Musician Talk

[amaranthineamusement]

Oooh, may I join the fun?

I'm primarily a vocalist, having sung chorally for the past three years in two singing groups, with musical theatre interspersed here and there, as that is likely my favorite thing to do. My favorite genres of music: show tunes, folk music, occasionally pop, k-pop, and...I guess a little bit of everything? But country. Country is regrettable almost entirely (with very few exceptions).

I have a ukulele who has been sorely neglected and needs some love. *glances wistfully to uke perch at top of bookshelf*

I'm also learning piano and conducting! Both rather slowly, but learning them nonetheless. In piano, I can read rather slowly in an easy key (working on reading with more and more accidentals in the key signature but ;__;). As far as conducting goes, I'm learning choral conducting more so than instrumental (I get the feeling there are some differences, including the baton and all that jazz) and can currently conduct in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/2, but learning how to subdivide the beats as well (which is more difficult).

Anyhow, since I'm only three years into this adventure, (have been doing musical theatre for seven years or so, but began that with virtually no theory knowledge and just listened to pitches until I could mimic them) I definitely have much to learn! But, gaining some more music literacy over the years has been really nice, as it has enabled me to both sing better and conduct musical conversations on chat with you lovely folks!

Ukulele, niiiice! And piano! Good luck with learning, and welcome to the thread

[Auxivele]

DaveBro: Thank you for the tip! Now I just need to convince my parents to get me an electric guitar... XD
My desire to learn to play the bagpipes knows no bounds. My dad said that he might help me learn when I'm older and we are no longer living in the middle of suburbia.
I hope your injuries aren't too bad... :C
And I'm definitely going to look at all this music now!
amaranthineamusement: Jooooooiiiiiiiiin uuuuuuus
I totally have to check out your music now. And I understand exams being a problem. I'm going to try guitar again as soon as they let up, but that's not going to be for another month XD The possibly-hardest one is out of the way now, though, so woo!
ginger: Welcome welcome! I am impressed by anyone who can actually sing (am perpetually off-key). I used to know more when I was taking piano, but I am (arguably) regaining that knowledge as I play more in school and outside of school. Learners unite!
Mélusine: I feel you. The only reason I can play the bass clarinet is because for some reason my school had a couple that hadn't been in use that they found and let my try out. (Why are they so expensive)

How long have I been gone...! My big test is finally over and now I'm not studying until my brain melts out of my ears so woo! (at least until the next ones are closer... <sigh>)

[Juniper]

I'm also learning piano and conducting! Both rather slowly, but learning them nonetheless. In piano, I can read rather slowly in an easy key (working on reading with more and more accidentals in the key signature but ;__;). As far as conducting goes, I'm learning choral conducting more so than instrumental (I get the feeling there are some differences, including the baton and all that jazz) and can currently conduct in 4/4, 3/4, and 2/2, but learning how to subdivide the beats as well (which is more difficult).

Ahhh conducting I'm jealous !! I've never conducted anything but I've been kind of taught how to during lessons and gotten to hold one of my friend's conducting batons and wave it around a bit but it also makes me think of this fun picture:

I really wanna know what that sounds like ? Also hats off to the dude third from the left who is watching the wacky waving inflatable tube conductor very closely.

... Someday, I'll be rich and make a new try for learning an instrument. Someday.

Any idea on what new instrument you'd like to try and learn ?

[Auxivele]

This picture is amazing.

[Ana Nymus]

Ahhh conducting I'm jealous !! I've never conducted anything but I've been kind of taught how to during lessons and gotten to hold one of my friend's conducting batons and wave it around a bit but it also makes me think of this fun picture:

Haha, this is a great picture!
I was drum major of my high school marching band, and so I did a lot of conducting; I certainly felt like one of those inflatable flailing men at times! Especially during the really fast bits.

[Iceea]

I've been going to the symphony, BSO, for like 30 yrs so I've seen a lot of conductors. Most have have been very good, but a couple of clunkers too. What always amazes me is when they're doing a major piece and and you can see the score on the podium is 1", 2.54 mm, or more thick and the conductor never opens it, they have it all in their head. Granted it's usually one of the "war horses" like say Beethoven's 6th and the conductor has probably done it more times than they can count, but still to see them get every little bit nuanced just right is very impressive.

[frostykitty]

I'd like to hear this orchestra, conducted by the weird yellow thing(? is there a proper name?)

Speaking of marching band, (I saw someone say drum major) the Drumline tryouts were today, and I made it into pit! I was hoping to get into pit because I like the keyboards better than snare, bass, or tenor , possibly maybe somewhat because of not having the pressure of the tempo and there are literally two snares. So I'm happy! Even though my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't play right, I still made it...

[DB (f.k.a. DaveBro)]

I'd like to hear this orchestra, conducted by the weird yellow thing(? is there a proper name?)

Speaking of marching band, (I saw someone say drum major) the Drumline tryouts were today, and I made it into pit! >snip!<

Go you!!!   I'm glad I noticed a new post when my browser opened, that's such great news. 

