20 replies to this topic

[TWC]

Just curious if any of y'all play any music. I've been playing mandolin for several years now, and have recently been teaching myself piano/melodica, guitar, and harmonica (my goal is to be just barely competent on a multitude of instruments, rather than moderately competent on just one). I always like to hear of more people jamming. Anyone?

[T C]

Just curious if any of y'all play any music. I've been playing mandolin for several years now, and have recently been teaching myself piano/melodica, guitar, and harmonica (my goal is to be just barely competent on a multitude of instruments, rather than moderately competent on just one). I always like to hear of more people jamming. Anyone?

I've played the guitar for 7 years now, and I absolutely love it. I was pretty solid by the start of my freshman year in college, but school work and a lack of people to play with has simply killed a lot of my ability. Im not terrible by any means, but I find myself reaching for things that I can't do anymore, and it sucks.

I mostly played lead stuff when I jammed with my friends in high school, and we usually played bluesy/rock type stuff...I need to find people at school who don't suck, haha

The mandolin is an awesome instrument, TWC, its probably the next instrument I would try to learn if I ever get the chance. How often do you get to jam with others? What kind of stuff do you play?

[Sam]

Just curious if any of y'all play any music. I've been playing mandolin for several years now, and have recently been teaching myself piano/melodica, guitar, and harmonica (my goal is to be just barely competent on a multitude of instruments, rather than moderately competent on just one). I always like to hear of more people jamming. Anyone?

I've always wanted to learn to play the mandolin. But yes, I do jam lol. I actually used to play bass in a jam band.

[TWC]

The mandolin is an awesome instrument, TWC, its probably the next instrument I would try to learn if I ever get the chance. How often do you get to jam with others? What kind of stuff do you play?

Damn right it is!

I got my mandolin about 10 years ago during my first flush of bluegrass love, and only played a bit here and there (no one to play with, etc.), but got competent enough that I could bash my way through a few songs, or just pick a bit here and there. About two years after I got the mando, I had a Koyie Hill (but worse) type of accident with a table saw and a dado blade and ended up having several surgeries and therapies over the following two years that necessitated my shelving my instrument for a while.

But about three years ago a good buddy of mine got a guitar for his 40th, and it got me itching' to play again. So we did! We were fortunate that we both had sons who were great friends in the same nursery school and wives that are very close to enable us in our endeavors. Then about a year ago, a new family moved to town, and fell into our scene (a trio of wives now best friends, and now 5 kids total, ranging from 6 to 1) -- and our duo became a trio. As families, we hang out at least once a week (often more), and the guys usually slink off after dinner, the wives put the kids to bed, and we jam late into the night (late into the night being, like, *eleven*). Our families often camp together several times a year, which usually ends us with the guys playing music, the chicks drinking wine, and the kids off, somewhere, playing.

We play a variety of stuff, lots of covers (one of the wives not-dismissively (but rather accurately) called it "Sonoma County top 40"), but have recently been writing our own stuff, or trying to. Mostly our 'originals' are instrumental jams, because none of us are willing to be the first to write lyrics.

Anyway, it's been a great time of late, and I often find myself wishing I had my mando here in the office with me. But it's probably for the best that it's hanging on the wall at home. But when I get home, after kissing the wife and hugging the boy, I usually grab it and a beer and space out for a while until dinnertime.

If you've ever thought about playing an instrument -- any instrument -- I can't encourage you enough to DO IT.

[Brett]

I used to play guitar (started in college, because, as that post this week suggested, I was a total douche and wanted to seem cool), and was good enough to play a few songs for folks at the frat house (sometimes I can't believe the sentences I have to say about my past). I also sang, at which I was actually pretty good for a while.

[MichiganGoat]

I've played guitar and piano and even trombone, but just been out of practice for so long I doubt I have any skills left, however I did manage a bluegrass band when I lived in Champaign.

[Spencer]

I started taking drum lessons in second grade and continued through high school, so I got pretty good at most percussion instruments. Haven't really played that much in the last five or six years though, but I had a blast when I did.

I really want to learn piano.

[TWC]

So, it sounds like we could almost get a band going here. I wonder what Fishin' Phil plays…

[T C]

TWC that's a pretty crazy, but awesome, story. Losing fingers in an accident like that is pretty messed up, and I can't imagine what I'd do if I couldn't play my guitar for two years...(probably write sad songs then get even more depressed cause I couldn't play them....)

