# The musical instrument thread



## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

Any fiddlers in EB land? I've been taking lessons for a year, my first instrument I chose as an adult. Was beat into piano as a kid, but I'm not smart enough to read two clefs at a time. I'm running a nice Guarneri "Il Cannone" clone, with Zyex strings, love it!


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

If you're ever in the Sacramento area, you need to catch One Eyed Reilly: https://oneeyedreilly.com/

Really fun Celtic rock band, they gig around town almost every week. The fiddler is my violin instructor. He's freaking amazing.


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## knight1fox3 (May 1, 2018)

Ever see Gaelic Storm or Lindsey Sterling? That's is some good string playing right there. :thumbs:


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## leggo PE (May 1, 2018)

Unfortunately (maybe?) for me, not I.

Mainly because I was forced into piano as a young 7 year old, and that only lasted a few months. I quit when the piano teacher refused to stop banging on the back of the piano bench (she claimed she was doing it to keep the beat; it was incredibly annoying), after I asked politely. The jerk started my brother (who had started lessons at the same time as me) on a metronome the very next week, but I stuck to my principles and never took another lesson!

I did play the xylophone in third grade. That was fun!


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## Szar (May 1, 2018)

knight1fox3 said:


> Ever see Gaelic Storm or Lindsey Sterling? That's is some good string playing right there. :thumbs:


I have every album of Sterling...

But I'm also listening to Korn in my empty corner of the office so take my opinion for what its worth...


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

leggo PE said:


> I did play the xylophone in third grade. That was fun!


Xylophone!!! Leggo, you just get cooler and cooler every day.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

Szar said:


> I have every album of Sterling


Lindsay is great! I also really like the "Vitamin String Quartet." They play their covers pretty straight, which I like.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

I have an L.R. Baggs piezo pickup installed, so I'll mess around with some synth sounds.


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## csb (May 1, 2018)

Cello and string bass here, though the string bass is pretty rusty at this point. I've thought of picking it up again, but never have. The cello comes out occasionally.


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## Ramnares P.E. (May 1, 2018)

Lindsey is very good but I'll take Samvel Yervinyan over her any day.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

Ramnares P.E. said:


> Lindsey is very good but I'll take Samvel Yervinyan over her any day.


Truf.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

csb said:


> Cello and string bass here, though the string bass is pretty rusty at this point. I've thought of picking it up again, but never have. The cello comes out occasionally.


Cellos are so cool! For me, I wanted to keep the music somewhat portable and fiddle while camping.


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## snickerd3 (May 1, 2018)

I played the cello for a year...the teacher and I didn't get along so I didn't continue.  Mr snick played cello up through high school...expensive European cello (his parents paid for teacher to bring one home on the plane after an international concert thing) has been sitting in the closet the last 16 yrs...has come out less than a half dozen times.  It needs to find a new home.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

snickerd3 said:


> I played the cello for a year...the teacher and I didn't get along so I didn't continue.  Mr snick played cello up through high school...expensive European cello (his parents paid for teacher to bring one home on the plane after an international concert thing) has been sitting in the closet the last 16 yrs...has come out less than a half dozen times.  It needs to find a new home.


Lady Squaretaper has some wrist issues (we're both learning violin) so I suggested cello. Too bad you're not close enough for a test drive!


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

They seem to be popular now. Totally anecdotal, but I have a couple coworkers who only got into cello because they wanted to play the Game of Thrones theme song.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 1, 2018)

For engineering nerdular nerdance, you can download back copies of the Catgut Acoustical Society journals: http://www.catgutacoustical.org/journal/

VERY interesting engineering/physics/scientific insights into stringed instrument design and history. Pretty neat! I flip through these during work breaks.


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## Dleg (May 1, 2018)

I played the violin through high school, but I always wanted to convert to fiddle playing. Now I don't play anything, although I did pick up a few tunes on the concertina for Talk Like a Pirate Day purposes.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 2, 2018)

@Dleg The fact that you even *have* a concertina puts you in another valence level of cool.


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## knight1fox3 (May 2, 2018)

Dleg said:


> I played the violin through high school, but I always wanted to convert to fiddle playing. Now I don't play anything, although I did pick up a few tunes on the concertina for Talk Like a Pirate Day purposes.


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## Dleg (May 2, 2018)

That's about the right time frame.


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## Master slacker (May 2, 2018)

Piano when I was itty bitty.

Trombone when I was in middle school.

