Don't know if this had been suggested before but I thought it might be interesting to read a short bio of members musical life. I know I would be interested in reading about other member's musical life experiences. So to kick it off I am sending mine:

I’ve loved music all my life. A day without music is a bad day. Even as a small child I loved movie scores and I was listening to big bands, Sinatra, etc by the time I was 10. Listening was not enough. I wanted to play it. I would have loved to play piano but we couldn’t afford lessons or a piano. In my teens I discovered Jazz and Jazz Saxophonists. I became obsessed with the Tenor Sax and Coltrane, Getz, etc were my idols. At 16 I pleaded with my Dad to get Sax lessons. He relented. I took to it quickly practicing for hours every day using an old C Melody sax provided by Payne Music where I took lessons in South Philly. My teacher luckily was a Jazz musician so he schooled me on improvising and told me not to join a String Band as it would destroy my sound. Eventually my Dad bought me a used Conn 10m Tenor for $189 at 8th Street Music. I wanted a Selmer but used ones were $400-$500. Within a year I met 4 other guys in High School and we formed a band, The Jay 5, so-named because we were all named Joe. I spent the next 25 years playing every type of job: Swim Clubs, Bars, Fashion Shows, a Square Dance, many, many Weddings and New Year’s Eve events, etc. Career, Family, etc ended the group but it was fun while it lasted. I continued to play my sax but playing alone was not as interesting even with the numerous play-along tapes and CDs I had. Plus a wind instrument requires continual playing to keep in playing shape. Stop for a few months and you have to work hard to get back in playing condition. So in 2008 when I realized what I could do with modern keyboards I sold my Tenor for $450 and my classic mouthpieces (some vintage) for another $500 and bought an Arranger Keyboard. Two years later I got a Motif Workstation and now I am having wonderful musical time. I find that I enjoy improvising and composing more than just playing or covering songs and have written enough works to create 5 CDs that I share with friends and family. I also post some on sites like this as well as my own site. It amazes me every day what we can do with these keyboards. I even have a great Tenor sound on my Tyros. These keyboards (any brand) are truly magical devices and I am so happy I live in a time when they exist. It is something I could not even imagine I would have when I was that child enthralled with Max Steiner’s or Korngold’s film scores or Getz and Coltrane’s recordings. It’s a great time to be a musician.

Great idea!
I don't have time to do all that right now, but here it is in short.
Went to school, got a real job, didn't like to work, started playing music.

I loved music at a very early age (4) and used to play a windup phonograph at my Aunts for hours. Started ear playing on a player piano my folks had. Found a book on chords for piano
at a downtown store and in a short time was playing songs from
memory. In high school I belonged to a small group of players
who got together once a week in the auditorium.
From these players, I Joined a small group and we played weddings and dances. Also listened much of the time to Big Bands and paid attention to how they worked together.
After visiting a Rollar Skating Ring I was fascinated by the
organ and bought many records of Organists to study.
Finally bought an organ and began to learn how to play it including pedals. Had many organs including Lowrey, Hammond,Wersi.
After hearing keyboards I bought one and have played Yamaha,Korg,Roland. Now have a Tyros 5-76 and keep in contact
with many who enjoy the same hobby. Music has been a major
source of enjoyment and even now as I am 84 years Young ! Lloyd

Thanks Lloyd that was very interesting. I can still remember when organs can out with other instrument sounds. I was fascinated but they were very expensive at least for where I was financially at the time.

Thanks Lloyd that was very interesting. I can still remember when organs can out with other instrument sounds. I was fascinated but they were very expensive at least for where I was financially at the time.

You guys have heard about me way too many times, but I did want to tell you that I am enjoying reading about others here.


Russ

Funny, I recently posted this on fb to chronicle my involvement in the arts a bit too.. (It's long winded .... get a cup of tea)

Here's a brief timeline of how music shaped my life, fed my family, and kept my accountant busy:

