Evolution

chris77

I played mostly steelstring acoustic after I started playing about 13years ago. Developed quite a good rythm style in the process and managed to get along fine. I played what I wanted and enjoyed every moment. It really cemented my love for the instrument. Now, I had my Squire (now Kalcium's Squire ?) for a good few years as well, but my Leem amp made playing it plugged in a torturous experience, so I didn't bother much with the electric stuff. Untill I got my first Fender G-dec.... So the last two/three years I have been playing and buying electric gear, and a whole new world opened up. I love playing even more now, because there's just so much more I can do now to let the music out. I cannot believe now how snobbish I was towards electric guitars back then. I honestly thought that distorted guitars and hard rock was just a fancy way to hide sloppy playing. And the okes who played them.... Man, what a bunch of show-off, wannabe idols with god complexes. I now stand corrected, and humbly ask forgiveness for my past ignorance. :$ Electric guitar has really opened up my eyes to just how much is possible with six strings and a bit of inspiration. And the best part is that since I got my Breedlove a month or so back and playing it nearly exclusively, I have found that I can play stuff and coax sounds out of an acoustic that I never even considered a few years ago. So now I'm curious. How did the rest of you guys and gals evolve to the players you are today? Where did you start and how did you get there?

Tonedef

Well, I started on a strat in jan this year. Knew bugger all and not much has changed in 3 months. ?

Squonk

I suppose everyone will have a different story, mine is very sad :'(

Bought a Guitar when I was 13, couldn't play it, so tossed it into the cupboard.

Started playing at 16, taught myself from some really silly book, learned some basic chords, had huge aspirations and then LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends , Marriage, etc etc. I had a Yamaha nylon that I used to twiddle every now and again, but basically didn't really play guitar for about 10 years.

Joined a Church band, and played the same basic chords, improved slightly but with not much passion. Bought a Takamine, which I also couldn't play because of the steel strings, I had got so used to nylon. I only played it on Sundays(not very well either).

Church kind of stopped and it was me in the bedroom again!

I bought an Electric Guitar round about 2005, but couldn't play the thing at all, tossed into the cupboard with the Takamine. Started playing nylon a bit more seriously, with lots of inspiration from my brother in the UK, started developing my technique a bit, very slowly with no real goal in mind.

Late 2008, I discovered GFSA and Guitar came alive again. Reading through the threads, I realized there was so much to learn, mostly because I had no idea what everyone was talking about ?

Chris, for me it wasn't just Electric Guitar. When Bob kept on insisting with invitations to play at TJ's, I realized that I had no songs, couldn't use the nylon(no pickups), so out came the Takamine, and slowly but surely I learned how to play the thing.

It took a whole year of building up courage to actually go and play at TJ's, but nerves aside it has helped me develop my guitar playing and I can say I am 100% a better player than I was a year ago.

I think once you commit yourself to play, even at an open mic night, you will be surprised at the inspiration and creativity that flows when you have a goal.

I am with you completely on the Electric Guitar, it's a complete different animal, and like you I think I am getting it eventually.

My only regret is that I didn't take it seriously at 16, but what cancels out the regret, is my new found passion for guitar, and there is so much to learn, I may be 47, but in my mind I am 16 again!

raithza

Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends
Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends
Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends

Seems like it wasn't only life doing the hitting :O

MikeM

raithza wrote:
Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends
Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends
Squonk wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends

Seems like it wasn't only life doing the hitting :O

Seventhson

I started when I was 17 ? Been playing everyday ever since 8)

Norman86

Seventhson wrote: I started when I was 17 ? Been playing everyday ever since 8)

After the other posts...
You're talking about guitar right? ?

Squonk

raithza wrote: LIFE hit me with pregnant girlfriends

Seems like it wasn't only life doing the hitting :O
[/quote]

TV was shocking in those days, and I couldn't afford one anyway ?

singemonkey

chris77 wrote: Man, what a bunch of show-off, wannabe idols with god complexes. I now stand corrected, and humbly ask forgiveness for my past ignorance.

