Play a musical instrument? What songs are you learning or have learned?

[pianocello]

As suggested by my name, I play the piano and the cello. I can kinda play the organ, and I know a few chords on the guitar as well.

[Jordanah1]

the clarinet from 4th grade through present as i have already auditioned for, and have been accepted into the wind ensembel at UWO, and the saxophone since junior year.

[bugo]

I play guitar, and today I learned "Change (In The House Of Flies)" by the Deftones.

[kurumi]

Piano; trombone in high school; keyboard (cover band in college); some backing vocals.

For our band's recent reunion, we played "Rikki Don't Lose that Number", "Peace, Love, and Understanding", and (among others) "I Got a Line on You", where I mixed in some riffs from here.

My favorite keyboard part in our performances (we played mainly fraternity and sorority parties) was this solo from a Boston song.

[A.J. Bertin]

I took piano lessons as a kid from the ages of 7 to 16 (from 1986 to 1995). I performed a lot of classical music from composers like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, etc. and actually became quite good at it. I was also fortunate to be able to spend a little bit of a time at Interlochen Arts Camp in Interlochen, Michigan, during the summers of '92, '93, and '94. Unfortunately, at the beginning of 1995, I learned that the piano teacher under which I had studied for the previous 8 years had gotten cancer and was no longer well enough to teach. I was so sad and had to start with a different teacher that was recommended to me. Eventually, the demands of high school and my lack of connection with this new teacher led me to drop the lessons at the end of '95.

In addition to piano, I played alto saxophone from fifth grade through my senior year (1989-1997). I haven't touched the sax since '97, and my parents sold the instrument within a couple years after I graduated from high school.

Since 2011, I have been a member of my church choir (I sing tenor). I absolutely love it because we sing a lot of classical hymns as well as some contemporary stuff. We sing every Sunday and also have a couple big concerts throughout the year: Christmas and spring. For our spring concert, we are working on a huge piece by English composer Benjamin Britten which is pretty cool. I love to sing and love being able to read classical music again.

[kphoger]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

[mrose]

I am a musician by trade and have been trying to make a career out of it, though I haven't had much success so far. I've spent the last five years helping run a local music store with other members of my family, but we went under in February.

I started as a drummer, played in several bands during my late teens and all my 20s, and recorded albums and EPs with a few different bands and singer/songwriters. That's still my primary instrument but I have branched out into other things. I've taught myself bass and keyboards and a little bit of guitar, though I've had difficulty getting the hang of it. I write and compose instrumental music at home and play all of the instruments myself... I don't program or sequence anything. I won't sing, though, unless it is backups with a bunch of other people. My voice is not good.

Most recently, I played bass guitar in an 80s cover band with my older brother on drums, but that fizzled out last year when he broke up with the keyboard player and lead singer. We had about 40 songs worked up.

Looking hard for a new band right now but not having much luck. I've also failed two auditions this month.

[Molandfreak]

Well, here goes my long story...

I started euphonium and tuba in fourth grade. Then I began taking harp lessons a year later. In eighth grade, I started playing trombone in a jazz group. Ninth grade is when things really started to get funky. Then, the bari sax player had quit the jazz group, so I decided to take that up. A friend of mine also found a clarinet in a dumpster and gave it to me; I took it to a local music place and had it repaired to playable condition. A year later, I started to take guitar lessons at school. My next goal is the string bass... I just don't know if I can stop anywhere...

Of all, I practice harp the most by far; every day. The rest a couple times a week. In addition, I have also had some fun with a keyboard on garage band, but that's not really serious

[A.J. Bertin]

Well, here goes my long story...

I started euphonium and tuba in fourth grade. Then I began taking harp lessons a year later. In eighth grade, I started playing trombone in a jazz group. Ninth grade is when things really started to get funky. Then, the bari sax player had quit the jazz group, so I decided to take that up. A friend of mine also found a clarinet in a dumpster and gave it to me; I took it to a local music place and had it repaired to playable condition. A year later, I started to take guitar lessons at school. My next goal is the string bass... I just don't know if I can stop anywhere...

Of all, I practice harp the most by far; every day. The rest a couple times a week. In addition, I have also had some fun with a keyboard on garage band, but that's not really serious

Wow! That is so cool. It's fun learning different instruments, and it's awesome that you've been able to do all that.

[US81]

Piano - probably my best instrument. Accompanied the choirs in elementary/junior high/high school. II State UIL my Jr-Sr year. Accompanied all the band and choir UIL solos. Have played professionally for churches, weddings, the youth symphony (the beginners need to be accompanied!), etc. Worked as a church organist for many years also. A little acoustic guitar for church, too.

