Your stories please!?!

[geo]

I was always a loner as a child, smarter than everyone else in my school which made me a freak, add in being overweight and extremely shy and not a happy child hood make. Never very musical, got kicked outa the choir at 7 or 8, took guitar lessons at 12 or 13 but tired of a teacher who had no joy (but an endless supply of Mel Bay guitar Books), I didn't want to learn about music, I just wanted to play.Fast forward 5 years, I go over my cousin's apartment (he was my hero) to get high and there on the wall in it's red and white glory was a Fender Bronco guitar with the matching combo amp (complete with vibrato). It was a defining moment in my life. You play? Yeah, you? Took lessons, but I suck... you should get a bass so we can start a band.... OK, all the guys together now... "You ever notice how many chicks guys in bands pull?"Quote:Linzi....You should know the answer to that, at least for most guys.Its not for the glory, the money or the free beer.....its forThe BadonkadonkWithout a doubt, I know the thing that attracted me most to music and writing was attractive girls attracted to guitar players and songwriters.ArkJackSeriously, the mountain of women never materialized but I taught myself some chords and realised I liked writing my own songs, never played a cover in my life. It's all about creation for me.... Geo

[Casey H]

I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “Learn To Play Like the Monkees”. The rest is history (following some quite horrific renditions of 'Last Train To Clarksville')... I am self taught. During the 60’s and 70’s I learned how to play Beatles, Monkees, Stones, Doors, Moody Blues, etc. Anything and everything that was popular... You couldn't google for the chords in those days, so I'd go to music stores, read and memorize as much as I could from the sheet music.In my teens I became more and more drawn to writing my own songs, especially as emotional expression- probably because I wasn't the happiest kid. I wrote my first song when I was around 15 or 16 called “Marleen’s Song”. It was for a friend who was troubled. I also wrote a bunch of other songs in my late teens. Some were awful. Others were re-worked into more current songs using some or all of the chord structures. (The chords from Marleen's song were re-worked to create a more current song called "Physical World")...It seemed that no matter how many popular songs I learned, what I really loved was making up my own. From the early 70's through the 90's I had quite a few written but no idea what to do with them. I have no singing talent so the singer-songwriter/gig route was not for me. I always wanted to somehow pitch my songs but hadn't even heard of demo services or publishers at that time. In the year 2000, I made a cassette tape of me playing about 12 songs. I thought this song I just wrote called "Boot Up" was the next big hit to take the world. One evening I was working out at my gym wearing a T-shirt with guitars all over it. A musician from a local jazz band noticed the shirt and started chatting with me about guitars and music. I told him what I wanted to do- that I had these songs and no idea what to do with them. He took the time to sit in the car with me and listen to the tape. Then, he recommended a friend of his who could probably do a rough KB and vocal demo for me of that one song, "Boot Up". OK, I went to see his friend who agreed to make the demo for $200...Are you still with me?When I told my wife I was going to spend $200 on this demo, she blew a gasket. We ended up in a huge fight about it. Somehow we ended up talking about our disagreement with some friends and one friend said, "Wait... don't do anything until you talk to my friend DK!"... DK was involved with a new studio in my area. I brought the tape to DK who listened and offered to produce 10-12 songs including 'Boot Up" with session musicians et al for about $5000. I did it! I spent $5000 and had 12 songs recorded. For the first time, I could hear what these songs of mine would sound like if professionally done. It was amazing. And had I not worn that T-shirt to the gym, met that person, and my wife didn't fight with me over the $200, none of it would have happened. (She is sorry and understands now)... HA! A $200 argument resulted in $5000 worth of studio time.Now, pitching those first 12 songs was where I got an education. I started sending songs to publishers, learning about the business, etc. and... learning HOW MUCH work some of the songs needed. Many were too personal and I had to learn that the audience was not my therapist, even if writing was therapy. Some had poorly constructed or vague lyrics (I thought everyone still wrote like the pot-heads of the 60s).BUT, a few were good enough to get signed by publishers. Some have been re-written and modernized. A later re/co-write of one song got cut by an artist. And on May 18, 2006, I got an ASCAP check! Six years after that first studio project, a song I co-wrote was played on the radio and earned royalties.And that's the story... Casey

[noeldowns]

Great story do you still have do you still have to book?Quote:I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “You Too Can Play Like the Monkees”.

[davewalton]

Quote:I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “You Too Can Play Like the Monkees”. Quote:Great story do you still have do you still have to book?Probably worth $25,000 on Antiques Roadshow

[crs7string]

Somewhere in a closet I have in LP form, "Play Guitar With The Ventures"It was a play along record with an attached booklet showing you step by step how to play "Pipeline" "Walk Don't Run" etc.I can still play those tunes today!!!Surf Guitar Rules !!!Chuck

[Casey H]

Quote:I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “You Too Can Play Like the Monkees”. Quote:Great story do you still have do you still have to book?Nope, don't have the book! But I wish I did! Here is a picture of the cover I found on the internet: Casey

[hummingbird]

I forgot to say I learned how to play guitar by sneaking into my brother's bedroom when he was out, and looking at the chord diagrams in his Gordon Lightfoot books (we listened to folk, musical theatre & classical music at home). I thought it was a big secret until I opened up a box from my Dad on Christmas morning... and found my brother's guitar in it. My Dad had bought it from my brother for me. I wrote my first songs by taking Gordon Lightfoot chord progressions and making up my own melody & lyrics. I did a lot of songwriting & performing with that guitar. Still have it, too.

[elser]

I was living with my grandparents and my aunt had a guitar she never played. I was immediately fascinated and just started making shapes on it that sounded good to me. I learned to create music and play guitar simultaneously that way. I just put different shapes together that sounded good to me and continued doing that till I developed a fair amount of dexterity while learning what works in a piece of music.Since then I've studied quite a bit just to stay competitive as a pro player, and listened to a ton of music which must influence my writing, but it's still very much a right brain activity, I try not to analyze to much. I'm not saying this is a good or professional approach, but I get a lot of joy from the constant discovery and wonder of what comes through me.Of course this changes when writing for a specific listing or project, then I'll spend time studying the required style and go from there, but I find this to be more laborious, though, hopefully in the end more lucrative. Elser

[jchitty]

Quote:Quote:I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “You Too Can Play Like the Monkees”. Quote:Great story do you still have do you still have to book?Probably worth $25,000 on Antiques RoadshowLOL. Knowing Antiques Roadshow, it will probably be twice as much 'coz I think they'd jack up the price even more.

[geo]

Quote:Quote:I learned to play guitar when I was around 12-13. My brother and I bought cheap guitars and a book, “You Too Can Play Like the Monkees”. Quote:Great story do you still have do you still have to book?Nope, don't have the book! But I wish I did! Here is a picture of the cover I found on the internet: CaseyHey Case.... that is an old photo right? We are not bearing witness to some mid life crisis are we? Cause if we are someone needs to pop popcorn.... LOL, love the do.... close your eyes... wasn't Casey, behind John, to left of Paul playing the Sitar over in India back then Gotta love the 70's!!!! GeoP.S. Great story Casey