1955: born ... screaming at 2am. A night owl from the start
1959: singing my baby sister to sleep with a rousing rendition of "over the seas, let's go men" ... woke her up more than soothed her to sleep
1961: got a guitar for Christmas. A cheap, plastic Sears toy that I sat on and busted that same day. My hero (Dad) took it back, and got it replaced. He failed to mention how his chubby little son was at fault, and not the manufacturer.
1964: February 9th, Sunday night with millions of others, watching Ed Sullivan .... saw and HEARD the Beatles. Thought to myself .... "I could DO that!"
1965-69: formed small garage bands with schoolmates. I played 12 string acoustic and sang, Mike Revak played lead guitar, George Shay on Bass and Mike Harkins on drums. We played our first paid gig as eighth graders at a college graduation party. We knew 7 songs, so we repeated them 2 or 3 times. $5 each, all we could eat and got to hang with the college girls on breaks. Life was good, and I was a professional, paid musician.
1969: Started High School: played Freshman football with buddies ... didn't realize the band was cooler than the jocks just yet. After weeks and weeks of hearing "Boyd - give me 20!" "Boyd, hit the dirt!" "Boyd, start runnin’!" ... I finally figured out that sports was not my strongest suit ... especially since on the other practice field, the marching band had about a hundred girls in the band-front with batons and rifles .... oh, baby. I went to join the band - the director asked what do I play. I responded "Guitar" ... he said "We don't have a cord long enough to reach the football field ... play drums"... so I did. Well, the drummers were just a tad "too cool" for school … basically, jocks with sticks that didn't have to pick up their feet as high as the other players .... like a separate society within the band. I was the odd man out, for sure. So, I go back to Mr C, the band director, and asked for something else. He handed me a small briefcase ... a clarinet. I took one look at it and said "This is a sissy instrument!" (tactful, even at an early age) ... he looked back at me, and with ZERO emotion in his voice told me "This is MY instrument, son." (note to self: remove foot from mouth) I took it home and showed my Dad. He took out a few Pete Fountain records (remember RECORDS?) and said "listen to these" … I did, and fell in love with the sound. I began my quest to be the best clarinetist I could be. Over the next 3 years at HS, I reached 1st chair clarinet, played the solo from "Rhapsody in Blue" at Graduation, earned a scholarship to Temple as a music major, and still found time to act in plays, gig on the weekends (piano, bass, guitar and drums), and fall in love with my high school sweetheart (not a redhead) Marie, who is the mother of my son, Christopher, and someone I deeply admire and respect to this day. Our kids are friends, our lives still connect at family functions and I consider Mark (my husband-in-law) to be a welcome addition to our blended family.

So, the “70s” …here I am entering Temple U as a clarinetist during the Disco years. Hmmmm ... what to DO with this instrument? If I am so bold to believe that I'm good enough, my options are:
1)local Philly/NY theater: ... naw - I could never play the SAME THING day after day for years on end. I'd go nuts.
2)Philadelphia Orchestra ... those guys pretty much have a job till they die ... tough breaking into THAT club.
3)teaching school ... NO WAY - all day long with a bunch of high school kids? I just LEFT that world. (sign of things to come, perhaps?)
4)form a top 40 band and play the circuit locally, marry Marie, make babies and music.

1975: I chose #4. After 2 years of college - I decided that full time music was my future, so I left school, got married and shifted my career into high gear.
Bass players who sang were not as common in our area, so I never had a problem finding a working band. We played the top hits, stayed local and went home to our families every night. It was a good living, and it provided 6-7 night of work each week for almost a decade. By 1978, the night shift, and the youth factor hit Marie and I pretty hard, and she was tired of going to sleep alone every night, and that led to our decision to separate. She went home to Mom, and I stayed in the house. Dad had lent us the money for the down payment, so it seemed fair.
From 1975 till 1985, there were duos, trios, 14 pc swing bands, 10 pc funk/dance bands, and the occasional solo piano bar thing. Work was plentiful, I was single and the business was still fun.
Mid 80s: DJs and drunk driving laws put a dent in the live scene, so the bands kept shrinking .... I figured, the last guy standing will be the keyboardist, so I concentrated on that for a while. Karaoke put the final nail in the coffin of many bands in the area, but the soloist (power single, we were called) had no problem working the same rooms. I played venues that 5 pc bands used to play, and got almost the same money. In some cases ... even more, because I had a great local following.

