Music was always played in our home when i was growing up. No one really played an instrument except my grandmother who sometimes would play a few notes on our old piano. I credit my oldest brother for buying 45 rpm records of Elvis, Everly Brothers,Patsy Cline etc... That was my intro to music.
How Musical is your Family?
I tend to assume many musicians have music elsewhere in their family. I was introduced by my father when I was 5. Unfortunately I was more into Mario Brothers at the time. When I turned 10 I actually become interested. I wish I was interested when I was 5 though. How musical are your families? Super musical or not at all?
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In the family I grew up in, we all learned at least one instrument, due to a Band program being mandatory in our school - it is rather unbelievable how many parents and kids remain completely against such an idea but when i returned to my hometown to raise my kids here after twenty years of roaming all over the place, it's still here, a bit weaker, but still going. My dad picked a little guitar, my mother played a bit of piano and some accordion.
My brother and I are the only multi-instrumentalists, I was a decent horn player at one time, got a scholarship
to university on it, but blew it due to majoring in "Righteous Parties 101, Dude" instead of music. Played guitar since
my teens. Only money I ever made was busking for myself and for charity.
My brother plays pretty much any damn thing you give him, and has played professionally for many years, full and part-time.
as a grownup, my wife plays piano, my daughter flute and piano, my son gave up guitar after a couple years, plays trombone in school band, and plunks away not to badly at the piano and shows nice dedication, to it.
Not a lesson either. I have encouraged him to develop by working stuff out by sight reading, and by ear. He's that kind of kid.
for a while I was giving him a crisp red one, every time he learned a new song. Now I don't even have to pay him anymore.
My brother and I are the only multi-instrumentalists, I was a decent horn player at one time, got a scholarship
to university on it, but blew it due to majoring in "Righteous Parties 101, Dude" instead of music. Played guitar since
my teens. Only money I ever made was busking for myself and for charity.
My brother plays pretty much any damn thing you give him, and has played professionally for many years, full and part-time.
as a grownup, my wife plays piano, my daughter flute and piano, my son gave up guitar after a couple years, plays trombone in school band, and plunks away not to badly at the piano and shows nice dedication, to it.
Not a lesson either. I have encouraged him to develop by working stuff out by sight reading, and by ear. He's that kind of kid.
for a while I was giving him a crisp red one, every time he learned a new song. Now I don't even have to pay him anymore.
My mom had an organ and little accordion that she played every once in a while but neither my brother or I ever expressed an interest to learn either or any other instrument. I'm sure had we asked about music lessons we would have had to give up something else...hockey or baseball...and neither my brother or I would have done that. With that said, there was also music on in the house via a radio my dad left on in the kitchen 24/7 and my brother and I had more CDs than we knew what to do with.
My kids have been interested in music and both have been taking lessons, started at 6 or 7, and definitely have a knack for it. Because of their interest I decided to take another stab at learning how to play guitar (been an ongoing mission for years now...lol) and have been having fun trying to keep up with them!
My kids have been interested in music and both have been taking lessons, started at 6 or 7, and definitely have a knack for it. Because of their interest I decided to take another stab at learning how to play guitar (been an ongoing mission for years now...lol) and have been having fun trying to keep up with them!
My parents often played music at home, especially on the weekend while doing morning chores. They had Deep Purple, Jimi Hendrix, George Thorogood, AC/DC, the Doors and other such bands in their collection. All though most of my family has touched an instrument at some point in their lives, I am the only one that has had a long last relationship with music. My cousin did a fair amount of singing but I am not sure she does it very often any more.
My sons are very musical:
Eldest Son: plays cello in the high school orchestra and electric bass in the school jazz band and at home. He's so good he taught himself La Villa Strangiato (Rush) start to finish, as well as many Zepplin, RHCP, and Floyd tunes.
Youngest Son: plays cello in the high school orchestra and sings in the choir. He plays drums in the school jazz band (and at home), member of the guitar (classical) club, plays piano very well (working towards RCM Level for University entrance audition), plays electric and acoustic guitar at home (taught himself the complete Wall album including the solos) and plays bass. Most recently, he recorded himself (using GarageBand) playing all the instruments of Floyd's Breathe including the vocals and sound effects. He can play by ear, and helps me to learn guitar parts of songs we play together....., and has an abundant amount of patience.
And not to exclude my wife, I bought her a tambourine to encourage her to join in.
My kids love very good music and I get to share that with them. I am so lucky!
Eldest Son: plays cello in the high school orchestra and electric bass in the school jazz band and at home. He's so good he taught himself La Villa Strangiato (Rush) start to finish, as well as many Zepplin, RHCP, and Floyd tunes.
