I honestly don't know how Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) can play that monster-ass FIVE NECK GUITAR. Can he even hold that thing? 
Do you play an instrument?
- Thread starter JesterFace
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Air drums. Particularly on Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein".
Seriously, I can play a semi-respectable harmonica.
I also took piano lessons in the early 1980s ... definitely a love/hate relationship. But I did retain enough interest to get a keyboard 6-7 years ago and try to relearn some of it. It did not come back easily, but I was able to play a few things. I then dropped it for several years due to some personal crises. When I sat down and tried to pick it up yet again, it suddenly seemed much much harder to re-re-learn than it had been a few years back. Not sure why. Haven't been able to overcome it yet.
One thing I did observe is that I still can't play a tune simply from sheet music unless I already know how it sounds. Haven't decided if that's because I didn't retain / relearn enough knowledge of sheet music, or if playing by ear is just more my nature — which is exactly what I do with the harmonica.
There are two violinists whose playing mesmerizes me - Bob O'Donovan, and Karen Briggs.
Bob O'Donovan was the little-known 6th member of the Irish Rovers, who was part of the group for a short time in the 1970s. He played violin, mandolin, and a couple of other stringed instruments. Many years later he was part of the Some Mad Irishmen group (started by Will Millar after he left the Irish Rovers).
Fast-forward to 8:05 for his introduction and performance; it continues to 11:15.
Karen Briggs... is magic. She was part of Yanni's Live At The Acropolis concert, and her playing blew me away. She and the conductor, Shardad Rohani, performed a "dueling violins" piece along with the drummers who also had a duel going. The violin section of this is a joy to listen to and watch:
I honestly don't know how Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) can play that monster-ass FIVE NECK GUITAR. Can he even hold that thing?
reading music just involves practice, practice, practice, honestly, the more you do the faster you’ll be able to do it. Personally it has always been a challenge: as I memorize everything really fast I never read enough to become proficient.
I learned by ear many years before learning to read sheet music. Even when I did my Western Board of Music exams for the organ, I preferred to memorize the pieces I had to play, rather than rely on sheet music. I didn't want to get dependent on something that would result in panic if I lost my place during the exam.
That meant hours and hours every day, of training my muscle memory in everything - the organ requires both hands and both feet, with some pieces necessitating heel and toe playing on the pedals (the examiners pay attention to that, and if you do it wrong it can throw off your timing).
That meant hours and hours every day, of training my muscle memory in everything - the organ requires both hands and both feet, with some pieces necessitating heel and toe playing on the pedals (the examiners pay attention to that, and if you do it wrong it can throw off your timing).
That's not just you, that's just sheet music. It gives you the notes and chords, tells you the key, time signature and tempo but feel is another matter altogether.
It may look like that but in the end it gets a lot easier once you learn some.
The secret is out, all guitarists hate me, if not before, they do now.
I thought playing chords is the easy thing to do.What I'd really love to learn is the Chapman Stick....seems like it should be easier since you don't have to play chords.
Just strumming Em, Am and so on, isn't that the easy thing?
It doesn't look easy to me. I mean, you have to figure out where to put your fingers on the neck, which frets to put them on, which strings to strum...that's kinda beyond my pay grade.
At least with the Chapman Stick (or any bass guitar), you only have to play one note at a time!
It doesn't look easy to me. I mean, you have to figure out where to put your fingers on the neck, which frets to put them on, which strings to strum...that's kinda beyond my pay grade.
I guess I don't know enough chords to call it complicated but for a player like me who's into metal music tablature is far more usefull. It shows you what string to push in certain fret.
It doesn't look easy to me. I mean, you have to figure out where to put your fingers on the neck, which frets to put them on, which strings to strum...that's kinda beyond my pay grade.
At least with the Chapman Stick (or any bass guitar), you only have to play one note at a time!
Who just plays one note at a time on bass?
