Glad you brought this subject up, Debbie.
I have been playing bass and guitar half my life. I am 43. Wish I had
started at a younger age. My first influence began like a lot of people,
watching Ed Sullivan when the Beatles were on. I was eight and I remember
being so excited and my dad with a big scoul on his face. (he's still
scouling) When I got to college a friend showed me a c chord. I was in
heaven. Then another friend show me the chords to The Who's Behind Blue
Eyes. I was hooked.
I practiced for hours everyday hibernating in my dorm sometimes cutting
classes. It took a whole year before I would play in front of anyone. The
first song I learned by ear was Green Grass And High Tides Forever. The
first lead line I learned was from I Can't Tell You Why by The Eagles.
It was'nt until about 1985 that I began to develope any measurable skills.
That's when I joined a band. It was remarkable how much I learned by playing
with other musicians. Even began to learn backing vocal duties. In between
band gigs I joined the school of "Jimmy Page" and learned a lot of Zeppelin
tunes. The magazines out there that publish guitar tabs have been very
helpful as I never learned to read std notation. My favorite classical piece
to play is Bouree In E Minor, J.S. Bach
I no longer play in bands for now as I am a husband and father. There is no
time to devote the dedication required to play out. But someday I will
return. I play almost everyday and have quite an assortment of guitars to
chose including an ebony Epiphone ES-335 copy inspired by Pat Simmons. The
one thing that all this has done for me is given me something I can do that
I love. It's not something everybody can do. It is not just something I do.
It is deep in my soul. It is what I am. I'm proud have gone from a guitar
player to a musician. Muscians are special people and if they keep there
egos in check they are even more special.
One more thing. In a radio interview many years ago Patrick Simmons
commented that there is always somebody who plays better than you, plays
things you never heard before and it is wonderful to play with other
musicians who can inspire and teach you. Music is certainly one of those
things you can never perfect and can always reach for more. Thanks Patrick.
You're attitude keeps my ego in check. Let me by you a beer sometime.
Later,
Steve
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, November 19, 1999 8:59 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Musical influences
Hi all:
This is something that I personally have not seen addressed on this list
before, and I think it would be an interesting discussion.
In addition to the reason we are all here on this list (The Doobie
Brothers),
there are a lot of hardworking professional musicians as well as people who
are paying their dues trying to break in to the music business. There are
also those of us who like to play musical instruments just for fun.
Who in music has influenced or inspired your playing throughout the years?
The Doobie Brothers' thoughts on this are welcome as well.
In my case, I have been playing the piano since I was 5, and the historical
person who has inspired me the most in my playing is Mozart. In modern
music,
our own Doobie Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo, Eric Clapton, and Bruce
Hornsby.
When I sat down to really think about this, I discovered I could not choose
just one.
What are the rest of your thoughts on this?
Debbie.
