# Musical Families



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Reading through another thread here got me thinking back in time. The differences in the musical generations. But when we were growing up music was always in the house. My Father was a lead trumpet player and played in a lot of big bands way back when. Did a lot of tours with some big names until my Mother put a stop to it. She was kind of getting bummed out with him on the road. So instead he went to work at GM and played in bands on the weekends well into his 50's

But when we were kids it was more or less a "pick your instrument" kind of thing at our place. My Mother used to play some keys. My brother went with the trumpet as well but he also went on to play keyboards and guitar. I chose the drums. So before we were teens we were were sitting in on songs with the band on weekends. If they played a wedding or something he would bring us along and we got to hang out back and fool around and then sit in on a few songs.

We played all the time at home. Kind of our own band type of thing. I finally sold my last drum kit about 10 years ago I guess, and then got into the guitar.

Did anyone else grow up in a musical family?


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I'll try to be brief.

Dad composed church and choral music, and children's songs, played piano, sang in church and community choirs, directed choirs, and even lectured pipe organ associations. Mum played piano well enough to fake it in small churches and help her kids with lessons, and she sang alto in church and community choirs. Older brother took piano lessons, played some percussion in a militia band, flute in high school, sings, and is a huge rock and blues fan. Oldest sister took piano lessons, sang soprano,played some guitar, and was a huge music fan all her life until she chose the music for her own funeral (damn cancer!). Older sister got grade 8 conservatory piano, theory, and organ papers, sings in a semi-pro big city choir, played french horn in school, recorder in a university ensemble, and is a huge choral and classical fan. Little sister got her grade 8 piano, sings, teaches some primary music, played flute in high school, and is a huge pop-rock music fan. 

Life at home was "take a number please" for the piano, music in every room, late night composing (Dad's piano was right over my bed for years), choir practices, and drama rehearsals.

No wonder then that all I wanted to do was play music. In elementary school I assumed I would do drama, art, and music in high school but my family moved the year before high school to a town with one school with no arts programs. None. Desperate, I took up guitar on my own, continued to play piano (though I had quit lessons earlier, round about grade 5 or 6 conservatory), sang in the church choir, started writing music, joined bands, and here I am at age 52 pretty much doing the same thing, except that I teach music for a living. I've spent too much of my life working non-music jobs and regretting it, but now that's history. I'm happier now.

Not a day passes that I don't thank God for giving me a musical heritage. I'm a lucky guy.

Peace, Mooh.


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## jimihendrix (Jun 27, 2009)

growing up...there was a piano at my grandmother's house...she said every house had instruments in them...she was born 1911 in england...her mother was running late trying to get her ready to board a ship in 1912 headed to america on it's maiden voyage...you may have heard of her...she was called the titanic...

anyways...my grandmother finally did arrive...although she took up residence in canada...and every family had musical instruments...there were radios...but the television had not been invented...her nine kids had to keep themselves busy and out of trouble somehow...it was either learn a musical instrument...or how to run bootleg liquor across the border...then when the great depression hit in the 30's there was no money for entertainment...the piano was there to serve that purpose...

as for myself...i was told to forget all about the guitar...that it would never put a penny in my pocket like a good education would...one of my cousins had been involved in the music biz...poured a truckload of money into gear/music education...formed a band...recorded and released a cd...shot a music vid...received radio airplay and tv spots...then tanked and vanished...still heavily in debt to the record company...

i write/play for a hobby...i wouldn't mind writing a hit song and retiring to live off royalties for the rest of my life though...that'd be cool...


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

As I've said in another thread here a while back my first instrument wasn't guitar but harmonica and that's because of my Dad. He's one of those people that couldn't read a note of music but could pick out a tune after hearing it just once. He was a very good harmonica player and he used to help me learn to play. I started playing it at the age of 10 and later when I started learning guitar we used to do songs together. Unfortunately my Dads smoking habit caught up with him and even though he gave it up in 1989 he couldn't play harmonica like he used to. I personally haven't played harmonica for years and if I tried now it would probably sound awful. (


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

No, I did not.
But for some reason I don't remember, I've always wanted to play guitar, and my brother wanted to drum--and we both still play--for fun.

