multiple instruments/multiple styles

[Wormdiet]

I've blabbed a bunch about playing GHB, but that was 20 years ago. . .

Flute, obviously.

I have owned some variety of guitar since middle school. I use a 12 string for about 3 or 4 sets with the guys I low-level gig with. But it's not a serious thing.

Here's the weird part. . . I am going to start harp lessons this summer. Last year at Swannanoa I sat in on the harp class out of curiosity, and somebody loaned me a harp when they saw me come back for the second class as an onlooker. So I actually took lessons for the rest of the week, and the bug never left. We'll see what happens, but it should be a lot of fun.

[JeffS]

I play the guitar in addition to flute. I'm interested in Irish music fingerstyle, but I love a good melody regardless of country so I've learned chinese, Jewish and cuban melodies as well.

I notice that I gravitate toward the guitar when I'm decidedly more depressed and the flute when in a different (difficult to describe) sort of mood.

This is an interesting topic, thanks for asking.

Jeff

[Gabriel]

I play ITM on flute, whistle (and pipes, but still have alot to learn there). I play Jazz on flute (yep, the same flute) and whistle (yep, the same whistle ). I also play the piano quite a bit, mostly for improvisation, song/tune arrangement or the occasional classical piece (even though I can't read the dots). I also know how to play the saxophone, but I don't have one any more - my new flute was expensive. I tried to play some ITM tunes on the sax, but, well, ..

I used to play french bagpipes for quite some time, mostly in a "medieval" band, playing some dance music on those medieval markets (german equivalent to renaissance faire). It was fun. But I sold the pipes some time ago to fund my uilleann's. I played baroque clarinet ("chalumeaux") in the same band. I also used it for some arabic music which worked well as it had some keys for the odd chromatics.

I'd love to learn octave mandolin/zouki or guitar (dadgad) to backup myself on recordings. But it seems that I am too dumb for strings.

[Cass]

Hi. I've been playing guitar for about 25 years now and that is my main instrument. I sing/write/record (folk/ballads) and gig. Played boehm flute for couple of years, low whistle (C and D). Just recently rediscovered Irish flute after a disastrous attempt about 4 years ago, on a one piece plastic job, which would have been more suited to being used as a drainpipe! Also play piano, and am learning Celtic lever harp. (Oh yeah...and play the bones).
My main motivation with my 'other' instruments, is to accompany my voice and guitar on recordings. I'm lucky that I'm self employed, and that if I want/need to, I will practice all day. (This happens very frequently, when I lose track of time!) I'm passionate about my music, and there are so many instruments out there that I want to play, but I've got to put my 'sensible head' on, and admit that there are only so many hours in a day that I can practice!
Happy playing!
Cass.

[mutepointe]

I started on piano. Even now the visual things in my head regarding music are sometimes piano-related. I see sharps and flats and think black keys. If I imagine "up the scale" my right hand fingers press down to the right. That's backwards to a flute where they would lift up to the left. But when I'm playing either I would never get confused at all. The brain adapts I guess.

i totally agree with you on this and thank you very much for explaining why i taught myself to play the whistle left-handed (kick myself in the butt one more time.)

i hardly play the keyboard anymore even though it was my first instrument. i quit playing when our piano got so out of tune that it hurt my ears so we gave that one away and got an electric keyboard. after years of not playing i never started back. if i have to learn a song from scratch, i still play it on the keyboard first.

then i play 12 string acoustic (when i need to sing too.) i recently had a string problem with my 12 string and had to play a 6 string for a few weeks until the new strings came in. when did they move the 6 strings a mile apart from each other?

then i play the harmonica, whistle, and flute and it depends on which key a song is in and whether i am playing solo or with other musicians and which of those instruments sounds best, whether the song has accidentals, and if i need to transpose in my head and if sheet music is required. i have sheet music that over the years has evolved to have an assortment of notes and transpositions and tabs for guitar, whistle, and harmonica all on the same piece. i have one piece of sheet music for silent night that has the guitar chords in 4 different keys, none of which are the set of chords that our church currently uses.

i mostly play church, folk, classical, showtunes, pop songs, & back ground music.

[gododdin]

This is an interesting topic...

