What Instrument do you Play?

[Dysfunction]

I've played percussion since elementary school, guitar since high school, played bassoon a bit in there as well so I can pick up my daughters clarinet and hack on it.

 

[Audio.Trench]

Musically inclined ?

What do you play ?

Do you read notes or go by ear ?

How Long have you been at it ?

What kind of music do you play to ?


Myself , Drums .. Ear ... 25 years... Rock.

This is my own true gift to myself , The feeling when you finally " Get it Right " .... AHHHHHHHH =)

Bass - 12 years (my passion)
Guitar - 5 years
Piano - used to play more as a kid, just getting back into it
Drums - I don't own a set, but I can hold my own. I have an amazing sense of rhythm/timing.
Mostly melodic/fast punk, metal, ska, blues/jazz

I read music and go by ear

And I can't agree more. When you stare at a piece of sheet music, and then it just "clicks" and you get it, it's like you can SEE the music.. You know?

 

[hughvane]

And I can't agree more. When you stare at a piece of sheet music, and then it just "clicks" and you get it, it's like you can SEE the music.. You know?

Snap! Not only see, but hear it in your head. Knowing instinctively and intuitively how the chord progressions are going to work.

DarkArt - did you ever hear/were you taught that "music with no bass is music with no base"? Some of the worst music I've ever listened to, and sometimes been required to comment on, has been that where the bass player has no idea of what s/he is doing.

 

[Dysfunction]

Snap! Not only see, but hear it in your head. Knowing instinctively and intuitively how the chord progressions are going to work.

DarkArt - did you ever hear/were you taught that "music with no bass is music with no base"? Some of the worst music I've ever listened to, and sometimes been required to comment on, has been that where the bass player has no idea of what s/he is doing.

anytime the rhythm section sucks the music will be painful to listen to.

 

[Audio.Trench]

Snap! Not only see, but hear it in your head. Knowing instinctively and intuitively how the chord progressions are going to work.

DarkArt - did you ever hear/were you taught that "music with no bass is music with no base"? Some of the worst music I've ever listened to, and sometimes been required to comment on, has been that where the bass player has no idea of what s/he is doing.

Oh man! Totally! Yet bassists get hammered on by guitarists for some stupid reason? I can play guitar better than most of the people I know who play. I mean, I took extensive lessons for about 4 years (almost have my Level 1 Theory, which is apparently equivalent to Year 1 Uni.

Regardless, the bass/drums, rhythm section in general is the glue of any kind of arrangement. It's what keeps every one in time. And if there was no bass, when that guitarist is ripping a solo, there's nothing else there but him/her.

anytime the rhythm section sucks the music will be painful to listen to.

This is true 100%

 

[MacintoshMaster]

I have got grade 8 in piano and saxophone (now doing diploma) and I am now doing grade 5 violin, I am doing the ALCM grade in composition with the LCM.
I have now started guitar and bass guitar.

 

[December]

Been playing drums for about a year now, though I don't own a set yet. (Working on that) I can play piano fairly well, but I'm definitely not an expert on it. Trombone is what I'm best at, been playing that for 5 years now. It's what I play for my high school band. I played euphonium a few years ago, didn't really care for it though.

As far as music goes, I like to play by ear on drums, but everything else, sheet music is best. And I'll play nearly any kind of music, I like most genres so it's not hard to find a good song.

 

[Audio.Trench]

Oh yeah! Forgot I can play trombone too! Played it all through highschool (along side of bass)

 

[JGruber]

I play the Guitar, have since I was 13 (29 Now)... I can play by ear, but depends on the song, most of the time I have the sheet music memorized...

 

[hughvane]

I used to do music arrangements for a few bands, and I became ambivalent about drumming (and drummers!). I'm not sniping at anybody here, since I've no idea how you play, but in my experience over decades it seems to me that drumming has become too dominant. I know in this country at least, there are some hideous-sounding bands because the drums overwhelm the rest of the players and the music. I agree, a drummer out of time wrecks it for the rest of the group.

Question: how do you find keeping in time without a drummer, can you count a regular beat accurately and consistently in your head? What place is there for a band without a drummer? Enter, stage left, the bass player!

