Your Biography as a Musician

Yeah, so basically tell your story of how you started playing the <insert name of instrument>, how you learned, how you joined a band, etc.

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I started guitar a while ago, can't remember when, about maybe a year ago. I wanted to play guitar after seeing all those live Green Day videos. My dad bought me a Legend Guitar Pack, at the time, I didn't know the difference between a guitar and a bass. My friend suggested that I started bass because it was easier, but I chose guitar because I thought I'd be able to play more songs. The only songs I was able to play were Ode to Joy, Waltzing Matilda and the beginning of Wake Me Up When September Ends. After about a month, after watching more GD videos, I thought the bass looked and sounded pretty cool, so I decided to give that a go. I saved up, and eventually I was able to afford a Legend Bass Pack. I had no problem with bass, I learnt songs really quickly, and eventually fell in love with it.

About 3 months later, a guy I knew since 4th Grade asked me to join his band, him on lead guitar, his cousin on keyboards, another guy I knew since 1st Grade on Drums and some wannabe guitarist on rhythm guitar. We only had about 3 practice sessions before I left, I didn't like the music we were playing, the lead guitarist was good, but acted as though he was the GUITAR GOD. The drummer was a stubborn ****, refusing to play anything he didn't like and the rhythm guitarist was plain crap.

I continued to fly solo after that, then my best friend, came back from the States. His house was down the street from mine, so then we started jamming (he plays guitar). W decided that we needed a drummer, and so we got in contact with another old friend, who played guitar (as well as a whole lot of other instruments, he was also a member of the school choir) and asked him if he wanted to play drums, he agreed, but we didn't have a drum kit yet. It was a while before we saved up enough for a decent drum kit. We managed to get one for $499, then a few weeks later, we saw that he was really good at guitar, and knew we needed 2 guitarist for some songs were playing and so we recruited Guitarist #1s friend as a drummer, he caught on pretty quick. So, it's like this now:

Ex-Drummer - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar
Guitarist #1 - Rhythm Guitar
Friend - Drums
Me - Bass

We've written some stuff, but none of it is complete. We've performed only once and it was at our old school's disco.

Share yo' story.

I started fooling around on the guitar many many years ago on my friend's bro's guitar. I didn't seriously start playing the guitar until a few years later, and that started when I heard Eric Clapton's 'Tears in Heaven' on the radio [honestly, the only time I've ever heard it on the radio o_O] and I was like, 'whoa, it sounds complicating but I wanna learn it' and my mom said she loves the song I kinda learned it for her too.

After that song, I just wanted to learn more so I stuck with the guitar. I started a band with a few of my friends in '04, and the members have changed A LOT, but we're still going strong. People like hearing my change in line ups so I guess I'll share here:

Guitar1/Vocal [me], Bass1, L.Guitar1, Drum1
Guitar1, Bass1, Drum1
Guitar1, Bass2, L.Guitar2, Drum1
Guitar1, Bass1, Vocal1, Drum1
Guitar1, Bass1, Vocal1, Drum2
Guitar1, Bass1, Vocal1, Drum2, L.Guitar3
Guitar1, Bass1, Drum3
Guitar1, Bass1, Vocal1 [came back], Drum3
Guitar1, Bass1, Vocal1, L.Guitar4, Drum3

^^that is all in 2 years.

We've played a show, written some, but nothing complete. We're planning to write more and to prepare for our next show.

I've wanted to be a singer since I was about seven. I'd hear Jennifer Lopez and Destiny's Child on the radio and I wanted to be just like them. I also was really into Britney Spears and she is my first musical influence. I tried my hand at writing songs when I was in third grade and failed horribly. Something about "There's one thing I never did to you and that's the one thing I'll never do." O_o.

But I started doing really simple, fun poems in second grade and I had a knack for rhyming. I got a Father's Day poem published in my elementary school newspaper. So I began working on my poetry and I had a lot of peaceful and happy pieces about the ocean and things like that.

Everyone had to sing in music class starting from first grade and I always enjoyed it. And I always liked watching the teacher play the piano. So in third grade, we got to actually try out for the school choir. I didn't make it, even though I loved loved loved to sing. That same year, we started with piano lessons in the last term. We weren't taught how to read notes; instead we played by finger numbers. And this girl I strongly disliked already knew how to play piano. I was jealous as hell.

The next year, she was in my class again. I watched her make it into choir again and watched her play the prettiest pieces on piano. I didn't even try out for choir because my confidence was so destroyed. I wanted piano lessons and begged my parents to find me a teacher. I even had a little keyboard that I used to play random songs on.

In fifth grade, I made into "general choir". I wasn't good enough for Girls Group or Advanced Choir. I wasn't that great on piano either. And I watched Kathleen make into Girls Group and Advanced Choir. That year, the teacher gave her Fur Elise to play on piano. I loved that song, I thought it was so haunting and beautiful. It was like a secret that she knew and I didn't. Cept, by that time, Kathleen and I had become really close friends. I was still jealous, but I didn't hate her anymore. By the end of fifth grade, I started piano lessons. It was awesome. I loved it.

