What other instruments are you playin'?

[Graham Jacobs]

I've been following the "how long have you been playin'?" topic and was interested to see the number of fellow members who play other instruments as well.

 

When I was 14, my first guitar was a homemade electric bass which I initially had to play by ear (I had been a drummer forced to stand in for the bass guy and I didn't know which notes were on what strings then). I learned to play guitar two years later and then various other instruments including flute and mandoline. About 8 years ago, I came back full circle to electric bass (and more recently upright bass). Bass has been my passion ever since.

 

How many of you guys started with bass as your first stringed instrument and what other instruments do you play? I'd be interested to see what other musical common denominators we share other than the one we've joined this forum for.

[groover]

My parents started giving me organ lessons when I was 5. Those lesson lasted 3 to 4 years before I lost interest. I joined my grade school orchestra playing snare and perc, this was a big part of the reason why I lost interst in organ, drums were much cooler! When I turned 12 my parents bought me an acoustic guitar that I began to teach myself to play. When I was 15, Mtv was making its big debut and with that I started getting interested in keys/synth. I continued the self taught method of keys and guitar until I was 19, then I began to take classical piano lessons which lasted a couple years.

 

Some where in my early 20's I saw a Phil Collins concert with Lee Sklar on bass. I never really payed much attention to the bass guitar until I saw Lee playing Sussudio and was blown away. After that I really wanted to take up bass as a second instrument but never got around to it until, at age 25, my wife (who was just my girlfriend at the time) bought me a used Yamaha BB300 for my birthday. I started playing bass at church and soon after was offered paying gigs. Bass has been my primary instrument ever since.

 

As a result of all this, I can play bass, keys, some rythm guitar, and perc. Although, I won't gig with anything other than bass or keys.

[Gruuve]

I started playing drums in junior high school...concert band, marching band, jazz band...everything I could get into. Parent's wouldn't allow me to join any evil rock bands. :-) I wanted to learn bass to play in the jazz band as well, but parents said "no, stick to drums, we've already paid for them". I can't blame them for that.

 

Went to college, took a class in piano as an elective, took a couple of classes in music theory as electives (not enough of that stuck unfortunately).

 

Made my way through a few bands starting in about mid-college as a drummer. Had a blast. Had a really good, funky bassist in one of the later metal bands. He was a real prick to work with, but his playing inspired me. Around the time I was near graduation (meaning within a year), I borrowed one of his old basses and started slapping on it. That came soooo easily to me...it was just like playing drums, only you hold it differently! So, bought a cheap bass, started taking some bass lessons. When the inevitable split-up and re-group of the current band came around, the guitarist and keyboardist wanted me to drum for the new band. I said "I'd like to give bass a try...what do you say?" They said "let's try it". We kind of iterated through two different bands together (the four of us, guitar, keys, drums, and me on bass). I put a lot of study and practice into it, and here I am. I started singing backup vocals around that time. Before I knew it, I was doing some lead vocals as well.

 

I play bass and drums in church now. I really like doing composition, so I'm slowly working on getting a little better at guitar and keys. See the recent thread on "Re-composing an old song" or something like that...I did the bass, drums, vocals, guitars, and keys. The guitar parts involved some stretch, but it forced me to sit down and do something that I've been meaning to do anyway...1) starting learning more chords on guitar (or at least learn where to find the defining tones in a chord on guitar, so I can fake it more easily) and 2) develop the experience of knowing what it "sounds like" to go from one chord type to another.

 

Funny story: in 6th grade when parents were signing their kids up for concert band, for some reason that I can't recall, I had it in my head that I wanted to play flute. I must've envisioned myself as a snake charmer or something...I have no idea what I was thinking. My parents said "no, you can play drums or nothing". Boy am I glad they put their foot down on that one! As we saw in one other thread a while back, "flute is for sissys". (Look that one up...it's hysterical!)

