How did you learn to play?

[Decadent Dan]

Just realized. Kinda ironic cuz Glen Campbell never learned to read music. Arguably one of the best studio musicians in his era. Writers would give him a new sheet, he'd look at it, put it aside, do his own thing, and they'd all go, OK~.
No. I get it. Lessons were inspired by Glen. Still, kinda ironic.

Glen made it look easy. Imagine my surprise to discover that music didn’t just automatically flow from this newfound stringed thing.

 

[Resume]

Taught myself on a Sears Silvertone more years ago than I care to say. Had an idiot for a student. Now that I'm retired with entirely too much time on my hands, I have time to do it right, and with on-line courses and YouTube videos, I have no excuse if I don't improve.

 

[Maguchi]

.

 

[Maguchi]

Where did you start? What made you play? What led you to understand the structures and methods to music?

Dad taught me a little piano and the basics of reading music. Took a little bit of violin in elementary school and snare drum and French horn in middle school. During my college years started playing guitar, mostly self taught from music books. Sang in some college choirs and choral groups. Been playing guitar ever since my late teens. Some keyboards and a little bit of bass too. Took a lot of college music classes and applied it to guitar, keyboards and bass.

Started on a no name imported dreadnaught. My first electric was a Hohner GT-2 headless Steinberger copy. But my second and 3rd guitars were top notch professional instruments. A brand new 1987 Fender American Standard Strat and an '89 Fender American Standard Tele. So I was off to the races. Wish I still had those Fenders.

 

[fernieite]

I started learning by ear in 1978, by putting a record on the turntable and giving it my best to figure things out!

I think the first thing I learned on my new Yamaha acoustic at the time, was the intro bass part of Pink Floyd's "Time"!

 

[duane v]

It was Ricky Ricardo.

I took piano lessons from 5 years old until I was 10, but started playing trumpet when I was 8. When we were watching I Love Lucy he pickup an acoustic and sang some love song and I wanted to learn. Eventually I got into the Beatles...... man I ruined a lot of my older brothers albums trying to figure stuff out.

 

[edubfromktown]

Picking up a turntable needle repeatedly on 45 single's and 33 LP's :)

 

[Go Nigel Go]

I had some throw away cassettes that I recorded my song over to from LPs and wore those out instead!

 

[EdShed]

Great thread to read, and also inspiring. The one thing I've always regretted is playing guitar (very badly) for 20 years without ever taking lessons. Had a couple years where I would play rhythm guitar along to my friend's expert leads, and even had a couple years where I got recording software for my PC and recorded a half-dozen songs. But I was playing notes, I wasn't really playing. Last year, at age 51, I finally decided to get serious. Started taking lessons from a nice lady in the neighborhood and took 7-8 from her before I stopped for a variety of reasons. I've spent the two-three months since then really solidifying the stuff I learned from her and expanding my practice reportoire. I'm about to start up with a new instructor at my neighborhood music shop, and this will be good because it will be organized and structured (which was not the case when I did those previous lessons).

And for whatever reason, at this point in time, I am absolutely hooked and committed to playing every day. Sometimes I'm just making noises with settings and pedals, sometimes I'm practicing scales and trying to fluidly bounce around them (to avoid the linear up-then-down routine I did when I first learned them), and sometimes I'm workinhg out songs that I like. I try every night to balance all of these so that I'm having fun, I'm making progress on mechanics, and I'm making music.

 

[Westernrider]

However, I would love a tablature book for Wes Montgomerys music, that would be very helpful.

 

[Gary Gretsch]

I am still learning and may never stop.

 

[Guitarist1983]

Grade school: piano lessons and church choir
Jr High: guitar lessons, school chorus, organ lessons
High school: more lessons, played for school musicals, church services, Top 40 gigs
College: B.A. in music composition, guitar lessons, trumpet lessons, piano lessons, jazz band, concert band, pep band, sight reading gigs: jazz, weddings, etc.
40 years later I'm still learning and studying how to play guitar--it's hard, but oh so rewarding.