So I practiced a lot, and I figured out how to play some of the Zelda songs on piano too. In seventh grade, I wanted to learn how to play cello. I heart cellos. My mom said "Why don't you learn to play veena instead." She'd always wanted to play the veena. I didn't. I didn't care for classical music. She made me take veena lessons. I couldn't hate it forever. I started to love my veena.

And then they started with the singing. By that time, I thought I was unworthy to open my mouth to sing. Everyone, my friends and teachers, they all told me I couldn't sing. But my mom told me to sing along with my veena. It came out dry sounding, sick and weak. I cried because I didn't want to and my mom and aunt were sitting there and making me sing. But I did. I started singing to myself in the hallways and at home when I thought no one was listening.

One night, my brother came into my room looking all mean and going "So you'll sing that stupid Good Charlotte song but you won't sing Carnatic music? You have issues." So I played my Carnatic songs on the piano and played piano songs on my veena and learned to sing a little with them and match the notes with my voice. And my mom got me some Carnatic vocal lessons, but my voice kept shaking. Still, I got some confidence back. I sang along to Green Day, MCR, Snow Patrol, whatever was in my CD player.

My friends and I wanted to start a band in eight grade. We called ourselves 100% Cotton. We had Rumela on lead guitar, me on keyboard and lyrics, and Yi on bass. We didn't have a drummer or anything. It was just a dream that never came true. But yeah. I wrote a lot of tuneless lyrics for 100% Cotton that we never got to use.

So when we moved to India, there was this huuuuuuge gap. I didn't have piano lessons for a year and Carnatic music for six months. I started guitar around the same time I restarted piano, which isn't very long ago. So now I sing loudly and better. And I've written a few songs and sung them.

And I'm looking for a band. My friend and I want to start kind of a fusion rock band, because she plays tablas.

First of all, I started listening to music which is not on the dutch programs here. Here we have hip-hop and r&b. I didn't like it.
So I started listening to Green Day, Nirvana, Avril Lavigne. There were so much bands I liked. (Bowling for soup, razorlight, the all-american rejects.)

I started listening to guitars. Electric guitars. And I liked the sound of it. So I decided that I wanted an acoustic guitar.
One year ago, on christmas, I finnaly get my acoustic guitar. My parents gave it to me. It was not the most beautiful guitar on the world, but it was okay. Now I love my guitar.

About a months later, I went on guitar lessons. A boy in my street gives me lessons. He is a teacher of another music-school. But because he lived in my street, I was getting privacy lessons (I hope you understand my bad english). It was 5 euro for one lesson. One time in the week on a sunday.

I was learning and I was getting better. A few weeks ago I bought my first electric guitar + box.
Playing on a electric guitar is easyer than playing on a acoustic guitar because I can put my fingers easyer on the chords.

I hope I can get in a band sometime. Not only as a guitar player, also as a singer. Because I sing too.

Erm. Let's see. Yearsssss ago my older brother (he's 18, I'm 16) took lessons for guitar but he got frustrated and quit. So for years we had an acoustic guitar laying around the house.

I started really getting interested in music once I started to get comfortable with music and really enjoying it. So freshman year of High School I got curious about the guitar we had laying around the house and started to toy around with it. I had no idea what to do with it and I don't think we even owned any picks. So I pestered my parents to let me take lessons. After several months my friend's mom suggested the name of a guy that teaches guitar. So in June of freshman year (2005) I began lessons. At first I was frustrated but eventually I became more and more accustomed to it and fell in love with it the more I played.

I've tried numerous times to write stuff but I don't seem to have the knack for writing. Ever since becoming a Foo Fighter fan and getting used to playing Dave Grohl's funky chords, I've become really interested in playing with random chords. It's become a hobby now. Place my fingers on a fret and try to make some weird random fucked up chord that works.

So basically. I've only been playing for about 1 1/2 years but I just loving it more and more. Sadly, none of my friends play any instruments and I would LOVE to be in a band, but I have no idea where to even look. But for now, I'll continue to play and practice by myself, I have the feeling when the time comes, something will work itself out.

I've asked my mom if she thought I'd still be playing by now since my brother gave up after about a summer or so. She answered honestly and told she really did not think I would have stuck to it as long as I did. I'm deaf and I want to prove that although I may not have the best hearing ever, I still have just as good a chance as succeeding and making music as everyone else. Look at Bach.

There's my story. Not really interesting

I first started playing classical guitar at about the age of 9 i think. But at that age it wasnt exciting enough to keep my interest so i think a year later i bought my first electric guitar, and i played it for a while, but i didnt really get into a band into a couple of years ago. When me and some mates just decided to jam, and within about 6 weeks we had our first gig, playing a mixture of covers and our own material. A few more gigs followed, but after about 8-10 months the band fell apart...bit of a dick head bassist.

the line up was guitar1 (me), guitar 2/singer1, bass1, drums1

and my new band is a combination of that band and the guitarists from another band we knew so its now

guitar2, guitar3, singer2, drummer1, bassist 2 (me...i drew the short straw unfortunately and with 4 guitarists in a band someone has to play bass). And weve got a first gig in about 3 weeks at the Soundhouse in Bolton.

