Who first inspired you to pick up the guitar?

[jMeza]

I was reading a bunch of threads seeing how people comment on how certain players inspired them to do this or that. I want to know whofirst inspired you to choose to play guitar. Was it at a concert? Was it on TV? Did you happen to catch Fredrick Noad on PBS. Jimi Hendrix maybe? One of your parents? Also, was guitar your first instrument? If it wasn't, what made you switch?

For me, it was Steve Vai that made me first switch over to guitar. I was watching MTV and saw him twirling and spinning the guitar all over the place while playing some insane riffs. I couldn't understand any of it, I was only about 11 at the time and had only studied the piano. After that moment, I begged for a guitar and lessons. I was then switched over from piano lessons to guitar lessons at the music school that I was already attending. It was interesting to switch from a classroom environment to a one on one instructor. But what was even more interesting was the fact that I was learning Christopher Parkening's lessons and Ozzy's Crazy Train in the same week. And yes, my first guitar was a classical nylon. I added electric guitars to my arsenal about 2 years later.

[keith]

charo and carlos montoya--just kidding.

for flamenco (my principle style): sabicas but my first introduction was with paco de lucia with mclaughlin and de meola.

for classical: when i heard john williams' intro to asturias, goosebumps appeared on a summer's day.

[M. Stephenson]

My dad originally inspired me. He used to strum and sing easy listening songs and he also played a simple version of Maleguena.

Later there was Steve Howe's "Mood for a Day" which I heard when the Yes "Fragile" album was released. I was maybe 10 years old at the time. I remember being dissapointed when my dad said that he could not play that piece. Little did I appreciate the skill it takes to play such a piece...

When I got put on restriction when I was about 15, I picked up his guitar out of shear boredom and started learning Maleguena from a piece of sheet music and the aid of one of his beginners guitar books.

I already new a little about reading music from a short stint on violin in the 5th & 6th grades, which I abandoned when we moved to a school district that did not have an oechestra.

I went on to take from a jazz teacher and a classical teacher and I played in the Juinor High and High School Jazz Bands. As a teenager, guitar was my life.

When I graduated high school, I stopped playing guitar for about 18 years.

One day I purchased Steve Hackett's "Momentum" CD and I found myself listening to his classical pieces over and over. I told myself "I will start playing again if I ever get the sheet music to these songs". About two years ago I stumbled on his web site and there were the transcriptions. I have been at it with unending passion ever since.

[NGiorgio]

I heard Les Paul on a recording. I asked for guitar lessons. Fortunately, my parents agreed. That started it.

Years later, I heard Segovia. Bought a cheap nylon string Guitar and a Carcassi book. A few months later I was struggling through Leyenda.

A few years later, I received as a gift, a recording by Manitas dePlata. I knew that at some point I wanted to learn more about flamenco. A few things got in my way, such as a serious involvement with classical guitar, going to too many Carlos Montoya concerts (that's for Keith) and some other stuff. I wish someone had given me a Sabicas recording, instead of Manitas, but it still left a positive impression on me.

Just a little over two years ago, after listening to a compilation flamenco CD, with Paco deLucia, Pepe Habichuela, Tomatito, Gino D'Auri, Miguel dela Bastide, Rafael Riqueni and some others, I caught the flamenco fever. I bought some of Juan Martin's books and videos and was on my way.

What first got me into guitar was Les Paul, but Segovia was a major influence.

[portlandgreg2]

I somehow aquired a very cheap tape of spanish music that included Capricho Arabe and Villa-Lobos' Prelude No. 1. To this day, both of those pieces activate my love of classical guitar like no other. If I'm debating whether or not to play, listening to those pieces always make up my mind.

But, back then school and other activities stole my interest from the guitar, so 12 years later (which was 3 years ago)...

