Thread: Who of you play a musical instrument?

Curious as to who of you have a creative mind and play an instrument. If you do what do you find is the most enjoyable aspect of practicing and playing? And what is the hardest part of the same?

For me I play the Bass Guitar, and also am saving for a Keyboard and a wind instrument (I haven't chose yet).

For the guitar my most enjoyable aspect or part if you will is losing yourself and the world fading around you, all that matters is the music. The hardest is getting my fingers across the neck of the guitar and stretching beyond and using muscles I've never used before .

I play classical piano and guitar. I'd like to try the bass...I think I could be pretty good.

I play trumpet, piano, guitar, and bass guitar, guitar being my favorite. It's so great to play music that just feels good to you. All the musicians in the world can't come up with all the possible music to be made, so it's great to make your own music, because then you get to hear exactly what sounds good and feels good to you.

Classical piano, flute, and harp.

I don't know if it can be called playing, but I bash out a few notes and vamp a little on the piano. At one time I would also strum a few chords on the guitar (electric or acoustic). I have also been thrown out of more than one five star hotel for attempting to play the drums when the band was between sets. (Drink is an evil thing. )

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

I don't know if it can be called playing, but I bash out a few notes and vamp a little on the piano. At one time I would also strum a few chords on the guitar (electric or acoustic). I have also been thrown out of more than one five star hotel for attempting to play the drums when the band was between sets. (Drink is an evil thing. )

I played various instruments, but never practised. I suppose it was too easy for me - not enough challenge - which means now I'm not even mediocre. I hope, when I have my affairs settled - to buy a piano and learn to play some of my favourite tunes. Beyond that, I hope to marry a violinist so I can play some concertos.

I played the piano for a long time, and I was pretty good, until I moved out of my parents' house and no longer had access to a baby grand piano every day. I'm way out of practice at this point. One day I'll buy a keyboard, but I'm very picky and I want one that most closely emulates a piano, and they're expensive.

I had a one year stint with the violin, and I'm not sure if this counts but I was also a member of a choir that you had to audition for to get in. Got a solo on my first try, too. But that also only lasted a year.

I can strum a guitar. I'm taking lessons to try and learn some Travis picking but it's early days for that. The hardest part is taking lessons and having to unlearn all the bad habits I've taught myself.

I paint too (since it was a two-part question).

What's with all these questions, anyway? I didn't expect a kind of

I'm curious to see if there is link between intelligence and playing musical instruments. I'm thinking of performing some sort of investigation in the future based on this area. It seems so far that intelligence and creativity go hand in hand, which is curious. Seeing as we all so far play a musical instrument maybe a new topic area could be created in the index along side general discussion or somesort, general percussion , sorry.

I play the violin, guitar, bass, mandolin, and a little bit of piano.
I started out playing bluegrass. I would travel from state to state competing in bluegrass flatpicking competitioins. I've competed in California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and South Carolina. My most memorable competition was the four corner state championship in Wickenburg Arizona where I got 3rd place. Music is the one most important thing to me. I play in a local classical quaret now, and in a civic orchestra.

Music has been proven by the way to increse one's learning abilities. I don't know why though.

Hmmm thats quite interesting. It would explain a lot with me.

Seeing you play a string instrument can I ask you something? How long did it take you to control your little finger and the one next to it, I mean really control it so that it doesn't move when the other does. I hope I'm not abnormal because it is taking some time and I can't play some chords or notes at the right time .

I'm a serious classical pianist.

hi all.
contrary to popular trends,
I do not play nor listen to music at all.

lol I'm serious, my ipod video is full of walter lewin physics lectures and some other mit and stanford lectures.

Occasionally I listen to classical music (once a month) but that the only intensional music I listen to.

I love math! I'm no music hating lard or whatever. I love patterns, discovering trends, solving tough math problems and mind you I have straight A+ in math for the past 6 years (hehe )

But I still dislike music. Why is that...?

But I still dislike music. Why is that...?

Perhaps the patterns in most music are too obvious, and the problems (detecting the pattern, predicting where it will go next) are too easy for a good mathematician. Perhaps you should try some Stravinsky for a tougher challenge.

Originally Posted by Bunbury

But I still dislike music. Why is that...?

Perhaps the patterns in most music are too obvious, and the problems (detecting the pattern, predicting where it will go next) are too easy for a good mathematician. Perhaps you should try some Stravinsky for a tougher challenge.

