Growing up and coming of age in a family full of musicians

[DRafalske]

This has always seemed special and unique to me, and I wonder how many of you can relate?

I come from large, close-knit family. Going to family gatherings is more like hanging out with my buddies than seeing my relatives.
My mom is one of eight and most of my uncles are musicians. Most of their friends are musicians too. We love to party and do it often, and there is, of course, always live music.
I was inspired by this growing up, as were several of my cousins and the children of my uncles' friends. I'd sit and watch and enjoy the jams and always longed to be part of it. I was about 10 years old when I decided to take up the bass. A friend of the family gave me some lessons and let me use his bass until I could buy one of my own.
Over the years, myself and some of my cousins would occasionally get to sit in on the family jam sessions for a song or two. We started a band, but being kids didn't have the means to make it go anywhere. We all kept at it, played in other bands, practiced, and have gotten to be competent musicians in our own rights.

Now, it's been 20 years since I decided to learn how to play. The family jam sessions have become more like open-mic night at the local pub. We get together every couple of weeks just to have fun and jam. It's the only excuse we need! And it never really ends. Bassists, guitarists, drummers, keyboardists, singers. They all come and go, a couple songs at a time. No one really has the chance to get tired. The "sets" will sometimes last for hours. It's great fun with no egos, no pressure, and a very high level of musicianship. The ones who can't play love everything everybody does.
One of my uncles made the comment to me just this past Saturday about how good we've all gotten, and how awesome it is to have something like this. I couldn't agree more.

[Lunchbox4u_6]

I wish I could relate, but there isn't a single person in my family (Mom, Dad, brother, uncles, aunts, cousins, or granparents) that plays an instrument. They all look at my like I'm an alien.

[Jefenator]

Doesn't growing up and coming of age sort of disqualify you as a musician?

I kid. Sounds like a great thing you got going there - wish I could relate.

[guitar ed]

I'm jealous.

What a great way to learn, have fun, and see family in such a low pressure environment.

edg

[R. Laevinus]

My parents both have masters' degrees in music - my mother in performance, my father in composition. Most of my aunts and uncles played in their youth.

However - my father gave up music before I was born, all my relatives had given it up before I was six, and my mother went whole-hog on Christian garbage-music* (please read the footnote!), to the exclusion of all else, before I was ten.

As a result, I can only envy your family ties. Even though my family has been fairly supportive of my musical aspirations, it often gets frustrating, as the folks are both classical musicians - meaning that they have no interest in the music I liek to write and play, and they don't understand the concept of having multiple of the same instrument type.

Oh well.



*- I'm not ragging on P&W - it's just that P&W has its fair share of lame tunes, as does every other genre - and my mother has somehow managed to root out all of the worst of the worst, and built her entire repertoire therein.

[wshines1892]

I wish that there were musicians in my family. I'll sneak in new instruments like a kid sneaking in a puppy he found. Just last week I was hauling in a drum set I picked up and caught a bit of flak for that. They don't really understand why I do the things I do and fill my room with more gear than I have space, but they've come to accept it at least. I am expected to provide live music at all family gatherings though.

[BassClef 2010]

My mom and sister play piano as a hobby, and my sister is thinking of playing flute. I am the only really serious muscian in the family at the time. I wish I could relate to your story man.

[infamusblkdeath]

unfortunatly no, i cannot relate. besides me there is only like 1 other musician besides me in my family. my one uncle plays acoustic guitar. i'm the only one in my household. it does tend to make me feel funny and or annoyed at times, cause they can be so ignorant of things it just comes as rediculous to me.

some of my family members have had stints with instruments in the past, but they never tend to stick with it. like one of my aunts has a big harp just sitting in her house. that is just one of many examples.

i got to hand it to you though DR, that sounds like my dream family right there..... too bad you only live once

[pfschim]

I can relate, I have this going back many generations in my family.

My Dad was a jazz bass player and a "jobber" in Chicago from the mid 40s, into the late 60's. I started playing bass and piano in grade school and did my first gigs as a back-up for my Dads overbooks starting in late middle school. When I was a kid my parents would host jazz jam sessions at our house and I just remember how cool that was and how much I wanted to do that - and I did.

My Mom is a symphonic flute player

both parents were music educators as well (highschool, middle school and college)

My aunt is a symphonic bassist in Chicago

All my 4 siblings were musicians when we were growing up. My sister is a pro symphonic french horn player in Europe (wind section is a tough gig for a woman, and she is consistently a 1st or 2nd chair player). She married a low brass player and they both do symphonic gigs in Europe.

