Defining moment.

[iblive]

Humor me gang... this may sound like an old song - different verse, but I was reading an article the other day in "Guitar Legends" and it happened to be about Neil Young and his pals Crosby, Stills and Nash. It got me thinking on what was my "defining moment" when I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I would play guitar.

Most times when this question gets asked we usually think of what were the influences that contributed to us playing guitar and what style we chose.

I grew up listening to 50/60 tunes my parents played. Elvis, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton.... etc, to this day I can still sing every word to "Battle of New Orleans." I sat with my parents and watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I played trombone from 6th grade till HS graduation in concert band, marching band and a Dixie Land jazz band. So of course one of my early favorite groups was Chicago.... the original Ska Band. :) Like most of the "old geezers" on this forum I got pretty wound up in the British invasion... Stones, The Who, Hollies, etc.

But for me it was in 1970 when I plugged in my "Woodstock" 8-track. Hendrix.... Jefferson Airplane.... Joan Biez..... then CSN and yes Y stepped up to the mike and started playing...... ACOUSTIC guitars of all things. That was my moment. It took me three years, but I finally bought me a guitar (Yamaha acoustic 12 string) and the journey began.

The sound isn't so great, but this is the song that did it to me.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quTYl9WBo_M&playnext=1&list=PLD645071D8A3D9A11[/youtube]

 

[WavMixer]

Suite Judy Blue Eyes is one of my all time favorite songs!!

My favorite set to listen to is:
Suite Judy Blue Eyes
Brown Eyed Girl
Green Eyed Lady
Angry Eyes
Lying Eyes

 

[Col Mustard]

ah, we don't mind being old geezers... *grins, speaks for self... let's face it, it's better than the alternative. for me the defining moment(s) came early, there were several... one was seeing Elvis Presley in like 1958.

I was ten. I was spellbound. I played those records over and over (as kids still do) but I was dancing like a maniac all by myself in my parents' "rec" room... if anyone had seen me I would have been embarassed, but when no one was around I turned the sound UP and bounced off the pine paneled walls. "You ain't nothin but a houn' dawg!" I couldn't believe it. :dance:

Another one was watching Rick Nelson on BW TV. He was only a little older than me, and much cooler than the Beaver. But really, now that I think about it, it was James Burton on his Telecaster that got me, even though the eye went to Rick Nelson. :rockin:

By the time I was twelve, I was into acoustic guitars and folk music, because I was dreaming about College Girls... *nods, looks wise --good choice... Then the Beatles... But then MOTOWN! The "Detroit Sound" really got to me, and I decided to become a bass player at the first opportunity, which I did. I kept changing my mind... first a Beatle record, then The Temptations... But during the sixties, the Gibson SG was the coolest and most desirable guitar available, in my not so humble opinion of the time. I was floored by the Doors... ;D I'd go down to Grinnells and buy the sheet music, and wonder how they could play in like B-flat... :? or E-flat... :BangHead:

Defining moment #6 (or so): a hot sweaty summer night at a "Teen Dance" held at an idle Ski Area...
maybe the summer of '65, I was sixteen and could drive. I went with my high school buddy, the one who used to play music with me and shared my dream of becoming a performer. We went to see a band called "Terry Knight and the Pack." My buddy and I were hoping to pick up girls, but I ended up just observing the phenomenon, including the way the band worked together and the effect on the audience,
especially the girls. That was it. I knew I would do it too. Terry Knight himself was just a little overblown
:tickedoff: but the band was really good. They later morphed into Grand Funk, ya follow... I didn't get any girl that night, but I got me a dream. An SG dream. here it is 2011, still goin. I am very grateful.

 

[iblive]

[quote author=Col Mustard link=topic=21695.msg260294#msg260294 date=1308676624]
Terry Knight himself was just a little overblownbut the band was really good. They later morphed into Grand Funk, ya follow...
[/quote]

Okay... that pretty cool. Many years later I caught Grand Funk at a concert held at Western Illinois University in Macomb Il. Went with some college buddies.... as in they were in college and I was not. (working for a living) The year would have been somewhere around 1974 or 75. I still like live "Get Ready" ...... all 25 minutes or so of it.

 

[dbb]

[quote author=WavMixer link=topic=21695.msg260293#msg260293 date=1308674749]
Suite Judy Blue Eyes is one of my all time favorite songs!!

