Originally Posted By: Guitarhacker
My mom used to sing a lot and taught me to sing harmony.

That really hit a note with me. My mother was a singer in a local Slovenian singing group, and when I was starting music she spent an hour with me almost every day teaching me abut harmony and melody. And I remember to this day that we used to sing "The Blue Skirt Waltz" over and over again. We would go through it a few times and then she would say "Okay. Now you switch to the harmony part." And I would whine and whine abut having to change parts. She sat me done and said "Listen tome. If you really want to be a musician, you HAVE to know how to hear harmony parts and hi them clean the first time. Hear those parts in your head. Above the melody AND below it. It's just something you have to do if you want to play music."

Interestingly enough, she also made me learn how to dance to the waltz and the polka. She told me "One of these is in 3 part time and the other is in 4. This will help you with your sense of rhythm." And of course, she was right.

My strongest suit in my band years was my rhythm and my accuracy singing harmony. Perfect pitch helped, but the ear training was key.

The down side is that to this day I can't hear The Blue Skirt Waltz without tears forming (as they are right now). You just don't know when you are 5 or 6 what life lesson is going to be important. I tried to record it a few years ago and I can't get all the way through it without the memory sticking its head in and causing me to choke up. I should try again.

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I really wanted a rifle..... but my mom thought the rifle was a bit too dangerous and she told me no rifle.

Did you get the official "You'll shoot your eye out" thing like I did? I wish mom were alive so I could tell her 'I have a rifle now, and still have both eyes. They may not work as well as I wish, but I never shot my eye out!"

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I got an electric guitar and started a jam band with some friends.

And soon after, she bought you the rifle because gunfire is quieter than a band practicing?

Isn't it great to have supportive parents? I only had one. My father never understood, but I get it. He was raised during the depression, and to him it wasn't work unless there was a time card and a lunch box involved. They were truly yin and yang as far as supporting my craft. I remember the time I finally had enough and told him something close to "Why is it so hard for you to understand that I don't want to be what you are? Arts isn't your thing but remember you guys sent me to music lessons all those years. Now when I am using that training to work in the field you are fighting me on it. What do you think I do every night? I load equipment. I set it up. I play 3 hours of music. Then I load equipment into the truck and then my stuff into my car. My average work day is from about 5pm when I leave my apartment until about 4am when I am finally home and unload everything. I go to sleep about 8 and get up about 3 so I can do it all again. And on what you'd call a day OFF, I get up even earlier to go to rehearsal or to the recording studio. This is a JOB. And I work hard at it."

Blank stares.

Envious of all of you who had complete support in your formative years.