so...what instruments do you play?

Kyle Motor · Post by **Kyle Motor** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:58 am

I took piano lessons in grade school for about 4 years. Then I started drumming around age 11, guitar around 14, bass around 17, and I've been singing my whole life. I've also picked up a little bit of tenor sax, but I don't have one so I can't really play now, and I played trombone (poorly) on a record I recorded earlier this year. I'm 26 now, and so far this year I've gigged in bands playing guitar (my main band), bass (2nd band), and even though I rarely play drums I've sat in on 2 gigs as a drummer with 2 different bands.

I love playing different instruments. I hate trying to own every instrument I can play plus recording equipment, it leaves me broke with a mountain of gear that needs maintenance. Oh well, give and take. My goal is to someday break even on everything.

Cellotron · Post by **Cellotron** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:19 am

Instruments I play (with definitely varying degrees of competence!!) and have actually been recorded playing:

cello (my primary instrument now)
5-string contra-cello (goes down to low F - so just a half step above bass)
bass guitar (this used to be my primary instrument and what I studied in college and gigged with throughout my twenties - but I rarely play it these days)

guitar (finger style only - I'm hopeless with a pick)
bouzouki (in an "unorthodox" manner - I own one that I keep in a G-D-G-D open tuning and play it fingerstyle for some fun drone-ing)
keyboards (I'm pretty bad - but have just enough to be able to program parts during sessions or bang out a couple of the easier Satie pieces)
bamboo recorders
djimbe
dumbec (played "unorthodoxly" in djimbe-style)
balifon (not too good with this one)
udu
& of course: COWBELL!

Best regards,
Steve Berson

timbertrout · Post by **timbertrout** » Mon May 22, 2006 12:13 pm

My Instrument Played : (My relative ability level)

Guitar: (The guy in Jesus Christ Superstar)
Bass: (3rd rate Paul McCartney Impostor)
Piano: (The Edge in "Under a Blood Red Sky")
Tambourine: (Tracy Partridge)
Melodica: (Cyndi Lauper)
Drums: (Ringo Starr, if he'd had a Def Leppard accident)
Percussion: (Will Ferrell)
Synth: (Ronnie James Dio)
Backing Vox: (The Van Halen Brothers)
Lead Vox: (All of the Above)

I cannot play one lick of anything on any wind instrument. I can't play slide guitar.

MT · Post by MT » Mon May 22, 2006 12:17 pm

Guitar, drums, bass, piano, skin flute, vocals (instrument, IMO), all since I was about 12, except for skin flute which I took up around 15.

MT

Cellotron · Post by **Cellotron** » Mon May 22, 2006 12:17 pm

timbertrout wrote:My Instrument Played : (My relative ability level)

Backing Vox: (The Van Halen Brothers)

"dance, dance the night away....."

In their own appropriatelly cheezy way - I always thought these guys did a pretty great job with this stuff actually.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Mon May 22, 2006 12:52 pm

In their own appropriatelly cheezy way - I always thought these guys did a pretty great job with this stuff actually.

I always thought that those bkgrd vox were myriad overdubbed Michael Anthonies + one track o'Roth.

Jeff

MT · Post by MT » Mon May 22, 2006 12:55 pm

Cellotron wrote:In their own appropriatelly cheezy way - I always thought these guys did a pretty great job with this stuff actually.

Right on. They don't sound like anyone else.

timbertrout · Post by **timbertrout** » Mon May 22, 2006 1:48 pm

VH Bvox:

I always assumed as a teen that they were the Bros. VH, because I had some knowledge of them being Dutch-born, and the Bvox had a sort of ABBA/Scorpions/Golden Earring English-as-a-second-language elocution to them. (Now, I don't even know if Eddie and Alex speak with any sort of accent... Do they?)

Anyway, that was just the uninformed conclusion I made as a young rock fan.

When I hear those Bvox, that's what I picture. But I'm wrong -- check it:

http://www.classicvanhalen.com/bios_ma.shtml

"In addition to his thundering bass lines, Michael's melodic and instantly recognizable backing vocals play a huge part in the unique sound of Van Halen. He is responsible for many of the ear-shattering squeals and screams found throughout the band's albums."

So in light of this it's probably even more true that I sing backing vocals as well as Eddie and Alex.

Rigsby · Post by **Rigsby** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:20 pm

Cellotron wrote: balifon (not too good with this one)

I just got one those for my 30th, it's an awesome sound but i haven't recorded much with it yet, it's not a scale i'm used to so it's kind of hard to improvise with it, but i'm getting there.

cjogo · Post by **cjogo** » Mon May 22, 2006 11:00 pm

nystrec wrote:man you like the Beattles

got my first drum set ~~ after hearing these Beatle guys in '62-'63

seaneldon · Post by **seaneldon** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:46 am

guitar
bass
drums
keys/piano
harmonica
violin
trombone
trumpet
ukulele
banjo
and i sing.

Randy · Post by **Randy** » Tue May 23, 2006 11:50 am

what, no other theremin players out there? Looks like my dream of having a theremin quartet is never going to be a reality.

Phiz · Post by **Phiz** » Tue May 23, 2006 12:37 pm

My main instrument is pedal steel, which I've been working at for 3 or 4 years now -- much work left to do. Had piano lessons as a kid, and still plunk around on my keyboard. I recently got a dobro and a lapsteel. I also doodle around with a harmonica and ukulele.

Jeremy Garber · Post by **Jeremy Garber** » Tue May 23, 2006 5:51 pm

I have a photo theremin!

loveless · Post by **loveless** » Sat May 27, 2006 6:30 pm

Mainly Guitar, for about 20 years. I've been playing since I was really little, I couldn't tell you the name of any of the chords or scales I play, sadly. I never learned! I wish I had, sometimes. I play piano, bass, drums and sing (that's an instrument, right?) I bang on various percussion bits and pretty much anything that will make a sound.

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so...what instruments do you play?

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