I wish I had enough disposable income at present to get my kids some lessons. Unfortunately not on the immediate horizon.

1. What instruments have you played and for how long?
Trombone, bass trombone, baritone

2. If you could master just one instrument what would it be and why?
guitar, want to, have one, wife plays bass, just hard to find time to do it
why? same reason I shave my legs, chicks dig it

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

1. Trumpet, guitar, piano, bass, handbells. Have dabbled with several other instruments.

2. String bass, options to play jazz, bluegrass, classical. Easier to get gigs.

3. I'm a conductor/director, spend all of my time doing music.

I'm somewhat cynical about naturally gifted when it comes to young Asian kids. Lol They have probably played more than people would normally do over 10-15 years.

Not sure if it's a cultural thing to have others think your child is a prodigy or something, but some of those kids never seem to get to be ... well kids.

Yes though, that was great playing.

I played the recorder for about 3 months in the 4th grade. Since then, it's been nothing but air guitar and the occasional air drums.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

DUDE!!! Chik bass players!!!


Tina Weymouth - Talking Heads / Tom Tom Club


Kim Gordon - Sonic Youth


Kim Deal - The Pixies / The Breeders


Melissa Auf Der Mar - Hole / Smashing Pumpkins [for about 15 minutes]




Este Haim


Jennifer Burnes - The Mermen <check the sticker>

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Guitar player for 50 years (since age 12). Have a nice collection of guitars (acoustic, electric, bass, and classical). Bought a keyboard and a set of drums in the 1980s, plus a bunch of synthesizers, effects units and stuff. Despite being retired for many years, I still don't have enough time to play with them all, but I do expect that situation to improve in the future. Don't hate me, but I have an awesome home studio with huge windows looking out over the Lake of the Ozarks. The studio is a dream I've had since I was a kid. Life is very good.

If you haven't already guessed, yes, I'm a bachelor. :)

pics of the studio?

1) I started playing trombone in grade 6 band. I wanted to play drums, but so did every boy, so I was told I would play trombone instead. I hated it. Never practiced, played all of 1.5 years.

In grade 8 I spent every dime I made lawn mowing one summer on a drum kit. I played until my mid 20's, when it was no longer practical. (Playing live shows until the wee hours, waking up a few later to work, trying to find an apartment that would allow a drum kit, etc). During that time, I taught myself how to play guitar, to a mediocre level, but it never really stuck.

2) If I could master one instrument it would be my own voice. Kind of a cheeky answer but it's true. Good singers blow me away.

3) Years after I stopped drumming, I sat down at a drum kit to mess around. I was terrible. It's like I had two left arms and three right feet. I was actually a very talented drummer back in the day, won some awards through school, played a variety of styles, some of the bands I was in got radio play and one songwriter I drummed for is still touring and doing the music thing and doing reasonably well.

When I sat down at those drums again and realize how much rust I had on me, it closed the music chapter in my life. I still love music, but no longer have any thoughts or desires of playing again. I've moved on.

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Long Chile was a silly place.

1: Trombone from 4th grade into college
Piano lessons in 10th and 11th grade. Still dabble on it.
Taught myself guitar and am a passable guitar player, but not really any good.
Been playing drums for 10 years. Played in three bands that all played out. Still dabble on them.

2: Probably guitar. Its the most useful/versatile and can be done as a solo instrument.

3: Haven't taken time off, but I'm in a lull. I've got other hobbies taking up my time right now.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Singing is a gift.

Nothing worse than being fired up to belt out a tune at home, singing a few lines then being totally put off by your own voice.

1. Played trombone/baritone for 5 years in school band. I've dabbled with piano, guitar, and harmonica for many years but never seriously enough to say I "play" any of them well.

2. Hmmm, it's really hard to pick between piano and guitar. I guess if I was to focus on just one for the rest of my life I'd say piano. A good piano player impresses me more than a good guitar player. A keyboard can be just as portable as a guitar, even more so.

3. I've been focusing on guitar the last few months...maybe 2 hours a week total. I'm making progress but far from achieved any goals towards feeling proficient. I play the piano maybe less than 30 minutes a week along with giving my boys some lessons (they are just starting formal lessons). I can poke my way through some easy songs but again I have a long way to go to feel proficient. But I enjoy the practice time. If I wanted to get serious I'd probably take lessons but not doing that now.

