Does your family make music at home?

[ceciltguitar]

There has probably already been a previous thread on this topic , but I couldn’t find one during a search. If you find a previous thread on this topic, posting a link to previous discussions on the same topic is a welcome addition to this thread.

Does your family make music together at home? Either the home that you grew up in, in your grown-up family with or without children?

My dad grew up in the days before TV. They did have radio, which they sometimes listen to in the evening. Sometimes, during the evening they would sing songs together, and his Mom would accompany the singing on the piano. She was self taught and played by ear, just chording along.

My dad learned to play piano as a child, he took lessons for eight years. When he was 16, he got a guitar for Christmas and learn stuff like Elvis Presley tunes and some hillbilly music.

When I was about eight years old, he rekindled his interest in playing and singing music and started playing guitar and singing for his own enjoyment for probably 30 minutes to an hour several times a week in the evening. Of course we kids and my Mom all enjoyed listening to him. Eventually, that’s why I picked up the guitar, and I would play with him. Sometimes one of my sisters would also sing along.

My wife sings and plays guitar and we’ve been “weekend warrior” musicians off and on (mostly on)ever since we were married 37 years ago. We also taught our two older sons to play guitar and they used to play with us sometime when they were teenagers. (They also picked up bass, drums and piano, had their own group and toured with a big name local band - MAE).

Playing music together for mutual enjoyment was a big part of our lives before we were married, not so much after we married. That is, although we really enjoy playing gigs together, we normally only play together at home when working up music to perform. Same with playing music with our sons, it was never really an activity that everyone wanted to do for fun, (although it was mostly fun for everyone ) rather it was always in preparation for a performance.

How about you?

[Glennwillow]

We used to, when we had kids at home.

In fact we toured professionally for seven years around the Pacific Northwest.

- Glenn

[BigTim]

Growing up they did back in the 70 and 80s.

A lot of times once a month they would all get together and have a good time.

I guess that was a big influence on me.

[foxo]

Nope, I’m the sole cause of the cacophony within my household. My mum used to play a mean classical guitar but she gave up many years ago.

[TheGITM]

Yeah, I come from a very musical family. My dad was a professional touring musician when I was a kid. Several of us kids picked up instruments at a young age... most of us sang, and a few quite well. My mom had a beautiful singing voice.

I have uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews that play/sing... so family gatherings pretty much always involve guitars and some percussion. Music has been (and still is) a blessing in my life.

That said, all three of my brothers are gone now. My grandma's house was the common hub for all family activities, and once she passed those gatherings disappeared. My own close family is now quite scattered around the country, so the days of musical family gatherings are gone...

Here's a pic from my dad's touring days (kneeling on the left), and one of me (on the left w/bandana), a brother (on the right), and an uncle (in the middle) just doing what we used to do during a seafood feast in Mobile, Alabama (another brother on the left is tending to the food)... I miss those days.

[rstaight]

When I was growing up we lived in Ohio and mom's side of the family was in Indiana. Though we were around the state line it was still a good 40 minutes to go visit.

For several years at the family reunion my cousin and I would sit under one of the shelter houses at the park and play for a few hours. Then we would carry everything in the "lodge" and entertain the family.

But life as gotten in the way and we don't get to the reunions much of any at all. Wish we could do it all again.

[rollypolly]

I'm the main player in our house, on an amateur level. But I'm hoping my kids see my passion and dedication for it and pick up an instrument. Daughter and wife are taking piano lessons and I've made it clear they can use my guitars or I'll buy her a GS mini or something , but the guitar is hard for a little kid. She has a uke and violin as well. Needless to say I'm pushing hard for music to be made in our house!

[seaveez]

Growing up, my mother would, often, invite families over to the house, and there was some sort of musical performance. My parents loved the Broadway or Rogers and Hammerstein songs, so we sang a lot of those numbers. We did a log of Christmas caroling to the neighbors. On road trips, piled into the station wagon, we would sing 'family standards' ... little ditties my Father learned from his Father and sang with his sisters.

[ljguitar]

Hi cecilt…

Our family is raised, but when we hit our 'musical son's home' we play music. Out come the instruments, and voices for a couple jams over a 3 day stay.

And sometimes I just sit down with our granddaughter (age 12 and great singer) and her mom and we sing for an hour with our guitars.

[rllink]

My dad played the harmonica. He wasn't really into music, he was into the harmonica. He would play Red River Valley and songs like that. He had a half dozen of them. He was not a serious harmonica player. My mom was young when she got married, still a teenager. She liked to listen to 45s and watch American Bandstand. So not a lot of serious music in our house. The only musician I know of in our family is my grandpa on my mom's side. He was long gone before I was born, but he was described as a heavy drinker and a fiddler.

My wife is very musically talented. She plays multiple instruments and sings. She has been in a number of choral groups. She can play the bass, although she doesn't. She is pretty good on a ukulele, although she won't admit it. She is a very formal musician. She likes to have someone directing so that everyone comes in at the right time.

Our tastes in music are very different. I like a more freewheeling approach to music. I like country/bluegrass and she doesn't. Honestly, she looks down a little on what I'm doing musically. I'm actually okay with that, I look down on it too, that's why I like it so much.

She is very supportive, she likes that I have friends and play music with them, but she does not take any of what I'm doing seriously and does not want to be part of it. At least she says she doesn't. We can not play together. We have tried. If I vary even a note off how it is "written," it is wrong wrong wrong. So we just go our own ways. She is singing a solo in a choral group the end of the month. I am happy for her and said so. My group is doing an antique tractor show later this summer, our biggest gig so far, and she is happy for me.

Neither of our kids have any interest in music.

[warfrat73]

My parents were both professional musicians and music teachers. So, very much so in the house I grew up in.

Mom is a trumpet player, and her practicing on Saturday mornings when I was trying to sleep or watch cartoons used to seem like about the worst thing in the world. She would also periodically wake me up by playing Reveille, and if I was out in the neighborhood playing with friends and she wanted my to come home in the evening she would stand in the door or stick her head out the window and play taps or something.

Dad's a singer and a piano player, and they would play together a lot. Played together at church frequently, sometimes taking turns being the music director there etc.

My mom got me started on tuba when I was in 4th grade because they were apparently always hard to find for quintet gigs, and I was big enough to haul one around. So I would play with them periodically.

My mom also taught at Eastman School of Music for a while, coached/directed a couple of brass quintettes there that I played in when I was a teenager.

There was always music.

[dilver]

All the time… recorded 3 indie albums at home with my teenage kid who plays drums, sings and also plays guitar, daughter plays uke and has the best voice out of all of us. Music is a big part of our household and there’s always music playing during every meal at home. We’re not a sports family at all and music is our thing. I love hearing my two kids play and sing together and I’m very proud of the fact that they’ll have the gift of music their whole lives.

[Dave Hicks]

My wife and I do, though often practicing for open mics and such.

D.H.

[DMZ]

Definately. Dad and brother and I any chance we get. 87 yr old Pop plays an Emmons twin neck pedal steel,-and did in a country band locally, the brother is a pro player for decades around MPLS and I’m a solid strummer and fingerstyle worship style rythmn. More laughs and enjoyment than full songs. Usually Elvis, country, 70s type eagles stuff and at Christmas, runs the gamut. Many treasured memories.

[The Bard Rocks]

Don't I wish.

Music as a huge part of our family when the kids were growing up. The girls played piano, but didn't sing. My wife used to play fiddle tunes with me, her on concertina and me on guitar. She won't play it any longer. And now she is into opera, so there's even less chance.

But we do host a variety of musical events during the year, concerts, songs circles, jams.. So there's still music around which is not made only by me.