what other instruments do you all play?

jim stone · Post by **jim stone** » Fri Mar 22, 2002 2:49 pm

Yes, thanks, the Talking Nose Flute Blues:

oogi mklens mggleni--Snort!
Tootle Tootle Tootle--Snort!
mrnklo flopees ihgho--Snort!
Tootle Tootle Tootle--Snort!
iuoot yeoojuj ojqkqeo--Snort!
Tootle Tootle Tootle--Snort!

Apologies for the snorting, but that's
what inhalations sound like on
the Humanatone. The lyrics are
brilliant, in fact,
but it's hard to project
them through the plastic (recall that
the nose flute is fixed to
one's face by a rubber band so
that one can play the guitar
with one's hands).

Despite the obvious expressive virtues
of this underappreciated
instrument, articulation
is a challenge. For reasons
I will not go into here, tonguing
is out of the question. Ornamentation
is impossible, of course. All one can
do is start a line with a sudden
outblow and end with a snort, which
does add a contrapuntal rhythmic
background reminiscent of a Bach
organ canon.

Above all the arrangement with
the rubberband is excrutiatingly
painful--especially your nose--until
you lose all sensation in
your face at about 2 minutes.
The only remedy is to drink half
a bottle of single malt scotch
before playing, which partly explains
the primitive yet powerful
inarticulateness of the
nose flute talking blues, above.

This also explains why I shifted
to playing the rubber band--but
that's another story. Best

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Fri Mar 22, 2002 4:08 pm

On 2002-03-22 02:02, Alhren` wrote:
I picked up the whistle VERY recently... say, last Thursday (heh). I LOVE it. As for other instruments, I'm mostly a brass man. I played trombone in middle school, though now I've moved on to euphonium (anyone who asks what this is will be flat out ignored- i hate that!) and occasionally tuba. (Senior in H.S, btw). Also learned a bit of bamboo flute (C) at CO Renaissance Festival. Also know a few chords for guitar. One I'd like to learn at some random point in the unforseeable future is Celtic harp (the small "Shepherd" version I found plans for on the Internet one day)

Welcome on the board! I don't like to admit it, but I used to play the trombone for years and years. Since I had started on trumpet as a nine-year old, I had the valve fingering, and played the euphium and tuba whenever they let me. When I gave up the trombone (and good riddance!) in my twenties because it was too hard to practice and hour-and-a-half everyday just to keep the frigging embouchure, I picked up the guitar and learned to finger pick early Leonard Cohen songs (natural choice, since I can't sing, either). And now I am in whistle heaven. But perhaps one day I'll get really drunk and bring my old trombone to the session and play Drowsy Maggy on it. Can you imagine the horror-stricken faces of the fiddles in their knit cardigans?

P.S.: There are more former/current trombonists and other brass players on this board than you'd imagine. We had a thread about that a while ago.

dd · Post by dd » Fri Mar 22, 2002 6:18 pm

On 2002-03-21 23:35, Anna Martinez wrote:
Haven't really goten started on re-learing how to play, but I have a wonderful Larivee Parlor Guitar, in maple! NICE! Haven't named her either!

SHAME on You...........she NEEDS a NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jim W · Post by **Jim W** » Fri Mar 22, 2002 6:54 pm

Clarinet (started close to 40 years ago, play occasionally now); saxophone (alto beginning about 35 years ago, soprano about two years ago), recorders, harmonica; have also played (but do not currently own) alto and bass clarinets, electric bass, tenor saxophone. Also some singing - one instrument that's always with me. I also own a standard metal flute, but I would consider myself not far from a complete beginner there, and whistle gets most of my "potential" flute time.

Firefly · Post by **Firefly** » Sun Mar 24, 2002 12:42 am

Woah! (or is that Whoa?) I'm posting a lot today! Must be internet withdrawal from my week-long finals absence. Anyway, since you asked:

I started classical training on the violin during third grade, but had to give that up in sixth, when the town we moved to had no strings program to speak of. (Or should that be, "Of which to speak?" //thinking back to diagraming thread//) Anyway, I took up the recorder (don't kill me!) at roughly the same time as the violin, and still play it today. My mother has some great LPs of early medieval chamber music, and I've been working those out by ear.

Took up oboe around sixth grade, but haven't touched the thing for a year...probably don't want to as I no longer have any embrouchure to speak of, and if you think idea of a learner on the pennywhistle can strike fear into the hearts of the masses, wait until you hear a beginner on the oboe. In fact, my plans for world takeover revolve around marching my Symphony of Oboes(tm) into the appropriate centers of world command and assuming control from there. For those of you who are yet unimpressed by this, I ask you: have you ever heard two oboes trying to play in tune with one another? In fact, have you ever heard a single oboe trying to play in tune with anything? 'Nuff said.

Since my high school, aside from not offering a string program, also did not offer a concert band program separate from the marching band program, I picked up pit percussion for about two years. (There's just something about the idea of an oboe solo in "Land of 1,000 Dances" that doesn't appeal to anyone.)

