The SE++ International Orchestra [Instrument Thread]

Noisymunk

I love playing percussion instruments. I've got acoustic and electric drum sets and a bunch of hand percussion instruments.
The last thing I recorded was a project for a DW Drums contest - I didn't win, but it was a great exercise charting out and then learning a Rush song in like a week (I was away on vacation during much of the contest period).
https://youtu.be/pUE2iPF5v6Q

I've got an acoustic trio going that plays in restaurants and bars around Rhode Island.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7jU8FegsaA

I dabble in audio engineering as well, and I've produced promo demos for my bands from my little home studio.

Seriously

I played trombone for a while


wonk

that's me

wonk wonk


but! I had to sell it to make rent one month--tragedy!

I was never any good, but I still miss it sometimes

Theodore Floosevelt

i played trombone too, from middle through high school, marching my lil buns off. our shows were pretty cool! we played like rush and queen and boston

then i started playing guitar, which i enjoy much more

i do hope to play the ol t-bone again someday, but if you play trombone in an apartment building your neighbors will execute you

Prolegomena

Seriously wrote: »

I played trombone for a while


but! I had to sell it to make rent one month--tragedy!

This puts you in the company of some really great musicians, I reckon.

HeadCreeps

I've played bass since I was in high school, though I haven't kept at it very well.

Last year I bought an electric guitar and a Fender Mustang II guitar amp. I try to practice whenever I can, but I usually just wind up screwing around with all the neat effects on the amp, rather than use the time for any meaningful progress.

I also have a keyboard that I used for a while and then gave up on.

spono

I played trumpet for six years starting in middle school and haven't touched it since 2003. I should dig that thing out and give it a whirl.

It was pretty fun in high school, what with the marching band and the concert band competitions and the jazz band.

We had a lot of bands.

builderr0r

Competitions and marching band were fun. Although I can't say I miss playing at football games in freezing weather. I remember putting on like 3 layers of clothing and still freezing my ass off.

Radius

I took piano lessons when I was a kid.

But then my mom told me "I didn't appreciate the lessons enough" so she stopped paying for my lessons, but I still had to sit around for 2 hours and do nothing each week for six months while my brother took lessons.

I've been thinking about getting a guitar and Rocksmith though.

Calica

I play clarinet pretty decently - I was a music performance major in college for a couple of years, before I decided to switch to something with job prospects. I haven't really kept at it, but I take it out once in a while to make sure we both remember how to play.

I also taught myself to play trumpet in high school so I could impress a guy I had a crush on by joining the jazz band. (Benny Goodman notwithstanding, showing up with a clarinet would have had me playing trumpet parts anyway, and laughed at to boot.) This plan worked perfectly, and as a result I play trumpet, mellophone, and soprano horn at a baseline level of competence (they all have the same fingerings, you see). I played mello in college marching band.

ASimPerson

I am completely bereft of any musical talent whatsoever, but I must have some sort of compulsion to feel inadequate because I always seem to wind up surrounded by people who are musical.

ahava

@Infidel

i believe this thready may be relevant to your interests.

FAQ

i used to love love love playing the guitar and then I lost all interest and haven't played in years, I was alright at it

I got a lovely cherry red telecaster gathering dust

Lorahalo

I was starting to learn the violin when I broke my wrist and now I'm not even sure if I'll ever be able to play. It was fun too. ATM I can't even turn my wrist to get the first string, let alone any others.

Cello

ASimPerson wrote: »

I am completely bereft of any musical talent whatsoever, but I must have some sort of compulsion to feel inadequate because I always seem to wind up surrounded by people who are musical.

Clearly you were meant to be a manager. Force them into a band and make millions!

joshofalltrades

Oh neat, a thread about stuff I like!

