Mister Mushroom

When did you start playing? What was your first instrument?

First started learning the guitar in roughly March of 2014. I'm still quite green, though I've progressed a lot and have been told by many that I'm really good, I have a long way to go.

What were the first songs you learned?

The first two songs I learned (courtesy of Rocksmith 2014, which I abandoned as a learning tool shortly after) were Blitzkrieg Bop by the Ramones and Sore Tummy by PAWS.

Did you take lessons and for how long? What was your teacher like?

I mostly used Rocksmith 2014 to learn the basics and then switched it out for tabs, technique videos, and just analyzing my favorite players but listening to them and watching them perform via YouTube.

When was your first performance? What gear did you have?

I haven't really performed live yet, save for being a douchebag and playing my acoustic at parties. (and not even really playing anything, just improvising)

When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?

I'm trying to start a band currently, but know of no drummers that have the free time to do so...

How have your gear preferences changed over time? What is your favorite gear now?

I mostly prefer cheaper gear, in all honesty. I prefer to craft my tone with my hands rather than top-notch gear. Currently one of my favorite pieces of gear is my beat up Teisco Spectrum 2 that was picked up last December for the whopping price of $40. It feeds back beautifully and can be controlled easily, which makes for some amazing and fun use.

How much gear do you own? How much have you sold? What are you hoping to own in the future?

4 Electric Guitars
1 Acoustic Guitar
4 Effects Pedals
1 Amp
1 Cabinet
1 Kimball Organ
1 Cheap 80s Casio synth
1 Auto-Harp
1 Hohner Marine Band Harmonica

How have your influences and playing style changed over time?

They really haven't. I've incorporated some Rap & Hip Hop influences into lyrics, and some heavier influences in playing, but overall all my previous influences stand and can still be heard.

What were your best / worst performances like?

As I said before, haven't really performed live yet. Though my worst "performance" I must say was a few months after beginning. I was sitting outside with some people and one was playing his guitar. He asked if I played and I said yes, then he asked if I wanted to play his guitar and I declined. Then my crush asked me to play and I got overly cocky and decided I should do so.

Grabbed his guitar to find the strings covered in an absolutely disgusting coating of green of crystallized sweat. I sort of threw his guitar back at him and immediately went for hand sanitizer, plus washed my hands roughly five times. My crush kept apologizing about the experience, which I found kind of adorable.

Sadly I haven't seen her since

Kind of glad I never played though, as I was just beginning and really sucked.

Have you ever had any studio experience? Where at?

Sadly no.

Do you still play? If you don't why did you stop?

I do still play. I try to at least strum a few chords every day, if not truly play.

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Toe

Could you post a photo of your Teisco. I love the spectrum guitars so much. The spectrum 5 is my favorite look for a guitar.

missMorgue

When did you start playing? What was your first instrument?
My first experience ever playing an instrument was when I was something like 6 years old and my brother showed me how to play some easy chords on our dad's acoustic nylon Epiphone.

What were the first songs you learned?
That would be Knocking On Heaven's Door, which is what my brother taught me

Did you take lessons and for how long? What was your teacher like?
I took piano lessons for about 12 years at the local music school, then switched to classical vocals after not being able to sing along with Nightwish. Been studying that ever since. If I don't experience a nervous breakdown, I just might get my bachelor's degree in classical vocals next year. I've had a lot of teachers, most of them were good but some have been truly awesome. The lady who taught me about volume here in Italy was more than helpful.

When was your first performance? What gear did you have?
In elementary school they figured I could sing so they made me do it. They may have done me a huge favor there.

When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?
I founded an almost-acoustic group playing Irish folk tunes somewhere around 2009, I did vocals, tin whistle and occasional guitars. We played and gigged together until I moved to Italy.

How have your gear preferences changed over time? What is your favorite gear now?
Well the real difference is now I actually have my own gear - You don't need a microphone for singing opera - I'm loving my Shure beta 58A mic, it does a nice job on dynamics and colour.

