First Musical Instrument

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 16 Jul 2010 8:08 pm

Ok folks,

As a long time guitar slinger, Im interested in how many steelers started on steel. It will also be interesting to see the breakdown of those who started on guitar or other instrument first.

Disregarding sax and piano, I've played guitar most in my life. However, I started in 5th grade on the clarinet. I voted Woodwind.

Clete

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 16 Jul 2010 8:26 pm

I started taking guitar lessons in the 4th grade. I was a percussionist in school, 7th grade through college. Started playing steel in college. (I played a little bit of alto clarinet and tenor sax in high school, too!)

Jim Cohen · Post by **Jim Cohen** » 16 Jul 2010 8:59 pm

I started on cello but gave it up right after high school. Wish I could play it now. (My parents warned me I'd say that someday... )

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 17 Jul 2010 1:55 am

I took piano lessons when I was a kid, and studied the string bass in Jr high school music class, but neither of them took (although I did learn how to read music.)

The first instrument I could really play was the acoustic guitar.

Andrew Roblin · Post by **Andrew Roblin** » 17 Jul 2010 2:54 am

At age five or so I started with bongos, immediately performing Jamaican mento songs like "Linstead Market" and "Day-O."

About the same time, I made an instrument out of a wooden cigar box with elastic bands stretched across it.

When I was six, I started walking around the neighbourhood singing, "She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah..."

Oh man, I wanted a guitar so bad. So I traded an electric race-car set I got for Christmas to my neighbour for his big brother's guitar. Which was unplayable. Don't know what the neighbour's big brother got.

My wonderful grandfather gave me enough money to get a cheap guitar for my seventh birthday. Thank you, Granddad!

At 11 I started delivering newspapers and used the money to buy an electric guitar and a Fender Super Reverb. Guys several grades ahead of me in school asked me to join their band and we performed at school. I had taste! I was cool! Took recorder in school. Played my sister's ukulele.

At 16, I used some money given to me for clothes to buy a 5-string banjo and started performing in bars across western Canada. I've been a professional ever since.

At 19, I went to Nashville and worked at Sho-Bud. I was VERY lucky. Thank you, Sho-Bud!

Studied piano in college. Started playing mandolin and hammered dulcimer at 31. Tenor banjo at 45.

Took djembe lessons to improve my rhythmic and percussion abilities at age 46.

Began playing steel at age 48 when I realized how much the people at Sho-Bud meant to me back when I was 19 and alone and broke in Nashville. They were the first good adult role models I had. I love those folks: the Jacksons, AJ Nelson, Gene Wooten, Kathy Sacra, Mike Voltz...

Began learning three-row button accordion--because of my fondness for Quebecois fiddle tunes and folk music--when i was 49.

I'm looking ahead to plectrum banjo, vibraphone, theremin...

Oh yeah, somebody just gave me an organ. I love it.

Rick Winfield · Post by **Rick Winfield** » 17 Jul 2010 4:17 am

When I was in the 3rd grade, they taught group accordion, after school hours, in a meeting hall.
By the time I was in 7th grade, I was teaching myself guitar, which was to become my strongest instrument. When I was 28, I bought a Maverick, but with two toddlers, didn't have the time to put into it. Finally at age 55, I began to seriously study PSG,with the help of Winnie and the Forum.
Rick
PS: so far, almost half of us, came from a guitar background. I voted keyboard as 1st.

Ernie Pollock · Post by **Ernie Pollock** » 17 Jul 2010 4:22 am

I cannot believe I actually started on what back then was called an Alto Horn, I am not even sure if they use those anymore in marching and or concert bands. They played a part similar to the French Horn. Later taught myself guitar, bass guitar & sax. I actually left the wonderful Alto Horn [yeah] for the trumpet, then moved to the baritone horn and sousaphone along the way!! but the old steel guitar is still my passion!!

Ernie Pollock

Ronnie Boettcher · Post by **Ronnie Boettcher** » 17 Jul 2010 6:08 am

When I was a little tot, we lived with my grandparents. My uncle played the trumpet, in high school, and then went right in the army in 1941. He had his trumpet laying in his bedroom, and I started blowing it. Learned the scale, and how to read music at 5. When I was 7, i auditioned for the school orchestra, and made it. played that till high school. Then one day, the school had a french horn in their locker. Took it home one day, and the next day I was playing french horn in the orchestra, and band. There was a old guitar in a closet, and at 15 put some strings on it, and bought a beginners book. That started my playing country and bluegrass. At 19, I saw a ad in the paper, for a 5-string banjo. The address was a bar that had country music. I went there and saw a old banjo for $35. Still have it. It was made in 1880. That started me on banjo, and progress took over from there. Got my first steel about 68, a used fender 400, and the LDG came in 77. HOOKED from then on.

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 17 Jul 2010 8:17 am

Started Trumpet and French Horn in 3rd Grade. I was the Brass utility guy in my school's various bands and orchestras. Played just about everything at one time or another. Dot my Grandfather's old tenor banjo in the 8th Grade, and made a 5-string neck for it. Also made my Scrugg's Tuners. And I was off and running. Wish I'd continued with French Horn though.