1 - Mandolin - grades 3-4. I got to play it out of "fairness" because my sister got guitar lessons. My mother had a mandolin so I got to play it. I had no interest, due in equal parts to it requiring actual work to master, the instructor being weird and creepy, and the music I had to learn was of zero interest to a 10 year-old. I'm pretty sure I spent the whole two years butchering Aura Lee (a song from the civil war era - way to find relevant music Mr. creepy music teacher!).
Clarinet - grades 5-8. When I joined band the only options open to me were trumpet or woodwind, my mum decided clarinet would be the most palatable. Unfortunately she got talked into buying the instrument rather than renting it so I wasn't allowed to quit until she realized at the end of grade 8 that it was pulling down my grades (or she gave in to my whining).

2 - I would love to master guitar, classical guitar is just so amazing.

3 - After watching a documentary on the ukulele last fall (The Mighty Uke) I decided that might be within my abilities to learn. My colleague at work had one on her desk that she'd been intending to donate to charity so I borrowed it. I was finishing up a course at the time so didn't get anywhere with learning how to play. Thanks for the reminder, I'll pull it out and try to figure out what to do with it.

1 - I've been playing trumpet and a little French horn since 4th grade....about 28 years now. Still play in a community wind ensemble and rarely gig these days. I've marched with various drum and bugle corps back in college and worked with marching bands for 15 or so years.

2 - I would love the chance to spend time truly focus on mastering the trumpet. Work as a chemical engineer professionally so not in the cards now.

3 - never really considered another instrument. Maybe something more traditional or folk music oriented.

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Fester from Detroit, Mi

1. Have played guitar for about 25 yrs. I have spent 95% of my practice time with classical guitar. The other 5% is electric. Funny thing is I own many more electrics than I do classical guitars.

2. Would love to master the guitar but its not possible. I have become a passable classical guitar over the years and can play much of what the professionals play in their repertoire, though not the 'big' pieces and of course not to their level. Discovered jazz a few years ago and am completely and totally befuddled by it. All these years I had absolutely no idea how complex jazz is and how amazing the musicians are. So for now I'm in a state of flux...do I continue with classical and get better or essentially start over and learn something new, jazz...not enough time... Aside from guitar would love to learn the cello.

3. I'm continually off and on...one thing for me that I've found essential is having a teacher. Currently, do not have one though I'm looking into the online option now as time is a priority and one on one lessons are freaking expensive.

I play guitar poorly, and bass even more so. I played a lot when I was a teen- Metallica, Black Sabbath, etc. Quit for a few years after my stuff got stolen, and got back into it. Now I am much better at blues than metal and love it. I don't practice nearly enough to get good, but have fun with it. I even play Rocksmith more than my tube amp- partly due to living in an apartment and having to limit volume, partly because I love the ease of the backing tracks and such on Rocksmith, and part due to not having to fiddle with pedals to nail the tones.

1. Started playing the skin flute when I was around 12. Got pretty good at it, but I don't pick it up much these days. Played coronet (the less cool brother of the trumpet) in the school band. Sucked at it...
and then I picked up the guitar around 15, and have been playing ever since, 35 plus years. I'm at the stage now where if I hear something on the radio I can pretty much play it. I dabble in bands and sing a little which is always fun.

2. I would still pick the guitar and all styles playing, especially classical.

3. Nope. Maybe the skin flute.

In the same groove right now re: music rehearsals and performances being a highlight of my week.

1) Piano from 5-15yrs old...classical with pop near the end. Can fumble through Christmas carols now but not much else. Was in a handbell choir for a couple years in the middle of that, now in two bell choirs plus I do solo work and acted as interim director for our groups for a year. On the vocal front, in a men's choir and a pretty good church choir now also...gradually finding my voice and becoming more comfortable with occasional solo work there too.

2) Electric bass. My daughter picked it up a few years ago and is getting pretty good. When she can't make her lesson for whatever reason I take that time slot myself.

3) Got more than enough on my plate as it is :-)...Wednesday night is 4.5hrs straight.

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Carl Matson

1. Piano from about 6-12. Trumpet in school band through middle school. Wasn't really into either. I was much better at, and interested in, sports.

2. Piano I suppose.

3. Not really. Wasn't that into it the first time and I don't think much has changed in that regard. My piano sits in our formal living room as furniture because my mom wanted the space. My wife plays occasionally, but thats about it.