April 15th, 1984: Proud moment at the Phillies/Mets game in South Philly. I sang the National Anthem in front of 35,000 screaming fans, and to make it even sweeter ... Ford Motor Company sponsored the night, so all my Dad's work buddies were there to see it. It was a blast! Funniest part was when the Phillies hostess seated my (soon to be) wife, Donna, my son Chris and nephew Matt ... she looked at the boys, looked at Donna and said "They look JUST LIKE YOU!" hee, hee ... no relation at all. Still a great musical memory - standing on the pitchers mound ... hearing that 2 second delay from the loudspeakers to my ears ... it was surreal, for sure, and in my own way ... I hit one "outta heeeeeeere!" (HK)

Late 80s: Still hanging on to a few band scenarios, mostly me and a guitarist, or a sax ... drums were all electronic now. My go to rig was a Rhodes piano, Moog bass, Clavinet, and whatever "synth du jour" was making the scene. Setups were big and bulky, and took up loads of stage real-estate. Still, the work was there, the dancers showed up, and money kept coming in.
1989: Full time soloist now ... the Rhodes and Clav are retired to home studio, and I'm using all digital arranger keyboards now ... singing through the built in speakers in most, and using much more efficient sound systems to cover the room. Bose was monumental in reshaping the entertainer’s sound needs, and I tried them all. I had one of the earliest vocal harmonizers, and became known for the vocal sound that I put out. I also started doing little dinner theater" shows ... Phantom of the Opera, Lez Miz, Oklahoma, South Pacific ... just 7-8 minute medleys (in full costume) at a featured time each night. This became another "calling card" for me. It was something no one in the area was doing, so the crowds continued to come out.
Some still refer to me as “The Phantom of Washington’s Crossing.”
The 80s saw a second marriage (1984-2002), three daughters, loads of gear changes, but somehow ... I managed to find 4-5 nights each week to play and sing for my supper. There was also the advent of the Nursing Home jobs ... these were brand new back then, and a great source of income for the full timer who was off during the day. 1 hour job - 4 hour pay … sweet. Add to that about 15-25 weddings, parties and corporate affairs each year, various studio sessions (making CD’s and demos for friends) and you have a professional music career.
2005: I turned 50 (gulp) ... I'm single (again), work is plentiful, but getting stale ... harder to find more than one night in a row in the clubs, and the every night setup/teardown is gettin’ old. One winter day, I get a random phone call from a female singer I worked with in the 80s ... she says "come down to Florida for a few days and we can catch up" .... (big mistake)
3 days in the sun, 2 nights in the hot tub, and I was brainwashed into thinking I actually KNEW this woman enough to be with her. The last time we hung out was when we were 25. Geeeze … what was I thinking?? (I shoulda bought a SPORTS CAR!) The attention was too much for this tired, chubby, lonely old man to handle, and since I still had young(ish) kids ... I didn't want them to see Daddy shacking up with some woman, now known as "The Miami hurricane" ... so (another gulp) I married her. (I know, I know ... shush!)
From that first phone call, till the day I came home to an empty house and a pile of bills after work one night, was SEVEN MONTHS. What a whirlwind lesson in stupidity. There may even be a mark still on my forehead, where the "stupid stick" hit me. My fault for not finding a redhead, I guess. There was ONE redhead in my life up to this point, but that's a whole different story for another time. Those who know me, know that there is still a place in my heart that will never be fully available. Moving on …

2005 was like a Lifetime Movie – I was carjacked, shot at and almost
broke from the left over bills from the "hurricane" ... she left quite an impact on my wallet, but thankfully, my heart is unscathed. Just that silly "S" on my forehead is all that's left. I hope all my furniture is happy in Miami, cuz I'll never see it again. But, I digress ...

The best part is about to happen! I read an ad in a music newsletter for a teacher in my area. "Non traditional school seeks full time, well rounded music teacher for multi-instrumental and vocal classes. WOAH ..... did that have MY NAME on it? Am I ready to finally, set up house in one building and share the many years and stories of the biz with young musicians? I took the plunge and that's where I am today. It's my 8th year as a New Hope teacher, and I still find time to play all summer at my favorite places, I have a few monthly jobs during the school year in local eateries, and the band work, private parties and dances come in with surprising regularity. I help to produce 2 plays and 3 concerts each year too – GREAT FUN!

So, it's 44 years since that $5 graduation party I played on guitar, and after Friday night's job with the Topics (my friend’s band of guys in their 70s and 80s!!)... I feel like I'm just learning the darn instrument! Sigh ... we're never too old to learn, and the thrill of the achievement is SO worth the effort. Sorry I rambled on so long, but I'm avoiding taking the Christmas tree down as I write this ... so many snowmen … so little time …

Dave:

WOW. That is quite an adventure and would make a pretty good movie. You should write a script.

... seems like LIFE has written one for him ...

