--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't start really playing the guitar…" description: "\"I didn't start really playing the guitar till I was about seventeen, and I never really had those formative years are where like I was in my room, figu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/ryan-bingham-12976_guitar_i-didn-t-start-really-playing-the-guitar_1203293.jpg" --- # I didn't start really playing the guitar till I was about… ![“I didn't start really playing the guitar till I was about seventeen, and I never really had those formative years are where like I was in my room, figuring all that stuff out before I hit the stage. I just did all that on the road all at once, so all those years of playing roadhouses in bars and…” quote by Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/ryan-bingham-12976_guitar_i-didn-t-start-really-playing-the-guitar_1203293.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/ryan-bingham-12976_guitar_i-didn-t-start-really-playing-the-guitar_1203293.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea2/ryan-bingham-12976_guitar_i-didn-t-start-really-playing-the-guitar_1203293.jpg) > “I didn't start really playing the guitar till I was about seventeen, and I never really had those formative years are where like I was in my room, figuring all that stuff out before I hit the stage. I just did all that on the road all at once, so all those years of playing roadhouses in bars and clubs, I was really figuring it out.” [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning through real‑world experience, rather than formal training, can accelerate growth and authenticity in one's craft. **In simple terms:** Experience can replace early formal training. Key Takeaway Embrace hands‑on learning. Themes growth creativity experience authenticity music Mood energetic inspirational Type creative motivational When to use this quote - touring - live performance - self‑directed practice - career development Key Concepts skill acquisition improvisation Questions to Reflect On - What skill could benefit from structured study? - How does live performance shape your artistic voice? A Different Perspective Relying solely on experience may miss foundational techniques. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Formative years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formative-years/) [Guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guitar/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Playing guitar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-guitar/) [Playing Roadhouses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-roadhouses-3618024/) [Really Formative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-formative-1452296/) [Road](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/road/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/start/) [Years Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-playing-972195/) ## Related quotes > [I always thought I was going to end up teaching ninth grade, specifically, because I had a lot of really formative influences, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ferriss/i-always-thought-i-was-going-to-end-up-teaching-ninth-grade/) [Tim Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ferriss/) > [Everything I do will always be compared to 'Love Song' in terms of success or the way it's written or whatever, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/everything-i-do-will-always-be-compared-to-love-song-in-terms-of/) [Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/) > [That experience of being at Mt. St. Helen's was really formative. I don't even know if I'd be a photographer. It was an essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maisel/that-experience-of-being-at-mt-st-helen-s-was-really-formative-i-don/) [David Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maisel/) > [I never had a real job either. I sort of fell out of school and ended up playing guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-campbell/i-never-had-a-real-job-either-i-sort-of-fell-out-of-school-and-ended/) [Vivian Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-campbell/) > [When you're playing guitar, it's the tiny little nuances that make the difference. For me, obviously, tunings is a huge one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howard/when-you-re-playing-guitar-it-s-the-tiny-little-nuances-that-make-the/) [Ben Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howard/) > [Not playing guitar on 'World On Fire' gave me additional time to fine-tune lyrics and melodies, which improved the songs in the end. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-kennedy/not-playing-guitar-on-world-on-fire-gave-me-additional-time-to-fine/) [Myles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-kennedy/) > [I have two brothers, and one of them plays the guitar. I actually started playing the guitar because of him. Both of my brothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-hildebrand/i-have-two-brothers-and-one-of-them-plays-the-guitar-i-actually/) [Brianna Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-hildebrand/) > [I loved playing the guitar and I knew I was pretty good at it, so that's what I wanted to do with my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-frehley/i-loved-playing-the-guitar-and-i-knew-i-was-pretty-good-at-it-so-that/) [Ace Frehley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-frehley/) > [I just love playing guitar, so that's what I'm going to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-just-love-playing-guitar-so-that-s-what-i-m-going-to-do/) [St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/) > [In 2010, I had been playing guitar for 50 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ritenour/in-2010-i-had-been-playing-guitar-for-50-years/) [Lee Ritenour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ritenour/) > [Maybe when you're 18, 19, 20, you could have a bit of a wobble if you're going on live TV and playing guitar. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/maybe-when-you-re-18-19-20-you-could-have-a-bit-of-a-wobble-if-you-re/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [You have to be careful not to make music something you don't want to do. Which happens. I've gotten off the road and been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-mendes/you-have-to-be-careful-not-to-make-music-something-you-don-t-want-to/) [Shawn Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-mendes/) > [I realized that I really didn't like the sound of the ukulele so much so I started playing the guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-kirke/i-realized-that-i-really-didn-t-like-the-sound-of-the-ukulele-so-much/) [Lola Kirke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-kirke/) > [I took piano lessons when I was really young, like five years old, and I didn't really enjoy that very much. It was kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washed-out/i-took-piano-lessons-when-i-was-really-young-like-five-years-old-and/) [Washed Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washed-out/) > [There was a lot of camaraderie among the bands. I remember a lot of times when I'd be driving up Laurel Canyon and pass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-millington/there-was-a-lot-of-camaraderie-among-the-bands-i-remember-a-lot-of/) [June Millington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-millington/) ## More by Ryan Bingham > [I've always been a fan of old-time hymns and Scots-Irish dirges, though I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an expert on the type of music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-old-time-hymns-and-scots-irish-dirges/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [It's never fun to run out of gas while on a road trip, But the adventure of trying to find gas when your in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/it-s-never-fun-to-run-out-of-gas-while-on-a-road-trip-but-the/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [My family lived in West Texas. We went to Houston and Laredo, ended up around Fort Worth - really just made the rounds. