Indian (east) stringed instruments: surbahar (bass sitar) and rudra vina (archaic ancestor of sitar family), and tablas (Indian hand drums) . Playing an instrument comes in handy when you're auditioning equipment: if you have a recording of your instrument you know how it is supposed to sound! |
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I'm also floating in Warren's boat. I began taking formal keyboard instruction at age 11. After 7 years of scales, arpeggios and chord progressions taught to me by a then 71 year old classically trained woman, (who could bring tears to your eyes when she played), I moved onto another instructor. At that point, I spent another 9 years learning improvisational jazz. During that period I owned and played Hammmond B3s, C3s, and X5s, Fender Rhodes pianos, and an assortment of synthesizers. Although my practicing was always done on a Kawai 5'6 baby grand. It has now been about 5 years since I last played, but I have promised myself another acoustic piano. I miss playing SO much. But, it's like riding a bicycle, other than a general loss of dexterity in the fingers, you never forget how to play. And for me, no audio rig can reproduce the emotions you feel when you play. |
I did the piano thing when I was a kid. Had Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, (you've heard of these guys?) drilled into me. Scales, scales, scales, and more scales. Finally, after the Beatles, American arrival, my mommy let me move to popular music. It was great and I was motivated, for a while, to practice. Got side tracked in school. Played alto sax for years in the school band. Sat in first seat. Played oboe in high school. That was a toughy. Double reed was a killer. Still to this day, I'll hit the ivory if I'm near one. Don't have to think of how to play every major scale. After 40 years it's still there. Never considered myself a musician, though, but I can appreciate Art Tatum and the rest of those music monsters. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall, when he took his piano lessons. This has given me an idea for a cool thread. I'll keep you posted. |
All percussion instruments. High School Band. College Band. Navy School of Music. US Naval Academy Band, etc. Like mostly classical, movie soundtracks. |
Mostly guitar and some bass. Played with various rock & roll bands over the years, but don't think of myself as what I consider to be a true musician, just a player who's not really as good as people seem to think. I've never worked too hard at it, though I started when I was 11 and took lessons for a few years, but the music I like to play generally doesn't require much real virtuousity anyway. I particularly like to compose my own music (though I can no longer write or read it), but since I'm not a singer or a lyricist, don't actually produce finished works on my own. My other musical ambition is to one day get a drumset, and learn to do more than just barely get by with rudimentary beats as I do now. I am positive that playing has had an effect on how I listen to music, but I couldn't tell you if or how that might translate into any of my system choices. |
I studied piano as a child for about 8 years and cello for 3 (around the same time.) Left them both for electric guitar as a teenager, for fun, and euphonium in the High School band. Studied shakuhachi in my twenties and now full circle back to the piano for the last 5 or so years. My system actually got me back to the piano by re-discovering my love of classical music and immersion in G.Gould's recordings. I think I aspired to be a classical pianist, as a youth, but stopped mentioning it when my brothers kept saying: "what!? a classical penis?" |
My voice. I am singing Rachmaninov as part of a group the next two Sundays, in conjunction with a St. Petersburg Festival in Maryland. |
Drums, cymbals, sounds, gongs.....I really focus in on the percusion instruments. I can tell alot about a system with familiar recordings and knowing the drums sonic signature. I only wish to be the one on those recordings while listening to them on my system. Keep on jamming! |
I have played drums since I was 16, 38 now, so quite a long time. I play with 2 bands (country and blues) but have a corporate day job, so it is just a hobby but very important to me. Seems like most of my hobbies revolve around music.... I want to start singing in a choir again as I like choral music. |
Although I've played guitars off and on-- both acoustic and electric-- for over 40 years, I do not consider myself a musician, ie no professional work. I play mostly classic R&R, some blues, and some C/W. I play my stereo system much better though. The sounds of real instruments do help me keep a firm grasp on what real instruments sound like. Cheers. Craig |
Guitar for 37 years (I own quite a few older Gibsons & Fenders), piano/organ, sax, drums, & harmonica. I play jazz, rock, pop, clasical, blues, etc. I love all types of music only if it moves my soul and provides some emotional impact. It never really influenced my equipment choices mostly in the past, price did. I have never really ever heard a system that could capture a live event.
Happy Listening and Playing. |
Accordion, Chromatic Accordion, Bandoneon, Harmonica.
Some guitar rhythm and bass...
I can't call myself as a musician since I do not perform professionally but being what I am does not influence my equipment choices. It rather influence the music I listen and appreciate to. Yes, certainly I adore tango! |