 

Another funny story: When I first decided to learn bass, a cocky guitarist friend of my band's guitarist said "oh stick to drums...you'll never be able to learn bass". Someone telling me that I simply can't do something has always been a motivator. After we recorded our first demo, this same guy said "nice bass lines...who's the bassist?". I couldn't help but smile quite big when our guitarist "Dave is!".

 

I hope that I can inspire a similar love of music into my 3 yr old daughter. Actually, she loves music and loves to dance, so I think I already have. She has a kid-size drum kit, a ukelele, variety of percussion stuff, etc, and we go bang on stuff periodically. I just bought a midi keyboard controller, and a few nights ago we were in the bonus room with me playing her little drum kit and her banging on the keyboard...it obviously sounded horrible, but I told her mom we were playing avant garde neo-acid jazz...LOL.

 

Dave

[mcbn]

I got my first guitar at age 6 because my Dad played. I learned 3 chords, E, A, and D. At that time, I could play about half of the Buddy Holly songs out there!

 

Of course I lost interest and that guitar kinda fell apart. When I was 12 I could still play those 3 chords and got my second guitar. At that time I was also playing trumpet in my middle school band.

 

I played at the guitar all through high school. My senior year I actually took the guitar class my school offered. I wish I would have found time to take guitar all 4 years, my school had a great classical guitar ensemble and and an even better jazz band.

 

I got my first bass my sophomore year of college (1998/99) and have played ever since. I've taken lessons off and on and played in 1 serious band (2003/04).

 

I still pick at the guitar every now and then and learned to play a steady drum beat when I was in the band.

 

I'm looking for a band so I can play bass more and justify some new gear.

[ClarkW]

Keys at age 6. Still got chops.

Percussion at 11. No chops.

Flute at 12. Some chops.

Piccolo and Clarinet at 13. Few chops.

Bassoon at 14. Probably no chops.

Guitar at 18. I teach lessons, but don't really gig as a guitarist.

Bass at 21. All types (but my upright arco sucks right now). Give Lessons, gig for money and fun, some studio work, etc.

 

I've picked up various types of guitars (12, 6, lap slide, classical) and things (mando, banjo, harmonica) but I don't play any of them with real proficiency in their given style. Just messin' around, mostly.

[Quinn]

My first serious instrument was classical guitar. I took private lessons for a couple of years in high school and got a thorough education in music theory and reading.

 

Played a bit of electric guitar on the side, then found myself in a band with three guitars and no bass, so I switched to bass. That was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

I also sing and I've experimented with mandolin, dobro, fiddle, banjo, harmonica, flute, trumpet, and now, trombone.

 

Since picking it up fifteen years ago, bass has always been my primary instrument though.

[davio]

I joined the strings class at my school in 6th grade and wanted to play viola (I don't know why) but the teacher said there were no violas so my friend and I decided to go with string bass. The next day he said he looked through the instruments and apparently there were a few violins strung as violas so we could switch if we wanted to. We were having too much fun already so we stuck with bass.

 

I joined a bagpipe band around the same time to learn to play and while I was being taught they had me play bass drum for the band.

 

I took a summer of piano lessons in highschool and now that I'm a music performance major in college I'm required to take lessons each semester but I'm still horrible.

 

A friend started teaching me to play guitar in 11th grade and when I saw that it could greatly improve my bass playing I dove in. I've taken a few semesters of classical guitar in college but I still wouldn't consider myself a guitarist by any means. I can play guitar but I'm no more than decent.

 

I guess that's about it. I'm not a guitarist. I'm not a pianist. I'm not a percussionist. I'm barely a bagpiper. I'm a bass player that can play a few other instruments.

[lug]

piccolo bass.

[owens hound]

I started on drums in grade school, switched to guitar at 15 (been playing it for 20 years now), but still playing percussion in the high school band until grade 12, started on bass in a gigging cover band 3 years ago, (I like bass the best), started on harmonica about a month ago. I'd like to learn mandolin, cello and piano/keyboards as well. Does playing loops on a computer count? I've been using various software (n-track, acid pro 4&5, and various ejay programs) for about 5 years now.

