What instrument(s) do you play?

[Jerry Atrick]

Played a bit of trombone, tuba and sousaphone (tuba) back in the day.
Beat on drums like a two year old (but a decent two, ya know?).
Banjo somewhat....
Leeetle piano
Head is hurting trying to come up with the lie
need sake brb

That's awesome, 6am! Do you play bluegrass banjo or old time (clawhammer, 2 finger, etc)?

I started out on acoustic guitar when I was like 25 years old. Learned the basic chords from a book and got to printing tab sheets from online to learn my favorite Pink Floyd and John Prine tunes.

Soon started writing my own songs and taught myself how to record on my own equipment. Recorded and printed 6 full length albums so far with dozens of songs still not placed on CD. Did it the wrong way though because I bypassed the whole "record a 3 song EP and pitch it to record companies" sort of thing. Just started recording shit and sharing with friends and family.

Then about 6 or 7 years ago I dove into clawhammer hack style banjo. I say hack style because I sort of got the picking motion down but haven't yet begun to do much magic with my fretting hand. I started writing songs and my lyrics match the meter with what I'm playing. So I got stuck with playing like a hack because if I learned to properly play clawhammer, my pickin wouldn't work with the lyrics I wrote.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

I used to be pretty good on the vulvaphone, but sadly I'm out of practice.

I own a skin flute but don't know how to play, just loan it out to other folks when I can.

 

[December Flower]

I was given an electric guitar when I was 7 but I was never able to do much with it. It wore me out trying to press down with the right amount of pressure and chords were even harder. Oh well, nobody's perfect. At least I still play drums, piano and violin. I excel at classical violin, playing with orchestras and such. Drums being my first instrument it's like second nature (I got bored in marching band) and I can sight read just like on piano, but I'm not a great pianist. Maybe intermediate level

How does this work btw? Like being able to stretch hands over an octave on the piano but too small for the guitar?maybe you should try again while not being 7 years old

Just bumping this thread as I was about to create one with basically the same title in LAVA, then this one was recommended.

I see this hasn't been posted in since 2020 and we've had a lot of new members since so, I'm interested in hearing, as the title suggests: What instruments do you Bluelighters play?

What music do you make? What kind of tricks and accessories do you use (effects pedals, DAWS etc) to get a distinct sound? etcetera, etcetera.

Thanks for bumping

I got really into synthesizers, drum machines, samplers and 'grooveboxes' (which are multi-track all-in-one composition machines) over the pandemic!

Spent a small fortune, but it kept me entertained through lockdowns, gave me a new hobby and revived in me, a love of composing music that I'd not experienced since first experimenting with modern DAWs (music programs for computers) almost ten years earlier.

I've really learnt a lot about sound design in this time (and just sound in general) which I'd describe as music the particle physics of music - sound in it's most elementary, atomic form.

I'll post some pictures of my favourite synths and give a bit of an explanation about what they can do soon.


Really hope some others chime in!

Good that the pandemic did sone good

 

[PtahTek]

That's awesome, 6am! Do you play bluegrass banjo or old time (clawhammer, 2 finger, etc)?

Bro couldnt tell ya. Just found one in good condition and started fuckin with it. Got decent (imo) but of course it all passed like all things. lol

 

[December Flower]

Bro couldnt tell ya. Just found one in good condition and started fuckin with it. Got decent (imo) but of course it all passed like all things. lol

Bluegrass banjos have that fifth G string on top. Like only half a string, hillbilly screwed to the fingerboard. Looks very unique

 

[December Flower]

