How many of you play guitar too?

Played guitar for 47 years in a previous life. Played acoustic six and twelve string in folk bands/trios/duos for about ten years,then moved to six string electric guitar in rock bands/blues bands/boogie bands for the remainder of the time I played the instrument.I still went back to acoustic twelve string when I felt like it, and often played it at home for my own pleasure.Then I was seriously ill, and for no reason I can work out, I just lost interest in the guitar,and picked up a ukulele! That was twelve years ago,and I have played a guitar once in that time, for ten minutes,to demonstrate something to an aspiring guitarist who was struggling with a particular chord sequence!
 
Wow! My question has already produced so many interesting responses - thank you all!
The one thing that shines through is that for most of us, making music has been and remains a lifelong interest; even if the way we do it has changed or adapted. And it seems those who have relatively recently started to play are already 'hooked' into the hobby - whichever instrument(s) they've chosen.
So many of you are multi-instrumentalists. I think I need to up my game! lol
Thanks all for responding thus far. I look forward to hearing the stories of others who may answer in due course.
 
Young Dave, I always enjoy and appreciate the way you add to the UU experience.

I picked up an acoustic guitar about 15 years ago, no musical instrument experience prior to that. I would spend the winter months trying to learn. When golf season started the guitar got put in the closet for 8 months. Then the cycle would start again from December to April with the guitar. Not a good way to learn anything. After about 4 years of that I gave up.

I found the ukulele 5 years ago and enjoyed the social aspect of the uke jams and got hooked. But I always loved the sound of an acoustic guitar so started back at it about 16 months ago and am making decent progress. I play all the time with no breaks except for the hand operation I had end of April. I have just started back playing both instruments about 3 weeks ago. It is a slow and painful recovery but I hope I can get back to my former level of mediocrity :p
 
I wish you well for a fast and complete recovery my friend. And also for your kind comments about me. Keep enjoying ALL your music and stay awesome! X
 
I didn't expect that the vast majority here had background in guitar but there we are. Guess that puts me in the minority. I don't think I have even touched a guitar since high school almost twenty years ago. Maybe I'll dabble into it one day, but for now, it's ukes all the way. :)
 
I’m in the minority also. I had a guitar when I was about 13, but never learned to play it. My best friend at the time was going to teach me to play, but she moved away & I never learned. I was in the percussion section in high school band. Beyond that, I never played any other instrument or had any formal musical education. I’ve always loved music, but never found an instrument that I wanted to learn until I found the ukulele. I’m totally hooked now.
 
Hi Dave, No formal education of any sort. Taught myself to play guitar but never really learned, so I am lousy but always interested. Picked up ukes and was sold. I am much better and have learned some theory and can see the overlap for all stringed instruments. I enjoy teaching myself how it all works. Still lousy player though, but it is fun and I have sopranos in cases all over the house. I still have two guitars but do not plan to play them much, just can't let go for some reason. Onward!
 
I started on guitar, way back when I was 14 but dropped it in my early 20s and didn’t even own one again until I was in my mid 40s. Picked up 5 string banjo and uke back around 2004. Uke has taken over for the most part. In fact, within the past 6 months or so, I’ve sold off all my guitars but one. I pretty much only play ukulele now.
 
I play guitar, as well as ukulele. I also play five other instruments besides those two. Clarinet, Ocarina, harmonica, piano, and erhu.

I had to stop playing guitar, because my bridge ripped off on its own, and exposed the bridge plate. I don't know if it can be repaired or not. If it can't be repaired, I need to get a new guitar.

The day that happened, all my instruments gathered for a funeral. My ukulele gave the eulogy.

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I know, that sounds weird, but I was trying to face the fact that my guitar broke. I used humor to get through it.

Jared
 
What I play is in my signature.
 
I play at the guitar, bass and mandolin. I am for the most part, self taught on all and am by no means good at any of them. I like all string instruments and I am already feeling in the week that I have owned my ukulele, that it is going to be my main instrument of choice. But I will continue to noodle around on all.
 
Guitar was my first stringed instrument. Ukulele came around the time Elderly Instruments first started selling Fluke ukuleles. I think that was in the early stages for the Magic Fluke Co.
I had tried to think up in my head an ideal instrument and an uke seemed to fit it well at the time.
I've played guitar, uke, and other instruments off and on for years. Right now it's just uke and percussion. I let my last guitar go just over a month ago as I was not really playing it or enjoying it. So technically I can still play guitar but I'm choosing not to currently.
 
Been playing guitar for 61 years. Even played Hollywood in the early '60's. Boy what a time. Donavon and The Byrds at the Trip, Lovin' Spoonful at Cinnamon Cinder, Doors at the Whiskey A Go Go and Ike and Tina Turner at the Red Velvet etc.. We were so young we could only play at Pandors's Box; an underage club that started the Sunset Blvd. riots because they were arresting any kid under 18 coming out of there because of the 10 O'clock curfew imposed by the law.

Presently I'm playing flatpick lead in a bluegrass band on a 126 year old (1893)Bay State parlor guitar. Amazing that little sucker overpowers a couple of D28 Dreadnaughts a couple of rhythm players play on.
 
