Do you have Music in your Genes?

[Ptarmigan]

Hi,
Do you come from a long line of musicians & if so, would you care to give us an idea of where your musical genes came from?
* * * * * * * * *
I'm just back from a trip home to Scotland & while there, I visited the grave of my Great Grandfather, William Glasgow, to get a photo of myself with his old Fiddle, beside his grave stone, in Tranent, in East Lothian.



Sadly he died 2 years before I was born, so I never actually met him, but I'll be eternally grateful to him, for passing on his love of the music to me.
His son, my Grandad, was also a Fiddler & a fine player of the Great Highland Basgpipe and although the Music skipped a generation, with my Dad being tone deaf, I'm very, very glad it popped up again in me.
Here is William, back around 1900. He worked on the land all his life, hiring himself out to many farmers over the years, so my Fiddle would have entertained at many Bothy firesides, around Tranent.



* * * * * * * * *
Fortunately, I've managed to pass the music on to the next generation, for as well as trying to inspire probably a few thousand young musicians around here by now, during the past 18 years, I'm delighted to say that my son Kevin is also a full time musician, although Jazz not Trad., is his bag.



* * * * * * * * *
I look forward to reading your story.
Cheers,
Dick

[JAJ]

(26-02-2012 03:13 PM)Ptarmigan Wrote:  would you care to give us an idea of where your musical genes came from?

Good morning, Dick.

You'd never get away with that on The Session.org.


However, I did have musicians in my family. My father was a really good accordion player(Both button and keyed variety) and also excelled on keyboard instruments. He played in dance bands etc but particularly enjoyed continental syle music too. I've recently inherited his PA(Fratelli Allesandrini), electric piano and an organ(Also good instruments).
My uncle also played PA and I also inherited his accordion two or three years ago.

Apparently, both my father and grandfather(mother's side) also played a bit of fiddle. The latter also had a melodeon but I've no idea how well.

Unfortunately, I didn't really get the opportunity to learn an instrument as a child as my father was "estranged". A few of my cousins were luckier and received lessons on piano, recorder, and the like but they don't seem to have that much interest in playing now whereas I am now "dabbling" in all sorts.

So, maybe "genes" do play an important part, after all?

[nigelgatherer]

I'm not sure I subscribe to the notion that talents are inherited. However, you asked, so I shall attempt to reply. Both my parents were extremely non-musical. Neither played, neither sang, and even the records in their possession were spoken word rather than music (poetry, radio plays, monologues, etc). On the other hand, I had two older brothers who were both interested in music and played guitar. The music I heard from them was Dylan, Incredible String Band, etc. I was given a ukulele when I was about eight, so that's when my journey began. At 13 I'd steal my brothers' guitars and work out things to play on them. The complete Beatles taught me many useful chords, and quite a few useless ones too! The penny whistle came next and then in my late teens I'd sneak shots of my brother's mandolin.

Anyway, in the family? An uncle was musical, another was in a harmonica band in Huntly when he was younger. On my mother's side I have a photo of two great uncles playing fiddles, and in Walker's collection there is a tune called "Master Peter Gatherer! Flautist" or something similar. Must be a distant relation. That, as far as QI know, is it. Lessons to be learned? I dunno.

[Peter Beaven]

Dick, Thank you for your post.
I will not join the debate about nature verses nurture; however, both my parents are very musical as well as my 2 brothers. My father's mother was also quite musical.
I studied the violin as a child, but gave up at age 8. A few years ago I decided to try the mandolin and have become a regular pain in Nigel's workshops and the group in Creiff. I think having grown up in a musical family has both helped and hindered my progress. That said I really enjoyed getting together with my family to make music last time we were together.
Strangely, if you google Peter Beaven you will find a professional musician. That is not me.
Cheers,
Peter

[John Kelly]

Interesting thought, Dick. My maternal grandfather, Archibald Ferguson, a Campbeltown man, was a piper in the 8th Argylls during the First World War but I did not take up the pipes nor did any of his children. My mother and her brothers and sisters all played mouth organ and I learned this from her as a young boy. Her brother, my uncle Hugh, was a very fine piano player and organist and played in many dance bands both in Campbeltown and in Greenock where he spent most of his married life. My childhood years were ones where I was exposed to lots of different musical styles, from the regular Scottish Country Dancing on radio through the ballads my dad sang to the pop/rock we listened to as teenagers and swore we liked - it was not cool in the late fifties and early sixties not to like this!
My own guitar playing began because my father had a guitar and I began on this with his help and progressed (?) from there to where I am now. Both parents encouraged me to have piano lessons as a young teenager and although I did not find it of much interest at the time, being much more into guitars (it was the heyday of Cliff and the Shadows and Hank Marvin was my main hero then!), this was useful to me in developing some musical knowledge. I took up mandolin much later as a result of seeing one in a second-hand shop here and buying it on a whim and asking somebody how to tune it! Just a chance encounter?
Both my daughters are fine pipers - talent skipping a generation? Maybe the link is a mix of genes and social/family circumstances - the guitar was in the house so I took it up; the girls played pipes because it was offered to them in Primary School here in Dunoon.

[Anne R]

Only just seen your post today Dick.

Funny you should ask - I've just been composing a biography page to add eventually to my new website and one line trying to explain my ability to write songs goes as follows -

'Her parents still can’t understand where it has all come from, but on her dad’s side is an award winning poetess (Kathleen Jamie) and on her mum’s a famous orchestral conductor (Donald Runnicles), so maybe there’s a wee something in her genes'.

Before anyone jumps in, there's a (meant to be) funny comment that follows but I won't go into that here!

My mum (in her eighties) still occasionally plays keyboard and in her younger days was a lovely piano player and at one time played for Scottish country dance classes. My dad doesn't play anything but often used to launch into a song, usually one of the old favourites like 'Westering Home', 'The Road and the Miles to Dundee' etc. Don't know about grandparents etc.

Anne
http://www.annerenshaw.co.uk/
http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/music/a...shaw-sings