Musicians - what do you play?

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I answered guitar because that's the instrument I earned my BA in music on, but I'm an multi-instrumentalist and I sing too. I had a savant-like talent for music as a kid, and taught myself piano and how to read music at age 8. Up until I had a severe breakdown at 22, I could learn any instrument with ease, except guitar, which was a challenge for me.

I played clarinet from 9 to 20, and recently have taken it up again. I was a pretty good clarinetist and even made it into college as a clarinet performance major (I later changed to jazz guitar after I became overwhelmed with the competitiveness ofy music school).

I taught myself some classical guitar in high school, and even competed at ULI on classical guitar. But I didn't like it much. I switched to Renaissance lute in college, and played in a broken consort (a type of early music ensemble) for several years. I rarely play lute now because I have no time for it, but I still have my two lutes, one alto and one tenor.

I mainly taught myself rock guitar, starting at 15, which I found pretty disappointing. Jazz was more interesting, and I studied that throughout college. However, both my mental and physical state progressive got worse over my college years, so I didn't play during that time on the level of my actual potential. I graduated with repetitive stress syndrome in both forearms and had a breakdown two weeks later, and wasn't able to play guitar for years afterwards. I played sporatically over several years, but just acoustic fingerstyle. I didn't get serious about guitar again until a five years ago, and didn't start playing electric again until two years ago. Now I play a lot of fingerstyle and blues (acoustic), avantgarde punk rock and jazz (electric).

I started playing piano again. I don't have access to a real piano so I have to use a Yamaha synth. I play a lot of Bartok and other composers, mainly intermediate level stuff. I'm trying to get my technique up to playing Bach and Chopin. I have also started learning jazz piano.

I write my own songs and compositions. I hope to get a website started so I can put some MP3s up, but that's not likely to happen soon. The older I get, the more significant composing becomes for me.

I sing my own songs, and I sing in a parish choiur at my alma mater whenever I can. The choir does some pretty challenging stuff, so it keeps my vocal chops in shape. Singing in choir was the only music I was doing after my breakdown before I got back into playing instrument. I sing alto, but can cover tenor parts too. I'm no classical soloist - my voice is good enough for choir and for my own songs.

I play music because it's what I do. Playing - not just listening. Listening is too passive. I need to feel an intimate involvement with music itself. I don't really have a clear reason for doing it other than I cannot not play music. I can't get away from it. I can love music, hate it, feel ambivalent towards it, but I have to play it or I'm beyond miserible. There was two years after my breakdown that I was not able to play any music due the severe cognitive disorder of my mind, and at times I couldn't even listen to music. It was profoundly traumatic for me - to have been a serious musician for many years, and then suddenly I couldn't play music at all - and I still feel the repercussions from that "abyss" in my past to this day, almost 12 years later. It was truly a very dark time for me.

i play guitar drums and bass and i scream in a one man band

At school I learned the piano and the cello. I played the cello to quite an advanced level despite finding sight reading quite difficult along with playing fast passages. However, I was told that I played with a very nice tone and I could play it well in tune. I still keep it up but do not play in any orchestras or anything. I wonder looking back how much my heart was really in it, I was lucky in that I had a good teacher and that helped alot, but as soon as I left school my motivation to play slipped somewhat.

Sorry for not replying, I hadn't check in on this thread until now.

As it's written for our films, I don't normally post my music on the web for all to download but I can arrange to get you some samples if you like.

I have a Yamaha synth as well and the software I use is subscription only for filmmakers, as it has a licensing agreement to it. PM me and I will tell you in more detail okay.

I know I voted/posted before, but I play another instrument, too, now, and I also want to know why guitar is the only strummed, fretted instriment in the poll! Guitars are not the only ones!! ! <sigh> I play mandolin

I started out on the trumpet in fourth grade, and switched to baritone in ninth grade. I've been playing the baritone for two years.

I hardly ever practice (I just sort of hear the notes in my head and can play them that way) but when I do practice, I have to have music on in the background or I won't play. I realized that the other day. I skipped a pep rally and went to the band room intending to practice, and I tried, but I couldn't. Then I went home and practiced, but I put a cd on beforehand, and I noticed that I had been doing that since maybe fifth grade. I hadn't really put much thought into it before. And I have to listen to another song while I'm looking a new piece over. It's strange to me, and my mom wonders how I know I've made any progress. Does anyone else do that, or is that just me?

In 5th grade, I took up percussion because at that age you were finally able to be in the band. So, I wanted to do something, so I took up percussion. that was pretty fun and I continued to play all the way through my senior year of high school (even if i couldn't play the snare drum. those rudiments just kill me). But in 6th grade, i started taking piano lessons and I loved it. and I had lessons up through senior year of high school. I stopped taking lessons after that because I was going off to college, but I still play the piano for fun.