I heard Albinoni's Adagio in G Minor for orchestra while riding the train to work. It did something to me that no other piece of classical music had ever done. I went straight a record store before making it to work, bought a cd of Albinoni and soon afterward I was crazy about classical music, after not listening to it on a regular basis ever in my life. Anyway, that resurfaced my desire for the classical guitar, I started taking lessons... and now I play nearly every day of the week.

[mirv]

I have many inspirations : Santana, Hendrix, zepelin acoustics, eric johnson
(manhattan is a big inspiration for me by ej).
I don't have an inspirational person for the classical guitar, I am just into the idea of improving my technical abilities somehow that's an inspiration in itself for me. I can't wait until I am good enough that I can pluck some sweet beautiful yet-to-be-discovered tune out of it. Or impress some lucky lady with a flamenco piece. :wink:

[Mark]

Who inspired me to start playing guitar (my freshman year college roommate) is not as important to me as who has inspired me to keep playing, i.e., David Gilmour (the Comfortably Numb solo is, in my opinion, the best solo in rock guitar), Alex Lifeson, Al Di Meola, Gary Moore, Stephen Curtis Chapman (not a virtuoso, but he "borrows" blues as well as anybody out there), Phil Keaggy, Christopher Parkening, John Williams, Paco De Lucia, Buddy Guy, Wynton Marsalis (I know he's not a guitarist, but I admire breadth of his talent), Tony Rice, Doc Watson, Dave Matthews (again, not a virutoso, but his rhythms move you), EVH (but not for the blistering solos -- his rhythm accompaniment is much more impressive), and yes, at the risk of seeming like a commercial sellout, Nuno Bettencourt (of Extreme fame -- had the best funk grooves in the business). As you can see, I have many "inspirations" who represent a broad range of styles -- blues, bluegrass, jazz, rock, classical, inspirational. That's the beautiful thing about the guitar -- with one instrument, you can cover it all.

[Walter]

Funny as it is, a movie called CROSSROADS.. I heard mozart's rondo alla turka, a bit of it anyways, played by ralph machio (in the movie) and I just knew I had to learn how to play that! I have the recording by william kaningiser and it is still one of my favorites..

[KittyKat]

My inspiration was and still is Lorenzo Micheli. It was my first classical guitar concert (which I was forced to go to) and thought I was going to be bored, but was completely amazed! I couldn't take my eyes off of him. After that I decided to get a guitar and take a class at the local college. He is really a wonderful player and is very nice. He spent hours with me answering all my questions and giving me some tips.

[Jonny Hotnuts]

I second that Walter, the movie Crossroads is a wonderful guitar cult film.

For me it was the movie and seeing a video of the late Randy Rhoads playing on the Headbangers Ball on MTV when I was around 15-16. The video had close up shots of Randys hands and sense I figured that we both had 5 fingers on each hand there is nothing I could not learn to play.

This is why I still dont think of a song as being too difficult. If I want to play it, I learn it.

[Gus]

Maybe a little Chet Atkins in the beginning....but THEN I SAW Segovia....that was it. A friend and I both studying guitar went to a concert..(fantastic).We waited out in the lobby after the concert and he came out with his walking stick and pipe going.....and he was kind enough to let 2 kids take his guitar out and look at it and motioned us to play....If only I could have played then as I do now.....That's what started me.

[Faya]

KIND OF HARD NOT TO PLAY GUITAR WHEN YOU COME FROM A FAMILY OF FLAMENCO,GYPSY,CLASSICAL GUITARISTS. BUT WHAT GOT ME SERIOUS ABOUT PLAYING WAS WHEN I WAS ABOUT 8 OR 9 LISTENING TO MY UNCLE AND MY DAD DRUNK AS SKUNKS SITTING IN A ROOM THAT BARELY FIT THE BOTH OF THEM IN IT (MY UNCLES WOOD PEG TUNNERS ALMOST POKEING MY DADS EYES OUT),YET THEY PLAYED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SOUNDING SIGUIRIYAS AND TARANTAS I'VE EVER HEARD. NOW ME AND MY GUITARS LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER.