How has Music Affected your Life?

[DeVeeWee]

0-10y: was born on and grew up with dad's classical music and jazz music...

 

10-18y: revolted against dad's establishment, learned to play guitar, had long hair, formed a band, lead singer and rhythm guitarist, made 1 record, loved to listen to all kind of pop, loud classic rock, new wave...

 

18-30y: stopped giggin'

 

30-40y: weird momentum at my 30's ... because I began to (re)discover classical music and jazz through the radio, somehow I recognized all these tunes from my childhood... and began to love jazz, manouche jazz, classical music ...

 

40-46y: restarted as a musician, ended up here and the rest is history[biggrin]

[milod]

I think an awful lot of us were strongly affected by our parents' interest in music, whether we share the same specific taste in music (doubtful) or not.

 

My Mom played a very little piano, but treasured hers regardless and there I was, "forced" into it. Grandma had one too, but again was not a real player.

 

One thing, though, is that it seems to me that my age group and older were brought up with families more involved in creating music than is current. OTOH, there wasn't as much else to do.

 

m

[DeVeeWee]

I think an awful lot of us were strongly affected by our parents' interest in music' date=' whether we share the same specific taste in music (doubtful) or not.

 

My Mom played a very little piano, but treasured hers regardless and there I was, "forced" into it. Grandma had one too, but again was not a real player.

 

One thing, though, is that it seems to me that my age group and older were brought up with families more involved in creating music than is current. OTOH, there wasn't as much else to do.

 

m

[/quote']

 

Completely true milod! Playing music in a brass band was about the only social activity my dad could do, in his childhood. The entire community came together to listen the rehearsals of those 30 musicians, playing in harmony. Every rehearsal was a kind of social event, a get-together party...

[Artie Owl]

In my case it was my Uncle driving me around in his old 88 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet blasting "Back in Black" that made me feel like Rock and Roll was the answer, and I didn't even know the question yet. See, I was a kid in the 80's and early 90's and my Uncle was cool because he did stuff that made my mom mad at him, which only served to make him cooler. (there's actually a lost VHS tape of him on Christmas morning, rocking a Mullet, "playing" my electric drum kit I got to Back in Black, I would pay good money to see that VHS again.)

 

I also attribute my interest in classic rap to him, the stuff that had rhyme and rhythm, none of this new crap that's all obvious auto-tune commercial bull-sh!t.

[PP_CS336]

Other than my discipleship to Jesus, which has affected me a lot, music has been the other thing that has affected, formed, shaped my life. As Evol said in his comment, music has been a two edged sword or as a couple of music associates and I have discussed, it's both a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that when you're playing and creating there's no other feeling like the high it brings you. The curse in that in order to maintain your abilities/proficiency you have to constantly take time to practice and not many people in you life understand that except other musicians. Both my wives, though they initially liked my playing music (it's what drew them to me) afterwards wanted me to give it up. "You can't be a responsible man and play music at the same time." is what they seemed to tell me later. Also, as Evol said, they don't understand this band thing. "When the hell are you going to grow up?", like it's just some sort of fad that we should get over. It's brought me a lot of pleasure and it has brought me a lot of pain. But somehow, I don't see my life any other way. The only way to stop it, like a person whos's being kept alive by a machine, is to pull the plug, because without it, it's like being dead already. I guess some of us can relate to what Jim Morrison, from the Doors, said in the song "The End"

 

"Music is your special friend. Dance on fire its intent. Music is your only friend, until the end."

[EVOL!]

Thanks for the story, PP_CS336. It does make me feel a little better knowing that I am not the only one w/ loved ones that don't understand.

 

Have been in a rotten mood all day because it has bee a week since I sat down and played. A coworker just got back from a week in a cabin in rural WI. He and his long time music partner are doing pre-production for an album with this killer engineer. Its like hearing about a hot date when you just had a fight with your girl. To add insult to injury I had a jam session canceled tonight.

