What song/Band made you want to play?

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  • I have small-ish hands, or maybe my fingers aren't super long. I simply don't play chords that require too much stretch. Additionally, I only augment chords in places I can reach. Injury not worth it. I hurt my pinky playing too aggressively once and was out of action for about 6 months. Then my wife broke my middle finger throwing a laser beam at me in the end zone in flag football. Caught the ball, won the game, but tacked on another 6 months of not playing. : (
    So, I find ways to play chords that suit my hands and dexterity.

    Yea I like to stick with open chords. Then I found Social Distortion and knew then open chords was "alright". I do play a lot of bar chords that I just don't bar and treat it like a open chord.
    E. Lansing-98 Columbus-00,03,10 Detroit-00,03 (1&2),06, 14 Cleveland-03,06,10 Toledo-04, Grand Rapids-04,06 London-05, Toronto-05, Indianapolis 10, East Troy (1&2) 11, Chicago 13, Detroit 14

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  • Corey666
    Corey666 Ottawa, Canada Posts: 31
    Metallica and Black Sabbath
  • Corey666 said:

    Metallica and Black Sabbath

    The first time I heard "War Pigs" was when I was driving home with new second jeep (driving from Indiana back to Michigan). The moment I heard that song, I was HOOKED on Black Sabbath (And Iommi quickly became one of my favorite guitarists). The guy is a musical genius.
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • SomethingCreative
    SomethingCreative Kazoo, MI Posts: 3,412
    Originally wanted to learn drums after listening to Who's Next and Vitalogy all summer while helping my dad fix up a 69 olds cutlass... then a couple years later I heard In Hiding and in that moment became a guitar player.
    "Well, I think this band is incapable of sucking."
    -my dad after hearing Not for You for the first time on SNL .
  • GummiBeer
    GummiBeer Newfoundland Canada Posts: 189
    Paradise city- G"N"R

    My brother talked me into getting behind his drumset and with a Walkman on figuring the song. Never looked back, sold my kit a few years ago for adult reasons, but want to share the experience all over again now with my daughter
    Calgary 04-09-2005
    Edmonton 05-09-2005

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  • Pearl34Jam
    Pearl34Jam TN Posts: 1,112
    Pearl Jam for sure. I also credit Nirvana a little bit.

    I particularly remember Alive being the song that inspired me the most.
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  • Pearl Jam for sure. I also credit Nirvana a little bit.

    I particularly remember Alive being the song that inspired me the most.

    Same here. The Pinkpop version of Alive still sends chills down my back
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • g under p
    g under p Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,236
    RUSH, never seen or heard a band where ALL the members can play their instruments with such detail, precision while being the elites in the world of music. Enter the album 2112, failed at learning drums but played piano through junior and high school. I completely understand why Neil Peart has retired from touring because one's body takes on some serious physical abuse on a 5 month tour at his age being over 60.

    Peace
    *We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti

    *MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
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  • g under p said:

    RUSH,

    Peace


    I JUST discovered Rush, last year. Wow.
    Grand Rapids '04, Detroit '06
    JEFF HARDY AND JEFF AMENT USED TO LOOK THE SAME
    "Pearl Jam always eases my mind and fires me up at the same time.”-Jeff Hardy
  • StuffnJunk
    StuffnJunk Posts: 897
    In the early days of PJ fandom, I was all about Eddie. When they played SNL in 94 and he played guitar for the first time (that I'd ever seen) that was a big factor. Plus, even then I could tell whatever he was playing on Not For You and RVM looked pretty simple.

    Also, for some reason when i saw Singles, and Matt Dillon was playing acoustic in front of Hendrix's grave, that made guitar seem really appealing to me. Like, its portable and you can carry it around and make up songs and look cool, don't know why but that sticks in my head as selling me on guitar.
    "I'll tell you what: If all I had was Pearl Jam, and I didn't have another band in the world, I would not be worried. Because in there is the essence of making great music. You don't have to use it all at once, but it's there." - Neil Young
  • llg224
    llg224 CT Posts: 21
    Watching Marty McFly's guitar solo in BTTF was the initial thing that made me think "He looks so cool doing that. I want to do that." Growing up I was surrounded by different genres/eras/sounds of music but I have my brother to thank for making me into a huge Dave Matthews Band fan that I am today. I loved his music and lyrics in a way that spoke to me and watching him play complicated riffs on an ACOUSTIC guitar was the final straw before I bought my first guitar. It wasn't until later that I took note of the true greats like Eric Clapton, SRV and Hendrix. Of course let's not forget our almighty God, Mike McCready.

    And if you don't think Dave Matthews is a talented musician, I implore you to watch him play Best of What's Around. His fingers are majestic.
    2016.05.02 - New York, NY
    2013.10.25 - Hartford, CT
  • 2-feign-reluctance
    2-feign-reluctance TigerTown, USA Posts: 23,462
    llg224 said:

    Watching Marty McFly's guitar solo in BTTF was the initial thing that made me think "He looks so cool doing that. I want to do that." Growing up I was surrounded by different genres/eras/sounds of music but I have my brother to thank for making me into a huge Dave Matthews Band fan that I am today. I loved his music and lyrics in a way that spoke to me and watching him play complicated riffs on an ACOUSTIC guitar was the final straw before I bought my first guitar. It wasn't until later that I took note of the true greats like Eric Clapton, SRV and Hendrix. Of course let's not forget our almighty God, Mike McCready.

    And if you don't think Dave Matthews is a talented musician, I implore you to watch him play Best of What's Around. His fingers are majestic.

    Saw him front row with Tim Reynolds back in 1998 - flat out amazing. Just amazing.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • inmyNC
    inmyNC amongst many Posts: 243
    U2's performance of "Bad" at live aid...I'll never forget that..
  • Dog Loyal
    Dog Loyal Posts: 336
    I had always wanted to learn, but it was My Morning Jacket that finally got me to pick up a guitar and do it. I still use Dancefloors as my "warm up" song. The most recent song I learned was Magheetah.
    g under p said:

    RUSH, never seen or heard a band where ALL the members can play their instruments with such detail, precision while being the elites in the world of music.

    I love Rush! (The back window of my guitar has a Rush cling and a PJ stickman). A project I had with my son (who took up guitar a few years after I did) was to learn side A of 2112 together. Also, I learned more about music while getting Xanadu down than I probably learned from any other 20 songs combined.

    The kids of today should defend themselves against the Seventies Nineties.
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Ramones.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Gern Blansten
    Gern Blansten Mar-A-Lago Posts: 22,192

    Was there a song or a band that inspired you to start playing?

    My mom played piano so I banged (literally) on the keys, when I was young. In 4th grade, I played the violin. Then I started the trumpet and drums, in band (BAND GEEKS RULE)! But, for guitar, it was a bit different. The first song that really made me want to play was "Back Here Baby" by BB Mak. I heard/saw them on the Disney Channel, when I was much younger, and I wanted to play. Fast forward to high school (and all the drama and adolescence that goes with that) and I was introduced to Pearl Jam and Nirvana. My buddy had a Fender Mustang (which he eventually gave me as a graduation present) and taught me how to play. I was hooked. Though I rarely play now (because life gets in the way), I still get the occasional itch. What about everyone on here?

    Led Zeppelin/Black Dog
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