What was your pivotal moment? When you decided for sure it would be guitar?

[6L6]

Watched the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, February 9, 1964. Saw all the girls screaming. Started playing guitar the next day (like several million others, I'm sure!).

[lkingston]

For me it was more recent. I was primarily a keyboard player up until about eight or nine years ago. I had always played a little guitar: I knew my chords and my scales and could work things out for tracking songs I was recording, but my major instrument was keyboard.

After I came off the road, I did live sound PA for a living though.

Anyway, over the years I acquired quite a bit of hearing loss. My left ear is totally gone, and so are the high frequencies in my right ear. Much of what we hear as bass is picked up and processed by both ears, so I really just hear mid frequencies clearly.

The result of this is that acoustic guitar fits perfectly into that mid range of frequencies that I hear. Guitar had always sounded nice to me, but with my new midrange only hearing, acoustic guitar is pretty much the only thing that still sounds good…and it sounds incredible! It is difficult to explain how good acoustic guitar sounds to me now. I really don’t want to listen to much else. Vocals over the guitar, but that is about it.

So I switched to guitar. Kind of like someone who stops speaking one language and exclusively communicates in another.

I’ve noticed in interviews that Tommy Emmanuel has significant hearing loss, but he says that he hears everything about the guitar absolutely clearly. I completely get this!

[tbeltrans]

It had to be the Spandex...



Just kidding!!

Like many my age, I suppose the Beatles on Ed Sullivan caught my interest initially. However, my parents wouldn't let me near a guitar. They made me play violin in the 5th grade school orchestra without benefit of lessons, and later trumpet in the high school marching band (again, without benefit of lessons).

Those two experiences taught me a lot more than I realized at the time. Music is a HEARING art, so the ear should have priority over anything else (i.e. TAB, standard notation, or whatever), and playing the violin really helped me to hear, as did the trumpet. I also learned quickly how to teach myself how to at least get along on those instruments well enough to participate.

My real awakening with the guitar happened while I was in the Army. The first year, I was stationed stateside and there were always those around who played some guitar. Most played simple chords and sang the popular folk songs of the time. I have never had even a small interest in singing, so...

There was one guy, from Hawaii, who played "Yesterday" as a fingerstyle instrumental. I can still see and hear that single event. I was hooked. Unfortunately, he wasn't interested in teaching me how to do that and it took quite some time to figure out all that I needed to learn to be in a position to do that. But I eventually did.

Fortunately, that approach to playing guitar is an endless journey of exploration and learning, so I will never outgrow it or get bored.

Tony

[gerhardp]

I was 22 and drinking way to much.
To keep me busy, I decided in an enlightened moment, I needed a hobby.
Since music was the only thing I really cared for (besides the booze) I decided to learn an instrument. The piano would have been first choice, but there was none available.
A friend borrowed me his guitar to try and practise. Guitars are easy to carry around, so I stuck to it. And it kept me busy many times against my other weakness. Not always.
I still prefer the sound of a piano but, hey man...

It has happened more than once, that people told me that I sound like a piano player. The best compliment for me!

[joe white]

Well, from this photo of me and my Dad, I'd say that's the moment I made the decision. LOL2022-09-14 12.35.37.jpg

[H165]

This right here. THIS is the tune that did it. The guitar playing here was my instant life goal. I think this is a D-28S, a 00-28G, and who knows what else:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBBhxXKlG30

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by joe white

Well, from this photo of me and my Dad, I'd say that's the moment I made the decision. LOLAttachment 80828

Do you happen to still have your dad's old 125? What a cool guitar, and a great picture.

[rllink]

I don't have a real defining moment. I suppose it would be around 1970 when I was in the Navy and three or four guys would play the guitar on the fan tail of the ship and sing anti war protest songs. So I bought a guitar, one of them taught me some chords and I became an anti war protester for a while. But it wasn't a passion and I didn't keep up with it. I think this is the twentieth time I've related this story here.

Probably the second was ten years ago our neighbors started having bonfires on Sunday evenings and we would all get together and sing old anti war protest songs and drink beer around the fire. I bought a ukulele to play along for accompaniment and that led me back to guitar.

I don't think that there was a sure decision. I like playing guitar and singing songs, but it is just that. Its just something relaxing and fun to do.

[joe white]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Do you happen to still have your dad's old 125? What a cool guitar, and a great picture.

No I don't but like you, I sure wish I did. My Dad also bought an early 60's wine red Les Paul standard at a discount from a local guitar store because it sat in the window with a hang tag partially covering the top and the sun faded the rest of the top so there was a shadow of the tag. My Mom sold the guitar while my Dad was at work one day because she didn't like him gigging at the local rockabilly clubs. I was too young to remember that fight. LOL

I do have his late 60's burst B25 and will pass it along to my daughter or grandchild someday.

[Silurian]

I've never had any interest in any musical instrument except guitar. I was 16 in 1983 when I first took it up. I wanted to play the hair metal of the time. Sadly my interest waned as my social life(girls) expanded.

I took up guitar(electric) again aged 40. I made very little progress and nearly gave it up. I discovered fingerstyle blues and found my guitar calling. I'm still a hack but a happy one.

[EZYPIKINS]

Originally Posted by joe white

Well, from this photo of me and my Dad, I'd say that's the moment I made the decision. LOLAttachment 80828

Wow I guess allot of us must've had dad with ES-125.

I first wanted drums. Only thing I ever had lessons on.

By around 10 yrs old. 1970 I realized I couldn't play a song by myself on the drums.

So, I started banging on Dad's ES-125. By 1978 I was in a gigging band.

The rest is history. Some of it I remember, some not so much.

All I know is, it's been a blast.

[tinnitus]

Originally Posted by EZYPIKINS

...
The rest is history. Some of it I remember, some not so much.
...

David Crosby is one of many credited with saying, "If you can remember the 60s, you weren't really there."

[Richgj3]

Tom Rush, Jim Kweskin. Club 47 in Cambridge, MA. 1964. Never really spent a lot of time studying at Northeastern after that.

Rich

[Joe Beamish]

For me it was a family vacation when I saw Presley Mountain Music performing in the Ozarks.

[Bridgepin]

The first time my brother played a Jimi Hendrix and the experience record for me in 66 or 67