Author Topic: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread  (Read 300632 times)

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Offline Jay.Ess

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #35 on: September 07, 2012, 04:16:36 PM »
Another guitarist here :)
I try keep things fairly versatile, I want to eventually focus a bit more on the fusion improvising side of things, (ala Guthrie Govan in a way) but at the moment I play stuff ranging from prog metal to jazz to rockabilly haha. I try and embrace and incorporate as many different musical styles/genres as I can into my playing, I feel that each has something interesting to offer that can be taken and expanded upon to form my own ideas. :)
Here's a video of me playing Tender Surrender for my school exam about a month ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tphugqwb0&feature=plcp (Maybe skip to the solo at around 2:00 to get a quick idea!)

Offline Scorpion

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #36 on: September 08, 2012, 01:32:50 AM »
W00t! A thread in Musicians that has reached the second page. This is truly a historical event!!
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Offline Elite

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #37 on: September 08, 2012, 03:40:51 AM »
Awesome! :) That was the point of the thread actually, to get people over here to talk about their music playing. I know there's a lot of musicians on DTF, so I'm glad people come here to post stuff.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Online Zydar

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #38 on: September 08, 2012, 03:42:05 AM »
Cool stuff Zydar!

Thanks! (Sorry for the late reply)
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Offline Sketchy

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #39 on: September 09, 2012, 06:57:26 AM »
W00t! A thread in Musicians that has reached the second page. This is truly a historical event!!

For a minute I thought I was about to crash die of shock.
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Offline Elite

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #40 on: September 13, 2012, 09:48:33 AM »
Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #41 on: September 13, 2012, 10:18:40 AM »
I don't get to play as much as I'd like.  Practice at home, I mean.  It takes time spent practicing your craft to keep your skills up, and even more to actually improve.  My situation kinda sucks because the only time I would get to play is at home in the evenings, after the kids have gone to bed.  And of course I can't play the piano or sax after the kids are in bed.  I might be able to get away with the flute.

Yeah, I could set up my keyboards and use the headphones.  I do that sometimes.  But it's still not the same as just sitting and communing with the piano for hours and hours like in the old days.  And I've got 88 plastic keys, but it's still not the same as sitting at a real piano.

Something that kinda makes up for that, however, is that I've been doing a bit of arranging for the church band, and that's been both fun and pretty fulfilling.  We have a guy who plays violin and a girl who plays flute, so when we do songs that have notable lead lines and/or hook lines, they play them.  This past Sunday, we did a song that has an orchestral break, and I wrote up parts for the flute and violin, to play it, and I backed it up on the keyboards.  I used the trick where you have the flute and violin in harmony, with the flute underneath, and it sounds really full because of how their timbres compliment each other.

Meanwhile I was playing a basic piano patch for most of the song, but went to double voice at the break (piano+strings) to full it up a bit, and it sounded really sweet.  Someone actually commented afterwards about how well we synched up with the prerecorded track; it added a lot and made it sound really full.  No tricks here, folks, we played all that live.

Offline Scorpion

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #42 on: September 13, 2012, 01:22:37 PM »
I would love to play more than I do, but being in my senior year, time's severly limited. Still, I've begun playing in a band, which is probably help me improve anyway, so we'll see where that takes me.
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Offline jsem

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #43 on: September 13, 2012, 01:32:39 PM »
About practice, 10K hours rule apply if you want to master your instrument.

For me:
Saxophone first, piano second, guitar third (mostly funk or jazz/swing, not much metal anymore... can't shred and never bothered to learn).
I can also play bass if necessary, including the upright bass. I can hold a good enough beat on drums, but can't do anything fancy.

I also love composing, but lately also arranging. I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging.

Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #44 on: September 13, 2012, 01:59:36 PM »
I guess I consider that to be a different kind of arranging.  I'm not sure what I'd call it exactly, but I think I know what you're talking about.

Like a lot of pianists, I started off with piano lessons, and amused myself playing popular music from sheet music, usually arranged for piano/vocal/chords.  My sister started buying a lot of them, but I guess I ended up with a bunch, too.  Sometimes the arrangements were really simple, designed to be easy enough for most people to play, and sometimes they obviously took a little more care to get all the chords right and include the instrumental breaks and stuff.  I always liked to see if I could take it even further.  Keep adding and embellishing the arrangement until I have something truly worthy of a solo piano piece.  Like if you went into a club and there's a guy playing the piano, the stuff he'd be playing, with big, full chords and a bit of flash, not something that sounds like "Top 80's Hits for Easy Piano, Volume 3".

Offline jsem

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #45 on: September 13, 2012, 03:40:57 PM »
Consider what to be a different kind of arranging than what? ???

Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #46 on: September 13, 2012, 03:52:43 PM »
Well, I was talking about taking existing songs and adapting them to work with our band.  Writing out parts for the violin and flute to play, working out (though not actually writing down) parts for me to play to make it all sound better.  I consider that arranging.  Coming up with a unique arrangement of the song.

When you said "I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging" I took that to mean coming up with piano arrangements of things, which I consider a different type of arranging.  Sure, it's the same basic thing; taking a piece of music of doing something different with it, but cooking up piano arrangements feels a lot more natural to me, since you only have to worry about ten notes at a time, not what other instruments and players are doing, etc.

