Hi, this topic is just for spare. Ive been into music since long, i play guitar, not professionaly and dont have training, but i play a little bit. Any others here too ?
Any musicians here ?
- Thread starter manArgentina
- Start date
I tried to learn the guitar, but fingers damaged in childhood accident (sheer carelessness on my part) limited that. At music therapy though I love to mess around on xylophone and drums, or just strum along on a lute. That is good fun and nobody complains if I'm off key.
I like to think I can play guitar, piano, descant recorder, saxophone and harmonica - but my kids disagree 
.
Truthfully I can manage a tune on each of them. I'm best with guitar.
Actually I'm an expert on the comb
.Truthfully I can manage a tune on each of them. I'm best with guitar.
Actually I'm an expert on the comb
I don't play but a close relative wrote a famous piece of music that is still played today - unfortunately I cannot say what as we need to remain anonymous to a point on this site. But it makes me proud and smile when I hear it played.
If I didn't play the guitar I'd be totally lost. It's a tough instrument to start with, because you feel a lot of pain before you start to get anywhere, but that's a bit like being a carer... a masochistic streak is required or you'll give up very quickly.
I wouldn't describe myself as a musician because to me that implies making a living from it, but I'm definitely an enthusiastic guitar player and becoming a carer has allowed me to become a much better player than I was a few years ago. It helps that I'm not in a flat any more, paranoid about upsetting the neighbours. Of course I have to be careful not to upset Mum, but I have a nice quiet nylon strung classical guitar for delicate times, and a steel strung acoustic for when Mum's in foot-tapping mode.
One thing that's surprised me though is that I'm getting far more pleasure out of learning "belt 'em out classics" like Sweet Caroline or Folsom Prison Blues (a song for full time carers if ever there was one!) than all the fancy bits of Pink Floyd I used to aspire to playing. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Anyway, yes... music. When I was young I used to dream of doing something wonderful and scientific... fusion research, satellite design, artificial intelligence. Now all I wish for is to write one really satisfying song before I shuffle off. Easier said than don't though (song writing, not shuffling off).
Couple of notes for those who've struggled with the guitar... putting very light gauge strings on a guitar can make a world of difference to playability. And don't discount the ukulele as a way of getting a bit of music into your life... you don't have to aim to be in the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
PS I also have a kazoo. I think it's the 'spirit' instrument most tuned to my soul. And talent.
I wouldn't describe myself as a musician because to me that implies making a living from it, but I'm definitely an enthusiastic guitar player and becoming a carer has allowed me to become a much better player than I was a few years ago. It helps that I'm not in a flat any more, paranoid about upsetting the neighbours. Of course I have to be careful not to upset Mum, but I have a nice quiet nylon strung classical guitar for delicate times, and a steel strung acoustic for when Mum's in foot-tapping mode.
One thing that's surprised me though is that I'm getting far more pleasure out of learning "belt 'em out classics" like Sweet Caroline or Folsom Prison Blues (a song for full time carers if ever there was one!) than all the fancy bits of Pink Floyd I used to aspire to playing. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Anyway, yes... music. When I was young I used to dream of doing something wonderful and scientific... fusion research, satellite design, artificial intelligence. Now all I wish for is to write one really satisfying song before I shuffle off. Easier said than don't though (song writing, not shuffling off).
Couple of notes for those who've struggled with the guitar... putting very light gauge strings on a guitar can make a world of difference to playability. And don't discount the ukulele as a way of getting a bit of music into your life... you don't have to aim to be in the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
PS I also have a kazoo. I think it's the 'spirit' instrument most tuned to my soul. And talent.
I forgot about the kazoo @Andrew_McP ... fortunately I've lost mine!
Sounded a lot like the comb anyway...
Sounded a lot like the comb anyway...
If I didn't play the guitar I'd be totally lost. It's a tough instrument to start with, because you feel a lot of pain before you start to get anywhere, but that's a bit like being a carer... a masochistic streak is required or you'll give up very quickly.
I wouldn't describe myself as a musician because to me that implies making a living from it, but I'm definitely an enthusiastic guitar player and becoming a carer has allowed me to become a much better player than I was a few years ago. It helps that I'm not in a flat any more, paranoid about upsetting the neighbours. Of course I have to be careful not to upset Mum, but I have a nice quiet nylon strung classical guitar for delicate times, and a steel strung acoustic for when Mum's in foot-tapping mode.
