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Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2013 7:56:45 GMT -5
I was often asked by people I met in the industry, Why did you take up playing guitar? The answer is simple, I wanted to! ;D
Seriously though, I started playing a ukelele, because it was cheap and available in a small town. I didn't stay with it very long, and soon I was wanting to graduate to a real guitar. I had learned chord names and generally how to strum from the uke, so when I saw the Harmony guitar in the Sears catalog, I knew I had to save my money and get it.
After I bought the guitar, it was funny how many people I knew played guitar. I was like a sponge, soaking up anything I could from them. I had a cousin who played great fingerstyle and another relative who was great at flatpicking. Of course listening to the old victola and a few 78 records my family had (mostly Jimmie Rodgers and some old stomps and rags), and playing along, learning the chord structures. I didn't consider myself a vocalist, so I concentrated on being a fair guitar picker.
My brothers were dedicated horn players. I had played a little cornet in the school orchestra, but it didn't hold my interest. But the GUITAR was my instrument. I have played bass, mandolin, banjo, fiddle and a little piano/keyboard, but I will always love the guitar.
HOW ABOUT YOU?
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Post by razzgospel on Feb 12, 2013 11:17:19 GMT -5
Fascinating stories. Mine is very similar. I've always loved music. When I was a kid in the forties, I'd spend ten cents of my quartet allowance to buy the new issue of the Hit Parader magazine each week, because they had the lyrics to the top twenty songs. I wrote a song, Back When I Was Young with the line, "And I knew the words to every song, known to the human tongue." It was only a slight exageration. As a kid, I fooled arround with a sweet potato, and harmonica. My first stringed instrument was a ukelele. You've never heard the theme from High Noon unless you heard me do it on ukelele when I was nine or ten years old. From there, I "graduated" to a mandolin I bought in a pawn shop when I was thirteen or fourteen. I had no idea how to play it, but I approached it like I have, learning all instruments.."I wonder what happens if you do this?"
When I was sixteen, I bought my first guitar... a Stella, with the action on the strings so high that it doubled as a cheese slicer. It was painted light gray with darker stripes in a pattern identical to long underwear. It was not a chick magnet. I stripped the paint off, and put in "mother of pearl" inlays cut out of a plastic placemat. It didn't do anything for the action, but I got more money for it when I sold it than when I first bought it. From there, I went to a Fender, back in the early sixties.
My dream in highschool was to be a jazz guitarist. I knew I'd never make it with my Stella. My idol was Tal Farlow, who I would finally have a chance to hear in the eighties at the Blue Note in New York City, shortly before he stopped performing.
I took up guitar because it was a natural progression. I've always been a singer, first. I couldn't accompany myself on a sweet potato or harmonica, and a mandolin doesn't have the sustain or strong chord foundation for solo accompaniment. The ukelele was a step in the right direction, but when I first got interested in folk music, a guitar was the natural choice. Years later, I added a banjo I bought in a pawn shop in New York City. I use it almost exclusively for accompaniment, although I can finger pick tunes, just fine.
I don't do instrumentals. They make me nervous.
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Post by dadfad on Feb 14, 2013 15:55:31 GMT -5
Razz said "...You've never heard the theme from High Noon unless you heard me do it on ukelele when I was nine or ten years old."
LOL!!! (I'll bet Arthur Godfrey wouldn't even have tried it!)
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Post by razzgospel on Feb 14, 2013 16:05:34 GMT -5
Somewhat on message: Back in the early sixties, I used to drop in to the Fat Black Pussycat cafe on McDougald Street in Greenwich Village and sing for my supper. If you did one set, you could get a burger, fries and a drink. If you did two sets, you could get a whole meal. You never knew who was going to be singing there, but nobdy I knew had any money, so it was a quick way to get a meal. One night when I stopped by to do a set, the other two musicians who did the burger and fries sets were Tiny Tim (the Ukelele connection,) and Richie Havens, who did the old English ballad, the House Carpenter, on bongo drums.
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Post by Admin on Feb 14, 2013 16:31:08 GMT -5
I'd played lots of gigs. Big gigs, small gigs,bad gigs, good gigs. But this one was special. To me it was somehow almost... (hard to explain) the completion of some kind of circle I guess. From that little kid watching Chuck play "Johnny B. Goode" to eventually playing that tune with Johnny himself. Love this story John. I completely understand that feeling. I was sitting around the old RCA studios in Nashville back in 55, jamming a little on "Under the Double Eagle". My mentor came out of the studio and gave me a little help. www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=9856693&q=hi
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Post by slapjaw on Feb 15, 2013 16:00:43 GMT -5
I stared out playing the drums at about 5yrs. As I hd gotten a little older my neighbor had a band and I used to watch and learned a lot form them. I played drums all through High School until Disco started to come around. At 20 or so my neighbor who was then touring with some bands had talked me into playing guitar while he was jamming on piano. I would hang out in Philly with him while he was in the studio. Man did I learn a lot. Took a break form playing not as much until about 2000 and now I can't stop. Got turned on the Buddy Guy in my late 20's and always loved the blues. While everyone was listening to the electric guitar I was just in shock with the acoustic and the howling of the voice to some real words. I often wonder if I didn't stop how much better would I be, or I might not have the same love I have for it now. Playing is just plan fun and joyful............. Slapjaw.
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Post by Admin on Feb 18, 2013 9:02:16 GMT -5
but really there's no point to looking back. What we have today is what counts. quote] Now those are great words of wisdom. Trust me, as you get older, you really begin to wonder - what if...! As you say, what we have today is what counts...make the most of it!
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Post by razzgospel on Feb 18, 2013 11:10:09 GMT -5
Or, as a friend of mine says, "Is no should, is just is."
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Post by bscott on Mar 21, 2013 12:24:55 GMT -5
After a youth of being denied and an adult life denying myself, I finally accepted the fact that I Loved the guitar and started playing. That was 2 years ago - I am now 60. It is so versatile and expressive.
Brian
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Post by Admin on Mar 21, 2013 15:17:15 GMT -5
After a youth of being denied and an adult life denying myself, I finally accepted the fact that I Loved the guitar and started playing. That was 2 years ago - I am now 60. It is so versatile and expressive. Brian We're just glad you decided to play Brian! I love your posts.
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