Musicians and former musicians stand up and be counted

[Lex]

I will start by saying that I am a drummer. I started playing in grade school, played the jr and high school band circuit, playing corp style in the 1970s. Vintage Trooper type stuff, for anybody that has heard of the Troopers, Cavaliers, etc...Drum and Bugle Corp stuff. I was in a small corp, but we only did parades. I sat first chair drummer my Sr. Year. I also had a rock band that played for at least 2 years in high school and local engagements for at least a year after. We could pack a 24 foot truck fairly tight with our gear at one point. Including a Hammond organ and 2 leslies. Marshall guitar and bass amps, PA systems, lights, the whole shootin match. We played a lot of Lynard Skinard, Eric Clapton, B. B. King style blues, and such. Fact is, we had a slide guitar player that if you closed your eyes, you would swear you were listening to Duane Allmon or Dicky Betts themselves. The other guitarist was the BB King blues specialist. We also did nearly the entire Filmore East album of Allman Bros. SOOOOOO, we weren't to bad in our day. Band's name was "Greenbriar". coming from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park area called Greenbrier Pinnicle

I still own my drums, a double bass set of Pearl with hardshell cases, Ziljan cymbals, and have the hots to set them up. I am thinking jazz here guys. :B

Lex




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[Bob Santos]

This topic is right up my alley.
I started with music in first grade playing the trumpet. Continued with trumpet thru elementary school, also learning other brass instraments along the way Tombone, baritone etc.. etc..
In 7th grade I started playing bass guitar. I became obsessed with that for the next 12 years.
I played about 8 hours a day. I belonged to band that me and my friends started back when we were 12. At the age of 14 we started playing in bars.
We played at all the big rock clubs here on Long Island. This continued for a long time. After highscool I went on to college to study Jazz, and music theory. I finished with a degree in music. Some time during college I decided that I didnt want to do the Rock Star thing, and left the band, which a few of the members continued on and are doing very well. They have a number of CD's out, and my friend John is considered to be one of the best guitarist around today. While I was in college I started working in a music store selling guitars, and stuff. I managed that store for about 7 years before I left in 1993, when I got into the hobby buisness. I started flying Radio controlled helicopters, and planes in the early 90's, and as with every other hobby I get into I became obsessed. I now basically spend every day playing with toy's.
I hardly ever play anymore

[Trevor Schell]

Sorry Guys,,but I am nowhere in the league that you guys have been.

I just had a short stint with Danger Kitty in the late 80's




Trevor
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[John Kotches]

I guess it's my turn now to admit it.....

I was a woodwind specialist, playing saxophones (really one instrument with different lengths), flutes (piccolo too), and just about every flavor of clarinet I could get my hands on.

I too majored in music, with a degree in saxophone performance, and minors in mathematics and physics.

I played for about 12 years of my life (from 12-24) and was even paid for gigs starting at about 17 years old, way cool

While not as impressive as the other guys, I did play with a few name acts including:
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Temptations, The Lettermen, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, the Tex Beneke Orchestra, the Warren Covington Orchestra, and several (literally) unknown big bands and jazz combos.

I now make my living as a computer geek, and do the A/V equipment reviewing as my hobby/avocation.
The person that hired me as a programmer was a bit unique -- he felt that training in fine arts (especially music) was an acceptable substitute for Computer Science and/or programming training.

Maybe he was right, as I'm doing ok for myself these days

Regards,




---
Editor, PC/Home Theater
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[Wireless]

I was also a music major in college, attending initially on a sax scholarship, switching to music composition, then finally to classical guitar. I taught college classical guitar for a short period, played jazz on the hotel circuit, lounges in the late seventies, and toured Europe with a quintet in the earliy eighties, played with great muscians but no one famous. Studied with Jerry Coker, one of the premier jazz instructors. Then marriage inserted a dose of reality into my life, I needed money! So I ended up in business.




John
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[DanB]

Well...heres another drummer. My sister has been playing guitar since she was about 5 years old. She has always been musically gifted..ya know- one of those with that "ear" for it. Well, I am into the custom H-D thing, and have a dedicated 3000 square foot shop with paint booth, etc etc. One day my sister says.."hey..can we set up over at your shop for a couple days?" I said.."well..I guess"...reluctantly. So the band is over there banging out some tunes...the drummer has to leave..and there sits a set of Tama drums. I'm hanging out, kickin back...so my sister says.."Dan...jump on and play with us". I'm like.."WHAT? I ain't never played in my life"
I tried it..I wasn't worth a damn...but I was hooked. That was 4 years ago..and I have a set of TAMAs at home, and a set of DW's at the shop. I love the new AHEAD composite sticks, too.
I try and play 3-4 times a week, and I will occasionally sit in with my sisters band.




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[Stoopalini]

Well, I never went to school for music, but I have played a few instruments.

When I was younger, my Mother decided that I should learn the piano. Since we had a baby grand in the house, I had weekley lessons until I was about 8 or so. I wasn't too interested in the piano, so the lessons stoped. (Now-a-days, I wish I had kept them going)

Then I was re-introduced to instruments when I was 12. This time, it was the 6 string guitar. I got a Yamaha acoustic, and a Burnside Blade (by Guild) electric. I've been playing guitar ever since. I now have an Alvarez acoustic, Washburn electric, Alesis quadroverb, and a Peavy amplifier.