I note that most people are poly-instrumentalists - me, I'm monogamous in the instrument department. I played fiddle for close on 20 years but was having shoulder problems and I've given it up in favour of the flute. For me this is THE instrument now (and at the risk of being unfaithful to my fiddle, I wish I'd discovered the flute decades ago). I love the simplicity of it - 'just' a tapered tube with holes in it (with apologies to master flute makers everywhere) and you can (eventually!) get these great and expressive sounds from it (well, okay I can't yet, but I'm working on it!). So portable too... Also, my inclination is to own ONE flute only - no desire to have a collection of them - I'd just like to get the best flute I can (hopefully sometime soon) and stick with it probably until I shuffle off...

I have a whistle, but hardly play it at all (flute is enough of a challenge).

My fiddle though remains unsold - sitting there in its case (just in case!).

[pipersgrip]

great question, but the other instruments i play besides woodwind are a little guitar and piano, i play more blues or classical on piano, and guitar i dont know what i play, i guess you can call it crap. i also play lap harp, but that is pretty limited. i play irish and folk with that.

[toddyboy50]

Great topic.... I started playing blues harmonica as a teen. which was many, many years ago... been playing Irish flute for about 6 years now, several types of Asian flutes the last couple of years, and recently taken up the most ancient of Chinese instruments, the Guqin, a 3000 year old seven-stringed Asian zither that can sound like a slide guitar among other things. While I've always enjoyed music, it's turned into a passion now.... never thought my musical tastes would grow so eclectic.

Tod

[hans]

I play mostly flute and whistle, more flute than whistle nowadays, and octave mandola, which I restrung to make it into a tenor mandola.

I play flute when I am full of energy. I play whistle when I have less energy, or to take a break from the flute. I play mandola when I have little energy, simply to my own enjoyment and comfort, and also sometimes when I want to eat at the same time as play. Flute playing and biscuit eating does not go well together, but with a mandola: no problem.

Sometimes I play whistle while walking. I used to play my whistle when I was an organic gardener with an acre walled garden to look after: I played during the many walks from potting shed to greenhouse, which where some distance apart. Whistling on the loo works quite well too.

So you see I am perhaps pragmatic in my choice of instrument, adapting to the occasion.

[Ro3b]

Guitar is my native language. Everything I know about music theory, harmonization, scales, and all that stuff was learned on the guitar.

Flute is the ITM melody instrument I'm most proficient on. I started playing it because it was the sound that really grabbed me way back when I first started listening to the music. Everything I know about ITM ornamentation and variation was learned on the flute.

C#/D accordion is the ITM instrument I'd like to be most proficient on. It's the ultimate dance music machine, and of course the most undeniably cool instrument there is except for the guitar and the vibraphone.

Mandolin is my hobby. There's no way in hell I'll ever be able to play it fast enough in any but the most laid-back front-porchy sessions. But I love playing it, and I find it very easy to learn new tunes on.

Bouzouki's fun, but I kind of get bored with it quickly, which is why I don't own one now. I'll occasionally borrow somebody else's in a session though.

[pkev]

Hi there,

Been playing for about 32 years now.

I suppose in some sort of chronilogical order, it would be:

Whistle, Ac Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Mandolin, Silver Flute, Accordion, Harmonica, Fiddle, Banjo, Bodhran, Clarinet, Alto & Soprano Sax, Wooden Flute.

In recent years, the more regular instruments have been Whistle, Wooden Flute, Mandolin, Accordion, Keyboards and Sax.

Don't play the rest very much now.

I'm probably now more interested in recording, and I'm learning this through forums such as http://www.studiotrax.net/ . Having bought some decent recording equipment, I am pursuing that at the moment.

Cheers
pkev

[whistlegal]

Hi! Great topic! The fascination and challenge of learning something different seems to plague many. I play Irish flute for ITM, Boehm flute for classical as well as a little jazz and blues, whistles for ITM and old-time, a little guitar, and am learning the mandolin.

[BillG]

Chromatic harmonica would be my main axe since age 12 or 13. Fife came next then clarinet and sax. I stuck with chromatic harmonica - dropped the fife six years ago and began simple system flute.

Chromatic harmonica for classical, pop and jaz; flute for irtrad and church.

[mutepointe]

wow. a real live chromatic harmonica player. i've never met one. i did read once of a guy in england who got his music degree in harmonica. that befuddled his professors. i am still trying mine but only for the occasional and rare accidental. even then, it's still ugly. do you have any clips? i'd love to hear one.

just curious, how do you think in flats?

[Denny]

better than in heels