Youngest Son: plays cello in the high school orchestra and sings in the choir. He plays drums in the school jazz band (and at home), member of the guitar (classical) club, plays piano very well (working towards RCM Level for University entrance audition), plays electric and acoustic guitar at home (taught himself the complete Wall album including the solos) and plays bass. Most recently, he recorded himself (using GarageBand) playing all the instruments of Floyd's Breathe including the vocals and sound effects. He can play by ear, and helps me to learn guitar parts of songs we play together....., and has an abundant amount of patience.
And not to exclude my wife, I bought her a tambourine to encourage her to join in.
My kids love very good music and I get to share that with them. I am so lucky!
T'were I, this thread would be in the "Music" sub-forum, rather than here. But what the heck, I'll nibble.
No one in my immediate family, one uncle on my mom's side used to sing, and one cousin played guitar, out of 7 aunts and uncles and about a dozen and a half cousins. On my dad's side, I know of no one in his family, including my cousins, who are musical. No one in my wife's family is musical. The Bachs, we are not.
We didn't have all that much music in the house. My mom had some broadway musical records, like Oklahoma, South Pacific, etc., but that was it. I generally got more music from Ed Sullivan than from anything else. Keep in mind that radio stations at that time in many areas were only minimally youth-oriented. Around the time the Beatles landed, we had one local station that played "hit parade" stuff from 4:00PM to 5:00. And there would be the various CBC shows. But exposure to stuff other than country or Patti Page was rare. So my own musical proclivities were not a result of being surrounded by music. And since we haven't had a stereo in the house since 2002, it's not like my kids have been swimming in it either.
My two boys took music classes (keyboard for one and piano and trombone for the other) in middle school and high school but didn't really commit, and weren't especially savvy, music-wise. I doubt either could lock on to a groove if they coated themselves with Crazy Glue. So when 3 years ago my older son wanted a guitar and told me he was trying to learn (as in strummable campfire songs), I told himI couldn't have been any happier if he told me I was going to be a grandfather.
It's lonely being the only musical person out of so many.
No one in my immediate family, one uncle on my mom's side used to sing, and one cousin played guitar, out of 7 aunts and uncles and about a dozen and a half cousins. On my dad's side, I know of no one in his family, including my cousins, who are musical. No one in my wife's family is musical. The Bachs, we are not.
We didn't have all that much music in the house. My mom had some broadway musical records, like Oklahoma, South Pacific, etc., but that was it. I generally got more music from Ed Sullivan than from anything else. Keep in mind that radio stations at that time in many areas were only minimally youth-oriented. Around the time the Beatles landed, we had one local station that played "hit parade" stuff from 4:00PM to 5:00. And there would be the various CBC shows. But exposure to stuff other than country or Patti Page was rare. So my own musical proclivities were not a result of being surrounded by music. And since we haven't had a stereo in the house since 2002, it's not like my kids have been swimming in it either.
My two boys took music classes (keyboard for one and piano and trombone for the other) in middle school and high school but didn't really commit, and weren't especially savvy, music-wise. I doubt either could lock on to a groove if they coated themselves with Crazy Glue. So when 3 years ago my older son wanted a guitar and told me he was trying to learn (as in strummable campfire songs), I told himI couldn't have been any happier if he told me I was going to be a grandfather.
It's lonely being the only musical person out of so many.
Hmmm - my mother's mother was a piano teacher and my father took piano lessons as a child. Niether of my parents actively supported any of my musical aspirations.
Pretty much everybody plays an instrument or sings...or both.
Neither of my parents played anything but the stereo in the living room.
My wife and I have two kids and they both play instruments. The older one is mainly bass (he has 3 - plays his 5 the most, but also has a 4 & a 6), although he can play some piano. The younger one is just starting to play guitar nightly (he's had a guitar for a year, but took him 9 months or so to get a handle for it and have his first "right - now I've got it" moment, and bass at school. They both take lessons and the older one has a few friends and bands that he plays with. His grade 9 jazz band came 2nd in the Canadian Nationals a month or so ago. He was also asked to play bass with the intermediate band (grades 10 & 11) by his teacher and they also came 2nd at the Nationals. He played electric and upright for those shows. Our youngest just played out in public for the first time a month or so ago with a My Chemical Romance tune that he was on acoustic guitar for.
My wife's home office is between their bedrooms - she can be in there at night and have some Green Day on guitar coming at her from one side, and some 6 string bass Dream Theater from the other...
