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Which musical instrument can you play, or which would you like to learn to play?
| 16% | 4 votes |
| 28% | 7 votes |
| 0% | 0 votes |
| 4% | 1 votes |
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| 4% | 1 votes |
| 24% | 6 votes |
| 24% | 6 votes |
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- Don't complain about lack of options. You've got to pick a few when you do multiple choice. Those are the breaks.
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Which musical instrument can you play, or which would you like to learn to play?
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Don't you feel more like you do now than you did when you came in?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by janrinok on Monday November 04, @02:41PM (1 child)
I play Celtic music and, while not being a one-man-band, I play guitar, banjo, bhodran and tin whistle. However, only one at a time and probably quite badly now due to lack of practice.
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 2) by rufty on Monday November 04, @07:08PM
Melodeon, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatonic_button_accordion). Also for Celtic tunes.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday November 04, @03:45PM (5 children)
About five years piano lessons starting in 4th grade. Stopped in high school because of geek urges to hyperfocus on anything having to do with computers. Which paid off in spades. I did have people encouraging me to go into music and study piano.
I got the DX7 in 1986 with quite a few accessories for, IIRC, about $1600. Including a nice stand and super rugged (and heavy) carrying case. I still have it along with original boxes, cartridges, pedal, stand, case, etc. Plus I had purchased a couple of read/write cartridges which were preloaded with lots of other interesting voices. Then I bought a book in some super cheap "let's get rid of this cruft" bin at a mall Waldenbooks store in the early 1990s -- that book is a large spiral book with manually entered "programs" for lots of other new interesting voices. These included musical as well as lots of special effects like telephone ringing, sirens, train whistles, and moar. Those were fun daze.
In hindsight I recognize that people who can make a career as a musician not only must be talented (which I have my own personal internal doubts about despite what people said) but you must have the lightning stroke of luck. Just like tons of actors who are talented but never get the stroke of luck to be in some major motion picture or tv series or something which makes them famous.
Not only do I eat, breath and dream computers, but it has paid the bills for decades.
Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Monday November 04, @04:39PM (3 children)
And without that kind of luck, you try to make what you can via merchandise [bandcamp.com].
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Monday November 04, @05:10PM (2 children)
It was nice to be able to play piano but not be highly skilled. But my real passion was computers. I knew that. Even with people telling me how well I played and should study music.
Now looking back as an old man, I would definitely counsel young people if they have a passion to do something, and they won't starve doing it, then definitely follow that passion. Still carefully consider the counsel other people give you about career advice. But ultimately it is your life and you (not them) have to live with your decision.
As luck would have it, I was getting into microcomputers just as it was taking off in the late 1970s. A few years before the IBM PC.
Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Monday November 04, @05:33PM (1 child)
In a country without a great social safety net, hone your skills in something, boring or otherwise, that pays sufficiently well. But in the *meantime* -- and particularly with the resources now available online -- I'd say definitely engage with that passion, even making it a go-to when you're procrastinating from your day job. But unless your passion is dynamically balancing accounting and art, let your finances support your passion, not depend on it.
I've talked to a few artists at fan conventions. One said, "Make sure you have a partner that makes the money." And I poorly phrased a question to a comic book artist at a panel, "Is there anything else you're good at?" to a murmur of mild disbelief and nervous laughter. He promptly replied (approximately) "No. If I couldn't do this and make enough money at it, I'd probably be homeless. If you can do anything else for a living, do that."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by DannyB on Monday November 04, @10:52PM
In the late 1970s in high school, I wouldn't have thought of the US as a country without a great social safety net. Maybe just a naive teen.
That is good advice. Do something that pays well, or at least pays the bills. And pursue your passion if it is different. In my case my work was my passion. During the 80s and early 90s I was a card carrying Apple fanboy.
Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Tuesday November 05, @01:28AM
I took keyboard lessons as a kid but pretty much hated it. But it was good foundation. In teen years late 70s I picked up guitar. I can play some stuff, but I'm always chasing that impossible song or riff. Never played in a serious band but I have played live in some situations (long stories).
More importantly I found myself getting into and being (very?) good at audio, including live mix. Have done some dozens of gigs with some pretty top talent, some known. Like you I've always known some very talented musicians that have never "made it", certainly not made it big. I won't mention any, but I'm sure everyone reading this can think of some famous and successful musicians that aren't all that talented.
Mass audiences aren't super turned on by virtuoso talent. For example the many incredible guitarists I listen to- they don't have widespread audience appeal.
Singing is pretty much the biggest crowd draw.
Some of the major keys to music world success: for sure making connections, which might involve some self-promotion to the right people and situations.
For sure good business acumen, or at least have someone who can be your manager / promoter.
But from what I've observed: a kind of urge / drive to get up and perform and entertain people. As we see, some lesser talented people have a way of connecting with their followers, and that energy often works both ways, inspiring the songwriter to pander to and connect with their audiences more and more.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Monday November 04, @04:26PM (1 child)
That should have been an option too. Although I guess it counts as a wind instrument (?).
(Score: 4, Funny) by DannyB on Monday November 04, @11:00PM
When I wrote the pole question (mar 20, 2024), it had all but the one man band option. It also underwent minor editing which was nice.
Vocal chords -- groups that sing acapella using only their vocal cords.
Poverty exists not because we cannot feed the poor, but because we cannot satisfy the rich.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04, @04:48PM
How about the blaster beam [wikipedia.org]? It was used extensively in this song [youtube.com] and elsewhere in the soundtrack that this is from. The blaster beam is a massive instrument that has similarities to an electric guitar. There are two very familiar components to this theme, one that has been used extensively in later scores and is associated with a particular alien race. Then there's the blaster beam, which is used to create a sense of mystery, danger, and something that is just massive and sinister. Here is the actual scene [youtube.com] where this is played, but it's used elsewhere in the soundtrack for this movie and works to great effect. It's just a really awesome instrument with a unique and sinister sound. As far as I know, you can't just go out and buy a blaster beam, but it is possible to build your own. So my answer to this poll is that I'd like to build and learn to play a blaster beam, because it's fucking awesome. And if that's not possible, I'll settle for a theremin.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday November 04, @07:55PM
I can play a few chords and rhythms on the guitar, and a few easy tunes; but I'd never say "sure I play" if asked without qualifying it. I'd be absolutely embarrassed if I tried to keep up with a band.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Freeman on Monday November 04, @10:45PM
I learned a bit of piano when I was young and I was in a band in High School. I'm certainly not a very good piano or trumpet player, but I can read sheet music and play both. Perhaps the most interesting skill that piano taught me is exactly that, the ability to read sheet music. I've also been in a "handbell choir", but that's more about following instructions and being able to keep up with the rhythm. Also not a bad thing to learn.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"