What can you play?

[Dead Riverdragon]

Well we chat a lot about the kinds of music we all listen to, but what if anything does anybody play? Obviously we have a lot of writers here and in my experience musical ability (or at least a desire for it) tends to be one of those things writers share. So what instruments and styles do you prodigious lot play? Is/was anyone in a band, have any success and thus advice?

For starters I play drums for my as yet unnamed but highly talented band (still lacking a decent bass player). I play drums because I am tone deaf and have short fingers but can hit things fast. I guess God had a plan for me... we play reasonably complex metal like Opeth and In Flames, so that when we need to play Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins for our burgeoning audience it's easy as falling off a log. I also write most of the lyrics, natch.

[littlemissattitude]

The radio...the CD player...OH! You mean musical instruments.

Seriously...I used to play clarinet in elementary school (fourth, fifth, and sixth grades). Hated it. Wanted to play drums. In sixth grade, I got to play bass drum if I forgot my clarinet, so I forgot it a lot. But, I was at least good enough on the clarinet that I was in all-district band in sixth grade. The director of district was also the music teacher where I went to junior high, and he wanted me to continue in band, but we only were allowed one elective class a semester and that would have been it. I wanted to take things like journalism and drama, so I quit music.

I also used to play a little bit of guitar, and when I had access to a piano, I was a sort of one-finger, pick out the tune piano player. I kind of wish now that I had continued in music, but I was already showing signs of wanting to write and so I took that direction instead.

Oh, and I still want to learn to play drums.

[knivesout]

I play the bass guitar, but I'm more of composer than a jammer. Played in bands that were into everything from extreme metal and prog to grunge and classic rock, so I've done a bit of it all. My bass style is mostly metal influenced, my compositions are rooted in metal but partake more of post-punk and stoner vibes. Its been a while, but I recently started jamming again, so hopefully some of those noises will find their way out of my skull.

[Morning Star]

I used to play recorder when I was like 6...but I suppose everyone did. We have a bass guitar at home, my old man picked it up second hand and had one lesson. Now it just sits there and acts as an obstacle to our bulldog.

[I, Brian]

Taught myself guitar in my teens and sort of learned to compose for orchestra on on a KORG synth (possible pretensious claim), but cannae read music or understand the technical side of it.

I composed a 2 CDs of film-style soundtrack for Chronicles of Empire - I do intend to upload some of it up here very very soon.

[dwndrgn]

I took the obligatory piano lessons as a kid (and my teacher's name was Mrs. Knipple - boy did I have fun with that because I didn't like her ) but since then haven't done a thing. I don't believe I've got any musical talent; I think my main talent is getting through life without any talent at all . It's hard work but someone has to do it!

[Esioul]

Well, I used to play the violin but I'm dyspraxic so I could never hold the ruddy thing up. I don't see what's wrong with slumping. I sort of play the piano, but only to help me with singing, which is my fave thing. I'm a mezzo soprano and I have a loud voice, which pisses everyone off quite a lot- needless to say no one in this house can stand Carmen or the Barber of Seville any more! I love opera hehehe. I'm in a small local choir, which is good fun, but it's tricky sometimes because the sopranos always distract me, and I get into trouble for singing too loud.

It sounds like lots of you do loads of stuff. I'm impressed by you composers- I'm rubbish at composing. I tried to write an opera once but I didn't get very far.

[mac1]

I have tryed a few things over the years. I started to read music and play the violin at the age of five, but gave up when I got to that rebellious age of 10. LOL! I really hated the violin and was never much good at it.

I had lessons of the recorder, but like Morning Star points out, so did most people. In my preteen years I also tryed my hand at the penny whistle, the harmonica and the jaws harp all to little avail.

Then at the age of about 11 or 12 I took up guitar lessons from a guy with the amazingly rock birthname of "Fintan Roach". About 8 or 9 months later he managed to score a recoding contract and gave up teaching, though I haven't heard anything about him in the last decade. I then had a huge break from playing music, untill the summer of 1998 in fact.

