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Instruments. This is
Instruments. This is a place for you to rant about your instruments you love. On Wednesday, I felt so inspired musically that I picked up my brother's mandolin and started watching YouTube videos on how to play the mandolin. I can do four chords by memory and most all the others when I look at the chord chart! And I can sing to it, too (lolz not when anybuggy's listening, of course). The thing I love about it is when you strum it, it's a ukulele, and when you do one string at a time (w/e that's called), it's a banjo. Ingrid Michaelson songs are especially fun to play on it. (:
submitted by Kenzie
(March 20, 2010 - 9:04 pm)
(March 20, 2010 - 9:04 pm)
Well, as most of you know, I play violin and piano. I picked up viola a few years ago at a violin camp and still play it from time to time. I also know how to play harp sort of because I picked it up at a different violin institute. I also know how to play ukulele because I think my mom taught me and she's planning on teaching me guitar. Also, last year in music class, we were taught a few basic chords on the mandolin (which I agree, Kenzie, is so fun!). So yeah, my friends think I can play every instrument (which I can't!!) and it's pretty funny. I do music theory as well with piano. Does anyone do music theory?? It's really hard, IMO, and can be really frustrating. But other times, it's exciting (like when something works and it all fits together). The latter is rare. I personally think I'm bad, though on my last test, I got a 97%. Pretty good, considering I make silly mistakes all the time.
I always wanted to play harp and flute when I was little, but I never got around to it. My mom played flute in high school band and still has her flute, so maybe she'll teach me. My dad played cornet (which is kind of like a trumpet, but with a rounder tone). When I asked him how to spell cornet, he told me how and said I could play his old one if I wanted to. It's way harder than I thought it would be. I sound like a mix between a sick frog and an elephant. I think my braces didn't help. My dad actually stopped when he got braces. Oh well. Maybe next time. Oh, the guide dog that we're puppy sitting currently perked up when I started to make strangling noises on the cornet and started running around. She got really worried. Poor dog.
Anyway, I love music, and I am one of the only people I know (besides on the fantastic CB) that likes classical. I mean, what's wrong with it?? It's soothing and exciting and fun just like other kinds of music.
Oh, and a funny and sort of random story: I was waiting for my turn for a seating audition (at orchestra). This audition places us in our seats within our section. For me, my section is violin 1. I used to be in violin 2 in the beginning of the year, but somehow I moved up to first violin (I guess practicing helps). It's REALLY hard. Some of the notes are 5 ledger lines above the staff!! (For those who don't know, ledger lines are the lines above the staff that are lonely and that nobody likes.) So I was really nervous and worried about my audition when some guy walks up (it's on a college campus, so there are a lot of random people there for different reasons) to my friend and asks him a couple questions and then looks at my music which is spread out on the floor while I look at it with fear. He says, "Ah, Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony." Then he walks away and mutters, "Poor kids." I didn't know if I felt better or worse.
Wow, that was a long post. I seriously didn't mean to write that much, but okay. Wait, I remember another instrument I picked up at a violin camp (yes, yet another one): recorder! Kenzie, didn't you teach yourself how to play awhile ago? I seem to remember you saying that at some point long before I joined.
~Leaf
I think people who say they don't like classical music just don't know it very well. It's not all the same. There's something for everyone to love. Music education is important for everyone!
Old Cricket
(March 22, 2010 - 6:20 pm)
Wow, it's kinda too bad you wrote all this, just to have it get stuck in the back. I feel kinda lame being the TOP THREAD, TOP person, but I suppose I must... Anyway, haha, I know what you mean! My friends think I play every instrument, too (I obviously can't, sadly...)! I play piano, recorder, harmonica, ocarina, bagpipe, mandolin and oh, did I say all this in the original post...? Perhaps I should have read it before commenting... And I want to learn ukulele (did I say that, too?). Is the ukulele fun to play? Music theory...? I feel as though I should know what it is... Um. I ca'n't remember. What is music theory? :)
OH I always wanted to learn the flute (did I already say that, too?)!! But I don't have one... Haha, the dog's reaction to your cornet reminds me of my cat's reaction to my bagpipe play. My cat who's pretty much deaf... (btw, the bagpipe's pretty much impossible to learn...)
Haha, well, I was just about to tell you I like classical, but then I noticed you said "besides on the CB." All righty then.
In reply to your violin thingy, ahaha that's quite funny. :) I'd probably be really discouraged...
Oh, and yes, I did teach myself recorder! :) I love it because it's really easy, but it sounds like a normal instrument (actually, it used to be a REAL instrument and was in the orchestra and everything, but it got kicked out because it was too quiet). I have a normal recorder and a super deep one (I can't remember what it's called... It's that word.. That word that you call people who sing with deep voices. Like the lowest saxophone. WHY CA'N'T I REMEMBER?!).
Do you mean bass or baritone, Kenzie? And music theory deals with how music
works, its format and notation--different values of notes, rests, key signatures, rhythm, etc.
Old Cricket
(April 13, 2010 - 8:54 pm)
Baritone, I believe... Haha thanks. :)
(May 18, 2010 - 4:23 pm)
I tried to make some really fancy top designs, but they kept on turning out all funny when I previewed them, so I guess I'll just have to stick with saying, "TOP, thread!!"
~Topper
(March 22, 2010 - 6:33 pm)
It's been really hard to practice on my brother's mandolin without him knowing (it was going to be a surprise, and I'm not even sure if he'd let me use it hahaha...), so I've decided I'd buy a ukulele. The mandolin wasn't quite for me. I mean, I can play it, but I just think I'd rather have a uke. And one of my own. So I'm gonna buy it sometime around this week! SO HAPPY.! And lately I've been listening to a lot of Jason Mraz, Ingrid Michaelson, and Nevershoutnever! so it's really inspired me. I already have the chord chart printed out and I know which songs I want to learn first. :) According to Christofer Drew, the ukulele's "like 20 times easier than the guita,r" so I think I can do it. Anyone else know how to play the ukulele?
(May 18, 2010 - 4:29 pm)
*guitar
(May 20, 2010 - 4:30 pm)
No, but my brother has one.
(Unfortunately he doesn't know how to play it either.)
(May 20, 2010 - 5:20 pm)