My First Recording Ever

Age: 14 (1984)
Musicians: my little brother (Jon, 10), my neighbor (Michael, 14), and me
Instruments: three electric guitars and a 1981 toy CASIO keyboard with drum patterns
Recording method: through a four-channel mixer, live to tape

The big birthday gift (or was it Christmas?) of 1984 was my first “real” electric guitar. Adding it to my $60 starter model, we had two guitars in the house. My brother, Jon, was ten—the same age as my son Jake today—and Jon had logged enough hours on the starter model to play eighth notes on its low E string.

Our neighbor, Michael, had no guitar experience, but by convincing him to cajole his parents into buying a guitar, we had increased our arsenal to three. Add to that our toy 1981 CASIO keyboard with built-in drum patterns (and tiny plastic keys!), and you have enough gear to make some smurf-sized trouble.

I came up with this E-minor / G-major theme that matched our combined lack of experience. Michael had two easy chords (including my trademarked super-easy thumb version of G major). Jon had a three-note bass line, and I doubled Jon or played a “lead” by wandering up and down the pentatonic scale I had recently learned. The CASIO provided the rhythm, but it would only start if you pressed a piano key, thus the “boop” when the drums kick in. We practiced for an hour or two, then made it all the way through with no terrible mistakes, and now it’s an MP3!