I have to share with you something that most of you can relate to. I have been playing guitar and have been on this forum for about a year and some months. Sometimes - - - my wife states that my playing can be a bit excessive. I do have a 10 year old stepson too.

Well . . . I have just started to sing and play simple chords at the same time (very challenging for me) but it has got a lot better.

This time I incorparated my stepson to sing along. We were making up songs about our 2 fat cats. Also - - - recently my wife was singing along to my strumming too.

The bottom line is . . . I did not exclude them in my "strumming heaven"

Don't get me wrong. I know when to put the guitar down and spend quality time with my newly wed wife . . . also . . . I spend quality male bonding moments with my stepson. . . .ie . .. boat shows to sporting events.


I am sure a lot of you folks have similar stories of finding a balance with your playing and incorporating your loved ones too.

Cheers!

went camping with the fam last summer... me and my 4 sons jammed for hours... me on guitar and vocals, my youngest on lead guitar, my oldest played my home-made african slit-drum, my 2nd played a few guitar chords and sang, and my 3rd hammered a sneaker on his thigh... it was a beautiful thing
The wife and I are currently discussing opening a music store/recording studio here in town.

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I think bonding with family via music is an outstanding idea and I applaud your efforts.

Rawk on!



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Can't exclude family... always #1 !!

I've had the music in me my whole life and the only outlet to-date was listening and collecting LPs, CDs, seeing live performances and the like.

Beginning the guitar has truly been life-altering for me !

But, if all I did was sit in a room and play endlessly, it wouldn't have near the meaning it does because of the people !

My wife, friends, Teacher and fellow students, the guys at the guitar store, not to mention all the wonderful people and players here !

Music played in a small room without people is music with a small 'm' !

cheers!

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Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.

Yep it's true, one of my favorite things about being a player ..... Christmas carols! Most people don't try to make money off Christmas caroling, it's all about the joy of playing and singing.

Nothing brings the family together like a holiday singalong, laughter, smiles, sometimes tears. My wife plays the piano and I play the guitar, it feels like just for a few moments we are leading the whole family.

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Agree.

1. Wives or even girlfriends/fiances can often be "jealous" of guitar time. Nonplayers simply cannot understand the obsession.

2. My favorite times are when I can get my (very young) kids to jam with me on their drum set and/or keyboard and/or violins and/or ukeleles. This can sometimes last for up to 10 minutes before they get bored. I'm not pushing them. But they have access to a decent keyboard, violin, ukelele, recorder, and a drum set that's way too loud for my apartment.

Yes!
I force them to applaude!!

Just kidding! While both, my wife and my daughter, really like what I'm doing, they don't chime in. They rather listen (more my wife than my 16 year old daughter) quietly and keep asking for more, which also seems to be a kind of incorporating. They get what they want.

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

I really like reading those stories

At this time I don't have a family/guitar story to tell. I'm single, nowhere near to starting my own family and my parents and brothers don't really care for my new hobby. Not that they have anything against it, but they're not an involved part in it.

However, one of the things I'd really like to be able to do someday in the future is do some kind of volunteer work with the guitar. Use it to help people in a way. At 4 months in I just don't have the skills or knowledge to make it work right now, but I've heard about people and organisations that visit children who are hospitalized. Sometimes those who are terminally ill, but also kids who are in there short or long term for other reasons. They use music to bring a little moment of happiness, to have them just enjoy themselves, participate or listen, be distracted from their illness etc. That's something I would really love to do someday, I think it would be a very rewarding experience and you get to do some good for others while you're at it.

best post i've read in a long time. we don't have kiddos and my wifey has never once complained about my hobby. i play for the dogs. they have no choice. this reminds of my family in the early years. dad was constantly jammin on the keys and "making" us sing. good memories from a sad time.
planted the seed and watched it grow. thanx pops. bastard.

Thanks for the kind compliment Jeebus! And I thank everyone who contributed with their stories. Best of all. I feel like I have made good friends on this forum. Like minded induviduals . . if you will.

Then on the other hand .....

When I decided to take up the guitar again in 2010 after a 25 year lay off, the only thing my wife said was "Promise me you won't sing anymore".

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Bill

My wife only likes to listen if I'm fingerpicking my classical guitar. She likes to go to sleep listening to it. My daughter (14) likes to brag about me to her friends, but she doesn't sit and listen anymore. My son is in college and thinks dad is a guitar nut. I think their amazement fades as they get older.

So now I'm breaking in a new #1 fan. She's 5. We keep my cousin's daughter on weekends sometimes. That little girl thinks I am the greatest thing since the potato chip. She made me make her a cd and she will not go to bed at her house without it on and when she's over she makes me play until she falls asleep....which can take a couple of hours sometimes. I love it. Especially when she says "no! I want you to play a electrified one.......loud.

I've been playing for about as long as you so I can completely relate in the singing and playing. Some songs I kinda can but most of the time I get all confused and screw up. Me and the wife play together, she usually sings and I play. Always good fun.

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"Music is what feelings sound like"

"Daddy Sang Bass, Mama Sang Tenor..."

There's lots to be said for involving everyone!