Of Allan and his guitar heros pt. 1

So i pomised a blog about this a little while ago and I am excited to get to it, and that would be my obession/border line love affair with the guitar.  I started playing a little over 12.5 years ago with my grandfathers late 70's Harmony acoustic that my mom bought for him at a garage sale.  I now have about 3 acoustics, 2 electrics, a classical, mandolin and 2 ukuleles.  

So how did it all start?  Well, it started with a friend of mine, Jeff.  We were best friends and he had his dads guitar laying around and started playing it, so of course I had to know a little something too. I found my grandpa's guitar and started at it.  I remember that the first song I learned all the way through, and still do know, was Green Day's, "When I come around". A classic (well, now at least)  I can't remember how long it took me to get that stupid song down, bt when i did i felt great. I learned something very important at that point and time, learn to play songs you like.  My next song, and still probably one of my favorite songs to play was Weezer's, "say it ain't so".  Playing that song made me feel like a rock star.  It was also at the time when i knew the guitar was something i could get into.

Now for any other budding guitar player, the first few years are filled with pain and frustration.  I was no exception.   I tell people that the first 2 years should hurt, I know mine did.  But as time went by my fingers grew more and more accustomed to the different chord shapes, althogh i still didn't really know want a 'chord' was. It wasn't until i was at a ministry camp that i leard was G-C-D-Em was and that was about 3 years into playing the guitar. I was and still am self taught.  I rely mainly on picking up stuff my ear and looking at tabs. I wish that i had taken lessons, but glad for where not taken lesson has taken me so far.

Now being from the Chruch of Christ, there is a problem with me playing that guitar, and basically, it would be that I...play guitar.  When i started I had no idea what kind of trouble that it could get me into!  The church i grew up was great to me in this aspect. They let me lead worhsip with the youth group and I learned early on that there is a difference between leading worshp and singing in worship.  But it wasn't all like that. I will always remember the little old lady that said, "your going to hell for that....you know right!?" There have been times when I was told I could lead worship with my guitar after a small gathering, and then, as soon as my part came they stopped everything and started passing out icecreme.  I was not going to do my part there.  This was something that i never expected to find when i started and don't it believe will ever truly leave me.  I truly do understand why some people believe it is wrong and I hold nothing against them, i  just disagree with them.  I now find less and less of people that i disagree with about this, which i like, but at that same time, i hold nothing against those who disagree with me.

Well, I wanted to take some time in all of this and show a few of my guitar heros. These are people whos technique, skill and creativity I have ever so poorly tried to imitate and learn from. Please feel free to comment.....

This was a song that started so much of my fascination with the guitar. Its not just that these guys are fast, its that they are creative, very clean and VERY VERY fast.

You just have to love this song and this band. I still love to play this song and have grow to appreciate the skill that it takes to write a great song from these guys.

I saw Phil Keaggy at Pepperdine play this song and it got me hooked with what you could do with a guitar w/o the use of a pick. It was also the start of my want for a looping pedal. (which I now have)

Ok, I will be putting up another post of some of my other guitar heroes. I promise to put up more videos.

Allan