Wanting To Learn Alot Of Instruments

[Mazrocon]

I'm wanting to have and learn alot of instruments, almost as if someone just handed me any instrument and I could rock out on it. Is that too far fetched?

~TIMOTHY~

Edited May 19, 2008 by Mazrocon

[Steve]

No. Go for it.

[john]

Hey

Well I learned quite a few instruments, but my perspective was different. I saw myself more as a composer and arranger and wanted to gain an insight into the capabilities and limitations of different types of instrument.

I can get a tune out of many instruments but I still have one main instrument, although closely followed by a couple of others.

I took the approach of serious investment of time in different instrument groups. Strings (guitar, bass guitar, violin, mandolin), keyboards (piano and organs/synths), vocals (lead, harmony, backing, choral), wind (bagpipes, bugle, didgeridoo), percussion (kit, bass, tenor and snare marching drums, bodhran and various hand drums). I have also tried various versions of instruments such as alto mandolin, lots of guitar types and string numbers (6, 8, 10 12) etc and dabbled in lots from autoharp to orchestral percussion, harmonica to recorders and penny whistles.

I would say i play one instrument really well (guitar) but I can play piano bass etc. too an ok standard. There are several instruments I put serious effort into (such as violin 8 years as primary instrument) but I am pretty out of practice with them. I know I could get beck to standard with most with a little concerted effort, but my main gain was in learning the instruments at the time. Being able to pick them up and dabble in most is sufficient for now.

I would still recommend that you keep one instrument as your main instrument, chose a secondary instrument and put your main effort into those. Then perhaps change your secondary instrument effort, keeping your main instrument going etc. and so on.

That doesn't mean don't dabble, but keep your dabbling under control and don't diffuse your efforts too much. jack of all trades and master of none is the fine line you will walk and it is best to be aware of that.

One last thing... try and maximise your transferrable skills and leverage your previous learning. Playing multiple instruments does give you a different perspective on instruments, one that musicians focused on one instrument can find harder to do. I find that keeps me being creative with the instruments I play.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

John

[Mazrocon]

Thanks for the advice,

A few reasons why I want to get a bunch of instruments is that I love having the variety. Also i've made a few instrumentals on my keyboard that would sound even better on another instrument. Also as far as my main focus on different instruments, I ALWAYS learn a song first on keyboard it just makes it easier. I never really learn a song first on any other instrument unless by accident. I was also thinking to make them all balanced I would learn one song and try to get it down on every instrument so all of them would be pretty equal. My favorite (and main instrument) will always be keyboard I like collecting instruments cause I like collecting things. But if you collect something like rocks you won't be able to use them for anything but with instruments you can use them.

My brother has an electric guitar and amplifier

My friend has 5 electric guitars, a bass guitar, an amplifier, a bass amplifier, a ukulele and keyboard so I won't really be needing to get a guitar or guitar variation right away

Right now I have a keyboard (main instrument), an ocarina (getting the hang of it), a flute (still haven't learned to play a note) and a harmonica (don't use it at all I just have one).

I'm not a big fan of classical music but I do like classical instruments like the flute and violin

My next 3 instruments i'm saving up for is a harp, marimba and koto. Cause I finished a song on the keyboard that would fit the harp best and i'm working on 2 oriental instruments for the koto.

~TIMOTHY~

Edited May 19, 2008 by Mazrocon

[thelevellers]

Don't label the flute and violin as purely classical instruments!! The (real) Levellers and Jethro Tull should clear up that confusion...

I am in the same boat as John I think, just a lot less practiced/talented! So far I'm primarily a guitarist, I have bass I can play to a reasonable level, but need work on technique and can play a few offspring songs on the Ukulele I am very basic on piano, but hope to get better next year, as I will be living with a keyboardist (sadly to the organ haters on here, I know you're out there, we both love organs, so expect my mates new one to feature on one of my songs over the next year!!)

Personally I find I struggle to write for something if I can't try it out for real, so for me in many ways it's crucial to my writing to learn more! Realistically, that's just my excuse, I just like collecting stuff, and like you say Timothy - it's cool to be able to use stuff you collect. This means that my list of things I wanna learn is pretty long, but as I haven't at some point learned one version of most forms of instrument I reckon I'll get there in the end.

Top of my list is violin, clarinet and drums as I used to play them all (at different times mostly) and miss them all... Luckily for me my dad is really musical (used work as a self employed musical instrument repairman!) so I have access to lots of instruments and advice when I need it

Damn you Tim, you've got me itching to be living in my next house, with more space so I can collect my instruments into one place...

[Mazrocon]

I think it is strange when people consider keyboard and piano to really be all that different. Keyboard is just a more portable piano it's the same instrument. I love the sound of a violin but it'll be awhile before I even try to get one cause violin is one of the hardest instruments IMO. For one there is no labeled frets/notes so you kind of have to estimate it. I don't like just collecting stuff I can use, I like having a bunch of weird random stuff that hardly anyone has. Like idk what's the word for it, excentric maybe? I don't know if i'm spelling that right but I have the weirdest obsessions over certain things.

