What Made You Take Up Guitar?

Let us know what made you take up playing guitar. It could be to pick up a girl or anything else. (Some people do take up guitar to pick up sheila’s you know. )

For me, it was just hearing the sound of an ‘electric’ guitar live at a dance way back around 1960. I just fell in love with the ’sound’ it made. I was too young to be able to go into the hall where the dance was, but I just hid under a window and listened.

After that, I went around town on my bike to where all the bands were playing at the weekends to listen from outside. Did that for a few months before insisting  my parents allow me to learn guitar. I was about 11 or 12 years of age.

I remember one night going to a hall and a Copper (Policeman) discovered me around the back. He asked what I was doing and I told him. So he took me around the front and asked the doormen if they would let me in to see the band, instead of just hear them from outside. That was a huge trill for me and I couldn’t wait to tell my parents.  It was the first time I had seen a ‘live’ band playing electric guitars. That band was called ‘The Minors’. They were an instrumental band that played the music of the Shadows. (Hank Marvin & Co.) Roger Brassell was the lead guitarist of the Minors.

Back then, it was common for bands to play lots of instrumentals. And you know what, those Shadows tunes are still very good to learn to play. Just make sure you learn their songs by ear. No cheating otherwise you defeat the purpose.

The Ventures and Surfaris instrumentals are also very good to learn. Think Pipeline (the Chantays), Wipeout, Ghost Riders in the Sky etc. You could also check out Duane Eddy, too. And when you start getting it, you could then tackle Guitar Boogie Shuffle by Arthur Smith. (That was a tough one to learn. for a 12-13 year old I can tell you.) You can search www.YouTube.com for these artists and their records. Surprising what you find on YouTube.

Because these were instrumentals that featured guitar, it was easy to hear the guitar parts really well. I may set up a separate section discussing these instrumentals and to give some tips on how to learn them.

Here’s an example… Check out those Fender Amps. And the dress of the band. (This is a simple blues progression song using the I, IV and V chords – you work out the key.) And guess what, in my fist band we used to dress just the same and do the ‘dance’ steps on stage, too. Oh dear. And I reckon Keith Moon (The Who) watched this too. Watch the drummer and you may see what I mean.

Leave a comment below to tell us below what made you start playing guitar!