When did you start playing the guitar? (how old were you)

[oRg]

hmm...I technically started when I was in the 4th grade, or about 9 years old. I didn't start taking guitar serious until I was 14 and from then on I have been serious about it. Though I had to gradually get better. I've never took lessons so everything I've learned I've taught myself through books, online-discussions, and watching hundreds of hours of videos, clinics, etc etc. Not to metnion listening to the right kind of music helps as well. In my mid teens I just wanted to play the fast heavy chugga-chugga palm muted riffs. I didn't get into lead playing until I was about 17 years old. From then on I did searches through the web and such and started to "network" with people in the local scene and I slowly found out about guitarits like Yngwie, Vai, Satriani, etc etc. I'm 21 right now.

My family has a very musical lineage so to say. My father is a guitarist (mainly plays music from the 70's such as Santana, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Three Dog Night, etc etc), his father was a guitarist (he mainly played classical guitar, flamenco guitar, and also country-western guitar). Somewhere down the line I have an ancestor who was a very famous flute player in Ireland. My mother is a pianist (mainly plays classical music for church, as well as more popular christian music), her dad was a pianist (he played alot of modern classical, and jazz), and his dad was a violinist from France who played for the Catholic church. There's many other family members who play music as well. One of my cousins plays lead guitar for a black metal band somewhere over in Wisconsin or Minnesota.

Right now I'm not making money from my playing though at certain points in time I have (playing at a family members birthday party or something), and also I have done many shows in the past. Right now I do shows for local bars for free, but there's a catch, I get to play the music I write. Though one of the local bar owners gives us free beer for playing...lol.

[FamouSomeday]

I started at about 15 years old which was only about 5 years ago. I've never been trained or took lessons but have done a LOT of research and practicing. I only really got serious about playing around 1 1/2 years ago. Since then have REALLY taken off and learned piano, bagpipes (yes bagpipes), and some guitar as well as getting very proficient at bass guitar - my instrument of choice.

I find that it was really good to learn the other instruments because not only was I able to use them in songwriting but was also able to apply what I learned to my bass playing.

As always ROCK ON!

[tucker97325]

I grew up in a musical household. Mom played piano everyday, and during the holidays everyone would come to our house, which would mean everyone was either singing or playing an instrument. Mom had been a singer during the big band era, but had lost her voice in an accident, where her vocals chords had been severed. Bummer. Mom taught me to play pieces on piano from a very early age, although she never taught me to read music.

My older brothers play in various bands in high school. One brother actually cut a few records. (Interesting tidbit for you older guys, the keyboardist on my brother's records was Ray Manzerick, and his brother Rick played lead guitar.) Anyway, a lot of the family is still into music, so I guess coming from a musical background might increase the chances that you will continue in a musical vein. Which might explain why so many great musicians claim to come from such backgrounds. However, that being said, I am not a great musician. I have the musical family background, but not the training. This was my choice. I wasn't interested in learning anything I just wanted to play.

So, is having a musical family background important? I don't know maybe. I do know it takes a lot more than that to become a great musician. It takes training and a lot of practice.

[Mateo150]

4 yrs ago....

Musical upbringing has a lot of influence I believe. Lots of players who did it on their own, but those with an artistic upbringing (doesn't have to be music) have a better feel for the craft. Most people with "perfect pitch"/good ear also had a musical upbringing (ex. - parents played classical music for them as a child and so on). Of course theres where you grow up as well, for some reason I don't hear about great musicians being born and raised in big cities, most of the time it seems they come from a rural atmosphere more acclimated to a hoedown.

[Necromortis]

I was ten when I got my first guitar. Before that, I'd been begging my parents for a year to get it for me. They got me an acoustic guitar on my tenth birthday (and I had to hunt for it let me tell you...treasure hunts!).

Anyway, that was four years ago (well, four years ago exactly on July 10th). The first year wasn't to dedicated, but since then, I've grown to like more challenging music, etc. and I've been seriously playing for about 2 and a half years.

I suppose I was lucky that I knew what music I liked when I was ten. I started listening to Metallica when I was nine, and they were my favorite band all the way through until I was twelve...Ah, good times.

I don't actually think musical upbringing has all that much to do with it...actually, I think that you are more likely to play a musical instrument with a musical upbringing, but once you start, it doesn't really matter in my opinion.

Both my sister and I play the piano and I play the guitar, but my parents don't play a single instrument, and don't listen to that much music either...I suppose it was really chance that started us on the instrument path.