For a moment, I thought the Yellow Inflato-Conductor was a PaGAGnini skit.  They would totally do that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmoYsHoYpZs


ADDENDUM:  OBTW!!    The Ohio Valley Filk Festival (OVFF) is beginning to see who is interested in attending, and performing in, the Sort-of-Annual "ChamberFilk," where (mostly) non-guitar instrumentalists practice and perform a set of Filk song airs.  (Let's face it, it's hard to accompany yourself with a horn or woodwind while singing .)  It  is considered a performance workshop covered by con membership.  NOV 4-6, 2016 http://ovff.org/ovff32/workshops.html
If you are interested, they will try to send out rehearsal arrangements via a workspace.

Oops, gotta wrap.... 

[Juniper]

Go you!!!   I'm glad I noticed a new post when my browser opened, that's such great news. 

For a moment, I thought the Yellow Inflato-Conductor was a PaGAGnini skit.  They would totally do that!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmoYsHoYpZs


ADDENDUM:  OBTW!!    The Ohio Valley Filk Festival (OVFF) is beginning to see who is interested in attending, and performing in, the Sort-of-Annual "ChamberFilk," where (mostly) non-guitar instrumentalists practice and perform a set of Filk song airs.  (Let's face it, it's hard to accompany yourself with a horn or woodwind while singing .)  It  is considered a performance workshop covered by con membership.  NOV 4-6, 2016 http://ovff.org/ovff32/workshops.html
If you are interested, they will try to send out rehearsal arrangements via a workspace.

Oops, gotta wrap....

Hmm, I'm actually not too far from Ohio, just a few hour's dive away . . if nothing else it might be fun just to check out while visiting some pals in Ohio !

[Ana Nymus]

Speaking of marching band, (I saw someone say drum major) the Drumline tryouts were today, and I made it into pit! I was hoping to get into pit because I like the keyboards better than snare, bass, or tenor , possibly maybe somewhat because of not having the pressure of the tempo and there are literally two snares. So I'm happy! Even though my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't play right, I still made it...

Congrats! My marching band never had much of a pit, but I saw some other bands pull it off really well! Do you know what kind of songs you'll be doing for the coming season?

[frostykitty]

Congrats! My marching band never had much of a pit, but I saw some other bands pull it off really well! Do you know what kind of songs you'll be doing for the coming season?

(I'm kinda closeish to Ohio, I know a friend who might be interested!)
I can't find the website, which has all the songs, but I know 'Thnks Fr Th Mmrs' (translated, Thanks For The Memories) is one of them. They did Pompeii this previous year, too.

[Juniper]

Does anyone else have animals who are very responsive to you playing your instrument ? I have a cat who's about 15 or 16, I got him as a kitten shortly after I started taking piano lessons and ever since he was a little kitten and I was a kid about 7 playing piano with just one finger or one hand he'd always sit and stare at me while purring whenever I played. 15/16 years later he still does it every time I play piano . . I've been trying to figure out why he does it and I think either because it's familiar to him because I've been doing it for so long or maybe because when I was younger playing piano was really the only time I'd hold still for long periods of time so it was the only time he could be cuddly with me ?

Then I have a different cat, it's kind of the same thing except with violin. I got him as a kitten about 11 years ago and shortly after I started taking violin lessons. Now whenever I play violin he sits at my feet and stares at me, except he doesn't purr instead he makes this whining meow every once in a while and if I put my bow down where he can reach it he either smacks at it or tries to bite it :c so maybe he just really hates the violin or maybe he's just really fascinated with my bow ? I mean I can't be that bad if it's only one cat out of five meowing at me when I play violin and trying to eat my bow and the dog doesn't bark or anything 

[Róisín]

I've had several cats who responded to music. One I had as a little girl used to snuggle right up to me if I was singing, which was funny because he was normally a quite aloof cat, being a half-tamed feral. Old Greycat, who came to us when the children were small, used to sit by anyone who was playing music, especially my youngest son and one of my cousins whom she regarded as her special protégés. She especially loved the fiddle and the Uillean pipes. Not so keen on the concertina. Our current cats aren't so keen, though one of them likes the bodhrán and the mandolin.

[DB (f.k.a. DaveBro)]

>snip!<
Then I have a different cat, it's kind of the same thing except with violin.  ..,  Now whenever I play violin he sits at my feet and stares at me, except he doesn't purr instead he makes this whining meow every once in a while and if I put my bow down where he can reach it he either smacks at it or tries to bite it :c  >snip!<

You need to sit him down and have The Catgut Talk, and reassure him (a) it's not really catgut, and (b) if it is, it's no one he knows.

[Juniper]

I've had several cats who responded to music. One I had as a little girl used to snuggle right up to me if I was singing, which was funny because he was normally a quite aloof cat

I think some animals just like music even if it something simple, I mean 'music tamed the savage beast' is probably a saying for a reason.

You need to sit him down and have The Catgut Talk, and reassure him (a) it's not really catgut, and (b) if it is, it's no one he knows.

Mostly he needs to know his people's guts are actually apparently too small and weak to use for catgut strings. His tiny frail guts are safe