I've also been playing guitar for about five years or so, but I don't think I'll ever amount to anything more than a decent rhythm guitarist. That's okay by me; some of my favorite bands - REM, Nirvana, PJ Harvey & Sleater Kinney long ago proved that you don't need guitar solos to make music great.

My father has been teaching me to play the Highland pipes on and off again since I was a child, but I have never practiced for any period longer than a few months. I've been living in school dormitories since I was 16, and I value my life too much to do othewise.

I've played the pennywhistle since the age of 14 or 15 or so, when a concert by Indiana musician Joyce Frye inspired my to dig out my mother's old Generation and have a go on it. Glad that happened!

So that's my musical resume in a nutshell!

~Firefly

Jeferson · Post by **Jeferson** » Sun Mar 24, 2002 3:33 am

Daniel_Bingamon · Post by **Daniel_Bingamon** » Sun Mar 24, 2002 8:46 am

I play a Wind Controller, Trumpet and Recorder (yes, one of those things).
I also own an Oboe and a Clarinet, but I don't play them as often.

The Wind Controller (Synthesized Wind Instrument) is a Yamaha WX-5 with a VL-70 Tone Generator.

[ This Message was edited by: Daniel_Bingamon on 2002-03-24 09:47 ]

jim_mc · Post by **jim_mc** » Sun Mar 24, 2002 6:52 pm

I took piano lessons as a kid. I never learned to play the piano, but somehow, I learned to read music. Took up the fife at 10 or 11 and have been at it ever since (30 years now). Joined a fife and drum corps, and started taking drum lessons during one long, cold winter. Somewhere along the way, my grandmother decided I should play the tin whistle, so I added that to the mix. I'm still taking lessons on fife, drum and tin whistle. I'm lucky enough to have a truly top-flight instructor for each of these. The music has been a tremendous blessing in my life.

Oh, and I sing! Every chance I get.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sun Mar 24, 2002 9:10 pm

Started with silver (classical) flute in middle school (an Artley silverplate piece of maladjusted junk), added an old-style Clarke whistle in C in 9th grade (not Irish music, just doodling at that time--at least it played better than the Artley did!!!), and was a music major on flute in college playing a really good Gemeinhardt that my brother David helped me buy. In college also added supranino, suprano, alto, and tenor recorders, and Baroque flute, and played with the Monroe Consort while I was at NLU, mostly early music and some modern stuff. Also in college bought a fife, a whistle, and a tabor pipe from Ralph Sweet. (I never did learn to play the tabor pipe well.)
I took just enough piano to pass the barrier exams. I love to hear a good pianist but I *hate* playing the piano!
Since then have gotten into Irish music in a big way, and have an antique 8-key, a M&E 6-key, and a Seery keyless flute, and a double handful of various whistles including a Susato low-D that I have a love/hate relationship with.
Also have picked up a little guitar (very little), but I really seem to have no talent whatsoever on any instrument that plays more than one note at a time.
Guess that's pretty much it.
Best wishes,

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

StewySmoot · Post by **StewySmoot** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:15 am

Spoons

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 9:23 am

I read recently (in a small guide by Ciaran Carson) that nobody plays Irish Trad on the Clarinet,

so come on all you Clarinautists out there -let's have something in Clips & Snips to prove that wrong!

Sara · Post by **Sara** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 10:06 am

I can play a little bit of the keyboard, like the first parts of "Imagine" and "Yesterday" only because I have the sheet music to them and the first few notes of "Drops of Jupiter", which I figured out by ear, but that's it. I'm want to learn the guitar, but there aren't any good teachers around here. I do envy all you who play a whole bunch of different instruments.

Peace and creativity,
Sara

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Mon Mar 25, 2002 2:41 pm

If thread is still about what we play:

Played classical guitar for the last 34 years. Played in a flute and guitar duo (still do actually but quiet lately) for the last 23 yrs. All those years, backin' up a fantastic flute player (sadly, not interested in Irish music)!

Four years ago, participated in recording a demo CD of Historic Folk Music of California (multi-lingual, multi-cult). Because of lead singer cancelling in session, became singer and eventually front-man of group where I sing, play nylon gtr, steel-st gtr. banjo-guitar, harmnicas, bosun whistles etc. Used tinwhistle for intros, Chinese and CA Indian songs and Irish tune and one thing led to another. Recorded on the whistle before I could really play it but hey, that happens on demos.....

Was actually accused of "whistlin' my life away" by significant other recently. I wear this as badge of honor with C&Fers!!!

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Tue Mar 26, 2002 12:43 pm

Martin,

I have heard a clarinet used by Sean Nua in a slow air.

--James
http://www.flutesite.com

---Martin wrote---
I read recently (in a small guide by Ciaran Carson) that nobody plays Irish Trad on the Clarinet,

so come on all you Clarinautists out there -let's have something in Clips & Snips to prove that wrong!