Well I've been playing piano for about 8 years now and bass for 1 month and 4 days today. My un-official band started literally one night my friend was here spending the night and naturally we just sat here and played all kinds of video games from about 2 P.M. to about 4:30 A.M. But of course we were about till about 5:30 listening to GREEN DAY and making up new (and rather unneccesary) lyrics. Then we thought it would be cool to make our own band and even thought of everyone we knew who could be in it. Of course then we didn't REALLY think any of this would really happen.....it happened.
Sure, right now we suck beyond anything right now (even though I tend to learn entire songs in one or two play throughs), but we're getting better. We tried to play Longview once, but that didn't go over well since our drummer couldn't be there the ONE NIGHT we could all get together....something came up or whatever. Yeah, that sucked, but we're gonna keep working until we can actually play at least one song through together. Anyway, yeah, that's my story. It's pretty short and mundane, but that's it. And here's our member list:
Friend #1: Guitar (Not sure if rythm or lead yet)
Friend #2: Same as above
Me: Bass
Friend #3: Drums
Girlfriend: Lead, backup vocals

Born 1991.

Guitar: 8 years.
Bass: 2 years, comes naturally.
Drums: 1 year.
Piano: 4 years, 1 year formally.
Vocals: Never coached, but educated.
Ukelele: 6 weeks.

I have:
Sang lead vocals
Sang lead vocals while playing guitar
Sang lead vocals while playing piano
Sang lead vocals while playing bass
Played lead guitar
Played rhythm guitar (proper rhythm, not just strumming chords)
Played drums
Played piano

...in various bands/solo performances/charity things. I can also mix/produce to a professional level.

^^ That's pretty impressive.

Me...I began playing piano in first grade at the age of 7, and I'm almost 16 now, and started playing trumpet in the school band in fourth grade. I quit that in seventh grade but picked up guitar when I was 12. Mostly I taught myself on my mom's old acoustic that she's had since she was younger than me, and then I got a bass for Christmas and started taking lessons on that.

I got Mick, my red Stratocaster that I love so very very much, for my 13th birthday and continued teaching myself White Stripes and Beatles songs (that was about all the decent music that I listened to at the time, haha.) I've taken guitar lessons off and on, and the guy who teaches me is a golden god and an incredible guitar player, and I think I've become a lot better by learning from him in addition to just playing almost every day.

Last February, all the kids in my school who liked music were trying to form bands...it was all a big mess for a while and everybody was fighting over who was in which band But finally the dust cleared and this summer, the first incarnation of my band started practicing together in my basement. We've since changed bass players because the first guy couldn't play at all, but now we've actually written some songs and we're trying to get a gig sometime in the near future. The other guitarist, James, and I switch off between lead and rhythm. And hopefully we can write some more songs and get a half decent show soon.

The Fool On The Hill:

I've asked my mom if she thought I'd still be playing by now since my brother gave up after about a summer or so. She answered honestly and told she really did not think I would have stuck to it as long as I did. I'm deaf and I want to prove that although I may not have the best hearing ever, I still have just as good a chance as succeeding and making music as everyone else. Look at Bach.

I could be wrong, but wasn't that Beethoven? hahaha.

Janie Jones:

The Fool On The Hill:

I've asked my mom if she thought I'd still be playing by now since my brother gave up after about a summer or so. She answered honestly and told she really did not think I would have stuck to it as long as I did. I'm deaf and I want to prove that although I may not have the best hearing ever, I still have just as good a chance as succeeding and making music as everyone else. Look at Bach.

I could be wrong, but wasn't that Beethoven? hahaha.

STFU. You're just out to get me and prove that I'm stoopid arent' you?

I've loved music for as long as I've been able to hear it. As Billie Joe said, music is the blood that pumps through my veins. I could not live without it.
I've also loved singing for as long as I've been able to talk. My first real words were singing. My mom told me that when I was two, I was here at my house and I just stood up, used the coffee table to hold myself up, and started singing the one song from Barney. (I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, etc...) I always enjoyed singing growing up, but I never did it seriously. The first time I sang at church, I sang a song with my friends Rachel and Caroline.
Then when I was in the 6th grade, they announced that they were having a talent show. We could sing with a CD and however many people we wanted. My best friend Brandy and I signed up and we decided to sing "Cry" by Mandy Moore. We practiced and I think people had a hard time hearing us because we had to share one mic. Well, the day of the talent show, Brandy's dad's girlfriend said she couldn't go to school because we weren't doing anything that day... it was the day we got out for Christmas break, and she didn't come. I sang it by myself. We had two shows, and I got tremendous applause at each one... it was a great feeling. I also did the 7th grade talent show (I didn't do so hot... I sounded alright in my opinion, but I was too quiet) and the 8th grade talent show. I did a thing called Shenandoah Idol over the summer as well.
I sing in church by myself on a regular basis. I don't remember the first time I did it, but the people at my church like my voice.
I've been in chorus since the 6th grade. I'm in 9th grade now. I also got at least one solo in chorus every year in middle school. In 8th grade, I was selected as one of four sopranos from our whole chorus program to go to District Chorus.
That's about it.