My grandfather was a tenor and became a choir director for the (fairly) famous Chicago Paulist Choir.

My great aunt was a classical pianist and organ accompanist who studied in Vienna in the early 1900's and toured the world as a choral accompanist and solo performer.

My Grandmother and another great Aunt were vaudeville performers - song and dance team.

On my Dads side there are musicians going back to the 1700's as kaplemeisters (church choir conductors and organists) in southern Germany.

lots of musical (and other performance) history in my family ... pretty cool. There are times I really feel connected to music in a very deep way that is kind of beyond my ability to explain.

[BongoPeg]

I can relate, I have a large immediate family, (5 bros, 3 sis and most of them are married) and almost everyone of them plays at least 1 instrument, most play at least 2 and some can play more. My mother is also a musician and my father is becoming a cheloist (sp?)

I can play Tuba, Electric Bass, and pretty limited Upright.
I used to be able to play piano, and I consider myself decent on the drums. Anyway...

[Tahoe_Ed]

I married into one. My wife is an accomplished pianist and sings(she also has perfect pitch), our daughter has a masters-in-choir and has performed semi-professionally. Our daughter-in-law has a masters-in-opera and is frequently the featured soloist. Our son is a guitard and drummer and our youngest daughter plays piano and sings. When we all get together it mostly revolves music and games about music. We have intimidated more that one suitor for our daughters. Fortunately not all of them, as they are now either married or engaged. I hope that we are able to continue this for another generation of grandchildren. I am very blessed to have such a wonderful family that puts up with me the old bassist, former Tuba, Sax and Baritone player.

[jgsbass]

I can only read with envy what goes on in those households. My dad was musical: he taught himself harmonica as a kid and had one of those harmonicat style bands with a few friends. Kept him out of trouble (barely) growing up during the depression. But he taught himself to play with the instrument upside down ie, high on the left, low on tjhe right. He was also always humming something. My moms family, nothing. I was always pulled towards music so to me its no surprise where I am some 50 years later. My wifes family also didn't have a lot of obvious talent. Tried real hard to get my 2 kids inspired. My son played and studied alto sax until the day he graduated high school and then he was done. He has some interesting musical tastes ( long time Radiohead fan) but he developed these by himself. My daughter won't let me help her with anything. Despite this she is now a 16 year old multi-instrumentalist, who writes and records her own music. She may have my gift for this but she does it all on her own. I took pride in helping my nephew (wifes side, no DNA) start drums and he's a professional musician in the Cleveland where he pretty much plays only original material: some of which is pretty out there. He also has his Dave Grohl side where he learned guitar and fronted an original band for a while but I think its just drums now for him. But no family reunion jam sessions.
I met a guitarist who described his Thanksgivings as being close to the OP's family. I asked to be adopted.

[MonetBass]

What a great story. You are very lucky to have that many musicians in your family who still get together and play.

All of my siblings are musically inclined. When we were young, all of us played a different instrument in the orchestra. Older brother: cello; older sister: viola (and piano); younger brother: violin (later trumpet); me: double bass (later EB and guitar). Sadly I'm the only one who stayed with it. My younger brother recently bought a guitar and is learning to play, so maybe there's still hope.

[Elphisto]

My dad played/plays guitar, there were many nights I fell asleep to the sweet sounds of all night blues jams and rehearsals. As a side note I can now sleep through anything, can even fall asleep in the same room as a pounding drummer. All of the family friends were musicians and artists. So the exposure was there, the environment was right, and I still didn't pick up my bass until I was 30. Don't know why I waited so long.

[DRafalske]

I met a guitarist who described his Thanksgivings as being close to the OP's family.

Oh, you ought to see it. Thanksgiving, labor day, Independence Day, whatever. Don't even need a reason.
My family owns a fairly large farm a bit south of the city. We all gather down there and camp out for the weekend. The jams are epic. Outdoors on the back porch of the farmhouse if possible. Amazingly great time. I'll bring my buddy's down and they're all amazed by it.

All you who are jealous (for lack of a better term) make me glad for what I have and at the same time I wish you were able to experience it.
I'm glad to see more people from a similar background. The musical bug does tend to run the family.

[Yerf Dog]

One of my brothers used to play guitar. That's it though.