EDF MUSICIANS THREAD (Guitar/Piano/Singers/etc...)

[surfinillini]

This is my 1st thread in EDF. I haven't seen any threads about musicians so with EL'D's stamp I figured it'd be a nice addition to the large number of solid threads. We can discuss our own experiences, equipment, share tips on playing/performing, etc...also maybe urge some people who have always wanted to into making the steps to learn an instrument.

Personally I've been a musician since I was about 7 years old. I was pretty much forced to take piano lessons LOL and did so until I was 17. I was trained classically and was also taught extensively on music theory. For piano I won several state awards for recital playing and even won some scholarships along the way through the National Guild and Certificate of Merits through the state of CA.

After going to college I quit piano and moved to guitar where I've been playing for about 5 years now off and on.

Right now I'm trying to learn to play acoustic since I self taught myself on a Les Paul that was handed down to me by my father but regret I never took lessons and learned to play acoustic. Looking to invest in lessons again in both piano and guitar...possibly singing too as I want to learn how to sing along with my new acoustic I just purchased.


anyone else wanna share?

[john voight]

I dabble on guitar and piano. If I really out in the time, I could prolly be a decent guitar player, but right now I am lazy. Benn half assing it for the last 11 years.

I took minimal lessons for both instruments.

I got a les paul as well, but it is used and beat up, so I think i may buy another guitar of craigs list or something (they have some sick deals on there).

Mainly I focus on electronic music right now. Using drum machines, and keyboards, etc... I like to create more than I like to play.

I post my crappy work in progress electronic on soundclick. I dont post completed or good electronic songs in fear of getting ripped off. Also, I dont share my rock songs anywhere b/c they are much more original than electronic, so imo they are more holy.

IMO playing the instrument is only half the fun; you gotta start recording yourself, it is very rewarding. W/ todays technology you can literally be a one man band.

[basementproject]

Hey- great idea for a thread. I've been a musician since i was about 2, my dad bought me one of those 4-stringed battery powered "electric guitar" sets and would have me "perform" Frank Sinatra tunes for his clients when they would visit for dinner. Went through the forced piano lessons, same as you, for around 7 years. Got to RCM grade 5 and level 2 theory, but I was a bit of a rogue in the sense that I hated learning classical, and wanted to play pop and jazz tunes instead. My instructor kindly suggested to my parents that I find another instructor, which I never did. I still play daily.

Took a year off after high school to tour around with my band, had some marginal regional success releasing an album and selling merch, etc, but that ended when I went to college.

Currently play guitar in a band, we're back to gigging, it's going great. There is nothing like playing loud, hard rock on a stage for a crowd. No feeling like it.

I also have a protools rig in my basement with which I constantly record.

The one tip I have for anybody wishing to progress on their respective instruments is that you must PERFORM LIVE as soon as you possibly can, and as often as you can.

BTW surfin- what kind of LP you rockin? What year? Hand me down LPs rule. My uncle's got a 69 black beauty, with the original soapbar in there and everything- surreal sound. Got me a Studio about 3 years ago and absolutely love it.

[whiskeytown]

I am really more a songwriter, but I have played in bands and dabbled for 17 years - I have a myspace page here and a former band page somewhere else -

I was recording this weekend and accidently left a 2 second gap in the track from when I cut and paste - [censored] - it's a 5 minute fingerpicking acoustic song I want to nail just right, so I'm pretty peeved - I may try cutting and pasting a take together on the computer next week and going from there.

I play guitar and sing and go for an alt-country vibe - My babe of choice right now is a Gretsch Black Duo-Jet I used to play thru a Crate Vintage Tube amp but I also have an 8" 1954 Fender Tweed I want to record with some with that natural distortion.

