Who inspired you to play the guitar?

[katstrat]

I guess I got inspired by Eric Clapton and Neil Young. Showing my age,no doubt! Eric Clapton is an inspiration to me because of all the guitar players today,and as well as yesterday,he done it with the blues feel. I love that sound,the bending and mixing of the strings. With so many guitarist nowadays who put out a million notes,Eric puts out one or two notes that floors me. Neil Young was also a inspiration because I always thought you had to know a milloin chords to be a good ,decent guitar player. His acoustic work is what won me over,it's easy, basic and not complicated to play. I use these as means of playing Christian music,not saying that Christian musicans are bad,they're not! I would love to play like Phil Keaggy,but don't have the skill to go to that level!Who's your inspiration?

[uriahsmusic]

...I WOULD SAY BRUCE CONTE....FROM A GROUP CALLED TOWER OF POWER!....

[JayP5150]

Hmmm, commercially, my influences were definitely Clapton, SRV--all the old classic rock stuff (oh, katstrat, you're not showing your age, that's just when the good stuff was--I'm only 24!).  Later on, I really got into EVH, and Zakk.

Same thing here--still looking for a really influental Christian guitarist.

I think what actually got me practicing really steady (when I was about 12) was Leroy Ramsey at my old church.  He played this aqua-green Tele, and ripped these Chet-style licks.  I still don't play that style, but he was definitely a kick in the pants for me.

[Quicknd]

8O I was  very fortunate as a 5year old....I had a mother which I did not get along with very well...I was a very angry young boy, couldn't pay attention to anything until da dummm...my dad threw an acoustic guitar in my hands and said son, you best listen to your guitar teacher once a week for a half hour or so and practice! The first year I had so many folk/bluesy songs in my pocket I got bored with the folk thing until highschool when my friend intrduced me to da dummmmmm HEAVY METAL!!!!

[katstrat]

Jay,I almost forgot one of my influnces,Bob Hartman,and yes,he is a Christian,than later I got into Phil Keaggy,now there's a guy that can flat out play! If you like hard rock,check Petra's cd "Wake up Call" from around 1993 and if you like blues based rock n roll,check out Phil Keaggy's cd "Crimsom and Blue" from the same year I believe.

[JayP5150]

I'll check those out.  Of know of Phil's hype (and three-fingered-frenzy!), but I've never actually heard any of his stuff.

[abelovedson]

I heard santana play "victory is won", "wings of grace", & "europa", which is also called "earths cry heavens smile" and I was hooked.
prince's "the cross" or "annastesia" WOW!!! he has so many beautiful guitar centered songs its ridiculous.  I also listened to stevie ray vaughns "lenny" & "rivera paridise" till I had no more sense. if you listen to their tone in any of these songs you will be blown away  
but now I love travelling with my church & playing at different churches & meeting new musicians there are so many blessed musicians with so many new tricks & licks out there...Now,that thrills me more than anything else ever has...

[musicbishop]

I figured I'd try to bring life to this thread since it didn't have much dialogue in it LOL. plus it worth talking about so jump in.


My biggest inspiration to start playing was old quartet groups I mean groups in the early 90's. When I heard them the guitar was my main focus I was so captivated by all they could do with them. Somehow I ended up getting a set of drums before my first guitar but thank God I finally got around to getting into the guitar. I absolutely love it!!!

[gtrdave]

My ear was naturally drawn to the guitar when I was little.
I can still remember sitting in my parent's car and listening to the AM radio back in the mid '70s and hearing songs with cool guitar solos like "Jackie Blue", "You're No Good", "Doctor My Eyes" and "Easy". I could hum all of those solos note-for-note before I ever picked up a guitar.
Later on, when I first got a guitar in '78 I was listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and Eric Clapton and Peter Frampton and other guitar-led rock bands.
After that it was guys like Ritchie Blackmore and Ed Van Halen and Randy Rhoads and other '80s metal players in addition to jazz guys like Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton and fusion guys like Steve Morse and Al DiMeola.
Then in 1994 I went to Tommy Walker's church for the first time and got re-inspired like never before.

[dfwkeys]

For acoustic I was inspired by Israel Hougton.  I love the fact that he's in pocket and tight strumming progression.

For electric: I have always been inspired by Stevie Ray Vaughn & John Mayer.

[funkStrat_97]

The Fender Stratocaster inspired me to play guitar.  Being that I am a product of the 80's, there were lots and lots of songs that featured guitar ranging from metal to country to r&b.  But I would have to say that the first person that really inspired me was this dude who used to play at my church.  I used to think that guitar had little to no practical value in modern gospel, but this guy completely changed my thinking in that regard.

[bill m]

Mitch Mitchel and Ginger Baker. Yeah i know their Drummers! There are several players listed here as well. Right now i've been listening to a guy on Jimmy Swaggarts music team named Bob Henderson.

[Fenix]

It wasn't a person who inspired me to play. Rather it was the sound! I'd been playing piano for a while, but I just couldn't get that "sound" I wanted.