It's a simple question with many answers. What drives us to play music? If you're playing at home, gigging locally or an internationally touring pro, we're all driven by our own needs to play music. And no matter what instrument or ability you start out with, the benefits can be huge.
In a new video series you can watch here, Marshall Amplification has worked with Youth Music and Girls Rock London to find out why a wide range of musicians play and the benefits music has had on their lives.
You can find out more from marshall.com/whydoyouplay.
Two of those musicians include Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil and Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison. From these pros to the young musicians interviewed who are just starting out, everyone's motivations vary but an overriding message shines through; playing music has improved their lives and become part of their identities.
I felt like I wanted to be a part of it, I wanted to be able to create and make interesting things
Simon Neil
"Music spoke to me as a youngster," explains Simon Neil in the video. "I felt like I wanted to be a part of it, I wanted to be able to create and make interesting things. I still feel that… I've made a bunch of records now but I still feel that same innocence and same love for music. Things feel right in the world when you pick up the guitar."
Shallise is a singer and she explains her own journey into music in the video above. "In my earlier teenage years I used to get bullied," she reveals. "So that meant I had a lot of time by myself. Then I discovered that I can sing. And along that same line I discovered I can write music. I just thought, do you know what, I'm gonna stick with it because I like to say music found me, I didn't find music and I just stuck with it."
"At this point I see it as a form of therapy, a form of communication. I think a lot of people feel that way," says Stereophonics drummer Jamie Morrison. "And it's there to be had for anyone who wants to feel that."
For beginners advice on learning to play and to find out more visit marshall.com/live-for-music/join-the-band