PC Review musicians ???

[Abarbarian]

So does anyone play an instrument or sing ??

Me I just bought a tenor sax. My aim for this year is to be able to play a couple of tunes for THAT annual celebration. I have already bought and wrapped earplugs for all the family.

This a Trafford tenor sax up for sale, the sax is from the 80s, made in the former GDR. There is laquer ware as you'd expect from its age but it plays really well, comes in its own original hard case with a decorative sling and french made ebonite mouthpiece. thanks for looking in.

The guy lived near Skipton so I picked it up on me way to me mums. He is a professional musician and spent an hour or so giving me some tips and pointers, nice chap. He also sold me a Berg Larsen mouthpiece at a very decent price, he could have got more for it on fleabay, quite a bit more. The sax is in a used condition and shows some wear to the lacquer which you would expect for its age. An it has one tiny tiny ding. The pads are in pretty good nick and seal well and the mechanisms are free and easy. You can get a full range of notes and it passes the up down popping test.
It is a bit of a tank and weighs like one. Has a good tone to it though and the three mouthpieces (did I forget to mention I bought a couple of extra mouthpieces) I have tried with it all give it distinctively different sound. I'm still trying out various reeds but I can get recognisable notes from all I have tried.Reading music I thought might be a problem but I am working my way through A Tune a Day for Tenor Saxaphone and can match keywork and written notes for ten notes so far.
I'm a really happy bunny.
This has to be the most complicated challenge I have given myself for years. It is even harder than running Arch.

 

[muckshifter]

I play Guitar, I prefer rhythm or bass.

 

[bootneck02]

Good luck with your new toy, being a non player but having had children who were so I can give advice. (1) set a time in the day to practice say for 1/2 hour and that time is reserved for you to do that. (2) find a band who have a training band so you can join other people and or children or a mix group going through the learning process. For example one of the bands my son plays for has a training band that has a mixture of ages and abilities. It is good to share the learning process. I do not know what part of the country you are but if you go to the library you should be able to get information of musical groups. Any I way I take my hat off to you and wish you good luck with your new hobby.

 

[Quadophile]

I had started on the guitar way back in the early 80's and it coincided with my new job at the same time. I was enrolled in the guitar classes but the problem was practicing what was taught in the class during the week. I of course was having very little time to do that as I was very busy at the same time with my new job. The result was that most of the students in class were much younger and were on summer vacation so they had all the time to practice but me I was obviously struggling. It was getting to a point where it was getting a bit embarrassing so I simply quit at that time. When I was 10 years old by Dad bought me a portable organ and the first tune I learned to play on that was "Girl from Ipanema" I never seriously pursued it at that time until I started on the guitar.

I was unable to get back to it later in life and I regret that. Music however is passion for me and I listen to it more often than average Joe.

My son however is very much into it and now plays the guitar and his friends come over for practice on a regular basis. At times I hear them playing "Stairway to heaven" or Wish you were here" and I make it a point to go down to the living room and compliment them saying something, like "It's been a long time since I enjoyed listening to you guys playing something that I can relate to" they appreciate the comment and continue with their practice.

I really wish I could play something.

As for singing, I have sang only two songs in public, the first time it was in a Karaoke bar in Tokyo where I was the guest and I was asked to sing a song. I was shocked at the request but had to oblige so I picked the song from the list and went ahead with it. The song was "Let it be" seemed to go down well with the folks as I was shocked a second time around when I hear everyone in the bar giving a very enthusiastic applause. The second time was at an annual company dinner when I worked with the Japanese. It was the year after I had been back from the Tokyo trip and the co-workers of mine knew about my singing at the bar in Tokyo. I had to oblige again and that time picked another favourite song of mine which I knew very well but had never sang it in public, it was "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

So there you have it. I would like to see other members post on this thread and letting us know what they are into.

Abarbarian, thanks for posting this thread.

 

[EvanDavis]

I play guitar and drums

 

[Abarbarian]

As for singing, I have sang only two songs in public, the first time it was in a Karaoke bar in Tokyo where I was the guest and I was asked to sing a song. I was shocked at the request but had to oblige so I picked the song from the list and went ahead with it. The song was "Let it be" seemed to go down well with the folks as I was shocked a second time around when I hear everyone in the bar giving a very enthusiastic applause. The second time was at an annual company dinner when I worked with the Japanese. It was the year after I had been back from the Tokyo trip and the co-workers of mine knew about my singing at the bar in Tokyo. I had to oblige again and this time picked another favourite song of mine which I knew very well but had never sang it in public, it was "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's".