But it's great to hear that you've found some people to play with, talking with some of the older people I know who play instruments, it sounds like its damn near impossible to find people to play with after, like, 25

[Cubbie Blues]

I took 8 years of classical piano (got pretty good). Then as I got older and got tired of it. Now that I am older I wish I had never stopped. The last couple of years I have wanted to start playing again but now I don't have a piano (that makes it hard to play). Every time I go back home I sit down at my mom's piano and hack away. I am still able to fumble through a few songs but it isn't the smoothest. Someday I will buy one and try to get back to where I was in my teens.

[Luke]

I took 8 years of classical piano (got pretty good). Then as I got older and got tired of it. Now that I am older I wish I had never stopped. The last couple of years I have wanted to start playing again but now I don't have a piano (that makes it hard to play). Every time I go back home I sit down at my mom's piano and hack away. I am still able to fumble through a few songs but it isn't the smoothest. Someday I will buy one and try to get back to where I was in my teens.

You might look at some of the newer electric pianos. I bought my wife one for her birthday last year, and she's pretty happy with it. The new Yamaha line feels quite a bit like the real thing when playing, and the entry level pricing isn't bad. You'd have to step a few notche$$$ to get a full 88-key keyboard, but if you can survive on a slightly shorter model it might work out for you.

[TWC]

I took 8 years of classical piano (got pretty good). Then as I got older and got tired of it. Now that I am older I wish I had never stopped. The last couple of years I have wanted to start playing again but now I don't have a piano (that makes it hard to play). Every time I go back home I sit down at my mom's piano and hack away. I am still able to fumble through a few songs but it isn't the smoothest. Someday I will buy one and try to get back to where I was in my teens.

You might look at some of the newer electric pianos. I bought my wife one for her birthday last year, and she's pretty happy with it. The new Yamaha line feels quite a bit like the real thing when playing, and the entry level pricing isn't bad. You'd have to step a few notche$$$ to get a full 88-key keyboard, but if you can survive on a slightly shorter model it might work out for you.

The most critical thing on an electronic piano is to get weighted keys. If the keys are cheap plastic with no substance to them, its going to feel like a crappy instrument, no matter the cost.

[TWC]

I took 8 years of classical piano (got pretty good). Then as I got older and got tired of it. Now that I am older I wish I had never stopped. The last couple of years I have wanted to start playing again but now I don't have a piano (that makes it hard to play). Every time I go back home I sit down at my mom's piano and hack away. I am still able to fumble through a few songs but it isn't the smoothest. Someday I will buy one and try to get back to where I was in my teens.

Get a melodica!

I bought one one a whim (having juuuuust about no piano experience), and it's been a blast.

[TWC]

TWC that's a pretty crazy, but awesome, story. Losing fingers in an accident like that is pretty messed up, and I can't imagine what I'd do if I couldn't play my guitar for two years...(probably write sad songs then get even more depressed cause I couldn't play them....)

But it's great to hear that you've found some people to play with, talking with some of the older people I know who play instruments, it sounds like its damn near impossible to find people to play with after, like, 25

TC, if I *had* lost the fingers on my hand, I probably would have been better off in the long run. Take a look at the pic I linked above of the dado blade, and then look at your left hand. Imagine that blade going parallel to the axis of your middle finger and thumb, 2/3rds of the way to your palm.............

yeah.

On the whole, I think you're right, learning to play an instrument early is ideal, but -- like my buddy -- even at 40+ you can still learn to become reasonably adept, so long as you enjoy it. We're not playing for an audience (unless you count our wives), we're playing for ourselves. Which means we're always totally and completely awesome.

[Cubbie Blues]

I took 8 years of classical piano (got pretty good). Then as I got older and got tired of it. Now that I am older I wish I had never stopped. The last couple of years I have wanted to start playing again but now I don't have a piano (that makes it hard to play). Every time I go back home I sit down at my mom's piano and hack away. I am still able to fumble through a few songs but it isn't the smoothest. Someday I will buy one and try to get back to where I was in my teens.

You might look at some of the newer electric pianos. I bought my wife one for her birthday last year, and she's pretty happy with it. The new Yamaha line feels quite a bit like the real thing when playing, and the entry level pricing isn't bad. You'd have to step a few notche$$$ to get a full 88-key keyboard, but if you can survive on a slightly shorter model it might work out for you.

I've tried smaller keyboards and haven't really liked them. I hate running out of keys. I kinda figured I would get an electric piano when I did get one.