Or is that not what you meant? ???

Offline Sketchy

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #47 on: September 14, 2012, 02:20:01 AM »
Hmm... If we can pull someone in to play flute, I may have to attempt that flute/violin double team.
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Offline 02T

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #48 on: September 14, 2012, 05:11:53 AM »
I'm a guitarist who initially started singing because that was the only way to have input into the cover tunes we did. I played guitar in the Army for almost nine years, and have just gotten out to move back home to be near my kids.

I am playing with an acoustic duo (our third gig is tonight), solo, and with an 80s new wave cover band, as well as sitting in with different groups around town, trying to break into the scene.

My first EP is due out October 2. Acoustic, all improvised, recorded outdoors in and around Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. It's basically completely different from anything else I do. But I am making it happen.

After a lifetime of resistance to it, I am finally trying to learn the marketing and promotion aspect of the business. Once I stopped focusing on the fact that I had no idea how to do any of it, and just decided I was doing it, it all started coming together.

Additionally, I play percussion with a local wind ensemble, The Desert Winds, that performs mostly contemporary classical works.

My website is bradbaileymusic.com and my facebook page is facebook.com/BradBaileyGTR

When I was playing in the Army, I rarely practiced outside of work, because I was playing so much during the day. It was difficult staying inspired by music. Every once in a while you need a kick in the ass, realizing you do the coolest thing in the world, and if you aren't happy, you are the problem.

I still need that reminder, because I've been working so hard at readying my CD and getting established in the local scene, that it takes the focus off of how fun and awesome playing music is.
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Offline Onno

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #49 on: September 14, 2012, 09:09:09 AM »
Drummer here, for about 4 years now. I haven't played much for the last year though, because I moved out to Utrecht (where my university is) and my drumkit was still at my parents' house. I just bought an electronic drum kit so that I can practice the whole week instead of one or two days a week.

Problem is, I'm not much good yet. And I overused my leg muscles (I have flat feet) while on fieldwork for my study, so my doublebass drumming is absolutely crap now. Luckily, I received my arch supports today (is that the right word for it? google says it is), so I can finally begin to recover and start playing normally again.

Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.
Yeah, I have that sometimes. Especially when practicing doublebass, I feel I need to practice longer and longer do make even a small bit of progress. I kinda regret sometimes that I still can't play some songs while I've had my drum kit for 4 years and my doublebass pedal for 3 years (i.e. Raining Blood by Slayer)
« Last Edit: September 14, 2012, 09:19:04 AM by Onno »

Offline jsem

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #50 on: September 14, 2012, 09:38:38 AM »
Well, I was talking about taking existing songs and adapting them to work with our band.  Writing out parts for the violin and flute to play, working out (though not actually writing down) parts for me to play to make it all sound better.  I consider that arranging.  Coming up with a unique arrangement of the song.

When you said "I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging" I took that to mean coming up with piano arrangements of things, which I consider a different type of arranging.  Sure, it's the same basic thing; taking a piece of music of doing something different with it, but cooking up piano arrangements feels a lot more natural to me, since you only have to worry about ten notes at a time, not what other instruments and players are doing, etc.

Or is that not what you meant? ???
Well, it could be both. I could be sitting with a song, and then thinking, hey... this instrument could play this, and this instrument could play this... let's see if I can get the sax section to play this riff right here, and check harmonies and if it's in the proper range of the instruments... all kinds of good stuff. Or I just do SATB arranging or just a piano arrangement. Mostly the first case though, I get carried away a lot.

Offline Ultimetalhead

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #51 on: September 14, 2012, 06:55:42 PM »
Piano is great fun to dick around with. It's been a major catalyst in my ability to understand theory. I can experiment with all the different, funky chords and how they resolve.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #52 on: September 14, 2012, 08:24:56 PM »
Yep, I tell people that it's the easiest instrument to play, 'cause all the notes are just laid out right in front of you.  You just have to hit them in the right order and in the right combinations.  I'm being a smartass, of course, but in a way, that's exactly how I think of it.  I can sit at the piano and just commune with it for hours.

Online hefdaddy42

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #53 on: September 15, 2012, 04:55:19 AM »
I play mostly guitar.  Nothing flashy, no lead stuff here, pretty much rhythm with accents.  I love it.  Mostly play at church.  My family also has a group, with my wife as lead singer, me on acoustic guitar/background vocals, and my daughter on percussion (djembe, shakers, tambourine, rain stick, whatever else she can scrounge up).

I also love playing drums, and I'm getting to do that for this month at church.  I feel more expressive and in-control playing drums than I do playing guitar.

I also dabble in bass, but my opportunities to play bass are few and far between.  But bass is fun as hell.

I would love to play keyboard, but I have never been able to get into it.
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Offline Zook

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #54 on: September 15, 2012, 08:25:58 AM »
I'm totally a musician.