Violin, then viola in youth orchestra, giving that up to play in school band. Began on clarinet (All-Region x 2), then in high school moved to percussion at the request of my band director. Played all the melodic percussion in marching season, oboe in concert season. Tenor sax/keyboards in jazz band in college. 

After a long and arduous job and parenthood phase, I am finding time to be musical again. Playing percussion in a local wind ensemble. Sometime/back-up/utility gigs on the clarinet or alto sax for a couple of polka bands, or keys for a folk/jazz group.

Wish I had the embouchure for a brass instrument, tho.

[US81]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

The best I could do would be to talk shape-note - and that would be a few centuries too late.  I would be an interested listener, tho. 

[kphoger]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

The best I could do would be to talk shape-note - and that would be a few centuries too late.  I would be an interested listener, tho. 

A good example of what I'm aiming for can be found here.  Right up front, you get to see a view of the notation, but you can find a better version (and more accurate  ) here to follow along with.

[empirestate]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

The best I could do would be to talk shape-note - and that would be a few centuries too late.  I would be an interested listener, tho. 

"Shape-note" is a term still used by some old-timers in the country and bluegrass worlds to refer to standard notation; not coincidentally, the centuries-old notation from which the term derived came into this country via Appalachian settlers. It's the same pedigree that connects old English folk melodies with the Appalachian mountain songs that still use the Elizabethan tunes and pronunciation.

Or so I've read.

[US81]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

The best I could do would be to talk shape-note - and that would be a few centuries too late.  I would be an interested listener, tho. 

A good example of what I'm aiming for can be found here.  Right up front, you get to see a view of the notation, but you can find a better version (and more accurate  ) here to follow along with.

Ah!   Thank you!

[US81]

Just in case being on this forum doesn't make me nerdy enough....

I've recently been learning sqaure note, Solesmes-style notation, which was used in medieval times for Gregorian chant.  Recently, I downloaded a free font which allows me to type the notation into Notepad (the only good TrueType program I have that I know how to use).  Now I've been playing around with drone-type one- and two-part harmonies to accompany chant lines.

Yeah, and good luck me finding anyone I know (except maybe my dad) who would be the slightest bit interested in talking about this. 

The best I could do would be to talk shape-note - and that would be a few centuries too late.  I would be an interested listener, tho. 

"Shape-note" is a term still used by some old-timers in the country and bluegrass worlds to refer to standard notation; not coincidentally, the centuries-old notation from which the term derived came into this country via Appalachian settlers. It's the same pedigree that connects old English folk melodies with the Appalachian mountain songs that still use the Elizabethan tunes and pronunciation.

Or so I've read.

I was thinking of the hymn notation from the 18th and 19th centuries. To modern eyes, it looks almost like modern music with singing parts transcribed onto a grand staff. The shapes represented the steps of the scale in (older) diatonic tetrachord or (later) movable do.  I had not known (or more likely, had forgotten) about the Elizabethan via Appalachia aspect.   Cool!

[hotdogPi]

I play the viola. I have been practicing every day for 1500 days in a row! I have performed Beethoven's 4th Symphony, the New World Symphony, Brahms's 2nd, and others.

I also raise money for Toys for Tots between Thanksgiving and Christmas using my viola. Over 5 years, I have raised $4000.

[Laura]

I played clarinet in 4th, 5th, and 9th grades. I played the bass clarinet in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. I also took piano lessons for about 18 months, from January 2011- May 2012. I was in marching band for a year and choir for 2 years while in school, too.

Unfortunately, music seriously triggers my perfectionism OCD, and I haven't been able to find a good way around it. I can pick up an instrument freakishly easily, and truly excelled at clarinet, bass clarinet, and the piano when I started to play them. However, I have terrible performance anxiety and it becomes self-prophetic - I fail because I'm expecting to fail. I beat myself up every time I practice because I'm not progressing "enough". Seriously, the first year I play an instrument, I'm a super star learning things that second and third year students are doing, but then I hit this point where I make myself anxious and then progression stops. Playing music stops being fun.

After 9th grade I was afraid to touch an instrument for almost 8 years, when I thought I was "passed the OCD". Unfortunately, the exact same pattern started again. I've been tempted to try again with the piano...

[sammi]

I regularly play the guitar. My dad taught me in the Phils. I mostly play OPM (Original Pilipino Music) songs, ones my parents love, and sometimes the new ones too. I really don't like contemporary English songs. And just recently I learned the right stroke rhythm for reggae, so I've also been learning Tagalog reggae songs (which are apparently a thing).

I also used to play the piano. My dad taught me too, as opposed to all of my Chicagoland cousins who took formal piano lessons. We used to have an electronic keyboard in the Phils, but we couldn't take it to Canada so it's just sitting in a box somewhere in our house. It's been three years since I last played, so I want to relearn it. We'll either buy a new one here or take our existing one the next time we go home.