Playing Music With Your Kids

[R_of_G]

I could swear we had a thread around here about playing music with your kids or encouraging your kids to play music or something like that, but I couldn’t find it. If any mods know that other thread and want to merge this one into it, by all means, go right ahead.

Anyway, Ella and I have been listening to music together pretty much since she was born, but lately, she’s begun to enjoy playing it a lot more. Previously, she’d hit the drum or the piano once or twice and then walk away. Now that she understands causality and realizes she is making those sounds, we are having a lot more music time. These are from the last few days…

[pes_laul]

Thats awesome Yeah Im not old enough to have kids :P But I do spend alot of time playing music with my dad. I dont get to see him very much but we have alot of fun writing and recording music and occasionally playing out somewhere.

[Lev]

Cool, my little girl loves the guitar too. She makes me play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star all the time but I don't mind.

[R_of_G]

Awesome pic Lev.

I find myself picking out little children's song melodies all the time now. I can't help it.

[sunvalleylaw]

I play with my kids too. My 12 year old will put up with me sometimes, and I mostly try to play the Weezer songs he is learning. Not easy, as his timing is his own at this point. But I love it when he lets me, or wants to show me the Weezer Sweater Song lick or such like that.

My other son is playing piano, and loves all sorts of music. We usually play Green Day, 21 Guns together. He likes it if i play the chords clean, and not if I distort it. He says it sounds cool. He also loves playing Star Wars, Indiana Jones, some classical stuff, etc. I have not played that stuff with him.

I play probably most often with my youngest, my daughter. She holds her guitar, but can't really play it. And we sing together while I play the chords. Sometimes I have her just hit the strings in rhythm with the song. She loves to sing, and can't wait to start playing. She gets really frustrated when she can't form basic open chords that will ring out, due to her hands being small and young, but she will get there.

[Tone2TheBone]

I occasionally accompany my youngest daughter with her classical pieces. Mainly to help her with the melody if she's having a little trouble getting it down. For this I've usually plugged in my Epi Gold Top into the Micro Cube cause it's portable, we can practice anywhere, and the tone sounds great along side a violin. Thanks to her I've learned all 3 J.S. Bach minuets.

[R_of_G]

Thanks to her I've learned all 3 J.S. Bach minuets.

And of course you know that if you take "Minuet in G Major" and adjust the timing from its normal 3/4 to 4/4 you get the 60s hit "Lover's Concerto" as performed below by The Toys.

[Brian Krashpad]

Looks like R of G and Lev have a couple pistols on their hands.

My kids are older. My son says he wants to play guitar, but right now he's distracted by skateboarding, plus he says he wants to play lacrosse next year. In the meantime, he has my Frankentele and a beater Laney combo in his room.

My daughter plays with me in our church praise band:

She also plays in other church things not technically the praise band, such as at Youth Group services and at Vacation Bible School. As with my son, I loaned her a bass to start with and a bass rig. Once she learned to play, she got her own bass for her birthday. As with my son, she has one of my bass rigs (a 250W head and 2x10 cab) up in her room for practicing.

If my son learns, he'll get my Frankentele for one of his birthdays. (I have waaay more guitars than basses, so I can spare to give him one of mine; bought one for my daughter at a pawn.)

[R_of_G]

Brian - that's great that your kids play, and doubly so that they play bass!

[Brian Krashpad]

Brian - that's great that your kids play, and doubly so that they play bass!

Well, Hannah plays bass, Jack says he wants to play guitar. He's learned a few chords, but right now other things are more important.

My deal with all that is a family tradition my dad started. He was a career officer in the US Navy, so he did a lot of traveling. He would come back with various instruments: guitar, banjos, mandolin. He made us kids a deal: any kid who taught himself or herself to play the instrument could have it. I had an advantage, as I was oldest. I was the only one to teach myself an instrument, guitar. I still have his guitar, it's the acoustic 6-string pictured here, and is the guitar I learned on:



He also gave me the banjo (after I and all the kids were grown up), as I sorta know how to play that a little bit as well. The mandolin pictured is his, which I had on loan at the time the picture was taken. I've since returned the mandolin, bought a couple myself, and learned how to play them (and least, I keep telling myself I have, haha!-- still a newb).

Smart guy, my old man.