I have sit in a few times with some bands, but never wanted to become part of one. I think I like playing too much, if that makes sense.
I have been influenced by the Austin music and play a lot of blues stuff these days.

One of my favorite things to do is grab my acoustic and a 6 pack; and head down to lake travis to jam some good music

Thomas

[KennyG]

I played guitar from the age of 11 to 18, had a 63 Fender Mustang, and a Gretch amp. (Gretch?)
I took lessons and played every day.
When I turned 18 I went into the Navy and sold my gear...13 years later I'm out of the Nav, back home and walking through a swap meet with my sweetie. I see an old black bodied Fender Mustang, pick it up to sight the neck for straightness...my jaw hits the ground, it was my old guitar...I could tell by the paint job, the guitar had originally been sky blue, but I stripped and painted it black. My sweetie bought it for me as a christmas present, it sits in my HT room unused.
Maybe someday it'll sing again, I just don't have time right now...my fingers haven't forgotten how to work the neck though!!!

[Lex]

Guys, some great stories here. This has turned into a great topic... keep em coming if there's more.

Thanks,
Lex




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[Markj]

Well I played in the junior high school and high school bands. I hated it. All of my family had done this so it was sort of a tradition. I enjoy listening to music; just don’t have the talent to play.

Great stories on this thread!

[George Bellefontaine]

I was born in '36, so you can understand that my influence was the big bands and jazz. I took up the trumpet after seeing a few movies about musicians. Example - "Young Man With A Horn". I studied at the local conservatory first, but they concentrate on the classics (which is a good thing) but I was young and restless and wanted to play pop and jazz, so I took lessons for a local professional trumpet player.
After I felt comfortable with my horn, I started a small band and we played dances and what not. I also got some pick up work because I knew how to read music.Then I got married, then I had kids and between that and pursuing a career in newspaper publishing, my trumpet started gathering dust in the closet. Now and then some of the old band group liked to get together, but as anyone who has ever played trumpet knows, you have to practice daily if you want to keep the lip up, so I just drifted away from it.I also went through that period in music history when the big bands with horns and reeds became replaced with string untruments.Ah well, I have my memories of some of those dances ( and weddings) . They could be wild and wooly at times.




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[KennyG]

Ah yes, while my music staple is still what my parents called "noise" I do enjoy a little Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, Glen Miller, Benny Goodman, can't forget the Duke or Count Basie

[George Bellefontaine]

Glad to hear that,Kenny. I should also add that because I had three teenage boys (all into music and bands themselves) I found myself attracted to some of the stuff they liked. For example, Deep Purple,Santana(I love this guys's stuff even today),Dire Straits(now Mark Knopfler),and others.




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[Buzz Goddard]

The callouses are all soft at the moment, but I keep trying to not get too rusty on guitar, both electric and acoustic. Started out on flute, then studied electronic music. My major was musical technologies and music composition.
Over the course of 13 years at Lexicon, I amassed a decent little studio, except for decent mics.
Really wanting to get back into synthesis, but having just moved again, it will be a while before I can get my studio operational again.
A few years ago I realixed I had been messing around with guitars for 25 years and used that as an excuse to buy a really good one.
A big mistake. Now I KNOW it was not the equipment holding me back, and that I am not Jeff Beck's alter ego.




Buzz Goddard
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[Lex]

Buzz, I didn't know you were a player. Kewl. Keep those chops up, I sure wish I could play guitar. I tried to learn once, but accoustic just wasn't my thing, at least the one I had. It just killed my fingers. Maybe a bad guitar, after all I was a teenager and couldn't afford the best.

Lex




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[Stoopalini]

The "finger killing" is a fact when playing guitar

You just have to keep playing until Calais' develop, then the pain goes away.

The bad thing is, if you stop playing long enough, the Calais' will heal. Then you have to endure the redeveloping of them (read: pain!)

If you get yourself a guitar with a low string action, it's not as bad on your fingers as one with higher string action. I say give it another chance Lex!

Thomas.

String Action = distance from the strings to the neck of the guitar.

[John A]

This was a great post. I have always been curious if people who enjoy good sound (music or HT) have had music as a background.

My background was strings, principally violin. I played from 4th grade through college. I still pull it out now and then to play for the kids (at their request) or show a neighbor kid how to play something their orchestra just started playing.

I wonder if the music background simply caused us to gravitate to listening critically and appreciating good equipment, or has a music background simply made us want to listen and watch more.

[Lex]

Thanks Thomas, I have considered that, and later on when things calm down a bit, maybe I will. Right now, I about have all I can handle on my plate, lol.

John A, welcome to the forum! I like to see a new member jump right in, and boom here you are. Thanks for the complement of the thread, it has been very enlightening and entertaining so far, that's for sure!

My goal in fact, was to test the correlation between musicians/former musicians to see if it influences who some of the "listeners" are. I think we see a resounding correlation that is simply a love for music, that never dies. Instruments may come and go, but an appreciation for the audio spectrum remains.

Lex




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