One thing that's surprised me though is that I'm getting far more pleasure out of learning "belt 'em out classics" like Sweet Caroline or Folsom Prison Blues (a song for full time carers if ever there was one!) than all the fancy bits of Pink Floyd I used to aspire to playing. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Anyway, yes... music. When I was young I used to dream of doing something wonderful and scientific... fusion research, satellite design, artificial intelligence. Now all I wish for is to write one really satisfying song before I shuffle off. Easier said than don't though (song writing, not shuffling off).
Couple of notes for those who've struggled with the guitar... putting very light gauge strings on a guitar can make a world of difference to playability. And don't discount the ukulele as a way of getting a bit of music into your life... you don't have to aim to be in the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.
PS I also have a kazoo. I think it's the 'spirit' instrument most tuned to my soul. And talent.
I am envious! I am - very annoyingly - half musical only. Started on recorder - no problem. Discovered I could play any melody by ear. Progressed to guitar and soon learned loads of chords. (The thing had cheese wire steel strings so I quickly developed hard fingertips!) Again, I could pick out any melody or put chords to any song, but.... I could not strum or finger-pick properly to save my life. Next the piano. Same sort of problems. Again, I can easily pick out melodies but can't get my hands to work independently - my left hand always wants to copy my right hand.
I loved my guitar though and played (badly) for many years. But no longer, so, if I may:'And on tubular bells - J'n'F!'
My claim to fame.
My grandmother used to play for the silent films.
She had such a good ear she was able to improvise according to whatever action was being portrayed; The Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford [my grandfather`s heart throb], Marie Lloyd, she told me all about them.
She was still playing the piano the day she died in her care home aged 91. She had flu, rallied, got up and played for a tea dance, had some tea and cake, said she couldn`t breathe and died.
My grandmother used to play for the silent films.
She had such a good ear she was able to improvise according to whatever action was being portrayed; The Keystone Kops, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford [my grandfather`s heart throb], Marie Lloyd, she told me all about them.
She was still playing the piano the day she died in her care home aged 91. She had flu, rallied, got up and played for a tea dance, had some tea and cake, said she couldn`t breathe and died.
Mine sounds more like a scooter with a bad exhaust. I bought it to do Jonah Lewie's 'Stop the Cavalry' at the dementia group last Christmas. Sounded somewhat worse than the real thing, but I don't have a horn section.
I've never found anything I'm naturally good at, and I certainly don't have your ear for music... quite the opposite; I've tried training my ear to pick out chords for a song but I'd probably be more successful at DIY brain surgery. I've learned to accept that nobody I ever play to (99% Mum!) is Simon Cowell, and nobody's paying to listen... so they get what they're given.
Gawd'elp me if I ever have to play with other people (ooer, matron!) because my idea of how popular tunes go is rarely accurate and I've never used a metronome in my life.
I've actually paid for this guy's version of Tubular Bells. Mike Oldfield woke me up to music when our form teacher played it to us in the long lost 70s, so it's ingrained in my head. But I wasted my money... I need to live to be about a hundred and forty if I'm going to get good enough to play it! I'll let you know when I need you and your tubular bells for a video.
What a wonderful way to go! Bless her. I'm more likely to go by tripping over my guitar strap.
Piano and double bass as a youngster. Main instrument was piano, but haven't played in over say 20 years, my piano was sold years ago. Now play classical guitar when time allows and really bad flamenco ...ahem
I played double bass as a youngster (badly) - in the holidays I had to take it home to practice - there is a certain art to getting one of these into a clapped out mini without your school friends noticing!
Hello you musical lot!
I am a Piano and Violin Teacher and the first time I played the Violin at dad's care home he came and stood in front of me and motioned to me to sit in a chair with my violin! He looked just like a conductor and I struggled to keep a straight face. I will be phoning the home again to make arrangements for a Xmas recital.
MaNaAk
I am a Piano and Violin Teacher and the first time I played the Violin at dad's care home he came and stood in front of me and motioned to me to sit in a chair with my violin! He looked just like a conductor and I struggled to keep a straight face. I will be phoning the home again to make arrangements for a Xmas recital.
MaNaAk
The DTP orchestra would consist of the following!
Conductor: Anyone for this role?
Strings:
MaNaAk (leader)
@manArgentina
@NaeSporran
@AndrewMcP
@Palerider
Woodwind:
@Bunpoots
@Glokta
@JadedandFaded
Brass:
Vacancies
Percussion:
The Piano is considered to be a percussion instrument and judging by all the replies to this thread most of us our qualified here.
MaNaAk
