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Bass Players with Kids

Do you have children?

  • Yes

    Votes: 220 75.9%

  • No

    Votes: 70 24.1%
  • Total voters
    290
#21
Congrats Man! The best advice I can give is never talk down to your kids and never take them for granted. You only get one shot at being their Dad and it is the most important job you will ever have. They grow so fast. Love them, listen to them and do your best. As far as music goes my girl started early and has tons of natural ability. She plays piano, drums (well enough to jam with) sings, and is in an advanced dance program. She is only 8! She is already writing music as well. Helps that I have a studio at home with all the gear so she and her friends can play. I have taken her to rehearsals, gigs and into the studio she loves it all. Pic of her singing at her first gig age 5.
 

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#22
Congrats!! I have two daughters (20 &18). They are both in university, so the only real musical drawback for me is that I am officially poor and can't afford that $10k bass I've been longing for...LOL!! Seriously, they are both proud that the old man is still rockin' out. My youngest and I hit alot of concerts together. They both enjoy music (both grew up playing piano), and I'd like to think that I have had a big part in that. They were great kids, and are shaping into great adults as well. I am sure you will suffer the same fate. You will learn as you go, and fly by the seat of your pants....but it will be all worth it. I wouldn't change a thing.
 
#23
Congratulations! I have four chitlins' myself. Well, with my wife, too...

My time with music increased, actually, since playing music I liked for peanuts was no longer an option; it was either go for it, or relegate it to a hobby along with Warhammer 40k and videogaming.

My wife's been supportive. Without her willingness to be a bass widow occasionally, I would've had to put my bass on a shelf and leave it there for a few years. I return the favor by doing my best to be the awesomest husband on the planet when I am home, and being willing to put her and the kids first with my time.

Since music remains a part of my life, I share it with the kids as often as I can, and wait until they're in bed for any serious practice. Daddy getting out a bass attracts the attention of one, which attracts the next one down, until you can draw a trail with the baby crawling towards me and my instrument. It's darned cute, but counterproductive to musical excellence. Toddlers enthusiastically grabbing at strings hinders right hand technique . I can play Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star like a madman now, though :)


Be sure to have fun being a parent; I do :D
 
#24
I waited until my twilight years to have a kid, I was 37 when my first & only son was born. He'll be three in January. I spent all of my 20s & 30s working in the music biz & steadily gigging. If I would have had a kid in my younger days I think the state would have taken him away!
I never thought I'd be a father much less a decent one, but it's all working out. I'm kind of Mr. Mom, my wife has the "good" job and I'm the primary caregiver. It's awesome. My wife is very cool & I still get to play music & buy gear & do the Peter Pan thing for a little while longer.

We named him after Gram Parsons & he LOVES music & banging on my basses. :bassist:

Also having a kid puts everything into perspective. My son spent the first three weeks of his life in the ICU & had to have two surgeries in his first six months. He's all good now, but it's a bright, shining lesson in what's really important.


Enjoy it my friend & make sure he listens to good music.


Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make sure that he doesn't become a drummer....

gdrum.jpg
 
#25
Congratulations! While your life will change for sure, it is for the better, believe me. :)

Kids are a blessing that will make you look at your whole life a little differently. I have a son, 5 and a daughter 2. I "gave up" playing on a full time basis simply to spend more time with the kids. I didn't want to be up playing in a bar on Friday or Saturday and be tired the whole weekend with my kids. I am not saying there is anything wrong with people who do play, just my choice was to spend more time with my kids. My Dad told me one time how he regrets the time he spent away from us (he raced cars every weekend) so I thought, will I ever regret not playing at (insert the crappiest place you play here) to spend more time with my kids?

My kids both love music, and I will encourage them to play something someday when they are ready.

I now play once in a while, but when I do, it is a lot of fun and I look forward to it. As far as practicing, you have to have some "you time" everyday. I am lucky, I teach music and have about an hour each day if you add my lunch time and prep time together that I can lock myself in my room and play.

Good luck man, you are about to enter the coolest time of your life. There is not a day since my son was first born that my kids have not made me smile, laugh, or just be happy to be alive.:hyper:
 
#27
One child is easy. Two children involved 4 times as much work. Babysitters are easy to find when you only have one kid. With 2, all of our babysitters disappeared.

Involving the kids as early as possible is a great idea.
 
