Members Dendy Jarrett Posted June 6, 2016 Members Posted June 6, 2016 Have you ever had music regret? http://www.harmonycentral.com/articles/make-better-music-now Even as a drummer, I wish I had taken my piano lessons of early years and translated them into Vibraphone proficiency. Hey ... maybe I'll do just that! Join the discussion here.
Members Mandolin Picker Posted June 11, 2016 Members Posted June 11, 2016 I give my wife credit for forcing me to expand the instruments I know how to play. Following my graduation from college (at age 53) she gave me a Mountain Dulcimer as a graduation gift. Beautiful little instrument, and after messing with it for a while began to get some nice tones out of it. That literally opened the door for me to try other things. We now have an Irish D tin whistle and low whistle (the harder of the two). Even picked up a wood recorder - yep that same little instrument we had in elementary school. It can give out a very haunting tone once it is learned to be played properly. Also picked up a bodhran (Irish drum) which I still haven't got the hang of yet, but it is fun messing with it (been on an Irish kick of late). It is true that once you know a single instrument, learning another instrument is much easier. I am looking forward to extending my knowledge even more, not sure what direction it will head in, but I'm sure it will be a challenge as well as a fun experience. But perhaps even more importantly,it will show my grandchildren that you should never stop learning, never be afraid to try new things. Even though I will never be a professional whistle player, the personal enjoyment from just trying is worth the effort.
Members Dendy Jarrett Posted June 11, 2016 Author Members Posted June 11, 2016 Seriously motivating! And kudos to you for finishing college at 53! I was a music performance major, finished 4 years, and got a seriously good gig and dropped out a semester away from finishing. Never went back. I have wished to learn a stringed instrument (acoustic guitar). I keep learning new percussion genres, but need to expand my horizon. D
Members AlamoJoe Posted June 11, 2016 Members Posted June 11, 2016 Inspiring story MP! First time I saw a Dulcimer I wanted one but never made the leap. I've been trying to learn how to play guitar for 50 years now. One of these days I guess I ought to take some lessons!
Members davd_indigo Posted June 13, 2016 Members Posted June 13, 2016 Since no one seemed to make the case for piano, I guess I will. I have come, in the last few years, to feel that "serious" musicians should have rudimentary piano skills. Think about the Beatles doing "Good Day Sunshine". Working out the vocal harmony is a natural on the piano. And I think that I read (in Geoff Emerick's book) that George Martin rehearsed the Beatles vocals (for "Sunshine") with the Fab4 at the piano. It's a natural fit. One can play the bass line in the left hand AND the 3 or 4 part (whatever it is) in the right hand. Beyond that, if to study more advanced harmony such as 4 part voice leading - avoiding parallels and working with modulations and so on, a rudimentary level of piano skill is essential. If you're playing metal or EDM I guess you wouldn't need it. But I'd say to explore the higher math of Western harmony one would.
Members davd_indigo Posted June 13, 2016 Members Posted June 13, 2016 In recent years I've come to feel that anyone serious about music (Western harmony based music) should have a rudimentary level of skill at the piano. Working out vocal harmonies for things like "Good Day Sunshine" are greatly aided when working with a piano. I think I remember reading in Geoff Emerick's book that George Martin rehearsed the Fab4 at a piano for this song. And I suspect other songs too. Also, if one were wanting to study more advanced harmony such as 4 part voice leading, avoiding parallels and working out modulations and such, I would say basic piano skills would be essential. Of course if someone were only playing Metal or EDM, not so much.
Members davd_indigo Posted June 14, 2016 Members Posted June 14, 2016 I did not mean to post twice. The first time I typed a response and hit "Post Reply" the cursor spun for literally minutes. I thought it was lost. Annoying.
Members Dendy Jarrett Posted June 14, 2016 Author Members Posted June 14, 2016 I actually like both posts. There was something up in the back end yesterday but seems corrected now. We are looking at logs to determine what happened.
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