Why guitar?

Quite simply, the music I listen to is mostly guitar driven rock. In order to play what I like, it had to be the guitar. (and I must admit every time I heard my brother play something cool, I was emmensely jealous) Of course, the guitar isn't my first or primary instrument. I'm primarily a vocalist, and I learned piano first. But guitar suits my style much better than piano and it's more portable.

:) Portia

When I was in Infants school one of the teachers use to teach the ukulele to the 3rd graders and up, I so wanted to be a part of that, it looked like so much fun and they sounded great; he used to play guitar on assembly as well. Anyway I used to beg to have a ukulele to join the group but I don't think my parents could afford it - a few years later my Grandmother gave me her mandolin and I was started up in lessons with a guitar and banjo/mandolin teacher, needless to say I used to look on enviously at the other kids who had guitars, a couple of years later my mother joined me at lessons, she got the guitar :lol: anyway jammin with her was pretty cool. Years later when I was working I could afford to buy myself a guitar. I've got a semi acoustic now and saving up for an electric, but my 14 year old daughter lets me have a go on her recently aquired electric.

A little endnote - our guitar teacher died on stage performing with his guitar, he'd reached a ripe age, but he'd lived a pretty sad life. His wife died when she was young and he had to put his daughter in a foster type home during the working week. Now I'm going to go and listen to some happy songs :)

Why wouldn't a female get into the guitar for the same reasons as a male would?? Even if it is less lady-like...

My dad plays but I never grew up knowing I was going to be a gutiar player. I played the flute when I was in school because I always loved music and always wanted to play an instrument. I started playing flute but thought about playing the violin. I heard Led Zeppelin when i was in high school just loved their music so much I had to play. Page's guitar was the most amazing thing I had ever heard and I said to myself I want to be able to do that. I never thought of myself when it came to guitar as a girl in boys world - maybe because my dad who is amazing at it never looked at it negatively. Even to this day if I complain about my hands being weak because I am a girl, he shuts me up and is always showing me other female players. There are more female guitarists out there than we get credit for especially in blues. Anyway, when you love the music a lot and then start playing to be able to do what your heroes do, it is easy for your guitar playing to slowly fade away. What I found, though, is that I really love it. I am past just doing it to emulate my heroes.

I've always wanted to learn some type of instrument... when i got into Michelle Branch's music a while back, i started thinking about learning to play guitar around summer last year. Something to do whilst i'm bored...
And then finally i went and bought one yesterday. And *ouch* my fingers are sore.

I don't think I ever really picked the guitar...the guitar picked me! I met a guy in college who played. He showed me how to play an Em chord and I was forever hooked. I've put the guitar down from time to time, but I always end up coming back to it. I don't think "society" has had an ounce of say in the matter!

i started thinking about learning to play guitar around summer last year. Something to do whilst i'm bored...
And then finally i went and bought one yesterday. And *ouch* my fingers are sore.

Congratulations on your new guitar! And, your fingers are going to get even more sore before they get calloused! But, the effort (and soreness) are worth it! If you just play a little bit every day, using all of your fingers on the fretboard, whether you can form chords yet or not, in about a week or so you'll notice a definite decrease in your discomfort level!

You're definitely at the right place to learn. The beginner lessons are very well written and thought out (thanks to David Hodge) and quite easy to follow.

And, the world needs more female players!! :D Keep it up and good luck!

I finally bought a guitar and am so excited to learn to play! I have owned this guitar for about 6 hours and my fingers are sore already. Anyway to answer the question I chose the guitar for two reasons. 1.) I LOVE Jewel, I love her music and 2.) I read an article that was titled something to the effect that boys were better than girls the article went on to say that the legendary greats Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton all males. Sure there are some women who are good but legendary... They gave credit to Joni Mitchell and other women but... you get the general idea. I love music, all kinds of music and I just felt I owed it to myself to do this.

As a small child I loved all sorts of Blues and Rock music. I wanted to become a guitarist and have an electric guitar. My parents liked my plans and for my 6th birthday they bought me - a maple soprano-recorder,ARRRRGH!
I went through years of torture with this thing, had to learn to play on it and when my music teacher told my parents that I was talented I was put under much pressure. They let me participate in competitions and expected me to win. I won some of them but wasn`t happy at all. The worst thing was that my beloved Blues and Rock-records were taken away from me and the only music I was allowed to listen to was classical stuff. Jazz? Nope.
During my schooldays I discovered that we had another music shop in town who sold guitars, drums and things for those about to rock.I spend hours in front of this shop, staring at the guitars displayed in the shop window.
One of them was a replica of a 50s Stratocaster with a beautiful twotone sunburst finish.
It said "Vester" on the headstock and was offered as a Limited Edition - one out of twelve - for 2400$(gulp). That was in 1992.
And now, twelve years later I passed the shop window by chance and saw my dreamguitar was still in there with all plastic parts yellowed from the sun.I couldn`t help but step inside the shop and ask for the guitar.The shop owner told me I could have it for 250$. He told me had been sitting on that electric for years and during these years nobody wanted to hear about it. "You are the first person who wants to play it," he told me when he handed me the guitar in its` case.
Now I have cleaned and restrung it and just recognized that I`ll need an amplifier where I can plug-in the other end of the cable-silly me :oops: .
It is set up well and sounds very nice when played unplugged but how will it sound when there`s electric current involved?

Greetings,
Zeraphine
:)

As a small child I loved all sorts of Blues and Rock music. I wanted to become a guitarist and have an electric guitar. My parents liked my plans and for my 6th birthday they bought me - a maple soprano-recorder,ARRRRGH! I went through years of torture with this

I can totally relate! When I was in 4th grade I decided that I wanted to play flute. So, my parents went out and bought me a clarinet! :x I played that blankety blank thing from the 4th grade until the 12th grade and I hated every minute of it because it wasn't a flute. I got really good at it (was always first chair except for one week when I decided I didn't want to play the piece the instructor wanted, so I went to last chair for a week with an attitude problem! Had to come back the next week and play the first piece that I refused to play and the new week's piece as well, just to get my chair back! Didn't have any more attitude problems after that, though, my ego wouldn't allow it! I LIKED being first chair!)

It is set up well and sounds very nice when played unplugged but how will it sound when there`s electric current involved?

Oh! Get ready to smile! A lot! When I first plugged in it was like a whole new world opened up! I'd been playing acoustic for a while, but had never played an electric and it was like night and day! I love it! And, there's the fact of the amp itself, with all of it's effects to play around with, you can make your guitar do amazing things! And, you can pick up used amps in pretty good condition for not that much money.

One other thought. Since you bought the guitar and the guy told you that he had had it for a while, if it were me, I would take the guitar to a guitar shop and have someone check out the pickups, just to make sure that they're in good working order. I'd hate for you to plug in and then find out that your pickups need to be replaced (or even just cleaned up).

Why guitar?

You ever tried packing a grand piano in a gig bag?

I had always messed around on my dads acoustic guitar but one day in elementary school we had an assembly and the middle school jazz band had come to play and they were awesome so i started playng the electric guitar shortly after and now i am in the jazz band that had made me want to play along time ago, (even though its a whole new group than the group that played for us)

I chose to play guitar because it is historically a woman's instrument. The men were busy off fighting wars while the women stayed home and played on stringed instruments. Only in peace time did men eventually get interested in it. It's an empowerment knowing that a guitar was first a woman's domain.

I actually never realized that!! But, it makes perfect sense. When you look at paintings from that time period, it was the women who were playing while the men sat around eating and drinking. Thanks for the insight! It's always nice to learn something new!!

As far as I know during to most of the Greek and Roman time only men performed music.