Reasons why these three great guitarists started playing

When you’re just getting started on the guitar it can sometimes be hard to keep motivated. The first few weeks of practice can be really hard, and if you’re not careful you can start to feel a little disheartened about how well you are progressing. But the truth is, we all have to start somewhere – even the great guitarists in the world where beginners at one point…

We all have a reason why we start playing guitar. Sometimes something in our life spurs us on, other times it’s something that we admire about our idol. Some people even start simply because it feels right – they have an itch deep in their fingers that can only be sufficiently scratched by steel (or nylon) strings! Every famous guitarist has their own story – here are some of them…

Joe Satriani

Satch is the famous guitar tutor to kings-come-biggest selling instrumental rock guitarist of all time. During his career he tutored, amongst a star-spangled list of Alumni, Steve Vai and Kirk Hammet, before moving on to collaborating with some huge names including John Petrucci, Eric Johnson and Brian May. A descendant of Italian immigrants, Satriani grew up in Westbury, NY. He was inspired to start playing guitar after finding out about the death of Jimi Hendrix. He came home after quitting his football team and announced to his family that he was going to be a guitarist, and his sister who had recently started teaching at a local high school, decided to give him her first paycheck. He purchased his first guitar, a white Hagstrom III, for $124 from the local music store at a time when he didn’t even know what a Fender Stratocaster was.

Carlos Santana

Santana’s eclectic fusion of Latin American and Rock music makes his sound instantly recognisable – and is heavily influenced from where it all began. To start off with he certainly wasn’t the Gibson SG Special/PRS wielding virtuoso that he was to become in the future. He first started off playing violin in Tijuana during the early fifties at the age of five under the tutelage of his father, a mariachi musician. His father bought him his first guitar, a big hollow Gibson, in 1960. The first thing he noticed was that guitar was unable to sustain notes like the violin; something that helped spur his discovery and love for feedback further later on in life. His sound was heavily influenced by the music of early Chicano rock pioneer Ritchie Valens.

Joe Perry

Aerosmith’s lead guitarist Joe Perry was first introduced to the world of guitar playing by his uncle who had a home-made instrument that was shaped like a ukulele but had the sound of a guitar, on which he used to play Portuguese folk songs during the holidays. He remembers being allowed to play it and recalls how it felt good and comfortable. He then moved on to a Silvertone with an awful action which was incredibly difficult and painful to play – but he persevered because he’d already caught the bug.

That’s those guys – What’s your story?…

Don’t let being a beginner hold you back. When you persevere you will start to improve and before you know it will be a proficient guitarist and be able to really hone your skills. Who knows what your musical future could hold if you believe in yourself and keep practicing…

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