If you've ever taken guitar lessons, you've probably started learning to play "Yankee Doodle" or something similar and got really bored. Slash had a similar experience, but in an interview with Loudwire Nights host Tony Gonzalez, he revealed how his teacher motivated him through the lessons.
Before Slash could own an instrument, he sought music lessons from a nearby guitar teacher named Robert Wolin. At the time, he thought he wanted to play bass, but after Wolin played Cream for him on guitar, he realized he wanted to pursue that instead. His very first guitar had only one string, but he was determined to master the instrument.
"So I went back there [Wolin] taught me how to play the other five strings, and then he started giving me simple guitar lessons where you use a little book, you use sheet music and all that. It was really boring and boring and he realized that," Slash recalled.
"He goes, 'I'll tell you what — pick a song that you really dig, and I'll learn it for you and teach it at the end of every lesson.' So it motivates you. ' So I said, 'Okay.' So I went and did that, I brought a song and I sat there and watched him listen to the song and play it and figure it out on the guitar. ' .' So I later dropped out and started playing, that's basically how I learned."
That's not to say that Slash didn't find Volin's lessons valuable. During the short time he worked with him, he admitted that he learned a lot from the teacher, including choosing music and studying.
"So I have to give him a lot of credit. I said after that Appetite came out, we were on the road and at one point I contacted him. He knew I was flying, which was great."
Collection: Slash This is a coffee table book that explores Slash's journey as a guitarist and his assortment of instruments. It's the very first book from Gibson Publishing and comes in multiple editions, and is now available for pre-order via Gibson's website. Orders are expected to ship in January.
Loudwire Nights with Tony Gonzalez starts at 7pm ET. You can tune in anytime, anywhere, here or by downloading the Loudwire app.
The 66 Greatest Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time
List of the best guitar players in rock and metal.