Hmm , I’m not sure . I can tell how it came about with incomplete memories.
When I was like 6 I was living with my Mother and wanted to play drums . I was always banging on stuff . Lol Mom said no. Inner mom said he!! No ! Lmao.
I’m not sure how long between that and Mom signing me up for a guitar class at Jewish community center. She got me some cheap guitar . When I walked into class it turns out all the kids already knew what a guitar was and pretty much how to play . They laughed at me and that was that .
At the same time I remember a band that played just down the rd in their garage. They were pretty good at least to me , not knowing anything . Lol I did recognize some songs though. I hanged out there when I could just listening if coarse .
in-between this time The Temple I went to with dad had a piano and since I didn’t want to pray or be preached to I’d sneak off and go into the room with the piano and just play some random notes . I soon found out I could put them together and kind of play a tune . Lol
Any chance I had when I see a piano I’d go and play on it though that wasn’t very often.
I remember having a organ that pops bought for me years later say 7-8th grade . It was set up in front of my rooms window . There was a girl down the rd I fell in love with or so I thought just when we’re getting to know each other she moved away ! Hello first song written on organ due to heart break . Lmao
I met my best Jim there shortly after turned out he was interested in music and had some family members involved his uncle played drums so he picked it up he became very good at it to .
Jim introduced me to progressive music like Blood sweet and tears , Genesis ,yes , Bowie etc shortly after I ask pops for a guitar he wasn’t interested but finally caved and bought me one a fender 6 string acoustic .
Oh back track to the pervious summer , I just remembered .. visiting mom in Long Island I met Chris Novak . He played acoustic guitar anyway he was amazing . He actually thought me my first chords . He said play these and he lent me his guitar . I did over and over and yes my fingers bled . Lol I had nothing else to do and Chris was away on vacation to Spain to get some fancy classical guitar . So I had excess to his for a bit .
9th grade I had to take band of half the year or drama so band it was and guitar was the only thing I had . I was still lousy at it . Couldn’t read music hated to try so band turned out a kill time class. During this time had another friend in our group . Peter Neigbit not sure how it’s spelled. Peter was very good on guitar and that’s where I saw my first Guild acoustic it was blue and very very nice best guitar I ever seen but it was his sisters so I only got one shot at holding it . Lol
So Peter tried to teach me a bit and we started our first very short lived band with Jim playing drums . I pretty much sucked and Peter would yell at me far to many times and I stopped hanging around him . He moved off to Buffalo came back a year or two later and holy **** he played for our group of friends one night and never played the same song twice and he went on all through night . Yup I hated him .
Anyway all during this I just poked around playing guitar best I could . Tried payed lessons which failed but the teacher who had a local band which was really good said he liked what I came up with so that was cool .
Then I learned about Rush and Alex’s guitar playing hit home with me like he was my brother from another mother. Wow everything he played sounded so right . Still to this day I have reason why it just does.
so I took up electric and played to Rush for years after . I guess you could say Alex taught me how to play . Lol
I never really tried to learn any other songs by bands if I wasn’t jamming to rush I was playing my own stuff on the acoustic .
when I moved to Florida around 81-82 I bought a 12 string Yamaha F312 and that’s when I discovered open tunings it was my only guitar for years . So that really set the stage for my style of playing . Combine that with my love of New Age music and here I am.