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/my-family-lived-in-west-texas-we-went-to-houston-and-laredo-ended-up/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it's \*because\* they sat there that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/anybody-who-ever-built-an-empire-or-changed-the-world-sat-where-you/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [No matter what I'm writing, I almost always start with the music. Definitely, the melody seems to set the tone for whatever emotions come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/no-matter-what-i-m-writing-i-almost-always-start-with-the-music/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [I think it's really important for everybody out there to speak their minds, and not be complicit and let fear back you into this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-think-it-s-really-important-for-everybody-out-there-to-speak-their/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [For me it's important to keep changing things up and growing and experiencing new things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/for-me-it-s-important-to-keep-changing-things-up-and-growing-and/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [All the things that most people hate about traveling -- the recycled air, the artificial lighting, the digital juice dispensers, the cheap sushi --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/all-the-things-that-most-people-hate-about-traveling-the-recycled-air/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [You get lucky and you capture that magic in that one moment. You're not going to get it again no matter how many times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/you-get-lucky-and-you-capture-that-magic-in-that-one-moment-you-re/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [I guess I always need some kind of solitude to get to that place where I am open enough and have zero distractions to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-guess-i-always-need-some-kind-of-solitude-to-get-to-that-place/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [I'd like to thank my wife, Anna. I love you more than rainbows, baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-d-like-to-thank-my-wife-anna-i-love-you-more-than-rainbows-baby/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [I could hang on a few bulls. And the guys I was rodeoing with, we all took care of each other. They became my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-could-hang-on-a-few-bulls-and-the-guys-i-was-rodeoing-with-we-all/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [I have always been a fan of music but I didn't really get into playing until I was about seventeen or eighteen years old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-have-always-been-a-fan-of-music-but-i-didn-t-really-get-into/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [When I turned thirteen, I moved up to the junior bull scale. They didn't really classify them by how big they were but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/when-i-turned-thirteen-i-moved-up-to-the-junior-bull-scale-they-didn/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [My uncle rode bulls professionally and he got me into it. I started riding steers when I was about eleven and he started taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/my-uncle-rode-bulls-professionally-and-he-got-me-into-it-i-started/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) [Explore all 52 Ryan Bingham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) ## More Formative years quotes > [During our formative years, it was all about, 'What did Metallica do?' and 'How do we do that?' and then you try and find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/synyster-gates/during-our-formative-years-it-was-all-about-what-did-metallica-do-and/) [Synyster Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/synyster-gates/) > [In your formative years what you see really shapes so much of who you're going to become and so many of the things I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariana-debose/in-your-formative-years-what-you-see-really-shapes-so-much-of-who-you/) [Ariana DeBose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariana-debose/) > [Who'd have thought that living life like a dime store floozy throughout your formative years could negatively affect your decision-making ability or long-term, future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-crowder/who-d-have-thought-that-living-life-like-a-dime-store-floozy/) [Steven Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-crowder/) > [I did go to Beijing, with a two-year assignment. I stayed four years. And those four years were the most formative four years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-paliwal/i-did-go-to-beijing-with-a-two-year-assignment-i-stayed-four-years/) [Dinesh Paliwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinesh-paliwal/) > [You're always looking at last year, or 10 years ago, or your school days, or your teenage years, your formative years. Because that's exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/you-re-always-looking-at-last-year-or-10-years-ago-or-your-school/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [I don't mind being classified as a jazz artist, but I do mind being restricted to being a jazz artist. My foundation has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbie-hancock/i-don-t-mind-being-classified-as-a-jazz-artist-but-i-do-mind-being/) [Herbie Hancock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbie-hancock/) > [I was fortunate to work with Corigliano for a few years in the mid nineties. Meeting and working with him during those formative years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hersch/i-was-fortunate-to-work-with-corigliano-for-a-few-years-in-the-mid/) [Michael Hersch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hersch/) > [When you're a child, and you're growing up, and you're mimicking a certain character, or you're trying to live and breathe a certain character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-sprouse/when-you-re-a-child-and-you-re-growing-up-and-you-re-mimicking-a/) [Cole Sprouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-sprouse/) > [I would have been about seven years old when the formative years of my competitive football education began. I was playing in the local…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-neville/i-would-have-been-about-seven-years-old-when-the-formative-years-of/) [Gary Neville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-neville/) > [I have great parents, and they both taught me great things, but my formative years were boundaryless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/i-have-great-parents-and-they-both-taught-me-great-things-but-my/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [It was strange, especially because all of the projects I did when I was young, I was always the youngest on set or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-boynton/it-was-strange-especially-because-all-of-the-projects-i-did-when-i/) [Lucy Boynton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-boynton/) > [A general curiosity about the unknown sparked by the multicultural milieu in which I spent my formative years. There was a lot of unknown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herodotus/a-general-curiosity-about-the-unknown-sparked-by-the-multicultural/) [Herodotus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herodotus/) > [The things you encounter in your formative years always stay with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/the-things-you-encounter-in-your-formative-years-always-stay-with-you/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [The general disinclination of Spain to accept slaves from Islamicized regions of Africa during the formative years of Hispano-American society had enormous consequences for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-sublette/the-general-disinclination-of-spain-to-accept-slaves-from-islamicized/) [Ned Sublette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-sublette/) > [When I was growing up, everybody in charge, my parents and teachers, had all survived the war, and they talked about the war like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/when-i-was-growing-up-everybody-in-charge-my-parents-and-teachers-had/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) [Browse all 56 Formative years quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formative-years/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't start really playing the guitar till I was about seventeen, and I never really had those formative years are where like I was in my room, figuring all that stuff out before I hit the stage. 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