I wanna nail this on my wall http://fenris.ca/~paul/theabysmal/aztec_calendar.gif it's normally 15 feet in diameter but in my room probably only 5 feet in diameter. It's called an Aztec Calendar Stone... everyone find's that to be extreamly odd There seems to be no on that shares my interests.

~TIMOTHY~

[john]

Hey

I consider them piano and keyboard to be different because of the sounds that are made, and the technical knowledge necessary to play a synth/keyboard well. More particularly the older synths where you have filter controls and LFOs you can immediately tweak. Same goes for the likes of a Hammond organ. It takes time to master the differences betweens a hammond with a leslie cabinet and an upright piano. Sure both have keys laid out in the same pattern, but a mandolin and a violin have strings tuned identically, while you can transfer knowledge from one to the other there are very real differences.

My two cents

Cheers

John

[Mazrocon]

I guess you have a point there. I didn't know mandolin and violin had the same tuning But you learn something new everyday. Mandolin is actually something I heard of recently, as I was going through a downtown music store (dunkley's music).

Overall i'd have to say keyboard is better than piano IMO. If you're a complete piano expert then a piano will sound better. But if you're only an average player (like me) then piano will sound crappy cause of the unsteady sounds of each key. It's nice to have a keyboard so you can carry it around and you never have to tune it and all the different settings are very handy to!

~TIMOTHY~

[thelevellers]

Personally, as a not very good pianist of keyboardist, I find it easier to sound good on a piano actually... Maybe that's more to do with the quality of keyboard I've tried, but meh...

[Lazz]

sadly to the organ haters on here, I know you're out there, we both love organs

I too am extraordinarily fond of organs.

Especially my own.

[Steve]

A friend of mine who worked in a music shop once had to help with a delivery. It was a huge Hammond organ, and it was to be delivered up several floors in a block of flats. (arpartments) It wouldn't fit in the lift so they had to cart it up the stairwell. Halfway up, they took a break! Whereupon an old spinster came trucling down the stairs and couldn't get by! The delivery guy looked her straight in the eye and declared, 'My organ seems to be blocking your passage madam!' I'm told this was met with a stoney silence and a look to make the dead turn in their graves!

[Lazz]

Yuk Yuk Yuk.

There was an old Charlie Chester joke along similar lines.

Do you remember the 'cheeky chappie' from your parents' music-hall days, with improbable spivvy suits and loud ties amidst an avalanche of double-entendres ?

His tale involved a stroll along a narrow cliff-side path with a comely lass approaching from the other direction.

"I didn't know whether to toss meself off or block her passage."

No idea why I remember that.

[typo]

i love playing lots of instruments, hopefully not too painfully for others.

[Mazrocon]

Well I don't "hate" the organ I just prefer other instruments more. The only instrument I literally HATE is the accordian. It makes an annoying sound that's very limited. I only like it in parodies like weird al yankovic The organ can be really amazing if you play the right song. I like banjo and harmonica I just think they are both very limited. I like the sound of a banjo but I don't like the hill billie songs played on them

~TIMOTHY~

[thelevellers]

But what about Gogol Bordello?! Their accordion sounds excellent!

And Bluetones make good use of it... I don't think there's ANY instrument I always hate...

[Lazz]

The only instrument I literally HATE is the accordian. It makes an annoying sound that's very limited…. I like banjo and harmonica I just think they are both very limited.

I used to detest the accordion (the ‘stomach steinway’ as it is affectionately known around these parts) until I heard playing with real passion and skill..... And the same with harmonica and banjo – it depends entirely on who is playing the things –apparent limitations can dissolve in an instant.

Here are 3 of my favourite Squeeze Box Maestros:

Clifton Chenier

Dino Saluzzi en famille

Astor Piazzola

Two outstanding Harmonica Monsters:

Toots Thielmans with Jaco Pastorius

And some heavyweight modern banjo from Bela Fleck

[Mazrocon]

A friend of my wife's friends plays harp. That thing is a beast. The strings are tuned to c major and you sharp or flat notes by pressing one of seven pedals. The octaves are one color and the thirds and fifths are another color. It's a beautiful instrument, but I'm sure I wouldn't have the patience to learn it.

The patience? I don't have a harp and I never played one but alot of people say it's easier than guitar. I mean I don't think it's that difficult. But I could be wrong, i'd have to play it myself

~TIMOTHY~

[Mazrocon]

I don't really see how you can be that creative on a harmonica. It only has 10 notes.

[Lazz]

I don't really see how you can be that creative on a harmonica. It only has 10 notes.

If you choose one with only ten notes then obviously ten notes is what you're going to be limited to.

But why believe that's all there is available ?

It's not.

There is more to the world of harmonica than you are currently aware of.

[thelevellers]

There is more to the world of harmonica than you are currently aware of.

Not a sentence I ever thought I would read... !