How Musical is Your Family?

[Silly Moustache]

My Mum had a beautiful voice and my sister became a professional ice skater, but nothing else.

I suspect that growing up in a musical family must be a great advantage.

[Stratcat77]

I never really thought a lot about it, but as I do, my family really is very musical and obviously it was an influence. My dad was and still is a great guitarist. He and I play nothing alike - I wish I could do what he does. He is very good at the Merle Travis style and started playing when he was 5 years old. He's still playing at 75 and is still impressive.

Both of my parents sang together in church. My mom can't sing melody - all she seems to hear is harmony?! Weird. But she was good at what she did and they sounded great together. Her father (my grandfather) played guitar. I grew up in a very charismatic southern gospel church environment. My grandfather and two of my uncles were pastors in that style of church, so I was always around gospel music. I don't agree with all of their theology (they consider me the black sheep since I play in bars and sing rock music), but am thankful for the music I was exposed to! It really was some fantastic soulful playing and singing! I have many cousins, aunts and uncles who play and sing. Most are self taught & play by ear and some are really great players.

[6L6]

My sister is a good piano player.

My mom was an RCA session player in NYC during the 1930's/40's (piano). Played on Sinatra's records and many other notables.

Mom started playing professionally at the age of 8 when she provided the background piano music for silent movies at local movie theaters in Hartford, CT.

Most impressive was she couldn't read a note of music! But her ears were so trained she could just sit down and play anything as long as she new how the song went. And she always got it right on the first take.

It was a gift no one else in the family has gotten. At least not so far...

[flaggerphil]

My father played mandolin for fun and my mother (and her twin sister) loved to sing around the house. Two of my three sister's also play guitar and other stringed instruments but not professionally, and my youngest brother has a very nice singing voice. One of my brother's daughters is a professional musician in Montana and my sister's 16 year old granddaughter can play almost any stringed instrument that wanders by (that sister and her granddaughter are the two that make up our trio with me). My daughter played flute in high school but has no interest in taking it up again. I have a number of relatives that also played various instruments in school but did not continue.

There is music in my family but, aside from my one niece in Montana, none of us are professionals.

[ThermiteTermite]

My Grandfather's nephew, (my cousin I guess), Sydney Rayner, was a tenor at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in the 1930's. My aunt Claudia sang and played on the local radio in the 1940's with the 'Montana Belles' (from Montana Mines) in West Virginia. My sister was all state chorus and my niece has sung in several productions in New England and the South but primarily dances off and on professionally.

[hotroad]

I am very lucky to have been born into my family. My mom was a concert pianist and session player, mostly for Andy Williams who became a friend when I was a kid. She then went on and was musical director for the Sonny and Cher TV show and the same for Hullabaloo, a hip musical variety show on TV which enabled me to meet a lot of great people who were finding great success with their music at the time. I have had the pleasure of eating lunch with so many musicians that most of us know and revere just because of my mom. She made me learn piano, accordion and then guitar. She opened doors for me and put me in connection with the right people to jump past steps up the ladder than tripped up so many others more talented than myself. She has left me with this legacy and many fond memories plus a little ability to perform and help others enjoy life like she did.

[Steadfastly]

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.

[Acousticado]

To my knowledge, no one on either side of my family going back a few generations were musicians. For whatever reason, I recall interest in learning to play guitar back when I was about 7 y/o (around 1963). I expressed it repeatedly to my parents, but got no support. Around 20 y/o I met a guy who became a friend and was a guitar player. He knew a guy selling a '58 Strat, so I bought it, and my friend showed me a few chords, and I took it from there. I sing and am a songwriter as well. Both my sons play guitar, only one sings and neither are songwriters. At least my guitar playing influence rubbed off. I hope it continues with grandchildren and so on into the future.

[jpbat]

The musical activity consisted to put *the* (one and only) Tino Rossi record on the turntable at Christmas. That is, the day my dad bought the turntable and the Tino Rossi record. My mother happened to love his singing (along with a large majority of women at the time, he was a well known corsica crooner in France in the 50's)

This is the only relationship my family had with music. Each and every Christmas, the same record. During years.
Not in any other moment in the year, mind you. No. Only Christmas.

Sometimes, I really wonder how I could like music at all.

[vindibona1]

While my grandmother played *some* piano, my mother was a professional concert pianist and member of the local musicians union. My dad played the radio. Interestingly, my mother was of little help to me in my musical development. Dad, OTOH took me to my weekly guitar lessons, was my personal roadie when I was in rock bands and was my general overall support in the family. My sister was a decent flute player, followed in my footsteps at the university and is now a middle school band director. My oldest daughter was a near virtuoso flute player. Alas she burned out at 20 and quit entirely. Sad. We do get to play guitar together from time to time. Youngest daughter played trumpet until her junior year in HS and has no interest in music at all.

[Tico]

Not musical at all.

... hmm ... maybe our milkman was musical.

[Don54]

My family, not so much. My wife's family, very musical. Very talented. Ironically, I'm into music and guitars. My wife, not so much. Although, if she wanted to she could easily pick up and play a guitar or the piano and sing.


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[Mandobart]

This topic comes up periodically. I don't personally believe there is a genetic propensity for arts or music (nature). I do believe that the environment a person grows up in can impact their appreciation for and success in any field (nurture). Both of my grandfathers played violin. My dad's dad played dances in the 20's and 30's with his piano playing wife. His main occupation was as a coal miner, so he died before I was born. My mom's dad was the company doctor for the Kaiser coal company in northern NM. He smoked quite a bit and also died before I was born. I didn't know either of them played violin until after I decided to play violin in the 5th grade, when my folks mentioned that both my grandpas played.

My dad played at classical and flamenco guitar. He practiced only sporadically. My mom was a solid church pianist. She loved to listen to classical music. Both my folks encouraged, but never pushed my musical pursuits. I played violin in orchestra and bass guitar in jazz band all through my public education. Both my sisters sing and play piano. The younger of the two also plays guitar and showed me the basics. My older brother never picked up any instruments but he loves music and his goal in life was always to be a radio jockey, which he did for a few years until the need to eat and support himself drove him to law school. My younger brother is a good singer. He took piano for a while and now owns a guitar that I've never heard him play. We all live over a thousand miles apart so we don't get together too often.

I've done more with music then the rest of my family - I've had several (paying) gigs and been on a few albums. I'm active in three local music clubs. My younger sister and I both essentially have perfect pitch and can easily play by ear. We've also spent more time in formal music instruction than the rest. And I truly work at it - talent only takes you so far.

My son tried a lot of instruments - trumpet, violin, clarinet, bass guitar and bassoon. He achieved moderate proficiency on clarinet and bassoon. He hasn't played at all since high school. My daughter truly has a wonderful voice and has been in choir for years. She also plays piano. Wrapping up her first year in college and also hasn't done anything musically since high school.

[gfspencer]

My mother sang in the church choir for years. She was very good. My father couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

[Mbroady]

My pops used to wake me up for school every morning by playing the William tell overture on the tonette. He would really rock it. He also played clarinet and studied voice.