THESE Guitar Geek Experiences Change Your Life! • Acoustic Tuesday 218

If you haven’t had one of these experiences in your guitar journey, you need to check out this video. From meeting the most eclectic, creative, and supportive people to having a first gig, these are the guitar geek experiences that change lives.

I’ve created this episode as a retrospective to spark reflection. While I draw some insights and lessons from my own personal experiences, this is a great moment for you — yes, YOU! — to think about experiences you’ve had on your guitar journey…

Which moments have shaped you? Which experiences taught you the value of music? How many friends have you made through your music?

These are all great launching points for introspection. And, since it’s the end of the year, I think there’s no better time to start reflecting on the year. By the end of this episode, you’ll have examples of experiences that change a guitar geeks life. But I want you to reflect and think about the experiences that have changed your life.

In addition to covering these pivotal moments in our guitar journey, we’ll cover a stellar blues lick titled “Sleigh Bells.” The holidays are upon us, so we’ll have that motif every day this week at TAC. But additionally, we’ll be “breaking” some “rules” in music — and it totally works! Just be sure to watch the episode to see why it works…

Featured this week…

  • @Madi Diaz
  • @Eric Clapton

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  1. Hey, Tony! You ever run into Ray Tate by any chance? It’s my understanding he was active in Chicago, at the Old Town School, most of his adult life – he’s now retired and living in my area of rural Virginia. I’ve occasionally hung out with people who play with him. I can only claim to have played (piano) with him on one song, an obscure number called “Popeye’s Waltz.” Anyway, thought that was worth sharing. Cheers! Mark

  2. Mine was Rush Moving Pictures Album. they way Alex plays is so complex and made me want to own guitars and try to play. Poison CC Deville made me want to own BC Rich Guitars due to the odd shapes and the way they sound to me. I am learning on the guitar with an electric since I can hold it better and my amp is on clean. I am also a Zeppelin fan, Beatles, Def Leppard, and Iron Maiden fan, But not limited to rock alone. I find guitar is the unusual sounds that ring true to any genre of music and how feelings are played on them.

  3. The single most guitar experience gift is from the man THAT played guitar who told me, “NOT TO PLAY THE GUITAR”
    Let me explain. April 20, 2000 i was drug for about 28 feet wedged under the left front tire of a mid-80’s F-150 pick up truck before it ran over the mid section of my body. The medical staff attempted to get the family to take me off of life support. Their reasoning was i would never be more than a vegetable should i come out of the coma. “i turned out to be a fruit” The medical staff said, i would never walk again, i ran for miles. They said, because of ALL the head trauma and blood that was forced into my brain, i would never be mentally funk-shun-able. “never was before the accident”
    Miracles do happen! Over the process of time, doing a little everyday until i could do more everyday we slowly improved. CONSISTENCY pays off!
    Learning to play the guitar was actually a bucket list thing to do, (i’ll spare the details) And that little voice inside me head telling me i couldn’t do it, was a LIAR. When i started looking for a beginner guitar online… these TAC info commercials kept popping up. So, from the very beginning of my guitar journey, Tony has always been there in one way or another. There ain’t enuff words to describe how thankful we are for TAC! The 2nd greatest gift of our guitar journey.
    Being a united States Marine veteran, we k-now a little bit about a consistent routine. Discipline is our friend. And the greatest power on earth is LOVE!
    Blessings y’all…

  4. I’ve always loved music. I love most all genres of music, but do like folk, blues, and rock. I have to credit my brother-in-law for keeping me enthused. He was a natural and never used notes or took lessons. He never taught me anything other than me listening to him. I also took a couple of semesters of guitar lessons in college. His name was Michael Christiansen. I really appreciate you, Tony, for your teaching style and your constant words of encouragement. Thank you and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.

  5. Hea Tony, now that brings me back to the old A.T. shows i been missing. That homey feeling of listening to a friend telling you a story. Best show in a long time. Another thing i have been missing were those Monday morning E mails that would get me ready to practice all week long. Got that today with your thoughts about taking time to reflect on your progress, that got me up out of a rut that started 2 weeks ago Thank you.You also made me remember my poor Mom & Grandmother who put up with a 12yr, old drummer in thier basement for years until i got my own place. And my sister who had a beatnick boyfriend who taught me how to play Duane Eddy songs on my first Kay guitar. Thanx for all that, now i think its time for you to go give the Hawks a pep talk. Your friend Guy Bross in CHAMPA BAY FL.

  6. Tony- The most recent guitar / music gift that immediately came to my mind was from yourself.. a few months back you mentioned Mandolin Orange on the Acoustic Tuesday show. You commented that their recordings were awesome, being a bit of an audio junky and knowing few of these type artists, I checked them out. I really liked their sound and since have learned a few of their songs and play along with them on a regular basis … so Thank you ! Mike

  7. Never lived in Chicago, but just checked Google Maps…is that bar for your first gig Xippo at W. Grace St. and North Damen Ave? You really get a feel from the pics. Looks like a great first-gig bar.

  8. I’ve liked/loved music my whole life though I’m , now, only focused on learning guitar. Non musical family, but had a few friends that played and I always thought they’re ( not me) talented. Anyway, so for all those friends that learned an instrument and stuck with it to one degree or another. So, at 62yo, I can read, I’m of average intelligence, I’m retired, so I figure I have time to learn…Anyway, an album that transformed me was “Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band” back in 1973ish.

  9. Thanks Tony – gifts as something other than things. An important notion to remember.
    Do you have a program somewhere where you talk more about your days at Old Town School (I lived in Chicago and Evanston in the 70s)?

  10. My sister, Kate, gave me the gift of turning me on to the music of The Beatles, Gordon Lightfoot and the Moody Blues back in the day. Her husband, Sage, got me interested in Leo Kottke. Great gifts that have lasted a lifetime!