[abc]

So far the only one with wood winds background?

 

Was playing clarinet during some decades(!), started at 7 years age. Have been in amateur symphonic and marching bands. Also some saxophone in big bands.

 

I quit playing when we got the first child. Tried to start over again a couple of years later but it was too hard. Have been playing bass for 5-6 years.

[saxofunk]

Originally posted by abc:

So far the only one with wood winds background?

So far...

 

I've been playing sax for 18 years, studied as a sax major in college, and currently it's the only regular gig I have. I picked up bass a bit over 4 years ago.

[Bobby LowTones]

I can play guitar, useful to show something to the guitarist when needed. I do play keyboards, I own and old analog Korg Sigma synth which I carry with me to all gigs. Can do impressive bass effects with it...

[Graham Jacobs]

Isn't it interesting how many bass players are proficient on a range of other instruments (not that this comes as any surprise to me). Also no surprise that bassists make such good musical arrangers.

 

I think bass must be one of the most misunderstood of musical instruments, probably because most people can't tell what you're contributing to in the mix. I have certainly found that my knowledge of how other instruments work has helped me to be a better bass player. It has increased my awareness of what the band as a whole is producing at any time, rather than simply what I'm doing. I wonder how often that can be said for, say, lead guitarists?

 

It was my experience as a fledgling drummer that pointed me towards the bass. That's probably why I started playing bass before I could play guitar. Although I've played quite a few other instruments since, I always come back to the bass. I suppose its because I enjoy being on the pivot between rhythm and harmony.

[Davo-London]

Aged 6 played the recorder.

Aged 10 played the oboe.

Aged 14 picked up the bass, oboe promptly disappeared ... being playing bass ever since.

Aged 16+ goofed around with guitar and have done ever since.

Aged 44 taking lessons on drums, absolutely brilliant.

 

Davo

[EddiePlaysBass]

I know a few guitar chords. Can't claim that I can play the guitar though ...

[doc taz]

1. guitar

2. keyboards (a little)

3. 'drums' (hmm... I have a pair of 5A ildjian drumsticks. Does that count?)

[Eric VB]

9yo, my step-father teaches me how to play Under the Double Eagle on his acoustic guitar as well as some open chords. I continue to self-learn on my own 3/4 acoustic.

 

10yo, I join the school band on trombone; learn how to read bass clef!

 

11yo, discover bass after joining jazz band. Music teacher has no one to play her cream P-bass and after finding out I already know all the notes I gladly take up bass (picking with my thumb). Shortly thereafter my parents buy me a 3/4 Fender Musicmaster bass (black) with flats. (This matches my older brother's Les Paul, btw.)

 

I also messed around with a drum kit about this time, but couldn't do more than one basic pattern and some cheesy fills. Learned notes on a piano but "nevah beenah playah".

 

Sometime around here my aunt gave me a harmonica (never caught on) and a Merlin. For those that remember, this was an electronic device that looked like an oversized telephone handset with a clear keypad backed by red LEDs. One feature was the ability to record and play back a sequence of musical notes, which I did quite often.

 

13yo, not satisfied always being 2nd chair trombone, and band has desparate need for tuba (tried to convert some girls from the overpopulated flute section to no avail) I give it a try. Everyone is happy. (In high school I finally got 1st chair trombone in the jazz band ... because we had two bassists that year!)

 

Tried URB in high school because the full orchestra did not have a tuba part for some songs. Didn't really try as hard as I should have and never got the hang of bowing.

 

In high school I switched back-and-forth between trombone and tuba, but ended up with the heavier metal which I played for a year or two at college. Gave up when I lost my tone after taking up cigarette smoking. (Have since given up smoking.)

 

Also in high school I began composing 4-part songs on a pre-IBM PC computer with an awful interface.