Not that I've entertained any thoughts of trying this one myself, but I'm in awe of anyone with the lung capacity to do justice to the shawm.
I was researching medieval-era instruments for my ongoing NaNoWriMo project, and ran across this video compilation of David Munrow demonstrating various medieval and Renaissance instruments:
I was researching medieval-era instruments for my ongoing NaNoWriMo project, and ran across this video compilation of David Munrow demonstrating various medieval and Renaissance instruments:
I played drums for about ten years and not that great but I enjoy it. I have a kit in my room still if I ever want to play but stopped going to lessons once we had covid lockdown and then when we were out I realised I wasn't excited about going back so I cancelled. My nieces have a kit now so I'm thinking I should try some more.
"Brassy spitty things"?
Ha! Love it!
Playing the flute in concert band meant sitting in the front row. Brass was behind me. Blech.
Ha! Love it!
Playing the flute in concert band meant sitting in the front row. Brass was behind me. Blech.
Interesting... I don't ever remember being directly behind the flutes. I recall the woods being up there. Granted, we never had any strings in our public school groups. Having them tends to shift everybody else toward the middle
It's also possible I'm misremembering. I moved around a lot. Us jack-of-all-trades brassers got loaned out wherever the group came up short, trombone, French horn, tuba, baritone euphonium... Whatever.
Except vintage types, I've played most every general brass type at one time or another, including flugel horns & piccolo trumpets. I even marched with the wrap-around Sousaphone a few times. That beast is no picnic... None of which did I ever own. I've only ever bought the one F. Besson silver pro trumpet. It's a gem that's lasted a lifetime.
{raises hand)
Actually, me when I go into a syncopated mode or play stuff that isn't particularly melodic, but still anchors a song. I tend to play fairly fast at such times, but it's still basically one note at a time.
Both my "junior high" and high school music room had raised levels, basically just step height.
Flutes and clarinets were front row, on the floor. First "step", second row was sax, trumpets, French horns and trombones. Second "step" third row was tubas and percussion.
There were no strings in my county's music program at all.
As I recall we had two french horns, three saxes, half a dozen trumpets and three trombones, two tubas, timpani and a kid on full drum kit. There were six or seven clarients and an equal number of flutes so woods equalled almost half the band.
Actually, so do I. Only time I ever play more than one note at a time is the intro to Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side.
I'll mess about occasionally with two notes at a time, a 1st and 3rd, 1st and 5th kind of thing but never used two notes at a time in a song I've written.
Flutes and clarinets were front row, on the floor. First "step", second row was sax, trumpets, French horns and trombones. Second "step" third row was tubas and percussion.
There were no strings in my county's music program at all.
As I recall we had two french horns, three saxes, half a dozen trumpets and three trombones, two tubas, timpani and a kid on full drum kit. There were six or seven clarients and an equal number of flutes so woods equalled almost half the band.
Actually, so do I. Only time I ever play more than one note at a time is the intro to Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side.
I'll mess about occasionally with two notes at a time, a 1st and 3rd, 1st and 5th kind of thing but never used two notes at a time in a song I've written.
I'm 62 years old, I didn't pick up a guitar till I was 53
I play, not very well, but ok at times
I prefer acoustic
In a surreal quirk of fate, I have contracted osteoarthritis, and it's very painful in my hands, so playing is getting harder
However, this is me and on this website you'll find what I have achieved in later life, as a "musician"
Check out my blogs, I try to be honest and don't take myself too seriously because I know my limitations
www.melancholicfolkcollective.com
I play, not very well, but ok at times
I prefer acoustic
In a surreal quirk of fate, I have contracted osteoarthritis, and it's very painful in my hands, so playing is getting harder
However, this is me and on this website you'll find what I have achieved in later life, as a "musician"
Check out my blogs, I try to be honest and don't take myself too seriously because I know my limitations
www.melancholicfolkcollective.com
Well, of course you CAN play chords on bass if you want to, but you don't HAVE to.