Picked up the banjo a few years ago, but couldn't keep it going as my interests were pulled toward mini MS1 and mini MS2.


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## Supe (May 2, 2018)

Ramnares P.E. said:


> Lindsey is very good but I'll take Samvel Yervinyan over her any day.


I liked LS before she tried to get too rock-ish with her albums.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 2, 2018)

In the office I usually have Hilary Hahn or Itzhak Perlman playing on my noise-canceling headphones. People love to have conference calls on their cell phones IN the cubicles here, it's really awesome.


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## Master slacker (May 3, 2018)

Taylor Davis &gt; Lindsey Stirling


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 3, 2018)

Master slacker said:


> Taylor Davis &gt; Lindsey Stirling


This.


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## Ramnares P.E. (May 3, 2018)

Master slacker said:


> Taylor Davis &gt; Lindsey Stirling


I would also say Vanessa Mae &gt; Lindsey Stirling


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## Dexman PE PMP (May 3, 2018)

Played Trumpet through middle &amp; high school. Stopped my senior year due to time commitments with other things (aka my future wife). I'm pretty sure my parents still have my trumpet somewhere in the stacks of shit they have in storage. I'd really hate to see what condition it's in since it's been over 20 years since it's been used...

Mrs Dex played flute and piccolo for the same time frame. She also played piano for a while.

We bought a piano a few years ago with the intention of teaching mini-dex #2 but it ended up being another piece of furniture for junk to be stacked on top of. I think it ended up at my parents house when we moved.

MiniDex #1 is taking drum lessons and has an electric drum set in his room. He tried out for the school band but didn't make the cut (they could only take one for drums and the spot went to a kid 2 years older and much better).

Minidex #2 was taking guitar lessons for a while but her instructor was a flake and ended up "postponing" half of the lessons which never ended up happening. Disappointing because she really liked the lessons and the instructor. Currently trying to find another decent instructor for her.

I have always wanted to learn how to play bass guitar. I tried playing my daughter's 6-string, but couldn't quite get the hang of it.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 4, 2018)

Dexman PE PMP said:


> I have always wanted to learn how to play bass guitar. I tried playing my daughter's 6-string, but couldn't quite get the hang of it.


For someone who is not "naturally" musical, I was constantly discouraged for years because I wasn't "getting it." As an adult learner, it was 100% worth it to get private lessons from my local music school. Took a few months to find the right instructor, but once I did it was a sea change. I'm still rubbish, but I really enjoy it.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 4, 2018)

Also, has anyone used Wittner fine tuners on violins? The stock pegs on my lower-end violin suck.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 4, 2018)

I have a nice pernambuco bow waiting for me as a reward if I pass the dang PE.


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## Road Guy (May 4, 2018)

I have zero musical ability -

My eldest kid plays percussion (drums) but did a ton of piano as a kid, apparently its a great learning tool to transition into percussion / drums.

Youngest son plays the French Horn in the HS Band - he was a trumpet player in middle school until he figured out the HS had 40+ trumpet players and 3 French horns / melaphone so he spent the summer before HS taking French horn lessons so he would be "higher up" in the HS band - he is a straight up "opportunist"


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 4, 2018)

Road Guy said:


> he is a straight up "opportunist"


Crafty little guy!


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 4, 2018)

I think I'll get the Wittner geared tuners anyway. The stock pegs are just...really terrible.


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## knight1fox3 (May 4, 2018)

Road Guy said:


> Youngest son plays the French Horn in the HS Band - he was a trumpet player in middle school until he figured out the HS had 40+ trumpet players and 3 French horns / melaphone so he spent the summer before HS taking French horn lessons so he would be "higher up" in the HS band - he is a straight up "opportunist"


Nice! I made the same instrument choice in HS as well due to relatively the same factor. I still have a French Horn in the basement with a lot of dust on it. LadyFox plays flute, piccolo, and piano in a local community band.


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## wilheldp_PE (May 4, 2018)

knight1fox3 said:


> LadyFox plays flute.


Skin or otherwise?


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 8, 2018)

Has anyone ever used octave strings? They lower the pitch one octave. Sounds like a neat idea.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 8, 2018)

I'm just wondering if the additional thickness will damage the nut or bridge.


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## squaretaper LIT AF PE (May 9, 2018)

Jamming with coworkers at lunch today. So many closeted musicians at the office. Awesome.


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## Master slacker (May 9, 2018)

wilheldp_PE said:


> Skin or otherwise?


Dude... he's married...


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