What inspired you to play an instrument? Were there songs or an artist along the way that sent you in a different musical direction? My path:
1) Randy Rhoads (guitarist for Quiet Riot and Ozzy) - I was 15 years old and my buddy played me the Tribute album by Ozzy...specifically the guitar solo for the song Suicide Solution. The solo gave me chills, so the next day I went and bought a Hondo guitar and a small amp. Still can't play the solo to this day but I'm getting there :-D
2) Stevie Ray Vaughn - I was 21 years old, watching MTV unplugged and this very ugly man sits down on the show and starts playing Pride and Joy. Next day I go to Quantum Music on State Street and begin taking blues guitar lessons from George Ogg (John Forbing was teaching down the hall). /end heavy metal influence /begin blues influence.
3) Classical - This was always there but kind of in the background because I didn't have the dexterity at the time to play any of it. There were always pieces of heavy metal or hard rock songs that I would learn such as the Love Song intro by Tesla, When the Children Cry intro by White Lion and Dust in the Wind by Kansas. My focus on classical shifted when Johnny5 and I took a music class at IPFW. The prof taught us the correct traditional fingering and Linda bought me a classical guitar. This is most of what I'm playing/learning these days.
4) Cirque Du Soleil - The Beatles Love @ The Mirage - Las Vegas - A couple of years ago Linda and I saw this show in Vegas. I was always pretty closed minded about the Beatles but I found that I did actually like quite a few of their songs. Also, I wanted to learn easy to play popular songs for gatherings and such and the Beatles fit the bill. There is much more depth to their songwriting and playing than I would have ever imagined.
What inspired you?
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
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8 comments:
My initial inspiration: My Mom.
I never ever wanted to play any instrument of any kind. Then one day at age 16 mom says "you're gonna learn SOMETHING so you better pick an instrument or else you'll just have to learn piano" I was mad, threw a fit, but finally settled on guitar only because Chad and Jamie were taking lessons and at least I could then go with them and not be stuck at some old-lady piano lesson by myself.
Strange but I can't think of any major inspiration per se. I loved music but didn't want to be bothered with taking lessons so I just learned songs I liked at the time, not really because I was inspired in any way. It was kind of a "hmm I wonder how you play that lick" instead of "whoa that's the most awesome lick ever!"
At this time I'd have to say that John Forbing was my inspiration since I'd kinda been learning so many different things, he started throwing 'weird' stuff at me like Bach and Vandenburg. I was always so impressed with him and his skill at guitar mimicry is unsurpassed in my book.
The most impressive moment I'd say was when Chad and I were allowed to stand outside the door of a bar and watch inside as John competed in a Guitar Solo Championship judged by some National Metal dude I can't remember. We watched John slay about 20 local guitarists with improv 10-minute long solos--- THAT was flippin inspirational! (imagine yourself trying to come up with 3 different 10-minute solos with no other accompainament and then finally haveing to play 1 more additional solo-off at the end) He finally came in 2nd place to one of his former students who basically won because he looked the Heavy Metal part more than wide-eyed-smiling John.
In the end, maybe I've always been more inspired by how the entire song goes together... it's the arrangement and the song as a whole that inspires me to write a song and my joy is attempting to make individual instruments work together to create a sonic landscape.
To even think about beginning to name all of the music that inspired me makes my head hurt. =)
p.s. after reading this comment through I have to apologize for taking up this space and yet somehow not answering your question sorry-golly what a jerk I am ;-)
I wanted to play Guitar for years but, my family barely had enough money to buy food yet alone a guitar. so , bye the time I had the money all the friends around me played guitar. so I learned to play drums. heres a list of songs that inspired me to want to learn both.
Guitar
1)damn good - david lee roth
2)I'll cry for you - y&t
3)from the beginning- Emerson Lake and Palmer
Drums
1)outta love again - van halen
2)Undun - The Guess Who- very underrated drum work.... take a listen
3)anything from - Bryan St.Pere
After hearing Eric Clapton's 24 Nights double album I wanted to play guitar. I liked how he wasn't just ripping through scales but his solos were melodies in themselves. Which would have been great if it weren't for the fact that there was a band playing at Nathan's house with way too many guitar players who played a lot better than I did. If I wanted to play music instead of watching others then it had to be bass.
And if it weren't for the original bass player (whose name escapes me) moving away I probably wouldn't have even gotten a shot at that. But, there I was a guy that wanted to be part of the band but didn't know a lick of bass and had no inspiration either. I liked Adam Clayton from U2 but his trick was mostly turning his bass up really loud. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Jack Bruce (Cream), McCartney, Flea, Mark Anthony were all great bassists but they didn't really speak to me. I didn't really have a model to follow until I heard Toad The Wet Sprocket's "She Cried" (and then every other Toad song). It wasn't complicated but I could play that song and just listen to the bassline and I would still love that song. It had it's own flow that weaved perfectly between the drums, melody and guitars. Just like a Clapton solo.
From that point bass began and ended with Dean Dinning as far as I was concerned. Sean helped out a lot too during the early stages. Partly cause he also liked Dean, partly cause he loaned me his awesome but jacked up frankenstien bass to play on his moody frankelstein bass amp and partly cause wanted to get the song completed and didn't want to wait around for me to figure it out("hey stupid! play this!!!" ;-).
My inspiration for piano is one part Beethoven's "Fur Elise" and one part Ray Charles. Neither which I will achieve but it is fun trying.
Raeding your thoughts on the impact of music made me think of my teenage years as well! Man... when I try to list the music that got me going back then, I realize that it this very music I keep going back to today. I've frankly had some trouble finding some of it. Pink Floyd... Deep Purple... Bad Company... Journey, etc. I remember being very excited waiting for this one dj here in Nashville that would play album sides all night. Sometimes I laid awake listening for him to play something I loved. Since we being so open about our music past, I'm gonna go ahead and admit that Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night, Live"still moves me today. I recently went into a used record store here in Nashville and found it... got a good deal. I pretty much have to play it when no one else is around, cuz they (the family) don't like it like I do... It really is like an old friend... can turn a bad day around. Some of those old songs get me psyched up when I play them on my mp3 player while working out... some of them so that I have to lighten the weights so as not to hurt oneself.
that's a great mental picture cause I imagine you with a sweaty headband and a stained sweatshirt with cutoff sleeves pumpin iron to Neil Diamond heh heh.
It's almost as good a picture as this one of Neil on his album cover... what's up with the gestures, Neil? ;-)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ImrNi87nCqdtF9lWoANdw?authkey=1HQM19OcChA&feat=directlink
to be totally fair, I've always loved singing Cracklin Rosie at the top of my lungs in the shower:
http://www.garagetv.be/video-galerij/maria/Neil_Diamond_Cracklin_Rose_.aspx
"PLAY'IT NOW, PLAY-IT NOW, PLAY IT NOW-OW MY BABY"
I guess I should have clarified WHO I listen to in order to get the blood flowing. While I still like Neil Diamond, stuff like Refused's, "New Noise" is what does it for me in the gym. The tough thing is avoiding some uncontrolled outburst in time with the song... or the dreaded "white mans overbite".haha I have to say that reading these posts have reminded me of so many other factors affecting my love of music. Wow, thanks John for reminding me of how great "24 nights" is. Got the CD... gonna go get it RIGHT NOW and rip it!
Dad. I have no problem with Neil Diamond. You're projecting.
Mitch, Neil Diamond rocks! My Dad had The Jazz Singer on 8 track and bought it on CD about 10 years ago. Beautiful Noise and September Morn are good too.
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