My wife and I have two kids and they both play instruments. The older one is mainly bass (he has 3 - plays his 5 the most, but also has a 4 & a 6), although he can play some piano. The younger one is just starting to play guitar nightly (he's had a guitar for a year, but took him 9 months or so to get a handle for it and have his first "right - now I've got it" moment, and bass at school. They both take lessons and the older one has a few friends and bands that he plays with. His grade 9 jazz band came 2nd in the Canadian Nationals a month or so ago. He was also asked to play bass with the intermediate band (grades 10 & 11) by his teacher and they also came 2nd at the Nationals. He played electric and upright for those shows. Our youngest just played out in public for the first time a month or so ago with a My Chemical Romance tune that he was on acoustic guitar for.
My wife's home office is between their bedrooms - she can be in there at night and have some Green Day on guitar coming at her from one side, and some 6 string bass Dream Theater from the other...
I am the 10th of 10 siblings, 4 boys and 6 girls. Three of us boys play or played guitar (the other two are deceased) and sing a little bit. I am probably the most serious about it. My Dad played a little harmonica when he was young and was interested in music but responsibilities didn't allow him to get too serious. My mother loved to sing but was stone deaf by the time she was 19 and was thus tone deaf as well. My Dad bought me my first guitar when I was 4 or 5. We all like music but few play or sing.
One of my sisters married a local man of French background. They could all sing beautifully and all the boys played guitar well; one of them very well. I loved listening to them when the family got together. My brother-in-law was the main reason I picked up guitar in later years.
One of my sisters married a local man of French background. They could all sing beautifully and all the boys played guitar well; one of them very well. I loved listening to them when the family got together. My brother-in-law was the main reason I picked up guitar in later years.
My mom has her RCM Grade 12 or whatever and has been the local pianist / organist in my home town for the last over 60 years. My dad can't carry a tune in a Mack truck, but he's a decent dancer, my mom says. He also didn't like listening to music, as I recall multi-hours in the car in silence.
I only seriously took up guitar at 30 and never will be all that good at it. But since I was about 12 I've been really into music, and have not the most comprehensive but still a very good knowledge of the history of rock. I would tell my kids stories about the songs and artists on the radio or tapes or CDs as we travelled, and my love of music stuck with all 3. They all did the 3 year guitar program at their high school, and are all better musicians than I.
Nether of my parents, nor any relatives are musicians but for one uncle who took up guitar in retirement.
Nether of my parents, nor any relatives are musicians but for one uncle who took up guitar in retirement.
My father was a jazz pianist back in the day. He was very active in the local jazz and big band scene from the late 1930's through the 1960's. He also ran a music store on Kitchener in the 1940's. They had a recording studio in the basement of the store and I still have an old 78 he recorded there with my grandfather on vocals.
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My father was a jazz pianist back in the day. He was very active in the local jazz and big band scene from the late 1930's through the 1960's. He also ran a music store on Kitchener in the 1940's. They had a recording studio in the basement of the store and I still have an old 78 he recorded there with my grandfather on vocals.
Thats a cool piece of history man!
Neither of my parents played any instruments,but my mother loved the big bands and played that music all the time in the house.
My maternal grandmother was the organist for her church for about 50 years.
I was taught piano from kindergarten until grade 6-7,then played sax and drums in the school system ,and then guitar after about age 14
My uncle(father's brother) played violin (IT'S NOT A FIDDLE !!!) in the Oshawa Symphony and both his kids play(ed) multiple instruments,I suppose I'm a little more like their family in that respect.
My mother's sister married a drummer,unfortunately he was killed in a car accident quite young,just has I was beginning to get into the whole R&R thing...he had great taste in music and set me on the right direction...we could have had a great musical relationship given the chance.
My maternal grandmother was the organist for her church for about 50 years.
I was taught piano from kindergarten until grade 6-7,then played sax and drums in the school system ,and then guitar after about age 14
My uncle(father's brother) played violin (IT'S NOT A FIDDLE !!!) in the Oshawa Symphony and both his kids play(ed) multiple instruments,I suppose I'm a little more like their family in that respect.
My mother's sister married a drummer,unfortunately he was killed in a car accident quite young,just has I was beginning to get into the whole R&R thing...he had great taste in music and set me on the right direction...we could have had a great musical relationship given the chance.
I grew up in a family that did music like some families do sports.
Dad played piano, composed choral, liturgical, and children's music, was choirmaster, sang in community and church choirs. Mom played piano well and could sightread like a fiend, though she claimed she didn't understand much of it even though it rolled off her hands well, she sang in choirs as well. All my 4 siblings took piano lessons and sang, 2 of them have their grade 8 piano, one did some organ studies as well, all of us did some musical theatre at some point, all but me did some high school music (it wasn't available to me) so flute, french horn and other things drifted in and out of the house, one sister did guitar on her own, and my brother has dabbled on guitar as well. We all can sight sing. We are all active music listeners/fans. Any of us could have gravitated towards music as a profession, but I was the only one who did.
