I grew up knowing how to play the guitar since 3rd grade. That Christmas my parents bought me a Yamaha Guitar and once a week my dad would teach me how to play. So, I’ve been trying to keep that tradition going with my kids. Two birthdays ago Tristan got a Baby Martin Guitar for his birthday. But we haven’t been able to keep a weekly teaching lesson going. I’m hoping once soccer dies down we can start it up and then keep it going.

The other day though, while at Busch Gardens we were watching a show where one of the guys was playing on stainless steel drums and Tristan seemed to take a real interest. So when we came home that night he got out Kieran’s bongo drums and started playing on them. This house is WAY too small for someone to have a drum set! It would drive us (and our neighbors since our houses are so close together) crazy! I wonder if there’s a way though for him to learn how to play them at school? Something to look into.

When I was in 3rd grade I got my guitar. An acoustic Yamaha (and anyone that knows guitars knows that’s an awesome guitar). My dad grew up playing guitar – he was in a band at Williston Academy (the prep school he went to) and in a band at the college he went to. So it was only natural that I asked for a guitar growing up and finally got one when I was in 3rd grade.

He was my teacher. One night a week for about 4-5 years we’d get together in the living room and I’d show him what I learned that week and he’d teach me new songs. He always said I had an “ear” for music – that I could just pick up any song I’d listened to. Little did he know how much I practiced those songs to get them just right. Songs like “Leaving on a Jet Plane”, “Imagine”, “Puff the Magic Dragon”, “Teenager in Love” and “Take me home, Country Roads”.

Tristan just got his 1st guitar this past January for his 11th birthday. He’s been asking for one for years now and my parents found the perfect one for him – a baby Martin Guitar. So tonight, the 3 of us played. Of course my dad sounded the best since he plays weekly. Ever since Tristan got his guitar I’ve been trying to reteach myself so that I can then teach him. We’ve decided, now that soccer has slowed down, to dedicate one night a week to me teaching him the chords. And what’s awesome, is that I still have all of the sheet music that my dad personally made up himself for me when he was teaching me. I think that’s one of the best parts of it all.

The legacy continues.

was a HUGE success! All but two kids who were invited showed up, but we still had 18 there! (Good soccer friends of ours from Caelie’s team came last minute.) The kids had a blast! And most of the parents (the ones we know well from his soccer team) stayed as well and had fun. First they all bowled, then played a game of laser tag and then went off to the arcade to play. Tristan had a great night!!!! When it came time to pick teams for laser tag he had 5 boys fighting over who was his best friend.

We celebrated his birthday on his actual birthday which was Friday with my parents and my brother. (We had his party on Saturday.) From us he got a Nintendo DS and a game for that. My brother is getting him a PlayStation game and my parents got him a Baby Martin Guitar! He wasn’t expecting the guitar at all and you can tell in the first picture below by the look on his face.

In this next picture you’ll see my dad teaching Tristan the basic chords on the guitar using papers he made up for me when I was in 3rd grade! (My dad taught me how to play the guitar from 3rd grade up and I kept all the papers he wrote out for me – great memories they are!!!!) I’m hoping to relearn the guitar myself so I can then teach Tristan!!!!