Slash is the reason why most of the folks decide to learn the guitar. The mixture of his style and his unique playing style simply makes him one of the most influential and greatest guitarists of all time.
Now that you are trying to find out how he learnt to play the guitar, let me give you the answer.
As said by Slash himself, he started playing guitar at the age of 14. He added, when he and Steven Adler met, they used to turn on Kiss records and crank on the electric guitar that Steven already had in his house.
Later they decided to put up a band together and rest is all history.
How did Slash learn guitar?
Slash took lessons from Robert Wolin, a teacher at Fairfax Music School. As said by Slash, the teacher would first learn stuff from the records and teach it to him.
At first, Slash wanted to play bass but that soon changed to guitar when he saw Robert Wolin play some Eric Clapton licks. That’s when Slash said, “That’s what I want to do”.
That was the moment he went on practicing guitar for 12 hours a day leaving his love for BMX bikes aside. ( As he was a champion BMX rider )
What is Slash First Guitar?
First Guitar – Flamenco guitar with one string
His first guitar was given by his grandmother which is a flamenco guitar with only one string. This is the same guitar that he took with him to learn bass. Right now he has more than 100 guitars and all total they are worth $1.92 million.
Slash’s Early Influences
His very first influences were one of his school teachers who would play songs by Led Zeppelin and Cream for his students. That was the moment when he decided to play guitar for rest of his life. That was also the moment when he started practicing for 12 hours a day.
Slash also credited Aerosmith as one of his greatest inspirations. He said, when he listened to Rocks by Aerosmith, it hit him like a ton of bricks. He added, he listened to it over and over again.
“I remember riding my bike back to my grandma’s house knowing that my life had changed. Now I identified with something.” Slash
Slash Early Guitars
One of the early studio guitars of Slash was the 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard replica built by Kris Derrig. This is the same guitar he used in the recording sessions of GnR’s debut album “Appetite For Destruction”. For live purposes, he used a 1988 Gibson Les Paul Standard.
Most Frequently Asked Question about Slash
Did Slash Take Guitar Lessons?
Yes, Slash took lessons from one of the local music teacher named Robert Wolin. He went to him to learn bass with his one-string flamenco guitar given by his grandmother. His decision of learning bass soon changed to guitar when he saw Wolin play some Eric Clapton licks.
How many hours a day did Slash Practice?
In his early days, he would practice for 12 hours a day. His desire for learning guitar got fueled when he got influenced by one of his school teacher.
Why is Slash considered as one of the greatest guitarists?
He is know for his unique style of riffing and soloing. The passion that he puts in simply reflects in his playing. Songs like Sweet Child O mine, Paradise City, Civil War, Estranged, Don’t Cry, By The Sword and many more simply inspires others to learn guitar and get better at it.
