As many of you know, I play a number of instruments, (piano, guitar, clarinet, alto sax, a little recorder), and I know many of you here play an assortment of eclectic instruments. So, what's the main style of music you play, or if what you play really has no defined style, how could you describe your music?
I've always been mostly classically oriented on the piano, but lately I've been trying to learn a little more jazz. The guitar is mostly for acoustic type rock, and some bluegrass and the like. I usually don't play the clarinet outside of concert band, so standard concert band literature defines what I play on the clarinet. I don't play alto sax much, nor recorder, so I can't say anything there.
And yes, this is a shameless attempt to try to drag Umber into a conversation on this board.
Hi, Cosine,
I play whatever strikes my fancy thats within my limited capabilities& and my capabilities are definitely limited. There are times when I listen to one genre of music almost exclusively and my noisemaking on an instrument will follow along with whatever I happen to be listening to. Lately its been blues. Howlin Wolf, Robert Johnson, relative unknowns who post their songs on sites like SongRamp& whoever plays in a way that moves me. I might wake up tomorrow and begin to play only Irish ballads. What kind of music I attempt to play on any given day is usually a surprise to me and may change an hour from now or stay the same for months.
I dont read music, although I am attempting to learn at this late date. But Ive always had a knack for picking up almost any instrument and being able to squeak/gnaw/saw/plunk/pluck/toot out a recognizable tune. If thats a musical ability & which friends claim I have& its the ONLY musical ability I have. The saving grace is that Im an extremely stubborn and tenacious old bastid. If I need to play a simple song on the keyboard eleven thousand times before my fingers can do what I want them to do with the song& express feeling, add grace notes, run off into wild improvs& then Ill play the song at least eleven thousand times.
Like most of us do at times, I have songs that I cant get out of my mind. When that happens, I pick up an instrument and see if I cant produce some sounds to go along with the mental music. Joni Mitchells version of Song to a Seagull was one of the first songs I learned on the flute, for example& or Bert Janschs version of the old balled Jack Orion & or Janschs version of Hawthorn Tree on the recorder, or his The Blacksmith on the keyboard. On harmonica, Im just as likely to strike up a lively rendition of Three Blind Mice or Tambourine Man as I am to try to play along with Smokestack Lightning on Utube. There are times when I cannot remember either the title of the song Im playing or which rendition of the song Im trying to emulate. None of that worries me as long as what Im playing provides me with some sense of satisfaction& or a chuckle.
For a number of years Ive owned an old second hand upright piano. The keys move sideways almost as much as they move up and down and the thing needs tuning badly& but its been fun to plunk out a song or two on it. For the past couple of years Ive been in a heap of pain from a lower back injury brought on by stupidity + old man vanity, so Ive had some time on my hands. Id play the piano just to get my mind off the pain& many times two hours at a stretch. My playing began to sound good enough to me (I have to discount my wifes opinion& she thinks every note I hit is a good one) so that I bought a mid-price Yamaha keyboard. The Yamaha could play a bit of background music to my melody. After only a couple of months of plunking on the keys of the Yamaha I had convinced myself I can indeed learn to play well enough to justify upgrading that instrument to a top of the line Korg. I LOVE that Korg!! And playing the keyboard has lead me to play more on other instruments. I just upgraded my harmonics from junkers to Lee Oskars. Now I even have Maggie (my wife) playing harp. Just a few days ago I tabbed out a song called Mojo Man for her and she has the notes down pretty well now.. and is tickled pink at being able to play a song . After the notes are second nature, she can work on bends, chords, tongue blocking/slaps and all the rest.
And now Im looking to get a good guitar. Not sure yet whether Ill go with acoustic, something electric, or a combo of the two, a resonator or even a lap steel Havent played the guitar in twenty years, but now that Im in blues mode, Ive got an itch to learn slide. I used to be able to finger pick pretty well, but slide is gonna be a whole new thing. I had given one guitar to a friend not too long ago& a nice Yamaha solid top& and now I want another. Frankly I wonder if Im nuts with all this expenditure of energy and loot, and I would be if I werent having so much fun.
Jazz? Im finding I have a real affinity for something that definitely sounds like jazz. I set up a split keyboard on the Korg& left hand on a slap bass, lets say, and right hand a muted trumpet or tenor sax& and I can improv well enough to record the music, loop the track and listen to and enjoy it myself. Personally, I think my hands are possessed. I wouldnt have thought my life as a blacksmith would have formed fingers capable of tickling the ivories.
One thing for sure& people in this age of ipods, cds, dvds and tv, all chock full of slick recordings by professional musicians are really missing out if they dont get something& anything will do& and try to make some music of their own.
And, if this post is overlong, Cosine, remember the inexorable good fairie and be careful of what you wish for.
... or blame Fistful.
Umber
