---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I started playing drums at a pretty early…"
description: "\"I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my parents were musicians. My dad was an amazing multi-instrumentalist and I can play a lot of in..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg"
---

#  I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my…

![“I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my parents were musicians. My dad was an amazing multi-instrumentalist and I can play a lot of instruments, but my dad actually played all the instruments I could play and then added another twenty five or thirty five different categories on…” quote by Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg)

> “I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my parents were musicians. My dad was an amazing multi-instrumentalist and I can play a lot of instruments, but my dad actually played all the instruments I could play and then added another twenty five or thirty five different categories on there ...he was incredible! He got an act actually in Vegas, my parents Bobby and Phyllis Sherwood.”

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Early exposure to music shaped his multi‑instrumental talent and career path.

**In simple terms:** Parents' music background influenced his skill development.

Key Takeaway

Leverage early influences to broaden abilities.

Themes

music family talent development

Mood

proud reflective

Type

personal anecdote inspirational

When to use this quote

- learning instruments
- performing live
- collaborating with family
- seeking mentorship

Key Concepts

multi‑instrumentalism career influence

Questions to Reflect On

- How did your parents’ careers shape your musical choices?
- What steps can you take to expand beyond inherited skills?

A Different Perspective

Early advantage may not guarantee sustained success without personal drive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Drums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drums/) [Instrumentalists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instrumentalists/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Playing drums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-drums/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Vegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegas/)

## Related quotes

> [You know, I only claim to play three instruments. My dad is a banker, but a drummer at heart; and my mom used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-worsham/you-know-i-only-claim-to-play-three-instruments-my-dad-is-a-banker/)

[Charlie Worsham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-worsham/)

> [They weren't musicians or anything, but my dad was a big music fan and so was my mom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-kracker/they-weren-t-musicians-or-anything-but-my-dad-was-a-big-music-fan-and/)

[Uncle Kracker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-kracker/)

> [My family is all musicians - my dad plays drums, my mom plays flute, my older brother plays drums, my little brother plays drums…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thundercat/my-family-is-all-musicians-my-dad-plays-drums-my-mom-plays-flute-my/)

[Thundercat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thundercat/)

> [I've played drums since I was 15. My sisters and I all played instruments. I kind of started with piano and then I actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/i-ve-played-drums-since-i-was-15-my-sisters-and-i-all-played/)

[Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/)

> [I went home every night wondering how to get in the Burnley team. It was, 'You've been brought up nicely, had everything handed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bamford/i-went-home-every-night-wondering-how-to-get-in-the-burnley-team-it/)

[Patrick Bamford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bamford/)

> [“I had grown up idolizing Prince, who played over twenty instruments on his debut album, which featured the amazing credit line “written, composed, performed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duff-mckagan/i-had-grown-up-idolizing-prince-who-played-over-twenty-instruments-on/)

[Duff McKagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duff-mckagan/)

> [Like with me, like around '97, for Christmas my parents bought me an MPC 2000 sampler and a little eight-track cassette recorder. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-younge/like-with-me-like-around-97-for-christmas-my-parents-bought-me-an-mpc/)

[Adrian Younge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-younge/)

> [Nobody played instruments in my family. My father got that bug and said he wants his son to play saxophone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-clemons/nobody-played-instruments-in-my-family-my-father-got-that-bug-and/)

[Clarence Clemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-clemons/)

> [I had five brothers and sisters. Four of them older, and some of them played instruments, and we would get together and have family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jarreau/i-had-five-brothers-and-sisters-four-of-them-older-and-some-of-them/)

[Al Jarreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jarreau/)

> [My house was filled with music. We had a piano, and my brothers and sisters played instruments. Even though I was around it, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/my-house-was-filled-with-music-we-had-a-piano-and-my-brothers-and/)

[Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/)

> [I was not a band geek, per say. But me and my two older sisters played instruments, so I would come home and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-teller/i-was-not-a-band-geek-per-say-but-me-and-my-two-older-sisters-played/)

[Miles Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-teller/)

