#1. A musical thought of sorts

[Thomas]

So here's my first attempt at a "good thread" from Betty's idea.

A few minutes ago, my roommate came up to me and asked if I knew how to tune his guitar. I've never attempted tuning a guitar before, not to mention PLAY it, but I figured I could give it a shot. I went online for a "tuner" (it was waaaaaaay out of tune, but I could find the approximate correct pitches) and went to town with his guitar.

I've never considered myself to have particularly good ears for pitch, but I have had a bit of experience tuning tympani (or kettle drums, if you will) throughout my musical schooling. I definitely didn't know what I was doing (I was tightening one string while plucking another, for example) but I just used what I knew from tuning other percussion instruments and went at it.

It seemed to me like the bottom string was a bit off, no matter where I tried putting it, but when I played all 6 strings at once, it sounded alright. All the other strings, at least to my an my roommate's ears, sounded quite good.

For you musicians out there, have you ever had an experience like this where you think you might do well in another instrument? Do you ever think that your instrument of choice might not have been the instrument you would have actually been best at? I'm a percussionist. I live and breathe percussion (I'm considering it for a major, actually...) but there have been moments where I think "I bet I would have been good at trumpet" or "maybe I should have tried sax..." Thoughts, anyone?

[_Lost_]

I shouldn't be allowed to play instruments... at all. The wreckage that I produce from what used to be songs is enough to tell me so. I have a hard time with my own songs sometimes. I really just need to stick to vocals.

[Llamas]

No. But at the same time, I've managed to learn most instruments, and I've found that sax was the right choice. It came the most natural. And I thank god every day that my first instrument wasn't guitar, because I would've quit so fast and never looked back.

I don't get more enjoyment from playing any instrument than the sax, either. I used to joke in college about how sax was the wrong choice, because it's completely not versatile... but I've made it so in my life.

Karin, it's cool, we're gonna be Savage Garden.

[jacknife737]

I used to play the Alto Sax, but i stopped around when i was 15. I also, stopped just before i started getting into ska music, which really was a shame, since it would have no doubt stimulated my interest in my former instrument.

I've always wanted to play the guitar, but i've barely touched one (I screwed around on a buddy's electric for about 2 minutes once, when i was in high school). The thing is, if i did it, i'd like to do it diy, by self-teaching, since the thought of music lessons puts me completely off the idea. I keep telling myself "i'll try it next summer", but i always get caught up with a job, or something else. There is also the issue of whether i would buy a cheap one/ cheap amp, or go out and rent one.

I suspect this lack of ambition concerning the guitar, will continue until i'm pushing 40, where i'll snap one day, and form a punk band with my fellow office mates called "The Wallstreet Hookers" or something.

[darea]

I was forced to play the flute at school (College : Middle school), from age 11 to... 12 and maybe till 14-15. I never liked it, it was the only instrument we had to play in our music classes, I would have preferred to have more choice.
In primary school, we played a little more instruments in music class. Like long tubes that looked like the tubes of a vacuum cleaner that you wave round above your head and makes the sound of the wind. I loved those but you can't really call that an instrument. Or the triangle, that was pretty easy-boring.

The one instrument I took lessons for and that I really enjoyed was the Djembé.

And I played pretty well. I had a great teacher, who was from Burkina Faso. We had prepared a show that we would do together at the end of the year, but the teacher's cousins died in a car crash and so he stopped giving us lessons. Another teacher came to replace him but it was not as good, and a lot of his kids were running around playing during the lessons, it kinda put me off so I stopped. I've still got too Djembés a big one and a medium and I might start playing again some time. I'm not really good at improvising though, more at just doing the tunes/songs that I learnt.

I would have liked to learn the guitar as well, but I can't be bothered to go to lessons, I've got small hands and my fingers are too lazy! lol Besides, it's Americana that made me wanna learn the guitar but I couldn't be bothered and its cool enough just to watch other people play it! I don't need to!

[Thomas]

Who was your teacher, just out of curiosity? Did he play with Mamady Keita (who is a fucking legend of djembe)? I took djembe classes for a while, too, and absolutely love it. I like how the rhythms aren't based around math like western style music generally is. It's all about the feel of everything and if you use your brain instead of your heart, it ain't gonna work.

[darea]

My teacher was called Souleyman (we called him Souly) and I don't know his family name. I have no idea who he played with... so I can't help about that. He was a great guy and really made me feel good despite the fact that I was pretty shy, it was really fun playing music with him. We also learned and sung some african songs Kakilambé (which meant "ya qu'a travailler : we might as well work") and Anabaraké... lol I remember some of the lyrics but have no idea of the spelling!

It's a shame I haven't kept contact with him. But that's too bad. I must have heard of Amady Keita, rings a bell.

[randman21]

Do you ever think that your instrument of choice might not have been the instrument you would have actually been best at?

Absolutely.I've gone through violin, trombone, clarinet, bass clarinet, keyboard and now guitar, but I am 100% sure I would have been a good drummer, had I ever gotten access to a set anywhere. When I'm writing a song, the drum part is always my favorite and the part that stands out most, in my opinion. I think I have very good instincts about how parts should go, considering I've never really played drums. Plus, I'm always beating on things: tables, walls, refrigerators. Heh, you name it. Now, I have the money, but not the space, even for an electric kit. I see myself finally getting one in the near future, though, and it will be my favorite thing ever, not that I ever plan on being the drummer in a band.

[Rutegard]

I was forced to play the flute at school (College : Middle school), from age 11 to... 12 and maybe till 14-15. I never liked it,

The one instrument I took lessons for and that I really enjoyed was the Djembé.

how come you didn't like the flute? such a great sound! i used to play the eurovision song! i still do ;P

and Djembé has a great sound. we played it too. did you also dance?

[darea]

how come you didn't like the flute? such a great sound! i used to play the eurovision song! i still do ;P

and Djembé has a great sound. we played it too. did you also dance?

No I never danced. I actually don't dance at all. I don't like dancing. Mostly because I don't know how to I guess, and I'm too embarrassed and don't feel the need to!
Why I don't like the flute? I don't know, I guess I don't like doing things with my fingers and mouth, hands are just more fun. Lol What a lousy excuse. I don't mind the sound of the flute, I just don't like playing it! And Randman thought I looked like a flute playing person, lol I took that as an insult but only cause well, it reminds me of when I played the flute and I just couldn't wait to get to a higher grade where flute wasn't obligatory any more.