How many of you guys are second-gen guitar players?

[bildozr]

I'm the first person to pick up the guitar, none of my immediate family plays.

That being said, I grew up playing crappy instruments and made due until I became an adult and made real money.

I'm just curious about how many grew up in a house where guitars were readily available. I've jammed with a guy, who's kind of a dick when it comes to this. His Dad's a guitar player, so he's had Gibsons laying around since he could walk. In high school he was a total equipment snob, which really was his Dad's stuff.

That being said, if you are a second gen, are you better than your parent(s)? I feel like if I have kids who are generally interested, I feel like they'll smoke me by the time they're teens.

I didn't pick up the guitar until my freshman year of high school, 8 years ago.

 

[Flying_Milkman]

My Mom gave my Dad a guitar for Christmas when I was 11. I picked it up and started playing. he very rarely saw it again.

He never played either.

 

[onehippie]

4th generation
maybe more
Grandma Dorothy taught me
You are my sunshine first tune i learned
also my first guitar a hummingbird acoustic
now on my Mothers side
goes all the way back
to the homesteading days
seen strings all of my life
my uncle Randy was my connection
on her side
his Daddy played a mean wash board

 

[sonar1]

My dad played saxophone (once in twenty years he dragged it out of the attic and played polkas at the speed of Charlie Parker).

My mother played flute and piano (they met in school band).

My oldest brother played piano pretty well growing up.

I was the family oddity, with guitar.

In the fifties and early sixties, most kids my age played trombone or accordian.

 

[xSinner13x]

3rd Gen Here, My gramps played (R.I.P.), dad still has an acoustic he picks on and I play.

 

[Sustainamaniac]

My dad got a bass starter kit for a birthday present so I picked it up and eventually moved to guitar. So kinda second generation, but my dad hardly plays.

 

[[email protected]]

second gen in training!

 

[KP]

My dad was a guitar and stand-up bass player. His father before him was a fiddle player.

 

[chrisuk]

Both my parents had piano lessons and the guitar in the house was my mums - although she had only really had a go in a class and then gave up.

I have never heard my parents play piano but they wanted me and my brother to have the opportunity and so I got informal guitar lessons from a friend of my granddad.

My granddad was an intuitive musician who never had a lesson but played in shows at the community hall etc... I'm not good enough to turn the music pages that he never had to rely on.

Now as a 40+ year old who has played since being a kid I sometimes wish I could spend a session jamming with my granddad who I hardly got the chance to know.

He wanted me and my brother to play the trumpet but he never lived that long - my folks wanted to give us the choice of instrument. I guess that approach has had a 50% success rate.

 

[Shadowplayer]

No one in my family ever played an instrument. Now its up to me (shit) to teach my 2 younger brothers and whoever comes after

 

[LeftyF2003]

My mom's dad was a producer and her brother a concert promoter, but I'm the first guitarist on that side. My father's brother played a bit but was more of a violinist. My mother's mother played concert piano and tortured me when I played from age 5 to 9. I switched to guitar assuming she would give up on me at that point and leave me to my own devices. It worked

 

[Bluesky]

Nope , I'm the one and only. I was a drummer in the 80's who saw SRV play and I was Hooked..........

 

[MooCheng]

my father started out as a cornet player in the marines band, he later went on to play trad jazz and continued playing right up to the last year of his life, he loved music

 

[huffdaddy]

My Dad was proficient on keyboards. But he did play lapsteel guitar pretty well.

His father (my Grandpa) could play just about anything. Recently, I was rummaging in the basement at my parent's house and found a banjo that is over 100 years old and belonged to my Grandfather. I cleaned it up, restored it a bit and have it hanging in my music room.

 

[Sustainamaniac]

My grandpa started guitar a year or two ago, starting after me. It feels kinda weird to teach him an odd thing or two on guitar.

 

[LPG]

Nope

However..............

There was always music around the house.
My father was an artist who was also a music buff.

It was a rare day when the sounds of Bach or Jelly Roll Morton or (later on) Iron Butterfly or Atomic Rooster weren't booming into the living room.

My mother pushed me into piano lessons when I was 8.
I was the first in the family to actually play something.

Some examples of his art

While working on these he would have the turntable going for hours on end. Music became my spirit.

This was one of his first works

This was one of his last, before he succumbed to madness and cancer

All his drawings were done free hand. It would take him months of intense work to complete just one board. 36" x 48" boards (I believe...not sure)

This last one was a VERY poor example but, alas, these two are the only examples of his work that I have.

Anyway, I digress. He has been in my thoughts of late, for some reason.

Peace

 

[Shawn Lutz]

my older brothers had acoustics. I got one when I was 7, I was more into sports. Both of my brothers never learned anything. I got back into it when I was a senior in high school. My parents knew I was wanting a better guitar than my brothers had left around. They bought me a real nice Alverez acoustic for Christmas when I was 17. They were nice enough to let me return/exchange it as I wanted an electric. I took it back and was able get a Hondo Explorer copy and a Yamaha 20w amp. I was hooked from the second I plugged in. So yes,I'm better than my brothers. I didnt know jack at the time on guitars but I remember the sales guy wanting me to take a new USA Fender strat that had a big chip and dent....I should have gotten that one The Hondo really wasn't that bad of a guitar to learn on but USA strat is leaps above in in quality.

 

[Cpt Matt Sparrow]

I come from a completely un musical family

 

[RedSkwirrell]

Grandpappy skwirrell played some harmonica and sang a lil.
Niece plays keyboards, guitar and sax; Nephew plays bass (I credit myself ).
I'm the first who's gigged any.
Started on a 'Columbus' Les Paul copy with a 30w transistor combo ('Fistral' or something?).

 

[coldsteal2]

My dad played guitar and wrote songs, mom was a singer
and could play piano. My grandfather from Germany was
a Drummer, and played in Vaudiville bands in San Francisco
for a while