Login

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

March 28, 2024, 10:08:08 pm

Author Topic: Who here plays a musical instrument?  (Read 6547 times)  Share 

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

JR_StudyEd

  • MOTM: MAY 19
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Mental health is #1
  • Respect: +171
Who here plays a musical instrument?
« on: March 11, 2020, 07:25:17 pm »
+8
I play the piano, but I only have a on-and-off interest in actually playing. How did you get introduced to the musical instruments that you play? I want to know (in a non-creepy way, of course). And do you genuinely love it, or do you feel like it was something you were pressured into doing and that it was nothing more than an obligation? Also, how advanced are you in the instrument?
Listens to K-Pop (Twice, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO) and Christmas music all year round.

Geoo

  • MOTM: DEC 19
  • Victorian Moderator
  • Forum Leader
  • *****
  • Posts: 596
  • Class of 2020
  • Respect: +685
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #1 on: March 11, 2020, 07:46:36 pm »
+6
I use to play 3 instruments before I ran into some health issues. I played piano, saxophone and guitar. I would never pick up guitar again, but I loved piano and saxophone. I got introduced to piano at a young age after my parents signed me up for lessons when I was four, I played for about 3 years and passed my first exam. The saxophone was introduced when I was nine, when the junior school band opened up, and I played for about a year. And guitar, well my school offered lessons so I took them, but I never learnt anything and I don't have a passion for it, even after playing it for 2 years.

Even though I was given lessons at a young age for piano, I never felt pressured. And I perused the saxophone out of my own interests. I am not very advanced in any of these instruments anymore which is a shame, I can barely remember how to play. I do think I will pick it up again someday though, as I really miss playing.
2020: VCE 93.2
2022: BSci/Arts (Chemistry/Pharmacology and French)@Monash

angewina_naguen

  • HSC Lecturer
  • HSC Moderator
  • Part of the furniture
  • *****
  • Posts: 1257
  • Musical Theatre Tragic And Ultimate Pun Generator
  • Respect: +1026
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #2 on: March 11, 2020, 08:00:34 pm »
+6
Here's a timeline of my musical journey  ;D

Primary School- Played descant recorder from Years 2-5 and treble recorder in Year 6. We had recorder lessons every Friday in Year 2 to fulfil CAPA requirements and I decided to join the recorder ensemble from then on. I really enjoyed playing recorder and remember how over the moon I was when I got my treble for a Christmas present. Myself and the other girl who played treble got a little solo in our final year showcase night which remains one of my favourite memories. I wish I continued to play it but will definitely think of starting an ensemble when I go out to teach myself!

Early High School- Picked up bass guitar in Year 7 and continued to play until the end of Year 8. I went through a huge rock phase and was really interested in the bass so I decided to pick it up as a self-learnt instrument. I don't think I was stellar at it but I could do some of the extended techniques by the time I decided to drop it  ::) I also regret not honing in on this instrument further but it was a nice contrast with all the recorder I had basically drowned myself in in primary.

Rest of High School and Now- I sing! The voice is a musical instrument too so I'll include it. I was singing in choirs and small groups throughout primary and early high school but started taking AMEB lessons from Year 8. I'm currently in Fourth Grade and will be sitting my exam mid this year  ;D It might seem like a late start for some but my voice had been developed much better and can be manipulated with more ease. I also picked up sight singing and aural perception a lot easier by starting later, even though most people believe that children absorb musical concepts and experiences more effectively than adults. Despite studying classical voice, my main genre of interest is musical theatre but I also have had a resurged passion for singing Vietnamese music which I perform more than often when I get asked locally to do gigs. I will also be doing a certificate this year for Kodaly Music Education and it's primarily built around singing and choral conducting so this instrument is my most consistent and will definitely be my longest lasting commitment  :)

University to Now- Chose ukulele as my second instrument for Semester 2. I have a uke named Edwood who I make covers with (though haven't done anything lately with how busy I've been)  ;D I picked up uke as a part of my assessment for uni in my degree but have continued to play it and practise since. I'm not very advanced and am still working on some of the fingering placements for the harder chords but with time, I'm sure I'll improve!

University to Now- And lastly, I recently purchased a bodhran (like literally a month ago)! I've been fascinated with Celtic music since as long as I can remember and with the remainder of my scholarship money thought "why not?" I've only watched the tutorial DVD and played along here and there so my rhythms aren't at all near inspiring but I'm excited to play around with it more once things settle down a little across the board with uni and work  8)

I think because I've always loved music, learning instruments for me has been an ongoing journey of fun! If anyone is ever feeling pressured to play their instrument, reach out to people who are willing to listen and help you navigate your musical interests (or not). It should never be a torture to engage in music and want to pick up a new skill  ;D

Angelina  ;D

-HSC 2018-

-ATAR-
97.50

-UNI 2019-2022-
Bachelor of Music (Music Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music

hums_student

  • MOTM: SEP 18
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 379
  • Respect: +520
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #3 on: March 11, 2020, 08:27:54 pm »
+6
(apologies but this is *long*)
My main instrument is piano. We had an old upright and 7 year old me liked to bang away at the keys until I drove my parents (and the neighbours) insane - so that's the story of how my mum finally had enough and dragged me to piano lessons. But in all seriousness, I loved it and never felt pressured. I did two AMEB gradings (5 & 8.), followed by AMusA when I was 15. I kept meaning to continue and complete LMusA, but never got around to it. Nowadays I still play casually - it's hard to find a couple of spare hours to just sit down and practice like before.

Other main instrument is flute. I picked up the flute in year 7 as I wanted to join an orchestra but the piano spot was filled. Maybe it's due to my piano background, but picking up the flute was a breeze. I did AMEB grade 4 the following year, and grade 8 in year 11. Throughout my 6 years as a flautist in the school orchestra, I was always the only guy.