Although I don't come from a musical family, I do come from a family of music lovers. My dad would always play all the great American song book standards and my mom would play a lot of great Latin music. I'm the youngest in the family so I would hear what my brothers and cousins listened to: What we now call classic rock.

As a little kid I fell in love with the drums after seeing all the marching bands at Rose Parade in Pasadena Ca. My parents stared to take me to see Buddy Rich, Tito Puente, Poncho Sanchez, Louie Bellson, and any other noteworthy drummer they could find that was in town. What cool parents!

I eventually got some drums when I was around ten and put on some head phones on and just tried my best to play along to all sorts’ records that were around the house. Rock, big band, symphonic…. I don’t think I had any real natural talent, I must have sounded horrible but my folks NEVER complained. I told you they were great!

I had buddies in middle school that were stating up an original punk rock band. We had a blast jamming. I remember just pounding on those drums tell my hands would bleed! Awful, ugly, loud “music” with screaming for vocals. Even for that style of music, we must have sucked, but we had so much fun! The only place we could play was in my parents garage but the others kids parents could not stand our “music” I’m sure my parents weren’t that into it but they still were supportive.

My dad would look at my bleeding and blistered hands and he would say “ Buddy, Gene, and Louie’s hands never bleed. Maybe you need to learn how hold the sticks” So he sent me to take lessons with this hard core, disciplinarian, drum guru.

All through high school and college (where I majored in music) I played drums and percussion in just about all the ensembles. I think I must have played just about all the styles that you’ll come across in the States. All sorts rock bands, musical theater, symphonic, big band, all sorts Latin and some C&W too.

Playing arranger KB has let me put all my experience to good use. Currently I do mostly solo and a Latin/variety act with my lovely wife of 18 years.

Great thing about music, is there is always something new to learn. I can’t say I’ve mastered any one instrument but here’s what I’ve tried and still work: piano, arranger KB, guitar, voice, harmonica, drums, Latin percussion, symphonic percussion, Mallet percussion. There’s always something to work on!

montunoman:

Sounds like you have had great time with music, except for those bleeding hands. Never saw a drummer with bleeding hands so that's a new one. Although playing sax I would sometimes get two cuts on my bottom lip after playing all night with a stiff reed. Also your parents indeed were cool about music. Thanks for your story.

This old man had bleeding fingertips while playing the keyboard just a few years ago. My fingers resembled raw hamburger, went to 14 doctors, none of them had a clue what it was, went the Baltimore Hand Clinic and they said if it got any worse they would have to amputate my finger tips to the first knuckle. Tuned out that the cure came from an unusual source - a guy who resided at one of the retirement communities where I've performed for more than a dozen years. He looked at my hands and said "My wife had something very similar and after taking vitamin D it went away in three weeks. I suffered with this for two years and the pain was awful every time I played. With some urging from my wife, Carol, I had my vitamin D level tested and it was down to 10 - it should be 50 minimum. I began taking 5,000 units daily and within a week, my hands began to heal. At the end of a month, they looked great and there was no pain. I informed a half dozen of the doctors and they scoffed at the results - I told them to GO To Hell and fired the lot of them.

Cheers,

Gary

Gary:

Vitamin D is a critical and sometimes neglected supplement. I take 1000 IU every day. We just can't get enough from food and sunshine unless we live in one of those sunny all the time locations. But then we have to worry about protecting our skin. Also lack of Vitamin D can contribute to seasonal depression when there is a long absence of bright sun shine during the winter. Glad you solved your problem.

I'm going to deviate slightly from the format, but I just posted this on PSR Tutorial Forum on a thread about "playing by ear", and it seems relevant.

Jogging my memory about how I learned to "play by ear". BTW I hate that term. My kids aren't interested in doing what I do, so maybe I can share some of the process on here and help someone along.

