muse and as both bands have awesome guitar players I wanted to start playing and hopefully one day play songs like they do, or at least play the songs.

I would like to be in a band when I get good enough all though I am a long way from being good enough, but joining the next level guitar has helped me and I am improving very quickly. Dave makes leaning how to play guitar entertaining and very enjoyabull.

If I ever do join a band getting famous and getting loads of hot girls would be a nice bonus:p

[SpaceTrucker]

I started the guitar because:
1) My bro got one and sibling rivalry (after he stopped, so did I)
2) Now, my friends play
3) I LOVE all the rock n'roll songs with guitar
4) Good stress reliever and fun to noodle around.
Now, I just like to play my favorite songs and jam with friends.

[ES335]

i really cant imagine NOT playing a guitar. it has brought me more enjoyment than anything i can think of besides family. i spent countless hours as a teenager jammin with bands and friends all over detroit. wouldnt trade that for the world. i really play for my own amusement but it is kind of fun to sneak up on someone who thinks they know you or have you figured out and then they find out you can rock. verrrry cool. a few years ago i was in this big music store in cleveland and i asked to to try out one of their gibsons (a big fat byrdland style). so these two young guys who work in there say "wow, i bet this guy is going to play some cool jazz" (because of my age no doubt). little did they know i HATE jazz. you shoulda seen the look on their faces when i plugged in and hit some stone hard rock licks. i still get a chuckle when i think of it.