--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My dad was a kind of semiprofessional…" description: "\"My dad was a kind of semiprofessional Dixieland-type drummer, and I learned the drums from him. When I was about twelve, we bought our first Ludwig dru..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/sam-shepard-2232_bass_my-dad-was-a-kind-of-semiprofessional-di_953975.jpg" --- # My dad was a kind of semiprofessional Dixieland-type… ![“My dad was a kind of semiprofessional Dixieland-type drummer, and I learned the drums from him. When I was about twelve, we bought our first Ludwig drum set from a pawnshop - a marching-band bass drum, great big tom-toms, and big, deep snare drums.” quote by Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/sam-shepard-2232_bass_my-dad-was-a-kind-of-semiprofessional-di_953975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/sam-shepard-2232_bass_my-dad-was-a-kind-of-semiprofessional-di_953975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38b/sam-shepard-2232_bass_my-dad-was-a-kind-of-semiprofessional-di_953975.jpg) > “My dad was a kind of semiprofessional Dixieland-type drummer, and I learned the drums from him. When I was about twelve, we bought our first Ludwig drum set from a pawnshop - a marching-band bass drum, great big tom-toms, and big, deep snare drums.” [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator learned drumming from his father, highlighting familial transmission of skill and passion for music. **In simple terms:** Learned drums from dad, early exposure shaped love for music. Key Takeaway Honor mentors, share skills. Themes family music learning heritage Mood nostalgic proud Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - music education - family gatherings - performance preparation Key Concepts craftsmanship cultural transmission personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How has this shaped your own creativity? - What traditions do you pass on? A Different Perspective Skill may not transfer without practice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bass/) [Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dad/) [Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep/) [Drum Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drum-set-837059/) [Drummer Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drummer-learned-1719802/) [Drums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drums/) [Drums Bought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drums-bought-1719801/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Learned Drums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learned-drums-1719799/) [Ludwig Drum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ludwig-drum-1719800/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [My little brother played drums, so we had a drum set over at my house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/synyster-gates/my-little-brother-played-drums-so-we-had-a-drum-set-over-at-my-house/) [Synyster Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/synyster-gates/) > [I have a drum set in my dressing room. I play drums to relax and have some fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-latifah/i-have-a-drum-set-in-my-dressing-room-i-play-drums-to-relax-and-have/) [Queen Latifah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-latifah/) > [At the time I learned drums, I wanted to be the drummer of Hanson. I wanted to be this guy because he was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/at-the-time-i-learned-drums-i-wanted-to-be-the-drummer-of-hanson-i/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [I actually started playing drums because my older brother did and I grew up always wanting to impress my big brothers so I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-ledger/i-actually-started-playing-drums-because-my-older-brother-did-and-i/) [Jen Ledger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-ledger/) > [The quad toms are a completely different animal than the standard drum set/trap kit. Playing wise and stylistically, they are two different beasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/the-quad-toms-are-a-completely-different-animal-than-the-standard/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [My drum set up never gets that crazy or out of the ordinary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-freese/my-drum-set-up-never-gets-that-crazy-or-out-of-the-ordinary/) [Josh Freese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-freese/) > [I have a playroom with my drum set, a guitar, and amplifier at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-taffer/i-have-a-playroom-with-my-drum-set-a-guitar-and-amplifier-at-home/) [Jon Taffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-taffer/) > [My version of a stress dream is, really, showing up on a concert stage with a drum set and not knowing the chart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-chazelle/my-version-of-a-stress-dream-is-really-showing-up-on-a-concert-stage/) [Damien Chazelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-chazelle/) > [I am self taught. My dad threw me in with a drum set at the age of four and I figured it out!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hernandez/i-am-self-taught-my-dad-threw-me-in-with-a-drum-set-at-the-age-of/) [Eric Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hernandez/) > [When I was a kid, of course I wanted to be the fastest, the loudest and the one with the biggest drum set, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hawkins/when-i-was-a-kid-of-course-i-wanted-to-be-the-fastest-the-loudest-and/) [Taylor Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hawkins/) > [It's fun, I didn't have enough money as a kid to buy a drum set, so I had to do something. I would mimic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dimaggio/it-s-fun-i-didn-t-have-enough-money-as-a-kid-to-buy-a-drum-set-so-i/) [John DiMaggio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dimaggio/) > [But I've gravitated more towards the drum set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-otto/but-i-ve-gravitated-more-towards-the-drum-set/) [John Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-otto/) > [I meet everybody. If somebody invites me to their house and they got a drum set close, I'm going to play, man. Let's jam.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/i-meet-everybody-if-somebody-invites-me-to-their-house-and-they-got-a/) [Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/) > [No one sits in front of a drum set and thinks they invented it all out of whole cloth. The fact that the set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/no-one-sits-in-front-of-a-drum-set-and-thinks-they-invented-it-all/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I really just wanted to play the drum set and match that. I was never really into the percussion thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-otto/i-really-just-wanted-to-play-the-drum-set-and-match-that-i-was-never/) [John Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-otto/) ## More by Sam Shepard > [I guess what I like is mostly country & western or else stuff that has a real blues feel to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-guess-what-i-like-is-mostly-country-western-or-else-stuff-that-has/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [You can write 16 plays and not make as much money as you did doing one movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/you-can-write-16-plays-and-not-make-as-much-money-as-you-did-doing/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's funny, in a way the actor is a writer. It's not