Well, for myself, I'm pretty much a show-off, wannabe idol with a god complex ?

Warren

Squonk wrote:

TV was shocking in those days, and I couldn't afford one anyway ?

I don't even have that excuse! ?

Norman86

Well, thats evolution in another form hey ? lol!

My evolution...
I started playing 8 months ago... I still suck, but at lest i can string a few chords together now! lol!
i guess im still evolving! ?

Tonedef

Norman86 wrote: Well, thats evolution in another form hey ? lol!

My evolution...
I started playing 8 months ago... I still suck, but at lest i can string a few chords together now! lol!
i guess im still evolving! ?

Dude. Your knowlege of all things guitar is phenomenal considering it has only been 8 months, and it speaks volumes about your level of commitment and motivation. You're well on your way to becoming a pro.

Norman86

Tonedef wrote:Dude. Your knowlege of all things guitar is phenomenal considering it has only been 8 months, and it speaks volumes about your level of commitment and motivation. You're well on your way to becoming a pro.

Awh shucks :-[ Thanks TD!!! ?
But listen... does X-rated know you're sweet talking me ?

Tonedef

Just keeping him on his toes! Bob has been neglecting his manly duties around the house. I swear, its only that £&<€(@ guitar he's got time for!

Bob-Dubery

Norman86 wrote:
Tonedef wrote:Dude. Your knowlege of all things guitar is phenomenal considering it has only been 8 months, and it speaks volumes about your level of commitment and motivation. You're well on your way to becoming a pro.
Awh shucks :-[ Thanks TD!!! ?
But listen... does X-rated know you're sweet talking me ?

Of course I know. But you're consenting adults so as long as you keep the details off of the forum why should I mind?

Kalcium

This thread appears to be evolving ???
As for me though, I find I hardly play acoustic...I do like the sound of it but I guess I dont see a point since the music I play I can do it all on electric. Not saying that some of the songs wouldn't sound better on acoustic, as Im sure they would but if im just practising at home I can play my electric clean and get the same practise in. I know there are more percussive styles which an electric would be useless for as well as quite a few other styles that are not necessarily percussive that would not be right at all on electric but if all you wanna do is play some chords with a nice clean/acoustic sound you can do that on electric...maybe one day I'll evolve to need an acoustic but for now Im quite happy on my electrics ? (I borrowed an acoustic from my mom about 3 months ago and I've hardly touched it...)
And I do actually enjoy some of those acoustic styles which cant really be played on acoustic, I just haven't had the urge/willpower to try learn them what with all the other musical styles I'd like to learn first ?

Malkav

I got an acoustic when I was about 14, it was a piece of crap so I gave up...I was into grunge at the time so I figured you didn't really need to put much in anyway. Then when I got to high school I found my first group of musically similar friends, Coincidently out of a group of about seven people three played guitar. I decided I wanted to be able to join in on all this awesome that was going on during breaktimes and started to sorta get back into it. My dad arranged for me to have lessons with a family friend who played guitar, I went to him for a few pointers and basics. He ended up giving me my foundations in more ways than one, we used to discuss music and all the various artists I listened to after each lesson and one day I asked who the best guitarist he listened to was...

Well that guitarist was Joe Satriani, he lent me his copy of "Surfing With The Alien" and it became more than a friendly schooltime activity to me. I was completely mind f***ed by the level of expression you could achieve and the voice that the instrument could give you. I just had to have an electric guitar...So that year I behaved extra well, came 16th in my grade and agreed that it would be a joint Christmas and birthday present if my parents got me an electric guitar. I started haunting the local guitar shop (Bothners in Plumstead) every Friday after school, just trying to learn as much as I could about guitars and trying out as many as possible to get an idea of which one I wanted. I spent many afternoons having long discussion with a man named Simon Goodenough who helped guide me to the philosophy on playing that I have today and gave me tons of crazy musicians to check out and grow through. Eventually I settled on a metalic grey Cort X-6 which Simon even gave me a discount on ? From there it was my responsibility to keep myself going, I borrowed a friend's little 15w Starfire amp and DOD Death Metal pedal and I started practicing religiously sometimes 8 - 10 hours a day during my holidays. Then after my 16th birthday (which was after the christmas I got the guitar) I got a job as casual at that very same Bothners, I saved up and got myself a Cube-30 working every weekend.