 

[Dysfunction]

I can, but I started playing percussion.. keeping time is keeping time

 

[mjb94]

Musically inclined ?

What do you play ?

Do you read notes or go by ear ?

How Long have you been at it ?

What kind of music do you play to ?

Tenor and Bari saxaphone
read
4 years
jazz, popular ban arrangements, still in middle school,

 

[PapaNoHair]

I am not sure if this qualifies as a musical instrument but I play the bagpipes.

 

[MacintoshMaster]

I used to do music arrangements for a few bands, and I became ambivalent about drumming (and drummers!). I'm not sniping at anybody here, since I've no idea how you play, but in my experience over decades it seems to me that drumming has become too dominant. I know in this country at least, there are some hideous-sounding bands because the drums overwhelm the rest of the players and the music. I agree, a drummer out of time wrecks it for the rest of the group.

Question: how do you find keeping in time without a drummer, can you count a regular beat accurately and consistently in your head? What place is there for a band without a drummer? Enter, stage left, the bass player!

I make arr. for my band at saturday school!
I make Rock arr.
Yes I agree,
there are so many bad bands these days where the drums are like 1000db!
If a drummer is out of time the hole piece sound very unsure.
I find it hard to stay in time without a beat.
I do play drums.

I have heard drums too lound!
It sounds really bad and it sounds boring.
Un accurate bands sound her there everywhere!
I use my Mac for sibelius to compose my music.
I am now doing sound engineering and I love it (I use Logic for that)

 

[Audio.Trench]

I am not sure if this qualifies as a musical instrument but I play the bagpipes.

Definitely! My cousin plays them.

 

[G3XOI]

I'm probably gonna get slated here but:

Musically inclined?
Music = Life!

What do you play?
I've got a pair of turntables!

Do you read notes or go by ear?
Go by ear

How Long have you been at it?
2 - 3 years

What kind of music do you play?
Jungle
Drum & Bass
Dubstep

.

 

[hughvane]

For sure the bagpipes is a musical instrument. Try telling the Greeks, the Scots, the Irish and some English that it's not.

I'm not Scottish, but the skirl of bagpipes can be very pleasing - in the right environment. A lone piper during a funeral or memorial service can send shivers up and down spines. Here's a blast from the past - Glen Campbell singing 'Bonaparte's Retreat' (got it going right now). Listen for the bit using bagpipes. If you enjoy tears of laughter, listen for PDQ Bach (alias of Prof Pete Schickele) and how he uses bagpipes - playing alongside a lute!

 

[Derek McNelly]

I am not sure if this qualifies as a musical instrument but I play the bagpipes.

Whenever I see someone playing the bagpipes, I am inclined to go and tap the tops of the drones. Gives me a few more minutes of peace. (Bagpipe players will probably insta-rage at that comment)

Musically inclined ? Yes

What do you play ? Drums, Guitar, Bass, Keyboard, and 5 years of Vocal training (I is a Baritone-Soprano II. I'm proud of my range.)

Do you read notes or go by ear ? I can read scores, but generally, I play by ear.

How Long have you been at it ? Voice - 12 years, Drums - 8 years, Guitar - 6 years, Bass - 5 years, Keyboard - 2 years

What kind of music do you play to ? Pretty much everything from Opera on down to Punk.

 

[Scribs20]

Musically inclined ?

What do you play ?

Do you read notes or go by ear ?

How Long have you been at it ?

What kind of music do you play to ?


Myself , Drums .. Ear ... 25 years... Rock.

This is my own true gift to myself , The feeling when you finally " Get it Right " .... AHHHHHHHH =)

Guitar and drums, i play by ear but i can read tab for guitar, drums for 9 years and acoustic guitar for 4, i play rock and i am all self taught! no lessons

 

[John F]

Musically inclined ? Yes

What do you play ? 5-string electric violin, 5-string hybrid acoustic violin, mandola (tenor mandola in Europe), short scale cittern, Celtic bouzouki.

Do you read notes or go by ear ? Can read music with a struggle, prefer to play by ear and/or improvise harmonies when in a group

How Long have you been at it ? Ouch - close to half a century!

What kind of music do you play to ? Appalachian / Old Time / Blue Grass / Celtic / roots folk / sing-along / etc.