which musical instrument?

[MorkandMindy]

Tine Thing mentioned that the trumpet is her voice. To have an instrument you play every day for a few hours and get good at, that you can play at church or at the bar or club or help out with at the school Christmas play is a great thing to have.

My sister's experience with the harp was it is too big to be all that portable and is expensive and keeps breaking strings. My son has a drum set, even more difficult to move.

Ideally I would say something that sounds good and you can carry around easily.

The reason is I plan on my arrival at Nieces' and Nephew's house to recommend each take up an instrument.

Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[dayhiker]

When I was young a played tenor sax and guitar ... but found I didn't really have the ear for it.
I don't think one can go wrong learning to play the keyboard.

 

[sparkydave]

I've dabbled in a few different instruments. Guitar is the one I've stuck with the longest.

Electronic keyboards often have tutors built in to them to show fingering. The sky's the limit on features. Features to look for: Full-sized keys, touch-sensitive keys, and more of them.

Guitars are popular and there are tons of tutorials on line. It will take time to develop the dexterity and strength in your fingers, not to mention having to build up some callouses on your fingertips. Acoustics have thicker strings and take a little more effort to fret them, but if you can play an acoustic an electric would be easy. Electrics need an amp or they won't have much sound.

I have played violin and viola. Not easy to master because fretting the strings is only part of it. You also have to bow the right strings, do it smoothly without sounding scratchy, and get your fretting fingers placed just right.

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

I would say guitar or bass. Guitar because it is portable and everyone always love someone that can start a tune around the campfire or in a group and have music to sing to.

Bass because it also can be portable. And it is essential to having a beat in a band. My dad was a bass player. I also think it's easier than the guitar, but guitar would be my first choice.

In fact my husband played guitar and I can't imagine being with someone that didn't. But that's just me.

 

[MorkandMindy]

In Christian circles the guitar was always the instrument, and then there was something to clip on that changed the key.


When I was 10 I tried the guitar but it hurt my fingers, maybe it wouldn't now, and I tried the xylophone and found it easy to play but it was too 'buzzy', I didn't like the sound close up.


Instruments that couldn't be moved, didn't sound nice, or were darn near impossible to play I eliminated. I don't know if I guessed right about the trombone but it just looked like it would be impossible to get the slide tube into the right places, whereas a brass instrument with valves would be a lot better, but that is just a guess.


Piano isn't that big a transport issue because so many places have them, and electronic keyboards are usually fairly portable, and now I have a keyboard and am just starting on it.


But what really inspired me was Tine Thing and her trumpet and how she talked about it.


And being objective, any instrument that can be played as lead instrument at a Nobel Prize ceremony is a good instrument.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Tine Thing
Tine Thing Helseth - Fanfare - BETTER UPLOAD (Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2007) - YouTube


This piece by Blackmore's Night is mainly guitar and
vocal:

Blackmore's Night - Under a Violet Moon Live - YouTube


The bamboo flute has a different sound from
our metal flutes:

Hòa Tấu Sáo Trúc Hay Nhất Chọn Lọc - Tiếng Sáo Trung Hoa - Chinese Bamboo Flute - YouTube


But adding the guitar, bass guitar, keyboard, drum set, and vocals (Michelle and Blackribbon might volunteer with a bit of encouragement) we can all do something special for Christmas:


Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Canon Rock - YouTube

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

My dad also played the trombone. Very hard to get your lips right to be able to make it sound. I could never do it.

I always loved saxophone and wished I had taken that instead of clarinet in school. My younger son took and has a sax, but he's not into it anymore. My older one plays guitar just like his dad did and he's very good. He has really long fingers that are just made to play guitar.

I do not play any instruments anymore. When I was a kid, besides the clarinet I also played the accordian. Don't ask me why, I think it was my parents idea. While it was fun, it's not something that you see people playing unless you're into the polka or something. I'm not.

I like to sing though but I'm just average. My range is not very good but I try. I love to do harmonies too.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Hi Michelle

My daughter plays a flute, she is near Albuquerque, and I was told the fingering on the flute is the same as that on the sax, if so then you could play the flute:

(The music comes in at 0:50)

Karin Leitner plays "Titanic" at the Vienna Filmball for Kevin Spacey - YouTube





Backing instrumental:
You can get the backing from an MP3 player and guitar amp, well the more powerful the amp and the better the speakers the better it will sound.

