For musos, how were your very first steps in learning music? How would you rate the gains made through experience?

[Nikki1989]

[LiamJHayden]

Both parents were into music. My dad was a pianist. My mom actually played sax and sang. I started on piano lessons at 6 and guitar at 7. I still play piano, but my main focus has been guitar and vocals. On vocals I prefer harmony and backing. I can sing well enough and have a good vocal range, but my voice does not have the distinctiveness for lead (in my opinion).

Gains: Guitars: I can play almost anything mainstream. Satriani, Uli, Blackmore, Gilbert, etc. I try to do Jeff Beck, but he was like an alien - such perfect intonation and control.

Vocally, as I said, I love singing harmony.

Piano: I consider myself intermediate.

[Nikki1989]

My father played guitar, and yet he pushed me into learning piano. I never really found out why.

[LiamJHayden]

Maybe he wanted you to accompany each other rather than compete.

[Bricealan]

@Nikki1989 Violin difficult due to shoulder problems but piano was the most difficult learning base clef AND treble clef and being able to separate the two and play simultaneously.

[Ill_made_Knight]

Been a progression since about 12 years. B flat clarinet in marching and concert bands, learned to read from a sheet but really only needed to follow one note so still find it difficult looking at a group of notes and recognizing chords, but that's ok. Transitioned into voacl music, concert choir, musical theater and a capella... still following one note across the page really. This caused an acoustic guitar to appear in my hands, so now we're reading charts and fingering diagrams rather than raw sheet music. Lot's of stop and start sessions with the old vinyl albums and learning by ear and chord books. Then came my current P-Bass. Now you'll be hearing the intervals and learning to be an anchor. It's really quite different, and so far as reading goes, I'll be happy if I'm given the progression in terms of starting on the 1, then it goes 4 then 5 etc... then it doesn't matter if you are in A or C. Start in the right place and play the root progression and you've got a start.

[_Jenny_]

@Nikki1989 I suppose I’m not because I tried playing the piano 🎹 but I had trouble with reading sheet music and I was never good at playing by ear. I just don’t have any rhythm 🎵.

[Nikki1989]

I learned piano with classical piano lessons and lots of sheet music and music theory, but my love for rock music took over.

[_Jenny_]

@Nikki1989 I never had lessons, I tried to teach myself

[Nikki1989]

I never had lessons for rock or pop music. It was classical and jazz when I was learning, but that still comes out when I am playing.

[_Jenny_]

@Nikki1989 you must have natural talent

[Nikki1989]

Maybe with the keys. I have been learning guitar for the past couple of years. I am not a natural at that.

[_Jenny_]

@Nikki1989 I tried the guitar 🎸 too but the strings hurt my fingers