How musical are we?

[crfriend]

Here's an interesting one, and a question I've been fascinated with for a while. How many of us in "alternative" circles (in this specific case, "fashion sense") actually have some musical talent and what instruments do we play (or have in the past).

So, out of that sense of curiosity, I'd like to ask: "What do you play?"

Note that some instruments can be played in more than one manner, specifically the stringed instruments, any of which can be plucked (but not all of which can be bowed). Tick off which style you play most often (or both it it's a toss-up).

The list is not exhaustive, mainly because I didn't feel like going through the entire taxonomy of musical instruments to ask this question; it's meant to be representative, but if you play something really obscure please say something!

[Departed Member]

Do you mind starting off with a negative? We were forced, at Grammar School, to 'learn' how to play (or at least attempt to!) the most un-musical instrument ever invented - the "recorder" - an exceptional instrument which sounds permanently 'off key'(?), even if played by a seasoned musician! Never did enjoy, or master it, so self manufactured music rather passed me by!

I do have very 'catholic' tastes in music, in particular bagpipes (not just the Scots variety!) and pipe bands, sittar (including most ethnic Indian music), Irish Ceilidh (esp. with fiddles played 'properly', on the crook of the arm, not under the chin!) and hillbilly (honest!). However, if 'rap' or 'reggae' (I won't refer to them as 'music'!) 'pops up', I'll either switch off or walk out of the room.

[crfriend]

Do you mind starting off with a negative?

Ouch.

We were forced, at Grammar School, to 'learn' how to play (or at least attempt to!) the most un-musical instrument ever invented - the "recorder" - an exceptional instrument which sounds permanently 'off key'(?), even if played by a seasoned musician!

Recorders are actually a form of whistle, and can be a right nuisance to tune properly, much less to get an ensemble of them in similar tune. (Have you hear the usual comment of how one gets two piccolo players to play in tune? "Shoot one.") Most decent recorders, though, provide a mechanism to pull the base note (that produced by the whistle mechanism itself before modification by the "reverberation length" of the tube) into something akin to proper tune. All that said, typically recorders tend to be solo instruments. Sorry to hear you were traumatised by your early experiences!

[SkirtDude]

Deleted.

[JRMILLER]

You left off voice, been voice training for the past 10 years.

My best instrument is a piano, I have a 7' Yamaha grand sitting in my house - love it.

I also play around with a recorder and guitar.

Don't know or see if this has any relationship to my interest in kilts and skirts.....


-john

[john62]

I tried to play and failed the piano, trumpet and drums, and voice. After this gave up, now just listen, much more pleasant for everyone.

John

[Uncle Al]

OK-I've voted.
My list is this........
Accoustic Piano
Electric Organ (Spinets, 1960 Wurlitzer 4100, traded for 1965 Lowrey Theater H)
Baritone Sax
Tenor Sax
Korg i30 digital keyboard ( Sounds like a 16 piece band for back-up.)
Lowrey T-1 Combo Organ (vintage 1960)
2 Manual Wurlitzer model 4573 (vintage 1972-73)
3 Manual Conn 653 Electric Theatre Organ (vintage 1983-84)
3 Manual, 17 rank, Wurlitzer Theatre Pipe Organ,
The Orginal Wind Powered Orchestral Synthasizer.
[17 ranks of pipes with traps and percussions] (vintage-1926-27)
Vocally, I can't really carry a tune in a bucket!

Uncle Al
Duncanville, TX

[Kilted_John]

I chose other. Reason being, is that the only instrument I play, happens to be the radio. Was the same response I gave to someone when I was 11 years old.

