any musicians out there

[seymoregutz]

the responses are starting to build...that's great! here's a question....which is harder....reading music or playing it? i find reading is harder. when i took lessons, my teacher had taught me to read as well as play...i've sluffed off on it since then. i just got this really good book and it had reading excercises in it and man, what a kick in the head! i had to go over my old notes. it's as bad as starting over. i read in past forums that you liked to make music zach...i've got a couple of old programs kicking around somewhere as well as a cakewalk program that i used to play around with. it sounds like an ailment that horn players come down with. i forget which one, but there is a note on the french horn that will make a person go deaf. try picking up a guitar....shouldn't let talent go to waiste. it is true that ALL people have music in their heads....just waiting to come out....in some way or another.

[ulaoulao]

I can play the recorder with my nose.

Now there is real talent, but can you do it and chew gum.

here's a question....which is harder....reading music or playing it?

its a bit of a curve actually. First the reading ( not tab ) is way harder then one would think, but after you pick it up, and want to compose it switches on you.. Now the reading is like reading a book, but the composing becomes more challenging.

If you really want to hurt your head try learning music theory Why modes are key, and what complements a song in C Major.. Why do majors make you feel good, and minors sad, and my favorite, diminished (the aggressor)!

[AnAutisticDog]

Reading for me. To be honest I could barely read the music, but I could still play pretty well.

[PlaystationLounge]

Hey, I was just browsing on here and found this thread...

I'm a pianist (classically trained), and did my degree in music. I also have a small studio in my spare room at home where I mostly produce/arrange for songwriters. Have written the odd bit of music for TV ads and animation bits, but nothing major. I run Cubase and various hardware and software synths. Have played in bands but got sick of gigging so don't bother anymore.

[MCP]

everything is software now a days http://www.reverbnation.com/2andahalfsecondz

[ulaoulao]

^^^ needs to learn how to use a signature..

[Desert Drifter]

Don't have any pictures to show, though mainly I've been known as a guitarist.. My first was a twelve-string acoustic (Fender) while I own an electric and semi-acoustic (both Gibsons). Recently I've picked up an electric bass (Epiphone), which I'm bound to learn..

Being a musician has followed me in a different role (as remembering when I was around seven or eight), friends and I played a little band in a their basement for the other neighborhood kids. At the time I had a knack for drums and "here & there" keyboard while one friend was vocals and guitar. Set aside the girls smiling at me from the front rows, some kid had to mention we sucked (stating "expect for the drumming"). In a rage, my friend had to hand me his guitar and bet I couldn't do any better - though as I surprisingly thrashed the intro of "Smoke On The Water" on his cheap electric, he kicked my butt straight out of the band..

Since then, got my acoustic around eleven or twelve.. following Gary Moore and Jeff Beck. Finally I bought my first electric when I was fourteen (as when I discovered Ritchie Blackmore formed Rainbow, plus taking a deep liking to UFO). At the time in the late teens, my best pal suggested to try out as a band (with the four of us - two electric guitarists, one acoustic guitarist, and a drummer). I was persistent on him being vocals since it was his ideal.. We played in the Jersey Network (where the amateurs can show off their stuff) although.. one particular song, my best pal sounded a bit too much of "Foreigner" while I stepped in as backing (hoping no one would notice) to help along. Afterwards, some "pro" said we had good style, but weak vocals.. as he stated I should take the lead and my best pal as backing.. Didn't know what to say at that point. Me vocals? Not in this lifetime.. I kind of liked our arrangement - me lead guitarist and backing vocal while my best pal back guitarist and lead vocal (can't play without one or the other buddy deal). I can remember our next gig (as I was forced lead vocal), my chest pounding and sweat dripping down my forehead.. I closed out all emotion and gave it my best, surprisingly people really liked us. Before we knew it, we soon played for almost a couple of years (here and there gigs) while I was really getting bored with singing other people's songs - I got into writing my own and they sure did go over rather well. We had seven songs of our own until we were forced to thrown in the towel due to collage and stress in personal life.

I put the guitar ever since, although finally picking it back up within the last few months. I still practice and write lyrics, but never took the steps to take it further.. knowing me, I'm just not the type to stand in the center of the crowd.

my toy

First thing I noticed.. the '80s thing with CDs plastered along the walls.. LOL

I used to play the Trumpet, was very damn good too, but I stopped due to some troubling headaches I used to get.

Now I've forgotten everything I learned

A bit back.. you mentioned a fondness playing around with the keyboard.. if I wasn't mistaken.

here's a question....which is harder....reading music or playing it?

Probably playing it. Reading notes is pretty easy as you get the lingo (such as math or HTML coding), while working with your instrument to perfect it "as written" is much more complicated, plus takes a lot of time and practice. Most of the time when your playing in a band, those notes won't be infront of you..

Writing your own material.. on the other hand - the lyrics, the rhythms for the guitars and drums, etc. is three tasks at once. One distraction.. the whole song is ruined. I know I had my days. A lot of paper thrown in the trash bin..

[seymoregutz]

yep, it's how i think of it....i just like to play it as i know it. to play some of the songs out there as they play it would be impossible. it also takes all the fun out of it. our band leader, the guitarist, has blessed us with that simple philosophy and it works quite well, you can still get the point across. a lot of times, those subtle notes thrown in there are just there to make it hard to copy, rather than to deeper emphasize the feel. as long as you have a solid structure, you have the song. i wish i could embelish as well as some people that i've heard, but i guess if i can walk away learning something, then i'm still on the road that i want to be on. majors and minors are the guts of any song, the deminished and the augmented chords bend and shape the song melody as well as being a useful tool to resolve back to the one. music theory for the longest time used to be a huge question mark in my mind, but after taking lessons and talking to people, i find that it's all in how you use the basic knowledge........many a guitarist has bent the rules a little and come out with a song that stood monument to the test of time. as Ed Freidland has said.....learn all you can, then forget it and play. i have a few books on walking bass as well a some excercise books. one day, i walked into my bass teacher's class with a book that, as soon as he saw it, told me i was kinda rushing it. it was a college book of music theory. he felt that it ws a bit beyond me.....he was right, but we did use it to some degree. i would like to start taking lessons again, but can't afford it at this time. he did tell me to play with other people and that bit of advice turned out to be the best i could have ever gotten. i love it....and can't get enough of it.
you can learn more from application, rather than classroom....and it's even more fun. My main bass is an epiphone les paul edition....it so much looks like a gibson. the guitarist has a gibson, he played it last night at our jam session. we compared the two and saw just how simular they are...but i like it though. it's a great playing ax. i got it on my 50th birthday, my wife and son went in halves on it. i played it, then went on to other basses. i even tried out a warlock bass....such a cool toy! i ended up going back to the epi and started wipping out the riff to Ironman, by black sabbath. i was hooked! it sold for $249.00....the best investment we ever spent. i keep my fender squire p-bass by my computer...that being a very nice bass also.