And after that, well, dedication pays off/

[tinsmith]

I was somewhere around sixteen, then stopped around eighteen when I moved & my guitar broke. I took a 26 or 27 year break, then got back into when I was showing my son some shtuff. I guess I started up again about 7 or 8 years ago.

[Edzworld]

Hi all, 1st post I got my 1st guitar when I was 3 started on a few chords @ 4ish and havent looked back since......im now 30.....

My dad is a country guitar player so was constantly around the guitar from birth......its the only instrument I was not given lessons on and is one of the only ones I stuck too.....

My 4 month old son has 2 guitars and a drum and is surrounded by my guitars and playing all the time, I dont think this will make him into a player it may push him so far the other way maybe into sports or whatever and never want to see a guitar.....

good topic

[gersdal]

Hi all, 1st post

Hi Edzworld, and welcome to the IBM. Keep on playing and contributing to this society.

[Death (Chuck)]

I was 18 years old when i started playing guitar. I was really impressed by megadeth stuff and wanted to play that immediality. Well it took a little longer . I practiced 3 years really hard on my own. Then my left hand and arm got injuired ( Sehnenscheidenentzündung die dritte... ) sry but cant translate that. I started playing again 6 weeks ago. But still i havent my strength and speed back. But the feeling returns slowly....

[Ragman]

Welcome to IBreathe...,

13,14 or so, a friend of mine had gotten a guitar a year or so before me, and i was fasinated, id go over his house and play it all the time and write (horrible) songs, so i said hey, ill get one too. and to this day im still self-taught, yeti guess you could say i take some lessons on ibreathe once and awhile.

[tara_bara]

started mucking around on guitar early last year....but started violin when i was five so i think that has helped.

dont know if a musical family helps...my family is ENTIRELY tone deaf...my mum got told that she shouldnt play the recorder in primary school....the RECORDER!! every kid plays the recorder in primary school!! so im not convinced that its in your genes....
but my family have always been very supportive...they would drive for 45 mins to get me to a half hour violin lesson when i was five...they did whatever they needed to do (and i am sure they are still wrapped around my little finger to some extent!! - i lurve my mummy!!)

yeah...i dont think its in your genes or anything...just if you have had the opportunity.....

ps gd thread!

[eastwood]

Reckon I was 17 although I goofed around on guitars from when I was 12. Parents would never buy me one.

Funny though, Like Eric, the first rock album I ever heard was 'The Wall' by Pink Floyd

Pestered my folks a little and eventualy my Dad put half towards a Squire Strat

Played a lot until I was 27 ish than like an idiot marrien the wrong woman who didn't like me playing.

Then towards the end of the marriage I started playing again (guess that was 3 years ago now)

Free to do as I please now and my girlfriend loves guitars and bands as much as I do

So that worked out well, just regreted the times when I didn't play

Daz

[BigBagBill]

I was 17 when i started, going on 21 now, I had always wanted one but my parents never got me one. My family is not really musical, cept for my uncle that played drums but I didn't find that out untill after I had gotten into the school band..playing the drums..My grandma bought me a guitar for christmas...My friend was getting into it but he was a couple months ahead of me So he knew what was up with it as i was learning what was up with it, always said that i sucked so..i got better lol..he was a real *******, nowadays i blow him away but he kinda makes my jaw drop too. I wanna do a face melting solo infront of thousands of fans too .

[pennywise]

I picked up the guitar at 15 or so - I am not from a musical family (my sister played recorder in school for a week but I dont think that counts) - I was given a plywood telecaster copy. Not very cool in the late '80s. Spent about 6 months learning songs, but when I wasn't going to sound like Via, Malmsteen or Rhodes any time soon I gave it up as a bad job. Started playing again about 4-5 years ago (now 28 years old), purchased a nice new guitar (Ibanez) and decided to learn again. After three months was not going to be Zakk, Van Halen, Rhodes overnight so gave it up again.

Last year got the bug again, bought a new guitar (now a Les Paul) decided to learn the damn thing this time rather than trying to play songs that where way beyond my ability (for now)!

Oh what joy, been playing ever since, not resticted by the great ability of others but inspired by it. Wish I had thought about LEARNING to play guitar when I was 15...

[Ghost]

I started when I was 12, many moons ago. I practiced/played until I was 14. I lost interest after my best friend at the time moved.

I tryed guitar again between 18-19 years old. Had a lot going on in my life then.

I'm now 26 and about through my first year that I kept going without losing interest.


Nick