For really good sound a fairly new church organ should have a USB port for the MP3 player.

Then take up the flute and play.

(If you want to play with backing at home then just use the computer speakers.)

 

[MorkandMindy]

Even on it's own the flute sounds pretty good:

Black Dog - Led Zeppelin (Electric Flute) - YouTube




But if you opted to keyboard, often churches need an organist or a relief organist, our church only had one organist so she had to be there for the 8 AM and the main service, they may be more in need of that than money, AND also maybe you could get the odd bit of time on this one - you are just a few miles from a fantastic organ:


The Mighty Wurlitzer At Organ Stop Pizza - YouTube

 

[blackribbon]

I'd vote for keyboard/piano. I think it is the most versatile. An electronic keyboard is very portable. I played the flute and piccolo growing up but haven't picked them up in years.

As for the guitar and your fingers, nylon strings are easier on the fingers than steel ones (which may need a pick). And it takes a little bit of time to toughen up your fingers but it will come with time.

 

[blackribbon]

I never heard that the fingering on a flute and sax were the same...but they are very close to the oboe and bassoon (however you spell that)

 

[redblue22]

I would add the jaw-harp and kazoo.

.

 

[Javanwarbler]

I'm a violinist and play viola somewhat, but I've always wanted to play the harp. Too bad it's so huge to carry around and expensive!!!

 

[dayhiker]

Nice to learn that about you Javan.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Any comments on the youtubes?


Post 6 Tine Thing trumpet - Nobel prize fanfare
Post 6 Guitar and vocal - Under a violet moon
Post 6 Bamboo flute - Hoa
Post 6 Everything and lots of it - Christmas Canon Rock

Post 8 Flute - Titanic

Post 9 Electric Flute
Post 9 The Mighty Wurlitzer


(or is my taste in music a bit strange?)

 

[memoriesbymichelle]

Well I didn't care for the first one Tine Thing, just that instrument is not my cup of tea. She played well but I didn't care for it.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Trans Siberian Orchestra and that song!

Did not listen to the whole 49 min of the third one but the little bit I did, I like the sound of the instrument

Love the Titanic song, not crazy about the Led Zepplin song and the last one was kind of crazy but I liked it.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Thank you for those comments, pretty much what I thought, but I guess I'm keener on music than are most people.

I agree the bamboo flute has a good sound, but I only managed 10 minutes of it before I fell asleep.



That Wurlitzer is your local one playing the theme from Jesus Christ Superstar. To me it is a remarkable piece of engineering and acoustics, with a console styled in a totally over-the-top gaudy way that makes me think of a gypsy circus mobile home on steroids. Very showy but also very good.

Few Wurlitzers are played as well as your local one; the most famous one in this country is on Blackpool Pier and is constantly playing 'I do like to be beside the seaside' and pieces from around the 1930s using the shrill pipes.

But I heard one in East Anglia at a Christmas concert producing a totally different sound and it was brilliant. I could tell from the styling that it was also a Wurlitzer.



The trumpet seems to me to be an aggressive instrument, but the one played by Tine (it might be her Chicago one) and her technique in playing it made it gentler and not so 'brassy'.

I guess that suits the Nobel Prize winners in general as most have a burning desire that is well controlled and directed. I've met a few science Nobel laureates and they were very nice but also very determined - strong but controlled like her trumpet playing.

I wish there were more Christians like that.

 

[blackribbon]

I don't believe any instrument is "aggressive". In the hands of a master, they all can be aggressive or subtle. Add a simple mute to a trumpet and it becomes the sweetest and mellowist sound around...and hit the highest notes in a short staccato manner and you will soon realize how aggressive a flute can become.

Put the any instrument in the hands of a beginner and you think it is the worst instrument ever made. (It took me years to realize the beauty of the clarinet since my earliest exposure was my honking classmates.)

 

[nick garai]

I have a set of pan pipes but I don't know how to play them. I need an instructor to teach me the way. I love their sound. It is so haunting and lonely. I love it.

 

[redblue22]

no one takes seriously the jaw harp and kazoo. (sigh)