-J

[sgelerab]

I have a degree in music education and used to be a school band director. I also used to teach private lessons on the woodwind instruments, mainly flute, clarinet and saxophone. My main instrument is the bassoon. I now sing and occasionally play flute in the choir at my church. I played this past weekend wearing a green light weight 'summer' skirt I purchased at Wal-Mart last year. Only one other choir member asked me about it; she hadn't noticed I wore a similar skirt, different color the week before! (No doubt about it: skirts are much more comfortable and a lot cooler than the marching band uniforms I wore in my high school band-quite a few years ago!)
George

[SportSkirt]

Strictly speaking (and you'd agree if you heard me) I can't play anything, but I am learning bass guitar.
My entire family is musical with the exception of me! I think the musical gene skipped past me and my brother and sister got my share.

Still, at the rate I'm progressing I'll be able to play something in a decade or so!

[Stevie D]

I've been an orchestral musician for well over 40 years, semi-pro for the last 25. My main instruments are woodwind - clarinet, saxophone, flute and recorder. Yes, Merlin, recorder: over the years I have played baroque and renaissance music in recorder ensembles and solo. A decent instrument played well has a gloriously seductive sound, especially the treble (alto). It is far removed from the squeaky thing in your memories. I'm sorry you had such a bad experience. Yet - I started off on the the recorder at school and it opened the door to a continuing lifetime of enjoyment of music-making. Even today, if just one child in each school is similarly inspired by learning the recorder, I reckon it's worth all the accompanying squeaks and howls.

I also play traditional music, mostly English and Welsh dance music, played for dancing, on melodeons, concertinas, whistles and Northumbrian pipes. I play in a couple of ceilidh bands and get a great buzz from seeing people enjoying themselves dancing to my music.

[Since1982]

I play 6 string guitar, 12 string guitar, mandolin and banjo.
I play a tom tom, home turned bongos and a kettle drum.
I was going to say something else but I am afraid it might not be taken with humor, so I'm leaving it out.
My mother was a professional songwriter in the 50's and I've written at least 15 songs myself.

[PatJ]

My insturments are the guitar and banjo.

I prefer to finger pick both insturments although I do strum the guitar more than I care to.

The style of music is basic folk music. If I had to sing for my supper, I'd have fun but starve to death.

And is it true that the definition of a minor second is: two recorders playing in unison?

PatJ

[Departed Member]

Many thanks for (all!) your sympathetic comments re: recorders! Yes, they were indeed brown plastic 'items'. Our music master believed he could get 30 of us to play those abominations, simultaneously and in tune! Certainly, 26 of never went near a musical intrument again! It also meant that 'reading music' proved an impossibility, because it wasn't possible to correlate the squeaks and peeps we heard, to the stuff written down! Its certainly been a matter of regret to me, as my wife used to play cornet in a highly successful town band before we met, and one of my friends from school days still does! (School? He learnt proper music 'before' coming to that particular school !)

Hats off to all of you who have such skills!

[Stevie D]

Many thanks for (all!) your sympathetic comments re: recorders! Yes, they were indeed brown plastic 'items'. Our music master believed he could get 30 of us to play those abominations, simultaneously and in tune! Certainly, 26 of never went near a musical intrument again! ....

That's such a shame, yet I suspect a story which is repeated in many schools all over the country.
The brown plastic recorders are OK to learn on, certainly the Aulos ones can be played reasonably well in tune. 30 kids (some unwilling, I bet) on recorder is far too many for one class. I was lucky, I started at the age of 9 in an after-school 'club' run by a dedicated teacher. There were about 8 or 10 of us and we were there because we wanted to be, which obviously makes so much difference. We learnt how to play the thing sensitively and without blowing it so hard it went out of tune. We were taught to listen as well as play. After a few months some of us had progressed on to the treble recorder and so we started playing harmonies and it all sounded lovely. We had great fun as a group performing in local music festivals along with our school choir (which was made up of the entire class). We were fortunate, I guess in that place and time ( Hertfordshire in the early 1960s) in that music was taken seriously as a school activity and was also always enjoyable and a great inclusive social activity.

BTW - you can hear (and see) me playing my 1-row melodeon on YouTube; a friend asked me to make a few recordings of East Anglian traditional music. Shameless plug! Sorry to say I was not wearing a skirt on that occasion.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uuQEz9sDb ... re=related