> [There are only so many instruments you can layer on top of each other that aren't perfectly electronically programmed. "Long Vermont Roads" just cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephin-merritt/there-are-only-so-many-instruments-you-can-layer-on-top-of-each-other/)

[Stephin Merritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephin-merritt/)

> [I've never played instruments. I've always been a singer or a writer, for that matter. But I started playing in bands when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-moody/i-ve-never-played-instruments-i-ve-always-been-a-singer-or-a-writer/)

[Ivan Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-moody/)

> [I never felt like that in my life. I didn't know human beings played these instruments. I heard them in Chicago and Louisville and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/i-never-felt-like-that-in-my-life-i-didn-t-know-human-beings-played/)

[Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/)

> [We were different. We were a rainbow. The music was a combination of all types of music. You could hear R&amp;B, jazz, rock, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-graham/we-were-different-we-were-a-rainbow-the-music-was-a-combination-of/)

[Larry Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-graham/)

## More by Billy Sherwood

> [When you're a songwriter and you click with someone, you tend to want to keep writing with that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/when-you-re-a-songwriter-and-you-click-with-someone-you-tend-to-want/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I grew up in a very musical family, my father was a musician and a big band leader and made records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-grew-up-in-a-very-musical-family-my-father-was-a-musician-and-a-big/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I have always enjoyed different kinds of music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-have-always-enjoyed-different-kinds-of-music/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I've been trying to make records and I describe it almost like a "movie for your ears" where it's a little unconventional in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-ve-been-trying-to-make-records-and-i-describe-it-almost-like-a/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [Don't pay attention to what anyone is telling you about your personal journey just keep going, because that's what it's all about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/don-t-pay-attention-to-what-anyone-is-telling-you-about-your-personal/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I'd written songs with lots of people, from one spectrum to the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-d-written-songs-with-lots-of-people-from-one-spectrum-to-the-other/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I also write poems, so that is something that I really enjoy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-also-write-poems-so-that-is-something-that-i-really-enjoy/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [So when bands work with me and it's 10 o'clock, usually you'd have to be getting out of the studio, we could go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/so-when-bands-work-with-me-and-it-s-10-o-clock-usually-you-d-have-to/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [We came off the road of the last tour very inspired to just keep playing, so we went to Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/we-came-off-the-road-of-the-last-tour-very-inspired-to-just-keep/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [So for my studio purposes, I know that I'm in my studio with technicians who've done amazing things to my board and to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/so-for-my-studio-purposes-i-know-that-i-m-in-my-studio-with/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I write on all instruments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-write-on-all-instruments/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [And I found that when I built my own place and just shut the door, the creativity was endless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/and-i-found-that-when-i-built-my-own-place-and-just-shut-the-door-the/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [It's an album that is a little bit different and probably isn't easy to get out. It's not likely that a major label would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/it-s-an-album-that-is-a-little-bit-different-and-probably-isn-t-easy/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [I wrote songs with the guys from Air Supply for their record... So I was just writing songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-wrote-songs-with-the-guys-from-air-supply-for-their-record-so-i-was/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

> [Yes was without a singer at that point, cause they were doing ABWH, so you had ABWH, and then you had the 90125 band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/yes-was-without-a-singer-at-that-point-cause-they-were-doing-abwh-so/)

[Billy Sherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

[Explore all 37 Billy Sherwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my parents were musicians. My dad was an amazing multi-instrumentalist and I can play a lot of instruments, but my dad actually played all the instruments I could play and then added another twenty five or thirty five different categories on there ...he was incredible! He got an act actually in Vegas, my parents Bobby and Phyllis Sherwood.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Billy Sherwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-early-age-because-my-parents-were/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-early-age-because-my-parents-were/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94b/billy-sherwood-17448_age_i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-earl_2840105.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I started playing drums at a pretty early age because my parents were musicians. My dad was an amazing…” — Billy Sherwood",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Billy Sherwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-sherwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I started playing drums at a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-early-age-because-my-parents-were/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-sherwood/i-started-playing-drums-at-a-pretty-early-age-because-my-parents-were/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