Also a Taylor 6 string - a Rickenbacker 12 string and a $200 Alverez acoustic 12 string I bought on impulse and never played - I'd like to pick up bass and drums just so I can keep playing the rest of my life since my guitar playing sucks but any idiot can play bass and drums around town if he's decent because bands never have enough of them.

but I'm mostly in it for the songs - sent some demos to a friend at an indie label who was interested in releasing an album but I'm 18 months into trying to get it going without success - have some 2nd Gen digital recording equipment (Mackie D8B/HDR24) that's decent but mostly I'm just a perfectionist trying to do everything myself and it sucks -

I need a new band -

RB

[YoungOne]

surfinillini,

cool, we have a pianist on here. I took 2 semesters worth of intro to piano at college in 2005. Once those classes were over, I stopped playing but would like to get back into it.

What kind of keyboard would you recommend for a beginner? I'm willing to spend between $400-600 or so and hopefully last me for 2-3 years until until i'm ready for a better keyboard.

thanks,

YoungOne

[josh_x]

I have been playing music for a few years now, mainly guitar though i have a piano and play on it a bit but have never had lessons. Do people recommend i take piano lessons? I get the impression you either take classical or jazz lessons? If so i'm not sure what i would prefer--i listen to both types of music and enjoy them both. I have no specific goals, i pretty much just wanna be the best all round musician i can be. The theory side of things i do find interesting fwiw. (can teachers teach theory better than the internet can, sufficient to justify the cost?)

thanks!

[MagicNinja]

surfinillini,
we are the same person.

i was actually going to make a thread to just talk about music, music theory, what the lyrics to songs mean, learning to play guitar and tips etc.

I started classical piano at 7 too, i'm 22 now, played till i was 17 seriously and then moved out of home and played off and on. now i am playing on a yamaha s90 i bought. at the moment most of my piano playing is just messing around in different keys etc, or learning jazz from Mark Levines 'The Jazz Piano book', which is pretty fantastic. The pieces i am kind of half way through learning that i'd like to finish learning with a teacher at the moment are the Appassionata sonata (I am working mainly on the 3rd movement but have almost learnt to 'play' it, will be a while before it is worth performing), and some random 'nice' pieces like liebestraume, claire de lune, etc. I also started on the chopin ballade in G minor but there is 0 chance i will be motivated to learn it without a piano and teacher.

not taking lessons in guitar or piano, i think i can probably learn electric guitar as efficiently without a teacher anyway since i'm pretty driven and efficient with my time practicing.

oh also, i have my keyboard hooked up to my macbook w/ a motu traveller and am running logic xpress. my guitar is a GnL legacy.

[MagicNinja]

josh_x,
if you want to get good at piano i would get a teacher. it's not really like guitar where there is an abundance of good information to teach you how to play well.

if you take jazz piano lessons, you will learn about music theory since it is impossible to learn to play jazz piano without learning a significant amount of theory. if you learn classical, they will teach you a little bit but the focus is on learning to play pieces etc. most classical pianists end up learning the theory at school i guess (while they take private lessons on the side). i have no experience with jazz teachers however, so i can't really comment on whether or not they will teach you piano technique correctly or assume you can play already.

[adsman]

Got forced into a music at an early age. At 7 years old I started violin and theory lessons, urgh. Switched to classical guitar at age 12, but was quickly in trouble with my teacher at school as all I wanted to play were Led Zeppelin riffs. Started writing my own songs around 14 and by the time I left school I had some good contacts around Perth.

Played in a few cover bands and then finally formed an original band with some good musos. Most people don't know these bands here but I used to hang out with the guys from what would become You am I and a few other well known aussie bands.

Got accpeted into the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts for their Jazz guitar degree, but bailed and headed over to Sydney. Played in a bunch of jazz bands there, then headed up to Cairns where we had a wicked seven piece jazz fusion funk group. In Uganda I got a similar group going and we played at some pretty big concerts, (8,000 people the biggest).

Then I got to Italy and it all died. The live scene in Italy sucks. Trying to get a group together now, we'll see how it goes.

Have eight guitars, among them a Gibson flying V, a Les Paul, a Martin, and my favorite a Gibson 335 jazz series.

My advice to anyone who wants to get into music is to take up the base guitar as great base guitar players are rarer than hens teeth.

[Gonso]

Played guitar seriously, originally entered college as a music major. Sometime after the army I pretty much ran out of time to play. Between tow jobs and poker it;s next to impossible right now