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We were so young we could only play at Pandors's Box; an underage club that started the Sunset Blvd. riots because they were arresting any kid under 18 coming out of there because of the 10 O'clock curfew imposed by the law.
My twin brother and I and another friend were 17 and went there that night, but as things started to get heated close to 10 PM, we took off home. That riot was the inspiration for Stephen Stills writing "For What It's Worth" performed by Buffalo Springfield. Before the curfew, on most weekends, we used to walk the entire length of Sunset Strip back and forth and hanging out in front of the clubs we couldn't get into, and couldn't afford Pandoras'a Box.


This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly West near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 5 acoustic bass ukes, 11 solid body bass ukes, 9 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 34)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers
 
I’ve played guitar for over 20 years, but had horrible technique that, when combined with my playing habits where I would put in about 4-5 hours of straight practice, did a number on my wrist to the point where I’m in occupational therapy now. But I don’t have any issues playing the ukulele and enjoy it more. I like the happier tone, greater portability, and the way jazz sounds on it. I also like the ukulele community more. I’ve played guitar in a bunch of states and it seemed like people were more competitive with guitar where they would be more stoked about your playing in the ukulele world.
 
Wow! What a lot of talented people we have in in UU! So many multi-instrumentalists. But what really comes across - whatever instruments we play, try to play, or don't play - is out shared love of making music. Thank you all so much for contributing your stories to this thread.
I DID however forget to share my own 'story' lol, so, very briefly...

When I was about 13 I never had a love of football (soccer to some of you) and I still haven't to this very day (I'm 62 now). This was much to the shame of my father and brothers who love it with a passion. So, while the rest of my class we're off on the playing field, I was offered the chance to have classical piano lessons, which I took. This led on to my studying to reasonable grade under Sir Edward Parker of the Royal Schools of Music (not AT the royal schools themselves - I was never THAT good or lucky! lol) Sadly, a lot of the keyboard skills I learned then have been long forgotten as life, career, wife & kids got in the way of playing.
A chance encounter with my cousin's boyfriend (an excellent guitar player & vocalist with his own band) got me wanting to be like him and play guitar and sing, and I've been doing that on and off ever since. I've never been good, I just enjoy doing it. I now have a collection of guitars and sometimes get together with a group to play some rock type stuff - but it's infrequent, I play mostly acoustic solo and do a lot of 'silly fun songs' as I don't have the best of voices and don't really have anyone or any clubs nearby I can get together with to share making music.
Even as a kid I loved watching the old Formby movies - his uke skills always intrigued me - so a couple of years ago I bought one. I now have four. I still can't play uke properly, but again I have fun with it - and, to me, fun is what it should all be about...whatever our level of skill.
I agree with the sentiment about the uke community. Since joining UU I have been met with nothing but friendship, kindness and encouragement - and long may that continue for all of us.
I look forward to seeing and hearing more of you all in the future in both the uke AND (hopefully) guitar sections. Happy playing!
 
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My first stringed instrument was classical guitar. I played for a couple of years and was just moving from advanced beginner to intermediate level when I was in a bad hangliding accident and shattered both arm and sustained a lot of nerve damage to the point where one was almost amputated. 4 years and many surgeries later I recovered about as much as I was likely to. I tried to play the guitar again and was devastated when I realized I didnt have enogh sensation left in my hands to fret the strings or play chords consistently. I gave up tryig to play for awhile. A few years later I heard a ukulele on the radio when I was having a particularly bad day and decided maybe if I tried a new instrument it wouldn't be so emotinally devastating to not be able to play well, and though perhaps with a smaller instrument like a ukulele that slight nerve and strength deficits I still have would be more manageable. That was coming up on 2 years ago. I don't play the ukulele was well as I did guitar (and maybe never will), but I love the instrument. I recently tried playing guitar again, and the instrument seems huge and unwieldly, so I am going to stick with ukulele! I love the instrument and all the different sounds from differnt combination of size, tonewoods, and strings! Nothing sounds prettier to me that some traditional hawaii songs or soft jazz songs on an ukulele!
 
Lifelong music lover, I experimented with a few band and orchestra instruments growing up but none of them "stuck". When I retired a dozen years ago, I took up the ukulele and still enjoy playing it. Three or four years ago, I added guitar and found the transition easy. While I am by no means proficient on either, I am an adequate singer/strummer. I like the uke when I want to just grab and go but really appreciate the fuller sound of the guitar. So, I play both, as the mood strikes. These past few years, I play mostly mandolin. While I play a lot of rhythm mando, my emphasis on mandolin is playing an embellished melody line. My practice focus is on learning the fretboard, ear training, scales, intervals, etc. For me, the consistent fifths tuning of the mandolin makes fingerstyle easier than on the uke or guitar. My ukes still get love but I did move one soprano to fifths tuning and it makes a great little practice mandolin.

You had asked about forums. For guitar, Acoustic Guitar Forum is very good. For mandolin, Mandolin Cafe is a really excellent forum mando.
 
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