My favorite set to listen to is:
Suite Judy Blue Eyes
Brown Eyed Girl
Green Eyed Lady
Angry Eyes
Lying Eyes

[/quote]

nice playlist

OK, defining moment: I loved the Beatles on Sullivan, the world satellite hookup of "All You Need Is Love", etc.; saw the Monkees on US TV (time for big laugh here) and thought "That looks like fun"; but the defining moment of "I need to play music" came when I saw a trio (Guitar, drums, and a guy on B-3 playing bass pedals and singing lead) do "Inna Gadda Da Vida" live, all 20 minutes of it with light show, when I was about 12 in 1969. I simply had to be a musician after that.

Why guitar and bass? Easy - I had not taken piano lessons when offered as a child. Guitar and bass looked more "rock and roll" to me at the time. Blame it on the Who.

 

[dbb]

[quote author=Col Mustard link=topic=21695.msg260294#msg260294 date=1308676624]
ah, we don't mind being old geezers... *grins, speaks for self... let's face it, it's better than the alternative.
it was James Burton on his Telecaster that got me..........
..........and I decided to become a bass player at the first opportunity, which I did. I kept changing my mind... first a Beatle record, then The Temptations...
[/quote]

Burton was a great guitar player.

Hey, Col, that's not a bad way to learn bass....Paul or Jameson! Two of the early master bassists - and Paul was listening to Motown (Tamla) at the time too.

 

[iblive]

[quote author=dbb link=topic=21695.msg260298#msg260298 date=1308678790]
.... but the defining moment of "I need to play music" came when I saw a trio (Guitar, drums, and a guy on B-3 playing bass pedals and singing lead) do "Inna Gadda Da Vida" live, all 20 minutes of it with light show, when I was about 12 in 1969. I simply had to be a musician after that.
[/quote]

Okay, that quite interesting. Take note of my Avatar and handle..... if you can't make out the title of the album, it's Iron Butterfly Live..... Excellent album.

 

[dbb]

[quote author=iblive link=topic=21695.msg260300#msg260300 date=1308685913]
Okay, that quite interesting. Take note of my Avatar and handle..... if you can't make out the title of the album, it's Iron Butterfly Live..... Excellent album.
[/quote]

hence I B live....duh, I finally get it.That's the one with the even LONGER version of IGDV!

 

[oldrockfan]

the beatles, the who, animals, doors, hendrix plus many more were all influences to me. Not sure I had one moment but rather just a swell of influences that jointly pushed me towards music. I can remember listening to my favorite albums so much that I literally wore them out. My record player had a feature where it would restart after the end of the album and I played some of my favorite albums for hours at a time.

 

[WavMixer]

When I was in 5th grade, my friend down the street had a drum set in his garage and use to play the drum solo from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. He also had a 6 string acoustic laying around that was missing the high E and B strings. He showed me how to play the bass line of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida so I could jam along with him. This was my introduction to playing music. The 2nd song he taught me was Down on the Corner.

 

[sgtbeefheart]

For me, the moment when I first thought, "Oh, music, I want more of this",
was when I was 9 years old, and heard this,

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX_cD7G8AwI[/youtube]

This meant I was ready for Bert Weedon, The Shadows and Les Paul and Mary Ford.

 

[dbb]

[quote author=sgtbeefheart link=topic=21695.msg260308#msg260308 date=1308741928]

This meant I was ready for Bert Weedon, The Shadows and Les Paul and Mary Ford.
[/quote]

Did Bert Weedon write one of the first self-teaching method books for guitar in England? I know he was an early guitar hero along with Hank Marvin, etc.

 

[John J]

I'm not a musician as most of you are so my defining moment is not the the same thing. I play,crappy, but I play. Back when I was 14 to about 18 I was pretty good. Way better than I am today. I still love music though.
Late 1963 or very early 1964 the song that caught my ear was "Words of Love" by Buddy Holly. Not long after that I started to hear the Beatles "I want to hold your hand" and "She loves you" on the radio. Then the whole British Invasion thing started in Feb. 64 with the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. As I remember they were on 3 weeks straight with the Dave Clark 5 on the 2 weeks after that. Everything changed then. Ed Sullivan went from the show your parents watched to the show the kids wanted to see even more.
Not long after that I bought a cheap guitar, the brand name was Gemtone. The guy down the road that was teaching me how to play had a 62 or 63 Standard. It had the LP truss rod cover. I thought that was the most beautiful guitar I ever saw. I played it many times. That guitar was the hook. In the spring of 66 I traded the Gemtone in on my 66 special. I still have it. Every now and then I think about selling it as I really don't play it that much. I play my 12 string accoustic more. I think it's one of those things, once I found out what it was worth I became almost affraid to take it out of the case. I've had that thing 45 years now. Don't play it much and then again don't know I could sell it. I came real close last fall then decided not to. I think there are others here that can relate.

