The Instruments
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Drums
It was the beginning...
According to my parents, I learned how to sit up, I was around 7 months old sitting up real good on the kitchen floor. Since my dad played drums, they randomly handed me a drum stick and I immediately started hitting the floor with it. My Mom was so impressed she handed me the other drum stick and I just started going, in rhythm...Hey, that's what they told me. I couldn't quite sit on the throne at the drum kit, but when I was 14 months old, once again, my parents and their great ideas...decided to sit me in front of a full sized adult drum kit while my Dad held on to my shirt, I went crazy!! Self taught, never had lessons and 15 years later, I still play the drums. I currently play drums in my shcool's Jazz Band so, yep, I can read the sheet music (when I'm not just feeling the groove or doing the drum solo).
Piano
Really not much to tell here, I play around on those keys. At around 4 years, I would pick random moments and just play chords on our piano. There are videos somewhere around. I do plan on learning formally at some point. This is where the playing by ear comes in...sometimes. I'm definitely not strong with this instrument, but I LOVE the keys.
Saxophone (Alto, Tenor, Baritone)
It all started with the alto. I wanted to join the Junior High school band, playing the drums, but there were a couple of guys who beat me to it, I was told no more drummers were needed. Bummer, but there it was, all shiny and beautiful with all those keys. OK, I'll play the Alto Sax. I had no idea what to do with it, but 2 weeks later I was no longer squeaking and began to play real notes.
Once in High School, of course I had to try that Tenor...then there was a Baritone too....hand it over. Proficient in reading the sheet music and can learn a song by ear on all of these beauties.
Guitar (Lead, Bass, Upright Bass)
There is a picture of me as a kid with this small red guitar, it was a real guitar too, but all I did was act like I knew how to play. It had a case and everything, LOL!! What I really did was break the strings and that was it, my Mom did not replace them so that was the end of that for that instrument. Three or four years later, when my Grandma asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I said a guitar. She GOT IT!! Again, I didn't know what to do with it, so I did NOTHING with it, then there was COVID. I had half day of school, my Mom was working so I didn't have anything else to do, so I picked it up...learned all the chords and then learned a couple of songs to play for my Mom. I think it was Beat It by Michael Jackson and Best Part by H.E.R. My Mom went NUTS (I'm self taught, but she insisted I take lessons to learn how to read the music, it only took 1 year, but I'm so glad she did ) and I fell in love with the guitar, so much so that today, it is my favorite instrument to play. At age 12, I got my first gig and my set included songs where I switched it up between the alto sax, the bass guitar and the lead guitar, 4 years later, that's the only instrument I include in my set. I've extended my catalog based on playing the guitar. I have to say though, that Tenor Sax is making her way back!!