My wife did a year or two of piano as a kid, and can sing, though she usually won't (she surprised everyone when she volunteered to sing at a friend's wedding ten years ago). My kids both had piano and voice lessons and still mess around with music on occasion and one has recently taken up ukulele.
Dad played piano, composed choral, liturgical, and children's music, was choirmaster, sang in community and church choirs. Mom played piano well and could sightread like a fiend, though she claimed she didn't understand much of it even though it rolled off her hands well, she sang in choirs as well. All my 4 siblings took piano lessons and sang, 2 of them have their grade 8 piano, one did some organ studies as well, all of us did some musical theatre at some point, all but me did some high school music (it wasn't available to me) so flute, french horn and other things drifted in and out of the house, one sister did guitar on her own, and my brother has dabbled on guitar as well. We all can sight sing. We are all active music listeners/fans. Any of us could have gravitated towards music as a profession, but I was the only one who did.
My wife did a year or two of piano as a kid, and can sing, though she usually won't (she surprised everyone when she volunteered to sing at a friend's wedding ten years ago). My kids both had piano and voice lessons and still mess around with music on occasion and one has recently taken up ukulele.
Daddy sang bass, Mama sang tenor and me and little brother would join right in there. 
Really, my wife and I played in many different bands during our child rearing years so there was always music playing at our place for practicing and entertainment. In the early years , we had my wife's mother who liked looking after them while we were out gigging. There were different instruments around as I had a variety of keyboards over the years and a few acoustics. Even had a set of drums as our drummer left a 2nd set at our place for practices. One of the kids ended up playing guitar and the other drums.
Really, my wife and I played in many different bands during our child rearing years so there was always music playing at our place for practicing and entertainment. In the early years , we had my wife's mother who liked looking after them while we were out gigging. There were different instruments around as I had a variety of keyboards over the years and a few acoustics. Even had a set of drums as our drummer left a 2nd set at our place for practices. One of the kids ended up playing guitar and the other drums.
My grandfather played fiddle and drums (marching) but I never heard him play. Neither of my parents played anything but my dad loved to dance. My sister got her grade 8 piano and played clarinet all through school, but rarely plays anymore.
My wife plays piano and occasionally trombone though we almost never play together.
My kids both play piano and both brought home trophies this year at our local music festival. My daughter also plays flute at school and has dabbled with bass and ukulele.
On a side note, I distinctly remember my grandfather singing along to the songs in my Alfred guitar book as I practiced - it was then that I realized that these "hokey" tunes were real songs that people knew and enjoyed. It broadened my horizons a bit.
My wife plays piano and occasionally trombone though we almost never play together.
My kids both play piano and both brought home trophies this year at our local music festival. My daughter also plays flute at school and has dabbled with bass and ukulele.
On a side note, I distinctly remember my grandfather singing along to the songs in my Alfred guitar book as I practiced - it was then that I realized that these "hokey" tunes were real songs that people knew and enjoyed. It broadened my horizons a bit.
My mom always played piano -- we had a big upright in our house.
My dad never mentioned his musical likes, until after my mother died. Then he said "I think I might take up the saxophone again."
"Wait, wait, wait...AGAIN?!?" I asked. He ended up telling me that he used to play, including for my mom, but stopped when work and family got in the way.
Then one day, when I was going through some old stuff, I found a picture of a swing band playing. I looked at it closely, and saw my dad in it. I assumed he was playing saxophone, but he didn't have it up to his mouth. Then I looked more closely: he was playing a guitar! I took the picture to him and asked why he never told me he played (I had been playing for 15 years by this point, not that you could tell). "Ah, it never came up." he replied.
My wife played trumpet in her high school band, and her dad still plays sax.
My son is showing some interest in my guitars. He is four, and likes to make noise on them. I am 45, and I do too.
My dad never mentioned his musical likes, until after my mother died. Then he said "I think I might take up the saxophone again."
"Wait, wait, wait...AGAIN?!?" I asked. He ended up telling me that he used to play, including for my mom, but stopped when work and family got in the way.
Then one day, when I was going through some old stuff, I found a picture of a swing band playing. I looked at it closely, and saw my dad in it. I assumed he was playing saxophone, but he didn't have it up to his mouth. Then I looked more closely: he was playing a guitar! I took the picture to him and asked why he never told me he played (I had been playing for 15 years by this point, not that you could tell). "Ah, it never came up." he replied.
My wife played trumpet in her high school band, and her dad still plays sax.
My son is showing some interest in my guitars. He is four, and likes to make noise on them. I am 45, and I do too.
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