So there there you have it. I would like to see other member post on this thread and letting us know what they are into.

Abarbarian, thanks for posting this thread.

It was Flops's idea.

Moon River is fab.

So we got a couple of guitars and some drums and a singer and a sax an Bex's with the husky voice aswell.
We could do,

or as we would probably be playing for the older crowd,

 

[crazylegs]

I play the Harmonica badly

 

[Becky]

I learned to play the piano between the ages of about 10 and 16, and then started having singing lessons from 16 until about 22. I haven't done anything in ages and I do quite miss it - since we moved house I should be able to start singing practice again as it won't bother the neighbours anymore (we lived in a flat previously), it's just a matter of getting back in the habit. I sing mostly classical stuff, but I also love jazz so the sore throat is great at the moment

 

[floppybootstomp]

I've always wanted to play an instrument but at sometime in this life decided I never will as I just don't have the natural talent. Bought an accoustic guitar in 1977 which everybody who supposedly knew anything about guitars said was a good one and I had picked well. More luck than judgement as it was a private sale from Exchange & Mart

Wound it with Ernie Ball Ultra Light bronze strings and Status Quo's Guitar tech (me mate knew him and he lived in a Kent village named Yalding) shaved and adjusted the neck and it sounded good. I practised and practised and learnt - and still know- about a dozen chords which is probably more than The Clash, The Sex Pistols and Status Quo knew between them.

By 1979 I could strum my way through The Eagles' Taking It Easy and Neil Young's Only LOve Can Break Your Heart, amongst others but knew that the only way I'd ever be able to master any proficiency was practice a great deal, which I just don't have the patience to do.

I think it needs more than proficiency to play an instrument, there needs to be a natural flow, a talent, where the playing comes from the heart & soul rather than a text book.

And I just don't have that talent, sad to say, hence what they say about frustrated musicians becoming DJ's - it's true.

Mind you, I'm a dab hand on the spoons, tambourine, triangle, washboard and kazoo

 

[Abarbarian]

So we got a couple of guitars and some drums and a singer and a sax an Bex's with the husky voice aswell.
We could do,

This is looking good.

We can add in a part time piano player and almost professional singer, a harmonica player, and some spoons, tambourine, triangle, washboard and kazoo and another backing guitar. Mind you maybe flops could do the techy sound mixing stuff.

I'm still thinking B52's but with our line up maybe the Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band style.

 

[Abarbarian]

Forgot to mention I played the clarinet at school for four years. In our last year we formed a quintet and sounded quite good by the end of the year.

 

[bootneck02]

This is getting silly, I knew it would

 

[Urmas]

A passable bar piano... if you twist me arm.

 

[bootneck02]

Play it again Sam

 

[Abarbarian]

Silly indeed , not. Have you seen how much famous musicians make.

So with Urmie as main piano we have quite a line up.

As we are a pc forum maybe we could call ourselves " A Md and the Intel-ites"

 

[bootneck02]

 

[Quadophile]

Since we are on the subject of music, musicians and instruments I would like all of you to check out this thread which I just created. It is a fun test and will give you an insight about how musically inclined you really are.

How musical are you?

 

[bootneck02]

This was my score on the site.

 

[floppybootstomp]

I will probably take that test when I fancy registering with the BBC and taking half an hour to do it but I think I pretty well know my musical standing:

Love of music: Unbounded
Emotional apreciation: I know some tracks can still move me to tears - good enough?
Musical talent: 0.25%
Musical curiosity: Neverending
Apreciation of different genres: Changing, shifting constantly, don't care much for most classical and most jazz but most everything else ok
Sense of musical and rhythmic timing: Probably not very good but not a total failure, let's say 30%

But I will take the test shortly

 

[Quadophile]

I will probably take that test when I fancy registering with the BBC and taking half an hour to do it but I think I pretty well know my musical standing:

Love of music: Unbounded
Emotional apreciation: I know some tracks can still move me to tears - good enough?
Musical talent: 0.25%
Musical curiosity: Neverending
Apreciation of different genres: Changing, shifting constantly, don't care much for most classical and most jazz but most everything else ok
Sense of musical and rhythmic timing: Probably not very good but not a total failure, let's say 30%

But I will take the test shortly

You did well in your explanation, I would not have responded differently either, but, you already know me for a long time to really know that