like the two things are so separate as to be like apples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-funny-in-a-way-the-actor-is-a-writer-it-s-not-like-the-two/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Character is an essential tendency. It can be covered up, it can be messed with, it can be screwed around with, but it can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/character-is-an-essential-tendency-it-can-be-covered-up-it-can-be/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Why would you want to be be counseled in your grief? It's too private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/why-would-you-want-to-be-be-counseled-in-your-grief-it-s-too-private/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Farm country -- you know, hay, horses, cattle. It's the ideal situation for me. I like the physical endeavors that go with the farm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/farm-country-you-know-hay-horses-cattle-it-s-the-ideal-situation-for/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I think comedy's harder to pull off on the screen than on the stage, anyway. Tragedy is easier on the screen... oddly enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-think-comedy-s-harder-to-pull-off-on-the-screen-than-on-the-stage/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [“Those are the most monotonous fuckin' crickets I ever heard in my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/those-are-the-most-monotonous-fuckin-crickets-i-ever-heard-in-my-life/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [All good writing comes out of aloneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/all-good-writing-comes-out-of-aloneness/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I first started in film, I was terrified of the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-first-started-in-film-i-was-terrified-of-the-camera/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I'll develop my own image. I'm an original man. A one and only. I just need some help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/i-ll-develop-my-own-image-i-m-an-original-man-a-one-and-only-i-just/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [When I just sit around my house and work, I can work two, three hours, and then I go off and ride a horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/when-i-just-sit-around-my-house-and-work-i-can-work-two-three-hours/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Hollywood is geared toward teenage idiocy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/hollywood-is-geared-toward-teenage-idiocy/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [It's my private life, and it's not up for grabs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/it-s-my-private-life-and-it-s-not-up-for-grabs/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [Keep away from fantasy. Shake off the image,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/keep-away-from-fantasy-shake-off-the-image/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) [Explore all 176 Sam Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) ## More Bass quotes > [I remember that the bass was turned up slightly more on the mix from last week, and I thought that was good - or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ronson/i-remember-that-the-bass-was-turned-up-slightly-more-on-the-mix-from/) [Mark Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ronson/) > [In life's orchestra, the bike is the double bass. Hard to forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fournel/in-life-s-orchestra-the-bike-is-the-double-bass-hard-to-forget-it/) [Paul Fournel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fournel/) > [Bass guitar is the engine of the band.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/bass-guitar-is-the-engine-of-the-band/) [Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/) > [I'm 12 years sober, so I don't have beer! When I used to drink I really liked Bass Ale!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-davis/i-m-12-years-sober-so-i-don-t-have-beer-when-i-used-to-drink-i-really/) [Kristin Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-davis/) > [The kind of fishing that I do is pretty much bass, trout or freshwater fishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/the-kind-of-fishing-that-i-do-is-pretty-much-bass-trout-or-freshwater/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) > [Imagine if you were a drummer, and you accidentally picked up two magic wands instead of sticks. There you are, keeping the beat, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/imagine-if-you-were-a-drummer-and-you-accidentally-picked-up-two/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [I was never much of a bass player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-adams/i-was-never-much-of-a-bass-player/) [Ryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-adams/) > [I've always been playing with other people, and that's how I learned. I got a kit of drums I couldn't play, but I also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/i-ve-always-been-playing-with-other-people-and-that-s-how-i-learned-i/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [I grew up on the pirate radio scene which started out as drum 'n' bass music. U.K. garage picked up and got bigger on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dizzee-rascal/i-grew-up-on-the-pirate-radio-scene-which-started-out-as-drum-n-bass/) [Dizzee Rascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dizzee-rascal/) > [Close to the Edge by Yes. Such a fun tune to play on bass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-acton/close-to-the-edge-by-yes-such-a-fun-tune-to-play-on-bass/) [Brian Acton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-acton/) > [I've been in a band, so I understand the politics. Sometimes the bass player doesn't like what the guitar player is doing, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-ocasek/i-ve-been-in-a-band-so-i-understand-the-politics-sometimes-the-bass/) [Ric Ocasek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-ocasek/) > [That's what Joe Don Rooney and I do. He plays guitar and I play bass - and there's no reason to call it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-demarcus/that-s-what-joe-don-rooney-and-i-do-he-plays-guitar-and-i-play-bass/) [Jay DeMarcus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-demarcus/) > [I've always said the bass just happens to be the crayon I picked out of the box. I'd still be drawing the same pictures...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-claypool/i-ve-always-said-the-bass-just-happens-to-be-the-crayon-i-picked-out/) [Les Claypool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-claypool/) > [I was a guitar player in a band that had two keyboard players, sometimes two other guitarists, a bass player, and a drummer, four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-satriani/i-was-a-guitar-player-in-a-band-that-had-two-keyboard-players/) [Joe Satriani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-satriani/) > [I live a different way today. I have a family, and they are a priority for me. These days, I no longer wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/i-live-a-different-way-today-i-have-a-family-and-they-are-a-priority/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) [Browse all 722 Bass quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bass/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My dad was a kind of semiprofessional Dixieland-type drummer, and I learned the drums from him. 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