How many of you have made the jump over to guitar?

afd100

Member
For the last couple years I've been dabbling with the electric guitar, and I gotta say I love it! My dad was reaaaaaally good at guitar so I've always been around it, just never had the desire to pick it up until recently. I really love the amount of musical expression that's possible with it. Now, drums will always be my obsession, and there is a ton of expression possible rhythmically, but obviously the melodic side of things isn't there. I also feel like it's added to my drumming; I understand songs better now and it's helped me really get in better touch with songs and how to come up with more tasteful grooves and fills that fit well into the melody. Thoughts?
 
I started playing guitar 3 months before I started playing drums. I would have to say that the more instruments you learn to play, the better you get at playing music in general. Also, the more chances you get to play more instruments with more people in more diverse situations, the more you discover your own "voice" in music...
 
I started guitar before drums too, and I play it just as a hobby.
 
I try...try..and I do not succeed.I'll just have to try harder.It's def not the guitar.I've got an older Taylor 110 E.She sounds great,and a few steps up from my Carlo Robelli.It would cost more to set up the Robelli,than what I paid for it.:)

Steve B
 
Played guitar since I was 16..........love it.........just not as much as drumming............there is some kind of primal satisfaction that comes from hitting things
 
I'm a pro-guitarist for who drumming is a hobby.
In many ways I prefer drumming- it is s lot of fun and no pressure on me when doing it.

Guitar is the 'job'- although I love it too.
 
Played and studied guitar for 25 years.

Picked up the drums about 3 years ago seriously to be a better teacher in my combined teaching position. It's been the main focus and though I don't gig much as a drummer yet, more based on where I live and availability of gigs in general, teaching drums is putting just as much food on the table as teaching and playing the guitar right now.

It got a bit addictive, so practicing drums had been focused on almost as a full time job for a while now. It's highly necessary, too. The more I do this I keep remembering how hard it was and still is to find a decent drummer to play with and after getting a good perspective on the quality of drum instruction available here, there is a clear connection. I'm having fun, though it's struggle at first, we will soon have a lot more young, competent drummers in my area than has been the case before. I have drummers who have studied for years, who couldn't handle the simplest of songs, but now after just 6 months they know several styles, can count and keep time as well as improvise tastful fills in time. Very little rudiment knowledge, but we'll start digging deep into accents and doubles over new years.
 
I played guitar for 6 yrs during and after high school, then i stopped for 15-20 yrs. Started playing drums 2-3 yrs ago, and casually got back into guitar this past summer. Trying to learn all of the basics and theory that I skipped over when I was a kid (it was all power chords and tremolo picking).
 
It has been a long time since I have been on here, I picked up guitar due to being in the Navy. People would rather hear bad guitar than just hacking with drumsticks.
I would say it is the general music theory in general that will help with all other concepts of music, wether it be composing or just playing drums in general.

Although I have also made the decision that if guitar in most "modern" music was removed but still had the bass, drums, and vocals in, the song would sound the same.

-George
 
I enjoy trying to play both, not sure I can play either of them!! It's great fun trying though.
I know i'll have more bad habits and technical deficiencies than are probably acceptable to purists but really, I don't care.
 
I've played guitar for 20 years, just picked up drums about 4 months ago - had been sitting in on my daughter's drum lessons for a couple years, soaked up a lot of info, and decided I needed to drum.

I actually haven't touched my guitar since starting to drum.
 
I started playing guitar 3 months before I started playing drums. I would have to say that the more instruments you learn to play, the better you get at playing music in general. Also, the more chances you get to play more instruments with more people in more diverse situations, the more you discover your own "voice" in music...

I agree. There's so many instruments that look like fun. Wish we had time for all of them.

I've tried the guitar on a few occasions, but with ADHD it's hard for me to give it the amount of time and effort necessary to develop any skill. Perhaps it's why I find drumming so much fun though. We've always got so much going on back there don't we? It's been 15yrs and I'm still going at it! So there's something that keeps me going. I just don't feel that way when I hold other instruments.
 
I tried guitar for a while. I just could not do it, I guess it was an ergonomic thing. I could not get my hands to play the chords well. However, one time I borrowed a violin and it was really strange I just took to it quite naturally.

I needed another instrument so I did alto sax, and I am now doing an electric piano. I like the piano because I can play chords and a pattern at the same time, as well as the electric piano is never out of tune.
 
I took lessons for a year but I was no good. Probably should have practiced more...haha. I had to stop taking lessons for money reasons and I just haven't cared enough to pick it back up.
 
I play. I'm not sure how long I've played, but I've actually tried for probably 2 or 3 years now. I'm really not very good for how long I've been playing. I need to study it as seriously as I study drums. I really, really want to get better, especially lately.

I'm addicted to guitar gear though.

I have a Fender Hot Rod 52 Telecaster (the nicest once-in-a-lifetime gift that I never expected/deserved) and a Gibson SG standard, playing through a Fender Blues Deluxe.
 
I'm 40 and have been playing guitar since age 13. I've been in lots of bands and have played tons and tons of gigs (from little dive bars to large venues.) I've always been the lead guitar guy and I think I'm very accomplished on it.

During that time, I've made the fulltime switch to bass guitar twice. By that, I mean putting the guitar down and learning how to play the instrument like it was my main instrument (not a guitar player on bass guitar) AND also getting into gigging bands and getting lots of live experience on it.

Around 2 years ago, I made the switch from guitar again, but this time to drums. It's very challenging, since guitar and drums really don't have too much in common (not like guitar and bass anyway.)

I seem to re-energize myself by switching and becoming experienced and competent on different instruments. I gotta say that I like drums more than I ever imagined. I've rarely even touched a guitar in 2 years. No joke.

I love it and really have no immediate plans to switch back to a stringed instrument!

EDIT - Oh yeah, I'm already playing in three projects on drums, which includes gigging. I got up to speed fairly quickly by reading this forum, watching YouTube, etc... And of course, TONS and TONS of practice at home and rehearsals with the bands. I now consider myself a real drummer. Maybe not a killer drummer, but still...
 
At 30 I had an injury to my left hand and the doc said I wouldn't fully use my ring finger and
middle finger again...he suggested getting a rubber ball and squeezing it to regain whatever
control I could. I tried it for a day and thought that was ridiculous so I bought a guitar thinking
that, "that" would be fun therapy. 30+ years later I not only have complete dexterity of those
fingers but I play jazz and brazilian guitar weekly in various venues with other musicians. I
still play drums but have limited it to jazz since the late 70's.

The thing I love about the guitar is you can learn a couple chords and have a blast. Drummers
have much better time too than many guitarists who don't play drums.
 
I'm able to pick up a guitar, analyse the fretboard, and figure out where the chords are, but I have never studied it seriously. I wouldn't mind -- I'd love to be able to write and record more stuff on my own.

If the song is very simple and in major chords I can strum along, and I do play bass (which I played before taking up the drums). Maybe this will be my retirement project.
 
dislike guitar, i play some piano though
 
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