 

Tried out for drum major (no chance I, the tuba section leader, was going to get it); learned some conducting skills. Conducted our Concert Band III once for rehearsal. (Cut them off when I couldn't hear the french horns; looked up and they didn't have any!)

 

Also got to play with a bunch of percussion toys then: tambourine, claves, cowbell, maracas, guiro (fish), and some other things I've forgotten the names of.

 

A few years ago a drummer friend of mine had what he thought was a ukulele; that's how I ended up with a free mandolin. I'm not quite up to speed with this, but I've used it to write 3 or 4 songs already. (I messed around with a mandocello in the store but just can't justify the price tag.)

 

About 3 years ago, my wife and I picked up handbells at our church. I play the lowest octave, from G to F#.

 

I was helping a Chinese lion dance troup get started, and ended up becoming the drummer. This is basically one large drum -- about the size of a timpani -- played with 1-inch diameter sticks!

 

I've given soprano and alto recorders a go. Maybe some day I'll get a tenor or bass and then I'll really be interested.

 

Lately I've been working with the MIDI instruments in GarageBand; tons easier than my earlier programming attempts.

 

Throughout it all I've played bass as my primary instrument. At home I've always had an acoustic guitar to play. I might actually play guitar (or mandolin) for the first time in public at a friend's open mic night in the near future ... or maybe I'll just bring the Ric instead.

[Eric VB]

Originally posted by Graham Jacobs:

[QB I think bass must be one of the most misunderstood of musical instruments, probably because most people can't tell what you're contributing to in the mix. I have certainly found that my knowledge of how other instruments work has helped me to be a better bass player. It has increased my awareness of what the band as a whole is producing at any time, rather than simply what I'm doing. I wonder how often that can be said for, say, lead guitarists? [/QB]

In a way, bass can "do it all". You won't find higher-pitched instruments (e.g. flute) "holding down the low end" and "locking with the drummer". Bass is excellent for providing the bass part to an ensemble, and can set the rhythm and beat along with (or without) percussion. We all know that. Bass can play counter to melody, harmony, and even chords if necessary. What bass is least often called on for is melody, but that doesn't mean it's not capable. I've actually met non-instrumentalists that look forward to hearing a good jazz bass solo. The biggest limitation to 4-string bass from this standpoint is its limited frequency range. I think Stanley Clarke figured this out and that's what lead to piccolo bass.

 

G****r players that want to "do it all" often tune down their instrument (or add more strings) to reach more bass notes. I can't say I'm a big fan of this because of the g****r's penchant for distortion. On the other hand, I'm all for bassists that extend their range upwards (and/or downwards).

 

Piano is probably the only instrument that can "do it all" better than bass. In a way it is the ultimate instrument, with the largest range of notes. The ability to play both hands independently of each other allows the left hand to fill the bass role. It is no wonder many "great composers" used keyboard instruments to write their works.

 

It would be interesting, however, to hear what Beethoven would have composed had he had access to a Chapman stick.

[jeremy c]

I posted this four years ago: (and just edited it a little)

 

posted 06-26-2001

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I started out on clarinet (age 11) (1959) and sax (age 13) and started playing professionally at age 15.

 

At age 18 (1966) I switched to bass (which immediately made me happier). I aready knew how to read music, it wasn't a big deal to switch to bass clef.

 

I learned guitar over the years by watching all the guitarists I played with (and picking up their guitars when they weren't looking). At first I Iearned enough to write songs and recognize what chords someone is playing by watching. I've performed as a singer/songwriter (but that was 30 years ago). Ocassionally I trade instruments on a gig and play, but really I only play at home.

 

I learned piano while getting my degree in music. (My major instrument while in the music department was actually clarinet, but I was gigging five nights a week on electric bass by that time.) Piano is essential to understanding harmony and very useful when writing music and I set at the piano almost every day and write charts or practice standards. I'm probably never going to play in public.