I play at least 13 instruments, and I think I'm okay at most of them, but everybody always wants me to play the harmonica for some reason.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU4w4_-g_Fc

Tofystedeth

I've played piano since kindergarten, but because I'm a lazy bum I never really started applying myself until my senior year of highschool, due in large part to finding the FF Piano Collections.
As a result I'm mediocre (at best, usually closer to terrible) at sightreading both hands simultaneously, so I have practice stuff a bunch of times until I've basically got it memorized before I can play it at anything like it's supposed to sound. I'm also not one of those people who can sit down and be like "hey ya'll, I'm going to play some chords and notes and it's going to sound like anything."

On the other hand, I've been really into singing my whole life, even though it took me until college to get over my shyness and actually join the choir. When I'm singing I actually am pretty good, and am not terrible at improvising bass or sometimes inner harmonies.
I also am a pretty good whistler.

joshofalltrades

I also own and play one of these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zaj3miIVRZY

But I don't have any video of me playing one.

If you look up Erin's Charm on Spotify (that was my Irish group), I play one very subtly on Old Irish Blessing.

ceres

I really want to learn to play the guitar and the violin. My violin needs some minor repairs and to be restrung, and the bow needs work. My guitar is impossible and I need a new one that is actually appropriate for my skill level. There's an acoustic I want very badly but it's a little more money than I have for that right now.

DaMoonRulz

https://youtu.be/Oi8-S1olyGI

I'm in disguise as a Tuba player. Goodness gracious, that was 11 years ago.

(it says 2005, but it's wrong)

Xaquin

ceres wrote: »

I really want to learn to play the guitar and the violin. My violin needs some minor repairs and to be restrung, and the bow needs work. My guitar is impossible and I need a new one that is actually appropriate for my skill level. There's an acoustic I want very badly but it's a little more money than I have for that right now.

Having started on an acoustic, I feel like an electric is way easier for a beginner

joshofalltrades

Xaquin wrote: »

ceres wrote: »

I really want to learn to play the guitar and the violin. My violin needs some minor repairs and to be restrung, and the bow needs work. My guitar is impossible and I need a new one that is actually appropriate for my skill level. There's an acoustic I want very badly but it's a little more money than I have for that right now.

Having started on an acoustic, I feel like an electric is way easier for a beginner

Also more fun, but if you're determined to learn no matter what acoustic will build better hand strength and the all-important callouses

Xaquin

very true. acoustic strings are generally higher off the frets so you have to really push down.

joshofalltrades

Well, also, bends are tougher to do. Learn to do them on an acoustic and suddenly it's super easy when you switch to electric!

I've been thinking about upping my acoustic string gauge. I only use lights right now, but I use .11s on my electrics.

Uriel

I have 2 guitars.

One decent acoustic and a really shitty electric that might work okay if it got a lot of work done or if I just bought a decent one.

And I can barely play like a few chords because I don't practice enough.

pimento

Once I have my dad's old pianola moved and tuned and working I'll run a few scrolls through it and pretend I can still play.

Vegemyte

I have a bunch of things! But I'll show you my most recent things!

2012 Duesenberg Starplayer TV Custom

1996 Rickenbacker 4003

I also got an SQ-10 Sequencer for my MS-20 mini, but I haven't quite gotten the hang of using that yet.

Shen

I miss playing sax, wish I'd practiced more as a kid. God, kids are so dumb about what they prioritise. Did I really need Dragonstalker Helm?!

Also a friend of mine works for the company developing this:

https://roli.com/products/seaboard-grand

Having seen it in person it is very cool and like, ludicrously expensive, though I suppose not much worse than a top end keyboard.

Xaquin

@Vegemyte , beautiful guitar, but my favorite thing there is that Vox amp

We wants it

Goatmon

Shen wrote: »

I miss playing sax, wish I'd practiced more as a kid. God, kids are so dumb about what they prioritise. Did I really need Dragonstalker Helm?!

