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Awesome question, Polly.
I cant speak for anyone other than myself and for me, the musical journey began with Rock, so it is never very far from my heart even though I think I've moved on along as a musician.
Growing up listening to the power and energy of Zep and Purple, and Sabbath, the sheer harmonic and compositional brilliance of the Beatles was so completely soul satisfying...
UNTIL.....
sitting around one afteroon 'ol Tripps stopped by and casually strummed a G major 7th on a guitar that was lying about.
My musical universe did a 180, and I went of a wonderful voyage of discovery of the Allman Bros, Johnny Winter, Muddy Waters, BB king, Stevie Ray Vaughn and all the blues all the way back to Robert Johnson and back,
up UNTIL..
Steely Dan laid the Aja egg!. Musical intellect meets pop. How could that happen??!! Make great music and disguise it as pop, so that people hear it. Purdie's groove, i wanna play Green Earrings, LIKE THAT!
.... UNTIL...
My friend Sean brought over Weather report's Heavy Weather album one fine day, which caused a minor explosion in my brain. My bandmates and I listened to that album ( yes folks, I mean LP ) non stop for about 18 hours, and Jaco blew onto the scene, and became my musical guiding light..
UNTIL...
I heard Coltrane's Love Supreme, and Miles' Bitches Brew, and so on and on..the journey continues
My playing has reflected the changes in my listening tastes to a large degree, but i listen to a lot more stuff that i can possibly play. Some stuff, I want to listen to, but never play.
Playing rock now, surprisingly isn't something I enjoy as much. ( or can play that well, either ). I lose interest very quickly. I have had to pull off a couple of short tours playing music that didn't stir my 'playing' juices. And unlike you, I find it difficut to play, because so much of it is the passion & energy you bring to your playing.
Rock is the hardest genre to fake, IMO.
So yea, to answer your original question, for me its been a slow evolution, rather than conscious thought. I sometimes envy what a lot of good players, specially the sessions cats have; the where with all to play any style, like they grew up with it, at the drop of a hat..
.. BUT
I also think, if you listen closely to their playing or any drummer's for that matter, it always reveals a trace of their origins and musical dna. You can run but you cant hide.
Did I answer you question? I think not : )
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