I was staying in Ireland and one of my cousins had just started learning the guitar, so I picked it up and to my amazement it quickly came back to me. My dad'd been playing guitar his whole life so when I got back to england I borrowed an electric and started to teach myself, 6 years later and I haven't looked back.

Many a school lesson were bunked off for a good old blues jam session. Over the years I have jammed with a untold amount of people who have assumed that we are going to form a band, but I have never really been in anything serious, never had any gigs or the like. A lot of people I have played with have had delusions of grandeur, as soon as someone starts suggesting we could play wembley stadium, I generally vanish. To be honest I mostly play for fun, I am not really that good, but can hold my own in a nice jam session, which is all I generally want to do.

Got a jam session arranged for next friday so that should be good as its been ages since we had a proper one with a bassist and drummer.

I play a little bit of bass, but mostly only when I find a bass riff I love. I made a point of learning a few Tool songs on the bass, most notably Schism and The Grudge because I love the bass on those tunes.

I cant play percusion at all, I just dont have the dexterity for complex rythms, watching me try to keep 4/4 on the bassdrum whilst doing triplets with my hands is a hilarious sight!

I have messed about with a few other stringed instruments, various kinds of guitar as well as the Banjo and the Mandolin.

In terms of genres of music, I have played everything you can possibly play on a guitar over the years. I started off with rock blues and classic blues stuff, a bit of prog, a bit of jazz, grunge, metal, various rock songs, even taught myself flamenco guitar at one stage.

The three tunes I like to play in guitar shops are Eugene's Trick Bag by Steve Vai (because it looks impressive), Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield (really freeky played with my hair over my eyes sitting rocking in a dark corner) and a guitar rendition of the theme to the NES game Super Mario Bros. (that always gets a giggle from onlookers).

[littlemissattitude]

The three tunes I like to play in guitar shops are ... Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield (really freeky played with my hair over my eyes sitting rocking in a dark corner) ....

That is an interesting mental image, mac. I love that piece of music.

[knivesout]

I've got my bass with me at work today. Now and then I pick it up and have a little jam with meself (using headphones). Good fun.

[I, Brian]

In my stoned old days, when we went around people's houses there were usually acoustic guitars lying around. Some people carried theirs around to houses. Then, after a few, someone would be noticed to be just quietly improvising a little melody. then someone else would set up a rhythm. If you were lucky you could have 3 or more guitars only playing a hynoptic ambience, with one main rhythmm and a couple of dancing leads. Cool stuff.

The best, though, was one time at a party in Manchester, sat around in a crowd who all suddenly pulled out instruments from nowhere - hand drum, wind insturments, fiddles, guitars. It was a large traditional irish instrumental group, and they knocked my happy socks off.

[Foxbat]

Been playing guitar for about 30 years. Also a bit of Harmonica and (on the very rare occasion) I've pottered around with my Mandolin. Currently have 6 guitars my favourite being a '97 Ltd edition Takamine - but the work horse of my collection is definitely my US Fender Strat.

Played in bands fairly regularly until a couple of years ago. Still have my two trusty Fender Deluxe 112 amps but my favourite piece of equipment is my Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah. Guitar is just pointless without one

[knivesout]

Oh, neat. Do you play a lot of blues then?

Heh, seems like we have everyone we need for a (vastly eclectic)Chronicles band.

[mac1]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

...but my favourite piece of equipment is my Jim Dunlop Cry Baby Wah. Guitar is just pointless without one

Yeah I have an original Jim Dunlop Crybaby too, the daddy of wahs, the orignal and best, I love mine too. My favorite sounding blues setup is my 1972 US Stratocaster through the original Crybaby and into my 1962 Marshall Bluesbreaker Combo, a real classic sound.

[Esioul]

Hmmm I don't play the guitar, must be the only person!

I'd like to play the lute at some stage. I have a very out of tune zither but my mum has hidden it. What do you think of a combination of opera and rock?