Offline jsem

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #55 on: September 15, 2012, 11:08:44 AM »
Yep, I tell people that it's the easiest instrument to play, 'cause all the notes are just laid out right in front of you.  You just have to hit them in the right order and in the right combinations.  I'm being a smartass, of course, but in a way, that's exactly how I think of it.  I can sit at the piano and just commune with it for hours.
Well, in my opinion, chord playing is in a lot of cases easier on the guitar. You're limited to fewer colorings but it's just as easy to play in any key, which is not possible on the piano - I mean, Db and F# are the worst keys I know to play in.

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #56 on: September 15, 2012, 11:18:33 AM »
But chords are lined out very easily on a piano, whereas on a guitar there's some 'standard' shapes that don't always sound very well when they follow each other up. Chord playing on a piano completely slays chord playing on guitar, because you can basically see EXACTLY what notes you're hitting.
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Offline Sketchy

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #57 on: September 15, 2012, 11:28:06 AM »
I do like using the piano for attempting to form chordal ideas, but I like the patterniness that stringed instruments have (particularly those with consistent tuning intervals between strings).
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Offline jsem

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #58 on: September 15, 2012, 12:02:51 PM »
But chords are lined out very easily on a piano, whereas on a guitar there's some 'standard' shapes that don't always sound very well when they follow each other up. Chord playing on a piano completely slays chord playing on guitar, because you can basically see EXACTLY what notes you're hitting.
The voicing is obviously hugely important, and lead tones... so it doesn't clash with the melody, but if you know that much you don't have much to stand in your way of chord playing on guitar.

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #59 on: September 15, 2012, 12:13:01 PM »
well, I suppose you're right, but there's a huge difference between just playing your E, Em, A and Am barre chords up and down the next and actually trying to find voicings that go well together. The latter is definitely easier on the piano, but also not impossible on guitar. It just takes a different way of learning chords, which isn't really as linear either on a guitar as it is on a piano.
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Offline Scorpion

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #60 on: September 28, 2012, 07:17:49 AM »
Chat thread revival! For those people that play more than one instrument, which one do you prefer, and why? I'm pretty curious how that is, seeing that I only play piano myself.
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Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #61 on: September 28, 2012, 08:46:13 AM »
I play mostly piano, flute, and saxophone, and my preference tends to vary according to mood, or musical situation.

In a band, I find it easier to play piano/keyboards because it's easier to find something that will add color or texture to what the band is doing.  Piano is also my preferred instrument if I'm home alone and have some time to play.

We have regaular campfire/singalongs at the home of one of the guys from our church, and after dinner, people break out the guitars.  Recently, we've had guys add violin, djembe, and banjo, so I've started bringing my flute.  In that kind of situation, it's easier to add a countermelody or a well-known instrumental hook to whatever's going on.  Playing flute at home alone is also kinda cool when I'm feeling more mellow.

I haven't played sax regularly for a while now.  In marching band, it was the best.  With a saxophone, you can blast, you can really get obnoxious.  Sax is also great for soloing in a band situation, but it's too loud for campfire singalongs.  I haven't sat and chilled with my sax alone for a while.  I should do that sometime, get my chops back in shape.

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #62 on: September 28, 2012, 09:41:24 AM »
Phew! I play the guitar, saxophone and the piano. I also sing a little here and there. I definitely prefer the guitar, because it's the instrument I feel most comfortable with and I'm the most proficient with. It used to be the saxophone, but to be honest, I have kind of neglected it for too long. I'm still in the process of learning the piano, so that one's completely out of question. As for singing, I'm kind of comfortable doing it with or in front of people I know, but for a huge crowd I prefer to just keep my mouth shut. I did however sing (part of) a song at my last gig (while paying the guitar at the same time).
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Orbert

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #63 on: September 28, 2012, 10:09:55 AM »
Saxophone Neglectors Unite!

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #64 on: September 29, 2012, 05:40:58 AM »
\o
Hey dude slow the fuck down so we can finish together at the same time.  :biggrin:
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Offline Sketchy

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #65 on: September 29, 2012, 06:07:48 AM »
I'd love to play saxophone, and certainly want it to be involved in at least one project...

However, new bass has arrived in the shop (finally), so I shall pick it up on monday.
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Offline carl320

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #66 on: September 29, 2012, 09:31:35 AM »
Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.

I don't play much at all.  I work a lot through the week so I don't feel like playing/practicing when I get home (which is usually pretty late).  I do play in the worship band at church, so I'm trying to play somewhat regularly :lol
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Offline Mosh

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #67 on: September 29, 2012, 02:58:26 PM »
Chat thread revival! For those people that play more than one instrument, which one do you prefer, and why? I'm pretty curious how that is, seeing that I only play piano myself.
Hello Chat Thread. I play guitar, alto saxophone, clarinet, and piano. I prefer guitar by far. One reason is that I am most proficient on it, and I also feel that my guitar playing has more personality than my playing on any of the other instruments. And if I'm going to write music, 90% of the time it will be on guitar.

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Re: All musicians unite! - The Musicians Chat Thread
« Reply #69 on: September 29, 2012, 05:57:47 PM »
Marching Band Competition today.
We won: Best Music in our class, First Place in our class, and First Place overall in our division


Needless to say, I'm pretty fucking hyped right now.  :metal