Got to learn tons and meet hundreds of interesting musicians, which really helped me grow and gain an opinion on the kinds of guitars I like. Then one day a colleague offered me a guitar, he even let me pay it off, it took more than a year and I had no social life, but I now owned my very first Japanese Ibanez RG. Remember that guitar instructor I had? Well he had a neon green original RG550 and I was in love with it, I knew I just had to have an instrument like that. I was in way over my head at this point, practicing religiously, spending all my money on gear and listening to some crazy shred music. One day my former guitar instructor came to a braai at my place and we got talking and he mentioned a guy who was on G3 who was scary good, who was in a band that was scary good. He lent me a DVD of this thing called Prog-Metal, a band called Dream Theater, I hated it but I thought the solos where unbelievably good so I would sit and watch the DVD just to absorb the solos and take what I could from this John Petrucci man's style.

After having this DVD for about a month I woke up one day to the cold realisation that I was now a music nerd and Dream Theater were the ultimate musical fix for me, my practice took a different route. Suddenly theory became even more relevant and odd time signatures were something I couldn't get enough of, I kept learning more and pushing harder to become a better player. I found more Dream Theater and through them I opened my mind up to tons of different styles and musics. I got a better bigger amp (Peavey Bandit 112, made in America, with an Eminence Beta driver in it) and a multi-FX pedal (GT-8) and started really wanting to make something of this guitaring thing.

One day this guy walks into Bothners and we strike up a conversation, turns out he's also a huge Dream Theater fan and a great shredder as well. His name was Jason Guile, we became friends and I went out to watch him play quite often, he'd also let me jump up on stage with him occasionally and rock a tune or two ? Then in my Matric year he was putting on the second run of a show called Rock Evolution and they needed a second guitarist, well hey I guess that became me ? I got to play at the BMW pavillion for 3 months about 3 times a week and I got to grow with professional musicians, I learnt so much off of that it's actually kinda mind boggling. It was a period of massive growth, it also made me wish for something more, something more me ?

So one night while out getting trashed with some friends I get introduced to this Michael individual who is also a massive Dream Theater fan. We got talking and that night decided to start our own Prog-Metal band, we drafted his keyboard player from another band (also a massive Dream Theater fan) and a friend of mine on drums (also a massive Dream Theater fan). We had a bassist for a while but he eventually left before we got gigging, then our drummer called in a friend who is now our bassist (also a massive Dream Theater fan) and he was the perfect fit. We've all continued to grow together and all of us have added our own musical influences into the melting pot of what we do and through it we've all become more open minded musically. We're now all into everything from Prog-Metal to Jazz to Flamenco to Fusion to just down right strange and we all constantly keep pushing each other to work harder and be better, musically we all show each other stuff that noone would have sort out on their own which has brought tons of strange stuff ranging from microtonal music, to baroque to Gamelan world music into the group. We're all just constantly evolving and never content 8)

Sorry that was a bit long, but I've never actually thought about all this until now and I kinda wanted to capture it all ?

Norman86

wow Chad... thats damn interesting!
i would love to hear you playing sometime ?

Kalcium

How old are you now chad? If you don't mind me asking ? Since you were 14 and 16 etc would be nice to be able to fit a present day chad into the timeline ?

Malkav

Norman86 wrote: i would love to hear you playing sometime ?

When my band is done recording I'll definitly be posting the tracks up on the forum so it's only a matter of time ?

Kalcium wrote: How old are you now chad? If you don't mind me asking ? Since you were 14 and 16 etc would be nice to be able to fit a present day chad into the timeline ?

I turned 22 this year ?