Beethoven's Grosse Fuge..

Originally Posted by Bunbury

What's with all these questions, anyway? I didn't expect a kind of

No one does.

I play guitar....like 3/4 of the planet.

and i play Guitar Hero, like the other 1/4 of the planet.

but on a more serious note i always have enjoyed playing the Saxophone.

Originally Posted by wallaby

but on a more serious note i always have enjoyed playing the Saxophone.

Is it just the one note?

i can get two lines of "Good king Wenceslas" out of a tin whistle before a passing cat comes and slaps me round the face....does that count?

Originally Posted by Ophiolite

Is it just the one note?

depends on how serious we're talking.

Classical quitar, fiddle and harp

I like stringy things

And bashing some bongos now and then

And my singing bowls is ethereal (though got a bit too much of a high not a while back and had ringing in my ears for weeks!)

If i wave my hoover flex around my head i can make a nice whoo ooo hooo sound like the wind.

Blowing down empty bottles is fun (and a good way of practicing pranayama)

Or rattling the bumps on my radiator with a wooden spoon is good for waking up the ghosts.

Blowing through a piece of paper over a comb...buzz....buzzz....makes your lips tingle.

And blades of grass between my thumbs to scatter the crickets in the grass

I play the spoons.

Originally Posted by serpicojr

I play the spoons.

How do you play them? .

How does he play them? why, Harmoniously of course.

Originally Posted by svwillmer

How do you play them? .

With my hands and my God-given sense of rhythm.

It looks like I'm wrong, actually. I play the bones, and I misapply the technique to spoons.

SVW: Practice always, for the strengthening of your finger. Practice for 15-30 minutes just trying to swich from one chord to the other untill youve got that down. After a while our motion becomes more natural. I don't remember much about when I first started the guitar. I was very young, (it was my first Instrument) All I do know is that If you stop practicing even for a week, It will take a wile to get back to where you were.

By the way, did you know that the more you play an instrument, the better it sounds? And, if you neglect it for a while, it will lose it's tone? They don't keep stratuvarius violins locked behind glass cases. They have to be played regularly. Does anyoone know the science of why?

I play trumpet and clarinet and am pretty good at both (though it's been a while on clarinet) - with a little practice I could probably play any brass or reed instrument competently though. Instruments, music and rhythm have always come very easily for me though I must say when I picked up a guitar, it felt pretty hopeless.

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now, but I'm just now getting serious about it. A couple of friends and I started up a punk band (I play guitar and do vocals), and I'm trying to break out of this box of mediocrity I'm stuck in currently

Originally Posted by Minxy

Classical quitar, fiddle and harp

I like stringy things

And bashing some bongos now and then

And my singing bowls is ethereal (though got a bit too much of a high not a while back and had ringing in my ears for weeks!)

If i wave my hoover flex around my head i can make a nice whoo ooo hooo sound like the wind.

Blowing down empty bottoms is fun (and a good way of practicing pranayama)

Or rattling my boobs on my radiator with a wooden spoon is good for waking up the ghosts.

Blow jobs through a piece of paper over a comb...buzz....buzzz....makes your lips tingle.

And blades of grass between my thumbs to scatter the crickets in the grass

Originally Posted by Minxy

Classical quitar, fiddle and harp

I like stringy things
grass

Yes , but judging from those photos you posted when St Mary was his breakdown or up with the " boss " , you forgot to mention that you also enjoyed playing trumpet too !!

Originally Posted by 425 Chaotic Requisition

what do you find is the most enjoyable aspect of practicing and playing? And what is the hardest part of the same?

I played the violin , and the feeling that you held those wonderful music at the tip of your finger is great. I mean, literally. Each position of the finger is a different note. A slight twist of the tendons in the finger is enough to change the note. Haha, I'm a control freak.

But the terrible part is when you need to be more conscious of those muscle movement that you hardly thought about. And when the right hand holding the bow does not apply enough pressure, it will slide across the strings and make this terrible sound.

Wow 94% plays an instrument?! Hehe I didn't expect that, but good news I guess. Or only people who are interested in music vote :P

I play classical guitar, latest project is Robert de Visee (but I can't find much tab of his work on the internet).

I have played piano for few years now, and I might start bass playing soon. (I have already heard few bass player jokes)

Originally Posted by Elina

I have played piano for few years now, and I might start bass playing soon. (I have already heard few bass player jokes)

Heard what?