How much gear do you own? How much have you sold? What are you hoping to own in the future?
I have a Korg x50, incredibly portable, an Ibanez acoustic guitar which has an unfortunate preamp too Chinese to work properly, a mandolin, some tin whistles. And a nice stage piano.
I've never sold anything really, trying to be really picky when buying stuff (especially after the ChIbaneeze guitar which I was unable to sell when I didn't like it. Turns out I wasn't the only one).
Hoping to renew the piano one day as it's gotten a bit dented from travelling. Need to do loads of gigs first. If one day I would wake up with a huge amount of cash I'd probably go check the Vpiano by Roland out immediately. They say it has harmonics.

How have your influences and playing style changed over time?
My first "influences" came from listening to my brothers listening to Metallica and Offspring in the other room As for vocals, the more I study classical the more I tend towards a kind of Nightwhish-y gentle use of the voice. It will fit in with the music I'm writing, eventually.

What were your best / worst performances like?
Best performance: An acoustic set with Irish tunes. I made half of them cry. It was awesome.
The worst: A gig with a big band when I had a bad fever and by rights shouldn't have even left the house. The saxophones were tuned differently from everybody else and I had a really hard time convincing everybody that we were all having a good time. Especially when I was murdering Aretha Franklin.

Have you ever had any studio experience? Where at?
I occasionally work in a studio in Rome as technical support for keyboards and general assistance. Did record some demos there when trying to find gigs with the Irish songs.

Do you still play? If you don't why did you stop?
I play/sing because I somehow feel like I can't keep myself from doing it. Like Montserrat Caballé said, "if I don't sing, it's like I don't exist". The worst times in my life this far have all been occasions when my voice just wouldn't work. Happens a lot less here in the south it seems!

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Terrapin_Station

When did you start playing?

When I was six years old. That was the late 60s.

What was your first instrument?

Drums.

What were the first songs you learned?

The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was the first song I played along with from start to finish. "Paint It Black" was second. My mom was (and still is) a huge Stones fan from the beginning, and I soon became (and still am) one, too. So that's why I was focused on the Stones for my first couple songs.

Did you take lessons and for how long?

Yes, I took drum lessons, then added piano lessons when I was eleven. I also play bass and a bit of guitar. I taught myself bass starting when I was fifteen, although I've had some bass lessons occasionally--usually pretty informally.

I kept up with drum and piano lessons through music school, so I had about eighteen years of drum lessons, and about thirteen years of piano lessons.

What was your teacher like?

I had many different teachers, with all sorts of different personalities, specialties, skill levels, etc.

When was your first performance? What gear did you have?

My first public performances were when I was eight or nine. I started gigging for money when I was twelve. First kit I performed on was basically the same as Ringo's--also a Ludwig, black oyster pearl finish, etc.

When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?

That's the band I started gigging with when I was twelve. The rest of the guys were sixteen-seventeen. I played drums. That band lasted for about three years.

How have your gear preferences changed over time? What is your favorite gear now?

Like my music tastes, my gear tastes have pretty much just expanded.

How much gear do you own?

Too much, especially since I play three different categories of instruments professionally.

How much have you sold?

Very little. I almost always give gear away when I'm ready or need to part with it. I've given away a lot of stuff.

What are you hoping to own in the future?

Again, way too much. I think at last glance my Sweetwater wish list had over 100 items, and I know the total was over $50k, haha.

How have your influences and playing style changed over time?

It's too much to go into a lot of detail about this, but in a nutshell, I've gotten "looser" and a bit more experimental-minded over time.

What were your best / worst performances like?

Best--somewhere between a group orgasm and a religious experience, where we seemed to have telepathic communication and some sort of transcendental connection between us (and the audience).

One of the worst was one of the first: I was in elementary school, and in the middle of a tune, I was featured for a drum solo. In the middle of the solo, one of my sticks went flying out of my hand. I had to stop and run across the stage to pick it up, then run back to my drums and start soloing again. That's how I figured out that you need to always have extra sticks handy. ;-)

Playing when you're sick as a dog is never fun, either.

Have you ever had any studio experience? Where at?

Yes, tons. And that's the primary way I've been making a living for the last few years. Where? All over, but I work in/around NY often. I live in NY, too, by the way.

Do you still play?

Yes. I've made a living as a musician, composer and arranger for over 35 years now.

