What is your first vivid memory of loving the Guitar or Music?
Hi tonebuddies!
Here's a question.... what is your most early vivid memory when you fell in love with cello or music?
While my sister hopped from one instrument to the other, the piano, violin, flute, and the horn, I wasn't interested in any of them. I didn't think they were cool since my big sister played them. When I was seven years old, out of the blue, the thought of playing the guitar popped into my head. It was something different, something my sister hadn't touched, and it intrigued me. I got my first classical guitar, started plucking and instantly felt a connection. It was like I found my voice in that guitar. And just like that, I fell in love with the classical guitar, and started my own musical journey, uniquely mine!
I was in love! 
What about you? Would love to hear!
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guitar - Metallica's fade to black. First time I heard the opening rift I knew I must learn it.
classical guitar - To Zanarkand. It was during the initial lock down that I had time, I discover people playing one of my favorite piece on the classical guitar and was then I decided to seriously learn to play the classical guitar and never looked back since.
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As far as the guitar in general, it was 1962 when I was 10 years old and I heard the Beatles first hit "Love me Do." That began the garage band era for many of my generation.
As for the classical guitar, it was in 1970 when I saw Julian Bream in concert in San Francisco. I immediately sold my Guild electric guitar and bought my first classical. A year later, I began taking lessons from George Sakellariou.
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Like Don and Dale above, I’ll share two things. My mom used to play guitar and sing folk songs, and I have very vivid memories of listening to her play and sing. One day, when I was thirteen, I asked her to show me how to play. Before long, I was addicted.
As for classical guitar, I got into it because the college I attended had one guitar teacher, and he taught classical. I think what really hooked me into it as a life-long passion was when my teacher took me to a masterclass with Carlos Barbosa-Lima. The whole atmosphere of the event, and especially hearing Carlos play, was enough to make me want to do this forever.
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My older brother played drums and would have band practice at our house. I heard a Fender Stratocaster and that was it.
I took my communion gift money and told my parents I wanted to go to Sears and buy a guitar. I got an acoustic steel string Silvertone that came with a 45rpm record to match tune your guitar and a small booklet with chord diagrams.
I was fortunate to have a good ear and “dog with a bone” perseverance. I would use the record player and learn note by note until it sounded correct in time. I was self taught and had very basic note reading. I was very active playing throughout High School.
In my late teens I got a Classical Guitar record and it had Bream playing Sor b minor Op.35 No.22
That was it for me. I went to a Classical guitar teacher and he started me with Shearer Bk 1.
After a few lessons I had to transcribe the Sor B minor.
It took me about 10 hours and brought it to my teacher. He said”why didn’t you just buy the music” I responded in amazement,
” you can buy this piece in sheet music”? I had done everything by ear and was naive about the possibility of obtaining sheet music for Classical guitar.
Years later I was working on M C Tedesco, Suite Op.133 and could not find a recording ( yes, back then , choices were sparse)Segovia was coming to to do a concert so I made my plan to see him after the performance. The security guard let me backstage and when Maestro came out I gave him the score and asked if he had recorded it. He said pointing to his heart “ I have recorded this” and turned to the second movement and said “ this very beautiful “.
He autographed the music and I thanked him. I don’t think my feet were on the ground as I walked away.
P.S. on a Bream dvd he plays the Sor at a party and states it is one of his favorites. i knew those 10 hours of transcription were more meaningful than buying it.
Thanks Martin. good topic.
I haven’t recalled these events in a long time. Music and Guitar are my life blood passion.
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I was always into music since childhood (mid 80s- early 90s), although my parents weren't musically inclined at all. I'm from India and I wasn't exposed to a lot of western music back in those days.
But then, thanks to liberalisation in the Indian economy, works by Western artists began to come in from the late 90s onwards. I've always wanted to play the guitar, although I always thought I'd never be good at it.
Teenage years passed through the pop bubble of the early 2000s with bands like MLTR, backstreet boys, boyzone being my favorites. Moved onto Guns and Roses, Metallica, Led Zeppelin until I was blown away by Nirvana who remain my favorite band of all time. I idolised kurt Cobain, wanted to play the guitar like him! Over time, my musical tastes became more eclectic from Radiohead to Nick Drake, etc.
During all those years, I never could become a good guitar player as I didn't take it seriously enough with career, family taking over.
Then, about last year, my son bought an acoustic guitar for his school classes. Since then, something of a Eureka moment struck me and pushed me towards the classical guitar. That's why I'm here, determined to be the best I can with a lot of help from the tonebase community.
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Nijwm Bwiswmuthiary this is so touching!
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Stefanie Mosburger-Dalz thank you Stefanie.
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I’ll always remember my very first music teacher Marijke Ferguson. She was one of the pioneers in the Netherlands of music from middle age and renaissance. She played the harp and all kinds of old wind instruments such as crumhorn. But she also ran a programme on Dutch radio dedicated to contemporary composition (‘rostrum of composers’). She inspired me to continue playing music and discover styles and unknown pieces.
she did not so much encourage my choice for the guitar, but she did find me a teacher: lute player Hans Verzijl, and I was off for a life long career in guitar, never forgetting the original inspiration from renaissance and baroque music.
End of the Year Challenge: Finish Strong!
