People have been sharing their memories of a national toy company going out of business, so I tried to remember one of the few times I shopped there. Since my kids are now in college, it’s obviously been quite a while since I’ve set foot in a toy store.

One Christmas my daughter topped her list for Santa with a battery, which of course she got. The toy store worker had sworn the game would be easy to put together, but was obviously unaware of my mechanical flaws.

Several hours before the kids woke up to look under the tree, I managed to complete all three percussion pieces. After all that work, my daughter probably played the drums no more than a dozen times, and I’m so glad.

If she had seriously taken up the task of becoming a female Ringo (Ringa?) Starr, chances are she would have lost a lot of sleep. Nothing can be as annoying as sharing a living space with someone trying to master the drums or any other instrument.

That annoying situation has led to some humorous plotlines on a variety of classic TV shows, and here are ten of them.

Charles Emerson Winchester at MASH.

Hawkeye and BJ find their fellow surgeon even more annoying than usual, after Charles (played by David Ogden Stiers) starts touching his trunk.

Bobby Brady in The Brady Gang

Even though Brady’s youngest son is banished to the garage to practice his drums, his parents and five siblings still can’t stand his constant rowdiness.

Homer Simpson in The Simpsons

The bass is the instrument through which the patriarch deals with another midlife crisis, which soon leads other parents in Springfield to form a band.

Alice Cooper at Mayberry RFD

Years before Vincent Furnier and his fellow rockers immortalized that name, that name belonged to the Mayberry manager’s housekeeper, Sam Jones. In one episode, she becomes fascinated with an ancient harp, but she lacks the talent to master it.

Joey in Friends

Phoebe tries to teach Joey to play the guitar in a segment called “The One with All Resolutions”.

Larue in Gidget

When her best friend falls for the guitar, Gidget (played by Sally Field) finds herself involved with a rock and roll band.

ross in friends

As if Joey learning to play the guitar wasn’t bad enough, his friend decides to play the bagpipes.

Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show

An already troublesome ensemble, the Mayberry band got even worse when the deputy bought a pair of cymbals.

Lucy Ricardo in I love Lucy

When Ricky’s saxophonist leaves, Lucy is determined to replace that horn player in her husband’s band.

Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory

Neighbors and roommates alike are remorseful when, during a hippie phase, Sheldon begins playing the bongos in “The Werewolf Transformation”.