Do you play an instrument? What's your favorite thing about it?
-
I play the renaissance lute, which also uses tied frets. I just play in equal temperament because its easier and my ear isn't that good. I'm merely an ambitious amateur though, maybe I'll get into it one of these days.
wrote last edited by [email protected]I play guitar, but I've never held a lute. I'd love to try one sometime. They are astonishingly beautiful works of art. I love everything about them.
Goddammit, now I have to buy a lute.
-
Or have you played something else in the past? What's your favorite piece to play?
Edit: thanks for everyone that has replied. This has been so heartwarming to read
Bass. It basses.
-
I play guitar, but I've never held a lute. I'd love to try one sometime. They are astonishingly beautiful works of art. I love everything about them.
Goddammit, now I have to buy a lute.
It's so hard to get into it; I'd never played one before I picked it up either.
This is a good entry-level lute. I had wanted one for a while before I got mine, but I was worried about spending so much and having it be unplayable.
I fortunately talked to another musician who had one of these already and he sounded fantastic, so I decided to take the plunge. I'm glad I did! There's nothing like playing period music on the actual instrument that would have been used (modern convenience like temperament aside) and reading from historical tabs.
I ran into the guy again about a month ago, and he has an incredible luthier-made theorbo that sounds amazing. Maybe I'll get one of those some day lol!
-
When I was a teen, music was how I made money. When my friends were flipping burgers or bussing tables, I was playing in multiple bands, and playing 3 or 4 gigs a month. That gave me enough pocket money to take my girl out.
So music and income became tightly linked for a long time. I got a degree in Music History, and worked for record labels for a few decades. Then I got out of music for a couple of decades.
When I took up the guitar again during the pandemic, I had absolutely no intention of performing ever again. I just wanted play for my own entertainment. To a certain extent, I also really wanted to conquer the guitar. I played it as a kid, but I never got very good. It beat me, and that always bothered me.
I've been playing again for 5 years, and I'm getting pretty good. I've far surpassed where I was as a kid, and can credibly call myself an intermediate player. The main thing is that money is no longer involved, I'm just doing it for fun and that took some getting used to. I just do it for love of music, self-satisfaction, and mental health.
Buying all these used guitars is costing me a fortune, though.
That's awesome you got back into it for pure enjoyment!
Gear acquisition syndrome is real though. Fortunately for me I was able to recover from it in the context of guitars. Unfortunately for me I picked up photography as a hobby...
-
You can pick up used trumpets on Facebook Marketplace for cheap. The most common mutes are straight and cup mutes.
Jazz players use them a lot. It gives them a cool, quiet, strained sound. Miles Davis used a straight mute often. So did Dizzy.
Get a cheap trumpet, stick a mute in it, and stand in your closet door, and play into your clothes.
Yeah, they are a lot cheaper than I expected. I appreciate the push and I’m very tempted, but my final excuse is just that I’m hella ADHD. I’ve got a long history of picking things up only to quickly put them back down and I’ve grown to be very careful when I think of getting into anything new. It’s why I’ve mostly played small instruments, they’re cheap and easier to store. I gotta think about it and talk to some people.
-
Or have you played something else in the past? What's your favorite piece to play?
Edit: thanks for everyone that has replied. This has been so heartwarming to read
Probably piano, my favourite thing is probably jazz music theory and lovely thick chords
-
Or have you played something else in the past? What's your favorite piece to play?
Edit: thanks for everyone that has replied. This has been so heartwarming to read
Having tulips on my organ
-
Or have you played something else in the past? What's your favorite piece to play?
Edit: thanks for everyone that has replied. This has been so heartwarming to read
I used to play harp when I was a teenager. But haven't touched that in 20 years. I like synths because they make amazing sounds which are very versatile, and it's possible to make an entire song yourself by sequencing.
-
Yep, grew up playing trombone in band, and string bass in orchestra, and played guitar and electric bass in basement rock bands. I went to a conservatory for college and stopped playing guitar and bass. Got a degree in Music History, went into the classical/jazz music biz for a couple decades, then my own non-music biz for a couple decades, and never played anything for all those years.
Then I was going stir crazy during the pandemic quarantine, going nuts from daytime TV, so in 2020 I took up the electric guitar, and got back to it.
I improved quickly, but about 18 months ago, I got into fingerstyle, and now I'm obsessed. All I ever wanted was to be able to play well enough to get through entire songs, and entertain myself. With finger picking, I can do that. I have a strong music background, so I don't use tabs, I just create my own arrangements.
The result has been amazing for my mental health. I came to realize that I had been operating with a low-grade depression for a long time, maybe most of my life, but playing the guitar has lifted most of that. That's how I knew I had been depressed - when it improved. It had just become my baseline existence.
Favorite things to play? I'm all over the place, from classical tunes, to modern songs. Some of my favorite pieces to play are two songs by Stephen Foster - a lullaby called Slumber My Darling, and a beautiful ballad called Hard Times, Come Again No More, which was Foster's own personal favorite, and the song he used to sing in taverns for free drinks as a broke, degenerate alcoholic.
It's so satisfying to sit on the front porch on a sunny late afternoon, looking out over the pond, and play my own music. If I was a religious person, I'd say it was one of God's greatest gifts.
Finger picking came fairly naturally to me, and I got to the point where a pick feels wrong. I can do more interesting things without.
-
Or have you played something else in the past? What's your favorite piece to play?
Edit: thanks for everyone that has replied. This has been so heartwarming to read
I have been on and off for the past 7 years due to moving overseas, but up until then, I'd been playing instruments since I was 8 (so over 20 years). Starred on clarinet, then flute, alto/tenor/baritone sax, some piano. Started to learn trombone, but I graduated so no longer had access.
I've always loved playing jazz and just general big band music. Pink Panther has always been a fun one to play. One of my friends here is in a band (vocals, drums, guitar, bass) and keeps hassling me to get a saxophone so I can guest gig and play "Careless Whisper." lol.
Since moving, I've missed my saxophone dearly, but it's expensive to ship and expensive to buy. I currently have a kalimba and low Irish whistle. They've been in the box for a few months due to moving houses. Seeing all of these posts make me want to break them out again.
-
That's awesome you got back into it for pure enjoyment!
Gear acquisition syndrome is real though. Fortunately for me I was able to recover from it in the context of guitars. Unfortunately for me I picked up photography as a hobby...
I've been having fun with the vintage guitars. I find old beat up ones, repair than, clean them up, restring them, and play them for a while, then sell them when I get something new. I've got a few that are my core collection, and the rest are just passing through. It's fun, and I make a little money to support my hobby.
One day, I'll get into building them.