1. Started playing drums when I was 8 on my dad's drum kit from the 60's. Took lessons for years and played in various marching/concert bands through high school. Also started playing in rock bands in HS. Late in HS I discovered punk rock and it changed my view on music forever. Spent the next 15 or so years playing in various bands, did some touring, played hundreds of shows, and was fortunate enough to share the stage with lots of bands that I still really love and respect.

2. Probably guitar, more specifically lap steel. I just love the sound of it. Drums aren't especially practical and don't lend themselves to writing music or playing solo.

3. I've played on and off over the last few years, but I think the days of playing in loud-ass rock bands for 20 people are behind me. With a young kid and a second in the planning stage, it's just not that appealing any more. I would love to have a low-key acoustic/indie/country-ish project where we could practice in my basement and play an occasional gig, but there are no plans currently in the works.

1. Started piano lessons when I was 5 (my mother never learned to play an instrument, so she made sure all her kids did); trombone from 5th grade, horn in 7th, tuba from 7th. Started on organ when I was 14 and am now a professional organist. Harpsichord, clavichord (all of us organ majors were required to do clavichord juries as well at Eastman). Voice (bass). I tried out accordion when I was in high school, and I had exactly one harp lesson in college. I've also worked for two organbuilders, and this year am teaching ear training/theory at the University of Illinois.

2. Bass trombone. Always wanted to play it in high school but never got the chance. Every once in a while I toy with the idea of buying one.

1. As a kid who listened to KISS and Black Sabbath when I was 5 or so, I just wanted to play drums when it came time to try out for 4th grade band. Tried out for drums, was told I was good enough, but then the teacher asked my parents if I could play trombone because nobody wanted to. I hated that fucking thing. Played it for about 2 years and then go switched to tenor saxophone, and eventually baritone saxophone. I hated those, too. In high school, I would get in trouble with the teacher because he would catch me fucking around on the drums when I was supposed to be blowing a sax. I quit before my senior year because my heart wasn't in playing classical music or saxophone.

When I was in college the third time, I bought a cheap guitar, which eventually became several guitars and a bass. Bought a used Mapex drum set a couple years later off an old guy whose kid didn't play it anymore. Played bass in a couple of metal/rock bands in Minnesota that went nowhere. No live gigs played, no chicks scored. I converted the drums to electronic so I could play in my apartment and started doing a lot of solo recording stuff when I first moved to Indiana. Shopped some stuff to a couple of labels and got some mild interest, but nobody wanted a guy just making music by himself without any live experience or the rest of the band and I had nobody to work with at the time. After first getting married and building a house, I built a recording studio in the basement, with the intent of creating my own stuff, and maybe producing some bands. It was pretty robust but airtight. A flooded basement ruined it all, and I had to tear it all out. I was then out of money for the project and it sat for a few years. Now most of that area is my bike fit studio, but I've recently started repurposing one area of the basement as a new studio - much simpler, and designed for just me and maybe a friend or two. I still play the drums (which are now converted back to acoustic), guitars, and bass a couple of times a week, mostly just messing around. I also mess around with keyboards, too.

2. I really want to play sitar, bagpipes, and build an electric banjo. That's just one instrument, right? lol! Actually, electric guitar building is something I would love to try. Oddly enough, I wouldn't mind trying the saxophone again. But, I would mic/electrify it and run it through effects to make it sound like Satan taking a shit. On that note, it's not an instrument, but I would like to master software recording. It has changed a lot since I was doing it by myself 15 years ago.

3. I do have a project in mind with what I'm starting to throw together now. I just don't know if I have the time and money to do it with all the other projects I have on my plate, especially with bike fitting and some projects related to that. I'm just the kind of person that needs to be learning and doing a lot of shit all the time. If I didn't have my various creative outlets and other cranial challenges, I probably would have overdosed on heroin or something else years ago.

Anyway, thanks for providing an opportunity to share that - this is a fun thread!

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

I was a trombone player. I went to college for jazz studies. I got within a stone throw's of finishing my music degree then switched to Computer Science. My Junior year I was practicing trombone 3-4 hours/day and piano another hour and playing in as many ensembles as I could get into. I don't think I will ever be that serious about music again. Now work takes almost all my time and energy. My step-son is a commercial pilot and flight instructor and offered to teach me to fly. Learning to fly has always been a dream of mine but I'm a musician who doesn't have time to play and an athlete who doesn't have time to train so what good is it to become a pilot who doesn't have time to fly? When I retire in 10 years or so I hope to do the things I don't have time for now.