1. Started playing trumpet so learned to read the melody line. Can read any treble clef music. We always had a piano, but all I did was tinker around on it, picking out melodies. Started relating trumpet notes to piano notes.
2. Started playing organ in a band (learn as you go), so learned to play basic chords, C, F, G, E, A, D with left hand. I took Music Theory in college and this certainly turned a light on, learning the relationship between the notes that make up chords, the intervals, etc.
3. Started doing some solo work, so used music sheets or Fake Books, either bought or home-made, with the chords and the melody line. Most were in C.
4. Gradually learned to deviate from the melody notes I was seeing and adding fills and runs. I learned them by listening and imitating organ and guitar players.
5. Got tired of paying a singer, so I started singing the melody notes instead of playing them. Still did the fills.
When learning a song, I played the melody line and sang it at the same time. That's how I learned to sing. This also taught me to learn the songs in appropriate keys to fit my vocal range. I learned there were certain singers who's songs I didn't have to change the key to do (Merle Haggard, George Strait, Jerry Lee, Elvis). I learned there were certain songs I shouldn't do at all.
6. As my repertoire grew, I made a LOT of my own lead sheets. Just lyrics with chords over them. By this time I could play most melodies without needing to see the notes. I would record the songs off the radio (remember those), on reel-to-reel, 8-track, cassette, VCR, minidisc, and finally digitally, as the various technologies evolved. Then start and stop, rewind, pause, etc. while writing down the lyrics and figuring out the chord changes. By the time you finish a song, you pretty much know it.
One of the things I did right was to make a lead sheet for EVERY song I ever learned. Started out either writing the words and chords by hand, or on a typewriter. Over the years my pile of fake books grew to something like a dozen packed loose-leaf binders.
7. Along came computers and I started doing them on computer, using word processor. I also started going back and laboriously entering every song I had accumulated into the computer, all by typing the chords and lyrics again.
This process took a couple of years to actually complete. PDFs were not invented yet, or at least I didn't know about them. I also made notes on each sheet as to A. the basic style, (4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, shuffle, rock). . . B. the bass line (2/4, walking, etc.) . . . C. the tempo (beats per minute). And D. the date the song was recorded and the date I learned it.
When I enter them into the computer I use the Properties to identify Artist, Genre, Tempo, Date, etc., so they can be easily sorted when looking for a particular song, as in doing a request. I might get a request for a George Jones song. No problem, just sort by Artist and the list of Possum songs is displayed alphabetically. "Play a Waltz" . . .just sort by Genre and the list appears sorted by Waltz, Rock, Blues, Country, Standards, Cajun, Jazz, Latin. . .
Now, my repertoire has grown to a couple of thousand songs, at least, and still learning new ones each week. Still listening to good players and continuing to improve my instrument emulations. The vast majority of songs I do regularly I don't need to look at anything except the audience. Actually if I think too much about what words are coming up or what my fingers are doing, I'm more prone to mess something up.
The learning process is much easier now. Find the song on Youtube, play it back a time or two, then play along with it on the keyboard, going through the process above. You can also search the internet for lead sheets some one else has done. Be careful, they aren't always right, but they are getting better. Change as needed, adding Properties and side notes.
So, YES, I can sit down and play just about any popular song, especially if I listen to it a few times and it helps if I like it. Friends and audiences are amazed because it looks so easy. It is now, but trust me, it was a LONG learning process. I've been doing this for more than 50 years and still learning!
Hope this helps someone in some way. It has kept me from having to get a "real job" for most of my life!

I no longer ever look at notes, even when learning a song, although I have an extensive library of PDF files, and a closet full of fading fake books.

I am still trying to improve my Playing-by-ear. I can read music and while reading I have to play the song many times before I can comfortably play it. However I find I forget it after a few weeks and while not starting over I do need to practice it again. If I know a song by memory I can play it really well and improvise. But sight reading slows it all down. Didn't have that problem with the sax as I only had to worry about the melody.

Don you mention PDF in your post as if it is advantageous to use it instead of a word processor, or am I reading this wrong? Would ya explain, please?

Boo, by using PDF format you can have the music notes displayed, rather than just chords and lyrics. Lots of people have shared their Fakebooks or sheet music in this format and they are pretty easy to find on the internet. In fact some 6,000 were shared here today.
I'm not addressing the legality of sharing these files but they are there and apparently it's safe to download and use them. And, you can always make your own PDF files. Either way, you can display your songs on laptop, PC or tablet. I'm not an expert and don't routinely use them, but I'm sure there are lots here who do and can tell you more. It's way better than lugging books around.

I developed a great admiration for the clarinet. When I started playing guitar I listened to Charlie Christian who played electric jazz guitar with Benny Goodman. In the early 70s my Dad took me to see Benny Goodman live as he was still touring then. A wonderful clarinet player. What a band he had.

Benny is one of my idols! He could swing with the best of them, or sit in with ANY traditional orchestra. GREAT player.