Also a friend of mine works for the company developing this:

https://roli.com/products/seaboard-grand

Having seen it in person it is very cool and like, ludicrously expensive, though I suppose not much worse than a top end keyboard.

hahaha

the smallest one, at three octaves, costs 2k. Jesus.

Tofystedeth

I haven't had a piano for about 4 years. Our previous apartment didn't have room.
I've been thinking of picking up a Yamaha hybrid electric.
That way I still get the action of a real piano, without having to deal with tuning, and it will weigh a few hundred pounds less when it comes time to move it.

pimento

Tofystedeth wrote: »

I haven't had a piano for about 4 years. Our previous apartment didn't have room.
I've been thinking of picking up a Yamaha hybrid electric.
That way I still get the action of a real piano, without having to deal with tuning, and it will weigh a few hundred pounds less when it comes time to move it.

Mine is a Yamaha P-105, the action is nice and the sound is ok for an electric. I also carried it the kilometre or so home, so it's definitely easier to move than a proper piano.

joshofalltrades

Tofystedeth wrote: »

I haven't had a piano for about 4 years. Our previous apartment didn't have room.
I've been thinking of picking up a Yamaha hybrid electric.
That way I still get the action of a real piano, without having to deal with tuning, and it will weigh a few hundred pounds less when it comes time to move it.

I have a Nord Electro 3 HP and love it to bits and pieces. You can't find them new anymore (unless a store just never sold theirs back when it was new) but I'm sure you could find one used for a very reasonable price. It does everything I would ever need a keyboard to do, it feels amazing, and you can easily lift it with one hand.

Tofystedeth

pimento wrote: »

Tofystedeth wrote: »

I haven't had a piano for about 4 years. Our previous apartment didn't have room.
I've been thinking of picking up a Yamaha hybrid electric.
That way I still get the action of a real piano, without having to deal with tuning, and it will weigh a few hundred pounds less when it comes time to move it.

Mine is a Yamaha P-105, the action is nice and the sound is ok for an electric. I also carried it the kilometre or so home, so it's definitely easier to move than a proper piano.

Specifically this dude.
It's got all the levers and wooden bits and bobs of an acoustic piano's action, but the sound is all produced electronically, so you don't have the weight of the soundboard and strings and frame. And can do things like play with headphones or record directly to a USB stick and stuff.
I played around on one for a few minutes at a music store and it felt really good.

Syphyre

I used to be pretty good at playing the piano. I am now very rusty at it. I really need to set time aside to practice daily, because when I do sit down to play it's just the same songs over and over. And whatever new songs I pick out by ear from my little girl's cartoons.

Skeith

I can whistle some of Beethoven's 9th, but that's about it. Never felt like I had the dexterity or lung capacity for an instrument.

Goatmon

Nobody really does, until they've had a lot of practice.

pimento

It's more about diaphragm than lung, and yea, you learn it. It's like any muscle, exercise it regularly and it will build up to the work.

Psykoma

Because of you thread, I took out the guitar I used for like a month seven years ago and brought it to an instrument shop to be tuned up.

ceres

Xaquin wrote: »

ceres wrote: »

I really want to learn to play the guitar and the violin. My violin needs some minor repairs and to be restrung, and the bow needs work. My guitar is impossible and I need a new one that is actually appropriate for my skill level. There's an acoustic I want very badly but it's a little more money than I have for that right now.

Having started on an acoustic, I feel like an electric is way easier for a beginner

It has a Floyd Rose bridge and I can't tune it. I'd have to take it apart. I did end up getting an acoustic that is absolutely 100% perfect for me and completely beautiful and I'm in love with it. I had to put it on layaway, so I got a ukulele for pretty much nothing in the mean time, so I've been taking a run at teaching myself that. It's a lot more fun than I thought it would be, and I'm really enjoying it!

Xaquin

I've taken the plunge and started actually learning chords

I'm working on various punk songs since a lot of the chords are relatively simple

Enjoying the hell out of Red Hot Moon by Rancid currently