 

Screw it. I'm putting the dog in the crate and going to play for an hour. If any one calls, I'm at church service: Church of the Sonic Guitar service.

[milod]

I think the fact that my parents sang so much together, and sometimes with some very complex stuff (imagine singing two songs with two tunes in counterpoint), Dad knew you hadda practice. He just figured I shudda finished college instead of practicing or working at a "part time job" that turned into something else.

 

Funny thing about "personal relationships" and music is that I think whether you're a boy or a girl, unless both are musicians and probably play together, or you're already "old," there is a lotta jealousy involved. It's not just "you met me when I played guitar so you figure I'll meet others that way" as much as it is the practice time, etc.

 

Also, whether an orchestra, "classical" string quartet or a raunchy rock or country band, I think that a good group chemistry sometimes is threatening to a "significant other" more than most good work relationships would be.

 

And that's because, I think, of the special relationship that music has for each musician individually and for "us" as a social group.

 

m

[PP_CS336]

Thanks for the story' date=' PP_CS336. It does make me feel a little better knowing that I am not the only one w/ loved ones that don't understand...

 

Screw it. I'm...going to play for an hour. If any one calls, I'm at church service: Church of the Sonic Guitar service.[/quote']

 

Yeh, evol. I think I may be going there myself tomorrow morning once my upstairs neighbor goes to work. The band I'm

in is on a little hiatus until September and it been a while since I've had time to "Kick Out the Jams" like the old 60's band MC-5 song use used to sing about.

[Twiz]

Music has affected just about everything about my life. It kept me out of trouble when I was young (a lot of people I know drank or did a lot of drugs, I had my SG, and geeked out in my room), it gave me a strong work ethic (writing songs and getting gigs is a b*tch), good taste (sometimes), and it's made me some of the best friends a guy could ask for. I picked my college, and my jobs so I could be close to the guys in my band. Playing it makes me happier than anything. Usually my friends make fun of me at gigs because I'm smiling the whole time. I can't help it. I mean, other stuff makes me happy, but playing stuff evokes this joy that I can't explain. -Think of like the feeling you had when you rode a bike for the first time, or got laid, or had the best meal of your life, blew something up, hit a home run, I don't know. It's like all that awesome stuff mixed into one thing. I imagine when I have a kid, that might trump music on the happiness scale, but that kid is going to have to come out doing back flips or spin kicks or something killer to beat it. Sorry to get all weird, but for me, there's not a whole lot better than hitting a chord or a riff through a cranked amp.

[PP_CS336]

Music has affected just about everything about my life. It kept me out of trouble when I was young (a lot of people I know drank or did a lot of drugs' date=' I had my SG, and geeked out in my room), it gave me a strong work ethic (writing songs and getting gigs is a b*tch), good taste (sometimes), and it's made me some of the best friends a guy could ask for. I picked my college, and my jobs so I could be close to the guys in my band. Playing it makes me happier than anything. Usually my friends make fun of me at gigs because I'm smiling the whole time. I can't help it. I mean, other stuff makes me happy, but playing stuff evokes this joy that I can't explain. -Think of like the feeling you had when you rode a bike for the first time, or got laid, or had the best meal of your life, blew something up, hit a home run, I don't know. It's like all that awesome stuff mixed into one thing. I imagine when I have a kid, that might trump music on the happiness scale, but that kid is going to have to come out doing back flips or spin kicks or something killer to beat it. Sorry to get all weird, but for me, there's not a whole lot better than hitting a chord or a riff through a cranked amp.[/quote']

 

Twiz///, I hear you buddy. I forgot about blowing things up (I was a little nuts in my young days. Now they just say I'm

crazy) All the other things you said fits, too. I suppose there's a few other things we could think of that get us

excited. The guys in the band kind of look at me strange when I evoke a nice even flowing feedback, a la Jimi Hendrix.

I've never surfed before but it can probably be equated to the high a surfer gets when he rides a nice wave.

 

Oh yeh, I caught one of the threads where you made a video of you riffing on your SG. I liked it dude. Rock on.