My parents were big into having music be a part of my life. So they wanted us to take up two instruments. See, I took up Band and Piano and my sister actually took three. She took up Band, Orchestra, and Piano when she started and that got to be a big hassle. But, she kind of took out band because of her schedule and kept orchestra and piano. and then she took up choir and orchestra as well as adding drama to her list, and dropped the piano.

But my parents insisted on us having music in our lives and i'm glad that i did because having music in my life has been a wonderful thing for me to have. I can take out my emotions through my music and it's a great relaxation thing for me.

(Warning: Off Topic for a bit) Hey Jonny, do you like Azumanga Dao? I saw your avatar. Osaka's so weird lol. I like Chyo-chan the best. She reminds me of how I was in grade school, and am now in high school. I saw a bunch of Azumanga Dao episodes yesterday. That show is so great.

Anyhow, that's really cool that you can play the piano (to all those who said they could). I wish I could play the piano. I tried to teach myself, but I got frustrated and I took lessons off of a classmate who couldn't teach me anymore because he studies with a college professor now. Very big deal. I think I would be pretty good at it, if I could just learn how to do it somehow. I would take lessons from someone else, but my mom doesn't pay money for that stuff.

I' ve been playing the piano since I was 11. I realised that I could play anything I hear by ear and I developed that skill over the years till I reached a level where now I could play anything with varied improvisations when I hear a song only once.
In 1998/99 I got into MIDI sequencing and then I got an electronic organ, connected it to my computer and started composing songs with a number of instruments. For example, first I'd compose the piano part, then add strings,base, percussion and come up with a complete song. I composed a lot of songs but only managed to completely finish 19 of them.
My biggest achievement is playing songs on the piano in the lobby of a 5 star hotel for four hours on new year's eve. I felt really good back then despite not being well paid at all. What matters is that I was doing something that I really love and didn't care about anything else.
My favourite artist is Yanni. I have all his albums and play most of his songs on the piano. That guy is so talented and knows how to compose really touching music that I constantly listen to. He too doesn't know how to read notes so he developed his own representation of sounds which I find very interesting.

I learned to play piano when I was eight, and at thirteen taught myself guitar. Three years ago I started taking violin lessons, and added clarinet lessons last July.

Also play bass and a bit of flute and bodhran.

Only instrumental group where I haven't made much progress yet is brass. I rented a trumpet for a couple of months and started to learn the basics, but am leaving it alone till I can take lessons. (Don't want to put in all that time and effort and just wind up with bad habits.)

I have managed to build up a fairly good collection of musical stuff, including microphones and mixers and digital multitrack software, and have a few songs up on my website.

I started the cello when I was four, I was in Orchestras and played concerts over the country as a teen. But I was a poor, working class lass and was bullied and eventually sold my cello aged 16. I bought one again a few years ago...but its amazing how crap my fingers are after all these years...I can hear what I want to play in my head...but I have lost all the muscle tone . I really should practice...but havent picked it up for a year or so. Maybe I will today!

I also play piano, and the recorder lol.

What instrument(s) do you play?: piano

Why did you choose to start?: cause i liked music and was fascinated by piano

How long have you played for?: since i was 6 1/2, making it.. 13 years now about.

Is it a passion? A pastime? A profession? An outlet for emotions, or an alternative means of self-expression?: all of the above

What instrument(s) do you play? .. startin with main instrument down ----- Drum set, snare drum (street samba band) snare drum (marching band), percussion, keyboard, bagpipes, bass guitar, singing, flute trumpet, concertina sax, clarinet and recorder

Why did you choose to start? always had a special place for music and have been playing an instrument since i was 2 years old

How long have you played for? 1st instrument i played was keyboard when i was 2. i could play nursery rhymes that id heard back on the keyboard with simple chords with no instruction. nexst up was recorder at 1st grade, then flute followed shortly after, clarinet a year later but gave that up after a while. fed up of having to buy new reeds all the time lol. i started drums when i was 13 (so 9 years now) joined the marchin band when i was 14 and leant bagpipes. i then bought a concertina and learnt that myself, and then trumpet when i was 15, and sax when i was 15, and most recnet to start is bass guitar at 19. joined the samba band when i was 18

Is it a passion? A pastime? A profession? An outlet for emotions, or an alternative means of self-expression? i will answer that n regard to my drums. some people tell me im obsessed with my drums.. they are my main instruments and my passion i love my drumset and i love playing them

I play bass and I planning on learning how to sing. I write Metal songs about basically my life.

OBOE!! !! !! !

and not to mention English horn, and Piccolo.... and sort of flute(flute and pic, not so much any more) i played Violin for a while, but wanted to focus on Oboe....

They said it was hard, and that few people played it.... i wanted the chllenge....

been playing for like 7 or 8 years....

though this last year has been off and on....

What instrument(s) do you play?: Flute, piano and am working on learning the guitar now.

Why did you choose to start?: I've always loved music was really the main reason.

How long have you played for?: 8 1/2 years now.

Is it a passion? A pastime? A profession? An outlet for emotions, or an alternative means of self-expression?: Pretty much all of those but it isn't really a profession.