"Ahh, Music, a magic beyond all we do here!"

[mothwing]

So, who plays a musical instrument, and which?
I'm curious.

I am curious because I love musicians music and always envy musicians for their proficiency. My own career as a maker of music with any instrument is pretty short and filled with unrequited love.

When I was six, my mother thought it was a good idea to have me learn the recorder. I hated it. I was not alone with the teacher, there are other children there, I liked that, but I hated the lessons. I was bad. The teacher always had me play our homework assignment in front of everyone as a punishment because I couldn't keep up with the others. She was a fiend in human shape, another musician who had never made it and now got by by giving lessons to young children. I stopped going to those lessons fairly soon. I didn't even like the sound of the recorder, and the knowledge that I could go on to nicer instruments once I'd mastered that dreaded thing was not really a great consolation for me, either.

I always wanted to wake up and be able to play the Cello. It's my favourite instrument, but I fear that it's far too difficult to learn for me now. Or the piano. That might even be fun learning. I've always envied people who were able to play it, like angie_21_237 and, of course, Crocky.
I half-heartedly tried learning the tin whistle, with great sheet music with drawings of the whistle under each note so I could directly play according to the little drawings, but that was a very short-lived experiment. I never really managed to get proper notes out of the thing whenever I tried overblowing.

Currently, I'm thinking of learning how to play the trombone. Not easy either, but I really like the sound of that instrument, and it's possible fairly quickly to join a little amateur ensemble and play together with others, that's more fun than practising on my own, which I never keep up for long, I know myself. And I'm still looking for a choir, one that meets at a half-way decent time at a place that's half-way close by. The ones I found are either meeting on Thursday, when I have a seminar, or are just too far away. I somehow don't want to make an hour trip to get to my choir.

Comments

[aixa.livejournal.com]

Well, I had piano lessons as a kid, but quit after only 2 years. I took a piano class in college and really enjoyed it. I can play a little still, but I'll never be great at it. Don't have a piano in the house, so it's tough to practice.

Everyone in my school had to learn the recorder. I was always good at it. Didn't really play it much past elementary school though.

I'm a singer. Singing just always came naturally. I've done musicals of course, but also choirs and sung with bands and stuff. Unfortunately, the steroids I was on for my asthma screwed up my range a few years ago. I doubt I'll ever be a true 1st soprano again, but I'm learning to deal with being a mezzo. I don't sing in public as much now as I used to, but if I'm home alone, you can bet I'll be singing through every song I can think of.

My dad's a musican, primarily playing clarniet and saxophone, but he can pretty much pick up anything and play. I think he probably would have disowned us kids if we didn't play something, so my sister's a pianist and singer, and my brother's a drummer.

[mariebernadette.livejournal.com]

My dad started us all on piano at 2 or 3. He pretty much said he'd disown us if we didn't have music somewhere in our lives so I know what you mean! I do wish I could sing better, though. That's an instrument you can take anywhere.

[aixa.livejournal.com]

2 or 3! That's early! We started at 6. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me at all if my sister started my niece on the piano at 3, she's already got her in soccer. Somehow, I always knew my sister would end up a soccer mom.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Whoa. Two or three. That is early. Weren't the keys too big for you wee fingers back then?

[mariebernadette.livejournal.com]

Oh, I think music lessons were the "put thyself in a corner" punishment for my parents. I don't think it's too young. I remember trying to reach my fingers as wide as they could go and doing games with the metronome. I had a great instructor.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Hee! That actually sounds like a fun punishment.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Holy shite, didn't they know that the medicine would screw up your voice like that? That's horrible! I hope you like being a Mezzo, at least. I'd love to be one, they're awesome.

I knew you were from a musical family. Very envy-inspiring, my parents play half an instrument between them and couldn't care less.

[aixa.livejournal.com]

I actually had no idea it could screw with my voice. I remember noticing suble changes in my range, notes that were no trouble before we suddenly difficult. It wasn't a huge thing, just really tiny things. I was doing some asthma research on the internet one day and discovered that a side effect of the particular steroid I was on was changes in the vocal chords, but most people probably don't even notice it. Singers however, would notice a change. If I went to lessons again and really worked at it, I could probably get my range back, but at this point it's not worth doing. I don't sing professionally anymore, I don't even do the church choir because I just don't have enough time. It's just a minor annoyance now.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Ah, good to hear that!