#33
loendmaestro said:
Ha! It's just a friendly jab....
I've been playing with the same drummer for 10 years, he's way cool. How many drummers would let a 2 1/2 year old come over & bash on his Sonors?!
Click to expand...

Is this the acting-age of the drummer friend? Or your kid?

:)

I would love the idea of a family band someday. I can only imagine how awesome it would feel to be up on a gig with your wife and kids, playing together, making music and making the people dance. A family that gigs together, stays together.
 
#34
I'm pushing 43 yrs old.No kids(due to taking meds & treatments from an illness that I have).
Once upon a time,I did have a "pre-fabricated family",my ex-wife's kids.
We've been divorced for 7 yrs now.Best thing to EVER happen to me,getting divorced.I still talk to her kids on a regular basis,though.Hell,they should talk to me,I raised'em,put two of them thru college.Me and the kids (I still call'em that),always got along great.
But,not having kids is my biggest regret in life.I think it'd be SO COOL to look at another human,knowing that it came from me.
It really pisses me off,seeing parents not caring for their kids.I know I'd be a good dad.

Good Luck
 
#35
Congrats dude, we just had our first a few weeks ago and yes, it is overwhelming and yes, prepare yourself for a level of tired that you have never felt before.

Don't know how busy your playing schedule is like but you should prepare yourself to significantly scale back your bass workload for the time being so you can be there to help your wife - she's going to need all the help she can get from you. But once you get the hang of things a bit, there will be a bit more routine involved in your day-today and you will quickly learn to enjoy the new family balance!

Lonnybass
 
#36
Congrats on the kid!!! Bass/bands/music offer a very unique experience for families & kids. The best thing I was told was to balance time and make sure kids don't suffer due to music or vice versa. I often play Friday/Saturday night gigs & am very tired Sunday morning, but no matter what time I get it, we do breakfast as a family. Or we go out to eat as their part of the gig money.

For a while my band practiced at my house & my kids loved it. The guys would give them various jobs of plugging in cords & stuff to keep them occupied. As a result my kids came to expect the band to come over for practice. They actually took it very hard when we moved to a practice space.

Just rescently I was fortunate enough to land a gig that was "all age" friendly and the 5 & 8 year old got to come out & watch the first set. They thought that was awesome.

I also have older kids, my daughter comes out regularly to see me play & my 18 year old son saw me for the first time with his 5 & 8 year old siblings.

Bottomline is ... it's doable with kids & music, just balance things out and get a lot of no doz!!! It is worth it in the end, my 5 year old is really interested in playing an instrument.
 
#38
Congrats on the kid!!! Bass/bands/music offer a very unique experience for families & kids. The best thing I was told was to balance time and make sure kids don't suffer due to music or vice versa. I often play Friday/Saturday night gigs & am very tired Sunday morning, but no matter what time I get in, we do breakfast as a family. Or we go out to eat as their part of the gig money.

For a while my band practiced at my house & my kids loved it. The guys would give them various jobs of plugging in cords & stuff to keep them occupied. As a result my kids came to expect the band to come over for practice. They actually took it very hard when we moved to a practice space.

Just rescently I was fortunate enough to land a gig that was "all age" friendly and the 5 & 8 year old got to come out & watch the first set. They thought that was awesome.

I also have older kids, my daughter comes out regularly to see me play & my 18 year old son saw me for the first time with his 5 & 8 year old siblings.

Bottomline is ... it's doable with kids & music, just balance things out and get a lot of no doz!!! It is worth it in the end, my 5 year old is really interested in playing an instrument.
 

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#39
I'm 28 and father of one baby girl, 10 months old. I did quit my bands because some very wise woman (my mom) said once "babies are all your own before school, then they become interested in the world outside, and friends, and stuff". So i figured "Music is a force that will stay in my life no matter if I quit any performance based project for a few years, but the baby years of my daughter will only come to pass ONCE". I couldn't miss it, so I quit my bands. Now, the funny thing is I now have a lot more technique and licks than before. Marriage is very important to be taken care of as well. But the little ones really gives you strength, joy and a feeling of being part of the enormous cycle of life.

My baby girl shines when I play. She learned to clap, almost sings and she still doesn't talk much. You'll learn that kids are the real thing, the real reason why we're here. Congratulations.
 

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