Sometimes I wish I had grown up in a musical family, but then maybe I wouldn't have developed the same.
I'm not sure it would have been better or worse.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

My parents enjoyed music, though not the same music - mom like Nana Mouskuri (sp?), dad liked Waylon Jennings.
For Sunday dinners we split the difference and got Bobby Bare.

However, not a lick of musical talent between them, and I inherited that :thanks5qx: 
I am trying my hardest to provide a life involving music for my daughter though. She has free access to a couple of my guitars, a piano, drums, a microphone, her own harmonica, etc.
for now she just kind of plays and makes noise, but she's figuring out how everything works, and what sounds neat. Once she gets a little older, we'll try her with lessons on a bunch of stuff until she hopefully finds a favourite or two. 

Yesterday was kind of neat, we were doing do-re-me from the Sound of Music (me play, she sing), and she got interested into how to find the notes on the neck. It was a lot of fun showing her and watch it soak in.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I come from a large family. I am the 10th child of 10. We were not very musical, although I think my Dad would have played an instrument if time would have allowed him to; as I say, there were ten kids and very little money. He did love listening to music and bought me a guitar when I was three. Unfortunately, it disappeared a long time ago. One of my older brothers use to play the guitar and sing a bit, but only him and I can play an instrument. My youngest sister could sing if she tried but is too shy which is too bad, because she has the best voice of the ten of us. I started playing about 5 years ago. I wish I would have started when I was younger but better late than never. 

One of my sisters married into a musical family and all the boys (4) and one sister can play the guitar and they can all sing. I think my brother-in-law probably inspired me the most to pick up the guitar. He and his oldest brother made it look so easy.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

FlipFlopFly said:


> I think my brother-in-law probably inspired me the most to pick up the guitar.


That's the case with one of my friends.
His brother-in-law is quite a talented guitarist.


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## lbrown1 (Mar 22, 2007)

I grew up in a a household that listened to a lot - and I mean a LOT of really really great music...floyd, zepp and the like...my stepdad played piano but nobody was encouraged to pick up an instrument at all.....I remember yearning sooo bad to play drums....but it was not in the cards...

I am trying as absolutely hard as I can to make the household that I now run as musical as possible.....Wife plays piano and sings like an angel....Older kid plays drums and guitar (although - she's moved out now, she inspired me to pick up the guitar a few years back)... and the youngest kid is coming along nicely with the guitar lessons.......mission accomplished!


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I think that's great! It gets the kids away from the TV and those XBox type games and makes good use of family time. It helps family members keep "in tune" with one another on more than just the musical level.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Not a lick of music talent in my parents or their siblings ( but dad was a record collector). I started as a teen. Younger sis did a bit of piano. Older sis decided to pick up the fiddle @ 60 after she got thrown off too many horses. 

Funny thing is that all of our kids play or have played. But I didn't push my boys. One did ten yrs of choir then picked up a guitar. The next boy picked it up a year ago at 16. I have a nephew that is a natural and really gets off on keys...and insisted on getting an :rockon: accordian sigiifa a couple of months ago


Can't talk ma into a Hammond though


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Other than my Maternal Grandmother playing piano and organ, there are no other musicians in the family besides me, and now my daughter. My mom did have an extensive record collection from the 60s into the 70s spanning almost the entire Beatles catalogue, Eagles, Jim Croche, Steve Miller and a bunch of Disco! We had a TV with bunny ears when I was little, so needless to say, the record player was playing a lot. My father, on the other hand, is about the most tone deaf person I've ever witnessed...


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

we had 9 kids in a 3 bedroom rowhouse. musical instruments were forbidden. funny thing though, as soon as all the kids moved out, my mom bought a piano


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