 

I've learned enough on the drums (I own a small, crummy drumset) to have a slightly better understanding of what the other guy in the rhythm section is doing.

 

While studying for a music teaching credential I learned the basics on lots of instruments This has helped me write arrangements.

 

One year I studied West African drumming and found out about a deeper meaning of the idea of groove and interlocking parts.

 

It's all good.

[rotosound45]

I'm not a bad guitarist, can play a little piano, but I'm primarily a bassist who only gigs on bass.

[Funktopotamus]

Played Baritone Sax for from 6th-8th grade, when I got to 9th grade their was already a bari sax player so I went to bass and played for jazz band and prep band (the one that goes to football games oddly enough). Got my high school letter in band of all things. Oh Boy, at least is was bass though.

[Cozmicslop]

Guitar and keyboards. Mostly to write on.

[jeremy c]

Originally posted by Cozmicslop:

Guitar and keyboards. Mostly to write on.

You really shouldn't write on your guitar. http://www.georgelynch.com/images/guitars/mrgraffiti.jpg

[Nicklab]

I played alto sax and some bari sax between 4th grade and 8th grade. Then I took a musical hiatus until I started playing bass.

 

Since I've been playing bass I've been tinkering on some other instruments. Mainly keyboards and guitar for writing and arranging purposes. In the studio I routinely play assorted percussion instruments. There's the standard shakers, cowbell and maracas. But I've also been getting into the clave and affuche. I've also been toying with the idea of getting a ukelele and/or a mandolin just to stir things up.

[Nicklab]

I dug this up because I think I might start taking lessons on another instrument. I've been thinking quite seriously for some time about taking piano lessons in an effort to improve my harmonic knowledge and to have another creative outlet.

 

Now, the opportunity has presented itself to study with someone. Lessons aren't cheap, but who ever said that learning would be easy? So I'm now presented with the thought of having to get some sort of keyboard other than the crappy Casio I've had for WAY too long. The teacher that I've been corresponding with has already recommended getting something with weighted action. So in a way, I almost feel like one of the newbies coming into the Lowdown asking "which bass should I buy?" I think I'm going to really loathe scouring the music stores for a keyboard that I can practice on. But if anyone has any recommendations on something that might be good to check out, then I'm all ears.

[lug]

I mess around with a guitard occationally, but have gone to piccolo bass for most of my "weeky weeky string" sounds, lately.

[saxofunk]

Nicklab (and others interested in digital pianos):

 

As Christmas to ourselves, my wife and I picked up a Casio Privia 400R. It's a recently discontinued model that Sam's Club had some special pricing on - they're probably sold out nationwide by now. The Privia series gets generally good review all over the web and we are pleased with ours.

 

So now, put me down as a reviving-entry-level-keyboardist, too. I took lessons as a 10 and 11 year-old, then had to take "proficiency" classes as part of my music degree. It's nice to have a keyboard instrument in the home again, I look forward to teaching my boys.

[ATM]

For Christmas, I received a sweet Hohner Blues Harp in C. Funny, as I gave my guitar player a Hohner along with instructional video. Last Christmas was the year of the Calendar, this Christmas is the year of the Harmonica.

 

ATM

[The Geoff]

I played mouth organ as a kid, (moothy, in Glasgow) then got a toy guitar. Later a plywood guitar, then played clarinet for a while, and alto then tenor sax.

 

After a car accident where I lost my front teeth I gave up woodwind & played guitar for 40 odd years till I found it sensible to get into bass about a year ago.

 

I can play piano in 'C' only.

 

Geoff

[TCSpider]

i played trumpet through out grade school and a bit into jr. high. at the coaxing of a few friends who needed a bass player, i picked up the very bass i play now. the band dissolved about the day after i actualy figured out what i was doing but by then it was too late. i was hooked. i picked up guitar in february of this year and noticed after learning and prcaticing guitar my bass skills improved.