playing instruments

[blueZ]

do you play any instruments?
im trying to learn the guitar right now and its so hard.
anyone wanna share any experiences or tips relating to playing instruments?

[Siouxper]

I play the trombone and piano. You need to practice, practice, practice. Otherwise you will play horribly and everyone will hate you Don't give up quickly, because after a while, you will become good and will be able to play it easily.

[Mongrel]

Back in middle school I used to play the clarinet in band. I taught myself to play the piano by getting my mom to tell me which key was middle C, and figuring out the rest from stuff I learned in band class.
I think the most important part is patience for drilling the music. You should practice a small number of songs/exercises until you're really familiar with them, before moving on to different ones. It seems like a lot of the time I just wanted to move onto the next thing before I'd mastered the first thing.
Learning to read sheet music very well, so my brain automatically connected the note on the sheet to the name of the note to the key on the piano, was also a lot of help. I know guitar music uses tablature, but understanding what all the little marks mean automatically instead of having to think about them is still the trick to playing quickly.

[DiscordantNote]

Shall be moving this to Abbey Road in a few, but let's post first!

My main three instruments are bassoon, clarinet, and bass guitar (better to worse). I can also play violin, viola, trumpet, cornet, cello, double bass, saxophone, piano, and various types of percussion (in no order). I can sing too; I'd refer to myself as an alto/contralto.

Big advice for practicing: along with working on what you have to work on for your lessons and ensembles, play stuff that you like to play. Practicing should be fun, so don't be afraid to make it fun! For instance, I'll play rock and jazz stuff as warmups when I'm practicing bassoon even though the bassoon usually isn't used in those genres.

Since you are learning an instrument, are you teaching yourself or getting lessons? If this is your first instrument, I'd highly recommend getting lessons. Even if it's just your first string instrument, you should look for someone you can at least ask for help every now and then.

[blueZ]

i dont have a teacher, all i have are books and the internet, i actually just started today
and i want to be able to play like this
http://youtube.com/watch?v=DNryGrU8IwU

btw, does anyone know how to play the instrumentals for A House is Not a Home, not the music of the vocals, but the instrumentals that goes with the vocals if you know what i mean

[Byakuya San]

I play the trombone and piano. You need to practice, practice, practice. Otherwise you will play horribly and everyone will hate you Don't give up quickly, because after a while, you will become good and will be able to play it easily.

STOP STEALING MY MUSICAL INTERESTS!!!

You know, that's really weird now that I think about it...hey, know any good music for the trombone? I have to play something...good for my band instructor tomorrow and I'm not sure if what I'm playing is a good song to play (what it is isn't important).

Anyway, my practicing advice: if you learn a song and get really good at it, don't stop practicing it after you perform it at a recital/concert/whatever. It's extremely important to have a few good songs at your fingertips (or lips) at all times.

[May]

I'm a lot like DiscordantNote (music majors ftw!) My main instruments are flute and piano - I've been playing flute for 16 years and piano for 20. I also play clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone (alto, tenor, and bari), trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, percussion (snare drum, bass drum, bells, xylophone, tympani), guitar, and I also sing.

I will have to agree with anyone who has said that practice will help a lot. I'm going to say that consistent practicing is best. 10 to 15 solid minutes every day will get you a lot further than half an hour every Saturday. Also, like DiscordantNote said, getting a teacher is best, even if it's someone who's been playing the instrument a few years more than you.

[blueZ]

how do you know how to play the instrumentals for a song, as in the music to support the vocals, but not the tune of the actual music of the vocals.

[May]

There are two ways to go about it. Some people learn instrumental parts just by using their ear and trying to figure it out. Other people actually find it written down and learn that way. For example, I'm a huge fan of Ben Folds and I always wanted to learn the piano parts for his songs. I'm not great at figuring things out by ear, but he's awesome enough to have written the parts out in album books. So I've bought a couple books and taught myself the parts.

[thesockoverlord]

I play clarinet and piano, and i'm learning guitar (acoustic, i want to learn electric at some point, as well) and tenor sax, and i've started a little bit of flute. i'm really hoping to start in on oboe and possibly bassoon and at some point, and piccolo...haha, it may just be faster to say which instruments i /don't/ want to play, according to my band teachers
And, like everyone else has said, practice is good. but it doesn't necessarily make perfect, just permanent (words of wisdom from my general music teacher) so make sure you're practicing RIGHT lol!

[blueZ]

is there a difference to learning acoustic and electric?
i thought they were the same other than the sound of their style

[3lla]

I know how to play the piano, viola and some of the guitar aswell as miniature amounts of the cello. I never really do fall through with the whole practice thing when it comes to instruments, but seeing as my pushy cello playing brother wants me to pick up the viola again(he really enjoyed me playing harmonies and such with my viola and his cello) I think I will really go through with it this time!
I actually really did enjoy learning the piano and viola, but I just didn't have the right teachers. I dont mean to sound iffy or snotty here but if Im not motivated by the right teacher then I just dont even try
I used to have a fantastic piano teacher when I first started learning but then he moved away and I believe he has a book now, but I havent contacted him in a while.....all my other piano teachers after him were just not right. It's the same with my viola teacher. She wasn't the right one and I just wasn't motivated to practice. With guitar though, it was only a recent endeavour of mine to try and learn so I'm keeping my eyes open for teachers but seeing as I have an unstable way of life Im pretty sure I'll be moving in a few months so Im not looking too hard for a teacher.
I can play the drums really well actually...cant afford the whole kit though, but I try to practice on a kit whenever I can even though Im not the creative genius of my family.

My older brother goes to art school in london and goes on scholarship too. He's a brilliant artist/photographer and can act/model aswell as play the clarinet, cello and the piano at the top grade you can ever get(or something like that..)

[thesockoverlord]

is there a difference to learning acoustic and electric?
i thought they were the same other than the sound of their style

I think that's like, true, i'm not completely sure, because my instructor said i'd have to re-learn a lot of different things, so i'm not sure.

[DiscordantNote]

is there a difference to learning acoustic and electric?
i thought they were the same other than the sound of their style

There's different ways to play them. Certain techniques will work on electric but not acoustic and vise versa. Going from electric guitar to electric bass is the same way, but is way more different.

[Oops]

i learnt the cornet for a bit. but gave it up when i moved.

i want to learn the piano, although im totally hopeless at the whole 2 hand concept