Mister Mushroom

Sorry for the delay!

Anyway, here it is. Excuse the mess, please.

http://i.imgur.com/qzI50vQ.jpg

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Anze21

When did you start playing? What was your first instrument?
Round 3 or 4 yo; started on a synth followed by an accordion.
What were the first songs you learned?
I honestly can't remember.
Did you take lessons and for how long? What was your teacher like?
Had accordion, guitar, piano and singing lessons... I have to say I have only had rly good teachers, ones I could look up to and am still in contact with.
When was your first performance? What gear did you have?
Probably in music school.
When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?
I started my band at the age of 16 and I played a guitar. In some way it never stopped, tho the band members are now mostly different...We have changed a few genres and styles tho.
How have your gear preferences changed over time? What is your favorite gear now?
I am totally satisfied with my ECsignature stran via Fender HR deluxe.
Lately i'm rly gettin into pedals, even tho i didn't like them for many, many years...
How much gear do you own? How much have you sold? What are you hoping to own in the future?
Have not sold anything, everything has an emotional value : ) A couple of electric guitars, a couple of clasical guitars, an acoustic guitar, couple of amps and an electrical piano.
How have your influences and playing style changed over time?
I've gone from pop and "national" music to rock and blues and lately tryin to get into jazz.
What were your best / worst performances like?
I hope my best performance is yet to come... My worst performance... ahrd to say, cuz of time passing and with it my playing is getting better.
Have you ever had any studio experience? Where at?
I've recorded some guitar parts for some slovenian pop singers, otherwise am pretty new to it.
Do you still play? If you don't why did you stop?
Gonna play till I die!

Toe

That is beautiful thanks for sharing!

AltanMongol

When did you start playing? What was your first instrument?
My very first instrument was piano.
What were the first songs you learned?
Some various Christmas songs for a piano recital :P
Did you take lessons and for how long? What was your teacher like?
I took lessons in piano and drums. I took piano for 2 years, and played drums in the school band for around 5.
When was your first performance? What gear did you have?
Again, piano recital. I was only 7 or 8.
When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?
I was in a metal band as a vocalist (throat singing, believe it or not) for about a year, but it never really went anywhere.
How have your gear preferences changed over time? What is your favorite gear now?
I've mostly just switched instruments over time, and have had some pretty good times with all of them. My favorite is my morin khuur, though.
How have your influences and playing style changed over time?
I used to be mostly influenced by the bands I listened to as kids, stuff like Bullet For My Valentine, Slipknot, the usual. Now I have a lot more influence from traditional music and folk music.
Do you still play? If you don't why did you stop?
All the time

FranPZ

When did you start playing?
I was 12.

What was your first instrument?
It was my father's Yamaha classic guitar. I played it for one or two years, then I started to play my father's Fender.

What were the first songs you learned?
Simple songs, chosen by my teacher. They were Stand by me, Generale, Knockin on heaven's door, Il gatto e la volpe...those songs were not bad, but after a few songs like those, I asked to my teacher "could you let me play something by Nirvana?" So he taught me how to play Polly, Heart shaped box, Smells like teen spirit and so on.

Did you take lessons and for how long? What was your teacher like?
I took lessons for three years. My teacher, Dino, is one of the best guitarists in my area. His lessons weren't boring, he is a nice and funny man.

When was your first performance?
It was in 2011 with my first band.

When did you start or join your first band? What did you play? How long did it last?
I started playing with a friend of mine, Donato, in 2011, in April or May. In the same summer three other friends joined us. First we played songs like Knockin on Heaven's door, Il mio corpo che cambia by Litfiba, Happy Hour by Ligabue....after our first exhibition, two members of the band left us. Then we started to play our own songs. It lasted until october in 2012, when the singer and lead guitarist left the band because he was going to go living in Turin. Then I joined another band in 2014 and I left it in the same year.

Do you still play?
Yes, I'm still playing. I'm playing guitar (but also bass, sometimes) in a band with my friend Donato and another friend of us, Gabriele, who is an amazing guitarist.

Paul Smeenus

Like every aspect of my life, by musical career started with great promise but rapidly descended into one crushing defeat after another until I just wished Flanders was dead.

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