[Lev]

Cool Brian, it'd be a dream come true for me to play music with my girls when they get older. I hope some of my interest rubs off on them - and I'll try my best not to be a pushy Rock Dad

[Brian Krashpad]

Cool Brian, it'd be a dream come true for me to play music with my girls when they get older. I hope some of my interest rubs off on them - and I'll try my best not to be a pushy Rock Dad

That's the way to go!

Make it an easily available option, and leave it at that. I offer to help them but I don't even set up a practice schedule or anything.

Good luck!

[R_of_G]

Brian - That's a great story. One of the things I most hope to impart to Ella is something that your father obviously passed on to you, a love of music. He was a smart guy indeed.

I try not to push her to play. I will usually let her decide what her playtime activities are. The last few weeks, the first thing she wants to do after breakfast is go to the music room, whereupon she will announce, "Ella's going to hit the drum!"

Some days we'll be in there for an hour. Some days she loses interest after 10 minutes. Either way, I'm just gad she chose to play music that day for any amount of time.

[Brian Krashpad]

Brian - That's a great story. One of the things I most hope to impart to Ella is something that your father obviously passed on to you, a love of music. He was a smart guy indeed.

I try not to push her to play. I will usually let her decide what her playtime activities are. The last few weeks, the first thing she wants to do after breakfast is go to the music room, whereupon she will announce, "Ella's going to hit the drum!"

Some days we'll be in there for an hour. Some days she loses interest after 10 minutes. Either way, I'm just gad she chose to play music that day for any amount of time.

That's very cool that you have a music room. I wish we had the space for one.

Another thing about kids and music is that you can actually help shape their tastes simply by what you play and sing around the house (whether via live playing or listening to recordings). Even if they don't pick up an instrument or sing, just by what they are (and aren't) exposed to (even without being intentionally didactic), parents can help their kids develop decent tastes in music. My kids like everything from Rancid to J-rock to the Beatles.

[R_of_G]

That's very cool that you have a music room. I wish we had the space for one.

It was really one of the only things I was looking for in a house. It really is great to have a place to have my equipment set up full time so anytime I want to play, I can just turn on the amp and play and not have to set up and then break down when I'm done.

Another thing about kids and music is that you can actually help shape their tastes simply by what you play and sing around the house (whether via live playing or listening to recordings). Even if they don't pick up an instrument or sing, just by what they are (and aren't) exposed to (even without being intentionally didactic), parents can help their kids develop decent tastes in music. My kids like everything from Rancid to J-rock to the Beatles.

No doubt about that. Ella cannot listen to music without asking me who it is. Like all good people, she loves the Beatles. She also seems to really like the Black Keys. She's now begun making requests for the things she likes. I don't know how many other two year olds ask to listen to Albert Ayler, but mine does.

[guitarhack]

My kids did not play with me but both were in marching band in high school and both still enjoy listening but no longer play. They have kids now, too and one of them (my six year old grandson) loves to play with drumsticks (his dad is a drummer). He loves to see my guitars when he comes to visit, especially when I hook up an amp and it gets loud! I have a six year old granddaughter who loves to strum the strings, too. So lots of fun for granddaddy when they visit.

[jpfeifer]

My wife and I met playing in a band together during our college years. We worked at a studio together, helping people make demo recordings of their songs, and playing in local bars. We never stopped playing (not playing bars anymore, but we do play at church).

We have raised our two girls with this and now they are both playing in the same group with us on Sundays. My youngest is our drummer, and my oldest plays the flute and sings. My wife plays piano.

My oldest has taken a serious interest in songwriting. I'm working with her to help with the production and arranging of her songs. Through this I have that dream job that I always wanted as a studio player (although it's not a paid job, and we record at home, but the feed me and give me all the coffee I want :-) . I never thought that I would ever be playing guitar with my daughter and helping her with recording her own songs one day. It's really cool. I guess it helped to inspire her with a good dose of Beatle songs over the years. Since she was little I used to play my guitar for her at night to help her fall asleep. She always liked the Beatle songs the best.

I've shared her songs on this forum and people have been very supportive. Here is a link to her SoundClick page:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...bandID=1002211

[R_of_G]

jpfeifer - What a great story. If there's anything more rewarding than playing music it's playing music with people you love. Good for you!

guitarhack - Those grandkids will grow up thinking they have the coolest grandfather in the world.