 

[oldrockfan]

holly was very cool. I went to see his museum last time i was in lubbock on business. they have both his fender electric and the gibson acoustic that he recorded with and both instruments were very nice looking. Also had a variety of other things from his short career including a recreation of his childhood bedroom including all the original furniture from his room. Was very cool to see all the stuff and learn more about him.

Another early group that influenced me but I failed to mention was the beach boys. They were a very cool group and probably the only american group that could compare to the beatles song production wise back in those days. The beach boys were the first band I saw live in concert and have to say it was quite a concert. The girls in that place were absolutely going nuts over those guys. I could tell more but won't... lets just say I imagine subconsciously, it was another reason I wanted to sing in a rock and roll band

here is a cool live clip of the beach boys from the era when i went to see them. They were past the super clean cut beach years and more into the creative expression years which were fun. Also cool to see them hanging out with Paul which of course was my favorite musician of that era along with Pete from the Who. If you just look at Brian, Pete and Paul, they cranked out some amazing stuff musically. Imagine if the three of them ever got together to collaborate!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC2gZMNkyJo[/youtube]

 

[sgtbeefheart]

[quote author=dbb link=topic=21695.msg260310#msg260310 date=1308754724]
Did Bert Weedon write one of the first self-teaching method books for guitar in England? I know he was an early guitar hero along with Hank Marvin, etc.
[/quote]

http://www.bertweedon.com/playinaday.htm

I have a '57 edition, just like the one I bought back then.

 

[dbb]

[quote author=sgtbeefheart link=topic=21695.msg260318#msg260318 date=1308789227]
http://www.bertweedon.com/playinaday.htm

I have a '57 edition, just like the one I bought back then.
[/quote]

beyond cool!

 

[Col Mustard]

let's hear from some of the younger guys ... we can't all be ol' geezers on this thread. who had a defining moment from The Clash, or Dire Straits, or later... Satriani was another one for me, but when I listened to him go, I knew I'd never fly like that. I just kept saying, wow. Who had a defining moment from Kurt Cobain, or some great unknown garage band that flew apart just before making a success? who had a defining moment from Hetfield or Dime? maybe those guys don't play the SG... Izat so? who sez ya can't shred with an SFG?

 

[Zeppelin Rules]

I don't know if I had one defining moment, but I've been surrounded by music every since I was very young.

Nearly all of my dad's friends are musicians, and since my mom is a great cook, our place was the de facto jam space. I remember christening the loosely associated band of theirs, "The Noise Boys," though it never really stuck.

When I started school I was very fortunate in that my senior kindergarten teacher was from the old days when kinder teachers had to be able to play piano, and so a lot of the teaching was done though song. I sung in the choir from kindergarten until about grade 5 when I joined the band playing clarinet which I continued until I finished high school.

I also took piano lessons for quite a number of years, but picking up the guitar really sounded the death-knell for the piano.

I don't really remember when I started playing in earnest, but I remember my dad teaching me how to play Sunshine of Your Love and a couple of other old '60s riffs. I would say that it was around the time that I started listening to Classic Rock that I really started to become a guitar player, around the time I was 13. There's a pic floating around the forum of me dressed as Angus Young with my Epi SG playing on my front lawn one Halloween from around then.

It wasn't until I discovered Zeppelin that I developed a guitar-hero adoration for the instrument though. I was blown away by Page. Everything from the awesome riffs and solos, to the violin bow to the low-slung Les Paul just oozed rock god.

Fast forward to now and although I had thought about studying guitar performance at university, I've opted instead to minor in musicology, which has expanded my knowledge of the reasons why people make music, and why it seems to be so crucial to every culture, and indeed every human being.

I had always said that I would never get a tattoo because there wasn't anything important enough to me, but recently I've been toying with the idea of getting something music related. Don't know what yet, just something.

Although music will likely never be my career, it'll always be my hobby.