Jeff Beck rose to early fame as a member of the Yardbirds. (John Pratt \/ Keystone, Getty Images)<\/span><\/p> And there Jeff began the journey, the great exploration, in tracking down sounds, cataloging them, making sense of them, giving them shape and substance inside his own head. The irresistible urge to cradle an instrument in his own hands, to caress the strings and fondle the smooth and refulgent veneer, overwhelmed him. Like a hunter stalking prey, Beck\u2019s senses were heightened as he set out to discover the great woody mammoth.<\/p>\n The pursuit wasn\u2019t always in the service of artistry. The response, from friends and strangers alike, buoyed the young man\u2019s self-image. His devotion to the instrument, that attraction to and awe of the sounds the strings created, and the important sense of stature and self-confidence instilled in him by the very idea of the guitar, pushed him on the road to achieving greater musical realization.<\/p>\n Guitar as anodyne, a tool that both calmed and comforted him, and at the same time, revved him up. If at home, his hunger to hear words of encouragement was never satisfied, all he needed to fill the yearning was strumming a few chords. Prodded by his own common sense, and maybe gentle parental guidance, he sought out someone possessed of greater knowledge, a more complete musical vision: a teacher. A grand mentor who, with the benefit of years of playing and accumulated wisdom, might inculcate within him all the secrets the fretboard had to offer. Alas, the quest yielded nothing but a wasted afternoon.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Jeff Beck Put Out One of Rock\u2019s Most Underrated Albums<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI went for one lesson on a Spanish guitar but not the one my friend loaned me. Because there were rumors going around my school that you couldn\u2019t possibly play any guitar, any electric guitar, unless you had proper classical training. I was a bit thick then and I said, \u2018Right, okay, where do we start?\u2019 And I went straight up to the guy who gave lessons and he knew less than I did.<\/p>\n \u201cI said, \u2018Now listen here, if I\u2019m gonna get on, I just better leave and go home,\u2019 because he didn\u2019t even have the barre chords right. I\u2019d read up before my first lesson, and I learned a few shapes and stuff, and I was expecting this man to teach me everything in a couple of minutes. And he said, \u2018Right, now practice this, no playing, just practice putting your finger across the neck.\u2019 And I went like that [as I am conducting this interview, Jeff is holding my Fender Stratocaster and places a finger on the neck] and I said, \u2018Right, where do we go now?\u2019 He said, \u2018Well, that\u2019s it. I want you to go home and practice that for a week.\u2019 I said, \u2018Well, I at least want to hit the strings once\u2019 \u2013 and he said, \u2018No way.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Few other artists made such a seismic impact on the medium.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Corey Irwin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nJeff Beck Photos: Highlights From the Guitar Virtuoso’s Career<\/h2>\n