Fannied about on a keyboard since a kid (very therapeutic) and learned a bit at school altho was too busy getting drunk and all that good stuff you do when you're a tennager and my school didn't encourage anything that wasn't fucking ott 'musical style" in fact my music teacher used to throw me out of class most of the time because I said 'god' out loud and he was strict religious and I wouldn't adjust my behaviour... but I would sneak in the piano rooms sometimes when I should have been in e.g. maths. I bought a korg synth played around on it before I got in to drugs on a daily basis so didn't really practice whilst at uni and then other shit hit the fan to put it nicely. Then when homeless I acquired an acoustic guitar that I learned some chords on (still have guitars). Always wanted piano lessons tho. Anyway once I got my digital keyboard back (the one I practiced on as a kid) I practiced untill I could play pieces like David Bowie life on mars and riders on the storm the doors. Finally at 31 I threw my old keyboard out (my abusive ex destroyed it one time years ago in a fit of anger as he 'had enough of me practicing' even altho it wasn't loud) and I saved and bought myself a new one as a reward for both leaving him and giving up alcohol etc. I took my first piano lesson not long ago and I'm getting better at it the tutor said I have natural technique . I also went through a stage of 'playing' in a band for a small time using my synthesiser and also putting sets together on my digital decks for fun (can't actually DJ btw used sync lol altho my first bf who I lost was gonna teach me before his accident )': )
Last year I started teaching myself how to use a daw (altho an ancient version it got me started) and have some terrible and some decent ideas recorded....now though I'm in the beginning stages of learning how to use Ableton live which should be fun once I FINALLY get started - just figure out a few technical hiccups. So yep i should hopefully have something I'm proud enough to put out publicly in the foreseeable and my ideas are getting better with practice just need to get them actually sounding the way I want but I'll get there with mixing in time. Piano is my absolute favourite I get lost in it most days and disappear somewhere else for a while it's magic. Can do a 16-beat and some other basic stuff on drums. Recorded drums and piano on two songs for an album for a mental health charity some years ago and I would like to study to become a music therapist one day I think - doing some voluntry stuff atm to find out. Love piano love music. I play a little harmonica now got better at that and recently got a kalimba which is cool. If anyone can recommend any good piano pieces to learn or any workouts that's helped them play better that would be class

Yeesh what an ass destroying your keyboard.

Well important is that you know your hand motions and dont wander too much about, you want to stick to your position mostly so the shift in tone height isnt too big, since you can play anything in any hand position. That's helped me the most back then. Practice different ways of playing each chord. That's what helped me most back in the day.

Good pieces for learning? Hm depends how well you can play. Für Elise is easy, was the first piece i ever learned as a child. River flows in you is also quite easy. The Entertainer is goodnonce you're a little more progressed

 

[saucygirl]

Played drums for a long time

I suck at guitar but it's fun sometimes

I suck at piano too. Too gentle, doesn't interest me

 

[ions]

First song I learned how to play on guitar was Santa monica by everclear.

 

[saucygirl]

 

[Mjäll]

Guitar is the one i really relate to, sound wise. Keyboard is more for theoretical overview, but also a great friend. On the keyboard i have learned to play in all keys with full understanding but still gravitate heavily toward G minor and its fingerings. The guitar has a neutral, transposable fingering which is good. The arbitrary mnemonics are unavoidable but perhaps best kept minimal.

My dream instrument i think would be a multiscale 6 string electric guitar with minimal weight. Phase flip option like the legendary Peavey T60.

Also have some drums and percussion that i sometimes play for good measure.

Music to me is learning a language and i feel that the instruments are just tools that let me enrich my appreciation of this language. I was into electronic music production previously and may pick that up again. It really speaks to this abstract feature of musicality that i love.

 

[Tranced]

The ableton.

 

[Kaden_Nite]

The ableton.

For some reason, I just can't my head around it. I do like the instruments that my version of Ableton Live came with though.

I was using Cubase for a few years and was surprised at what I could do seeing as I have zero knowledge about writing songs.

Good that the pandemic did sone good

yeah, When life hands you lemons, spend all your money on wacky sound machines..

 

[Tranced]

For some reason, I just can't my head around it. I do like the instruments that my version of Ableton Live came with though.

I was using Cubase for a few years and was surprised at what I could do seeing as I have zero knowledge about writing songs.

yeah, When life hands you lemons, spend all your money on wacky sound machines..

Same Kaden - I absolutely do not use the session control and people say that's the most important bit. I came from fruityloops and I'm used to the blocks they use.