Mike Wheeler · Post by **Mike Wheeler** » 17 Jul 2010 9:38 am

I started out on electric guitar. My first one at age 14 was a gold top '56 (I think) Les Paul. I wanted to learn Chet's style and couldn't stand the Paul, so Dad helped me trade it for a Gretsch Tennessean. Then in "71 got my first steel. Been severely hooked ever since.

Alan Brookes · Post by **Alan Brookes** » 17 Jul 2010 9:38 am

My first instrument was the Descant Recorder in G, which I played at school at the age of 9 or 10, but I'm not counting that.
The first instrument I took up voluntarily was the guitar.
It's difficult to sing whilst accompanying oneself on the recorder.

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 17 Jul 2010 10:14 am

Been beating on guitar since I was big enough to drag one around. I think my first one was an Arthur Godfrey cardboard model I got for selling Burpee's seeds.

About 9 yrs old, my mom insisted I learn piano.

Began pedal steel in mid 30's with a passion I'd never felt for any other instrument. Took up dobro shortly afterwards.

Mike Ester · Post by **Mike Ester** » 17 Jul 2010 10:18 am

Started out on ojnab when I was 16.

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 17 Jul 2010 10:28 am

Formal training on accordion from 1st-7th grad, compound fractured my R index playing school ball & got to quit accordion

Now I still have two of them

All ya ever do is bring me down, Glory days

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 17 Jul 2010 10:35 am

Started on piano then violin.Took up steel years later. Took up violin again after retiring. Been heck of a ride.

Bo Borland · Post by **Bo Borland** » 17 Jul 2010 10:57 am

Although my first instrument was an old Stella 6 string at age 4, my mother told me I was playing the melody of all the TV commercials on piano at 6. I still remember, "You'll wonder where the yellow went...."

Clete Ritta · Post by **Clete Ritta** » 17 Jul 2010 1:13 pm

Well, as I had intended to discover, about 50% replied that guitar was their first musical instrument, and only 1 started on steel. I like the stories of those nostalgic early musical wonder years.

Alan Brookes wrote:My first instrument was the Descant Recorder in G, which I played at school at the age of 9 or 10, but I'm not counting that...

Alan,
You reminded me that we had Recorders and Autoharps in elementary school, and I did play the Recorder first, so for the record lets put Recorder in the Woodwind section

Autoharp goes in the Other Stringed Instrument category, if you can remember that far back!

Whether you count it as your first instrument is up to you.

Mike Ester wrote:Started out on ojnab when I was 16.

That's a lefty banjo played upside down by a mirror, right?

Clete

Les Anderson · Post by **Les Anderson** » 17 Jul 2010 2:25 pm

This goes back a long time. When my father returned from WWII, "I was five at the time" he brought home a little 6 hole Marine Band harmonica. My first song that I learned was Halls of Montezuma (Marine Hymn). From there it was an eight hole Marine band then at age of eleven my uncle gave me a 10 hole Chromatic. After that it was the full range of chromatics (chord, bass and 64 reed 280 chromatic ), followed by stand up bass guitar, acoustic, electric, ukelele, then finally a steel guitar. I tried the fiddle but the wife, would have none of it.

Papa Joe Pollick · Post by **Papa Joe Pollick** » 17 Jul 2010 2:32 pm

Ukulele when I was about 9 0r 10..guitar at 12....

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 19 Jul 2010 12:59 am

Drums. Please don't stone me.

Thomas Ludwig · Post by **Thomas Ludwig** » 19 Jul 2010 2:38 am

startet with guitar with 12 years
then bass with 15 years (gigs gigs gigs!!)
lap steel some years ago
now pedals and hope for gigs

Ernest Cawby · Post by **Ernest Cawby** » 19 Jul 2010 5:04 am

I wanted to be a Tommy Dorsey and play trombone, in the first grade in Lake city you could play in the band way back then. The director asked me what I wanted to play, he handed me a trombone and asked me to hit 7th position, I could not reach that far, he said I would have to play trumpet or, ?, he did not tell me I would never have to play the 7th position un less I wanted to play alternate notes, so I lost out till in the 7th grade I took up Band, a DREAM HAD TO WAIT 6 years.
In the meantime dad let me take steel lieeson cause I heard Eddie Arnold and Little Roy, then Hank and Don. so it was a flat top with a nut under the bridge,

ernie

Chris Dorch · Post by **Chris Dorch** » 19 Jul 2010 5:26 am

I started on drums, but, since I never had a set, I voted for piano since I did have one of those...

Brett Day · Post by **Brett Day** » 19 Jul 2010 6:36 am

For me, it tok a lot of figurin' out what I would play because of cerebral palsy. I strummed a guitar with my right hand, and then when I was fourteen, I started playin' keyboards by ear with one hand, and when I turned eighteen, I moved on to pedal steel and I've been playin' steel for ten years now. Christmas Day, it'll be eleven years on steel.

Brett

Elton Smith · Post by **Elton Smith** » 19 Jul 2010 8:31 pm

My dad farmed cucumbers for the local pickel co.,so at age 7,I had picked enough to by a $7.00 sears guitar at a pawn shop my dad got for me.The string were a 1/2" off the fret board and rusty to boot.Thats what I leaned to play on.Yall remember Black Diomond strings? and rusty too!

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