Finally, I also play violin (or should I say played). I wasn't pressured into it, but just never had the same passion for it like I did for piano and flute. I did AMEB grade 7 when I was 14 but never had the motivation to go back and finish grade 8. I regret it now but I also can't see myself doing it any time soon. My other main "instrument" is voice, though I mostly stick to music theatre, mainly because my biggest pet peeve about singers (especially pop) is that many can't seem to enunciate properly. ;D

Also, I've always wanted to learn the clarinet - but I'm yet to get over the hurdle of it not being in concert pitch.
2019-21: Bachelor of Arts (Politics & Int'l Relations / Economics)

katie,rinos

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Part of the furniture
  • *******
  • Posts: 1081
  • Respect: +1151
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #4 on: March 11, 2020, 10:21:32 pm »
+4
Clarinet: My main instrument, I started when I was in year 3 so I've been playing for 13 years. I picked it up in my school band and it was the only instrument I made a sound out of. At the start, I wasn't that keen and it was a way for us to get out of class, but that definitely changed by around yr 4/5. I only started getting private lessons towards the end of year 9, so I heaps of bad habits but it is something I've really enjoyed during throughout high school/uni. It definitely wasn't something I ever felt pressured into-my parents knew nothing about music at the start. I'm around 8th grade AMEB-however I've found the AMEB exams pretty stressful in the past.

Saxophone: I got my saxophone for Christmas yr 10/11?. Some of my clarinet/flute friends at band had gotten a saxophone and I'd been subtlety hinting to my parents that I wanted to learn one. The fingerings really similar to clarinet (almost easier to learn then clarinet) so I picked up the notes really quickly. I'm mostly self-taught on saxophone and I can play up to around AMEb 5th grade level. One of the issues that I have though, is that I play clarinet for all my uni assessments so I hardly play saxophone compared to it.

Beginner piano and guitar: One of my relatives was giving them away and I'm self taught at both. I'm pretty bad at reading bass clef or trying to play chords/use both hands so that slows down my piano playing a lot. I only know 4 chords on guitar (Em, G, D and C). I was trying to teach myself in the holidays and because I was looking at YouTube/apps I ended up learning the wrong way (e.g as if I was left handed) so I need to fix that. I hardly practise these as much as clarinet but I feel like I need to a lot more, especially as I want to become a classroom music teacher.
Class of 2017 (Year 12): Advanced English, General Maths, Legal Studies, Music 1, Ancient History, History Extension, Hospitality
2018-2022: B Music/B Education (Secondary) [UNSW]

Chocolatemilkshake

  • MOTM: JAN 21
  • Forum Obsessive
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Respect: +371
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2020, 06:47:09 am »
+6
Violin - Started in 2008 so I've been playing for 12 years now. My parents always wanted me to begin an intrusment in prep but I got to choose which one. They definitely encouraged me to practice in the earlier grades but now it's up to me and I do it mostly for enjoyment! I've completed up to 6 grade AMEB but couldn't pursue 7 or 8 as year 12 is a little too stressful to be trying to juggling exam preparation as well!

Currrently I lead the strings at my school and am in a quartet. Probably should practice more but I just don't have time  ???
2021-2025: BMedSci/M.D @ Monash

sweetiepi

  • National Moderator
  • ATAR Notes Legend
  • *****
  • Posts: 4767
  • "A Bit of Chaos" (she/they)
  • Respect: +3589
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2020, 10:54:53 am »
+6
I play bass guitar, but I've dropped the ball on practicing it since uni became a thing. :(
Maybe I'll pick it right back up sometime in the future!
2017-2019: Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (Formulation Science)
2020: Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science (Honours) Read my uni journey here!

J_Rho

  • MOTM: MARCH 20
  • Forum Leader
  • ****
  • Posts: 935
  • Respect: +756
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2020, 11:58:33 am »
+6
Trombone - Played in the school band from Grade 6 to Year 10, loved it but my brass teacher retired and i figured it was time to focus more on school as I was practicing about 1.5hrs a night
Beginner Piano - Played a bit in Year 10 Music as we had to play 2 instruments and 1 was trombone and i chose piano as i CANNOT for the life of me play a guitar.
— VCE —
English 30, Further Maths 33, Biology 33, Legal Studies 27, Psychology 32

— University —
Bachelor of Nursing @ Monash
Bachelor of Counselling & Psychological Science @ ACAP

Sine

  • Werewolf
  • National Moderator
  • Great Wonder of ATAR Notes
  • *****
  • Posts: 5135
  • Respect: +2103
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #8 on: March 12, 2020, 06:50:56 pm »
+6
I play the piano, but I only have a on-and-off interest in actually playing. How did you get introduced to the musical instruments that you play? I want to know (in a non-creepy way, of course). And do you genuinely love it, or do you feel like it was something you were pressured into doing and that it was nothing more than an obligation? Also, how advanced are you in the instrument?

I was probably introduced to it mainly from family - parents/brother. I don't think it was something I was pressured into doing but it was definitely encouraged and have found it really valuable obviously for music but also many things outside that realm.

I mainly play the piano which I started when I was in Prep and had weekly lessons all the way until around the end of year 10. I did AMEB exams and got to Grade 8 within that time frame. Since then I have definitely played less but have moved towards more pieces that I pick for myself to play and little focus on exams. I also played the trumpet which I began in Year 7 and had lessons through high school. I definitely progressed quicker with trumpet since I already had the background musical knowledge from piano and music theory.

Outside of personal playing I also participated in my high school bands (they had both jazz and concert bands at three different levels; junior, intermediate, senior) although the band you were in was not always dependent on your year level and I played the piano (sometimes had to be keyboard  :'()/trumpet in the jazz band and mainly trumpet in the concert bands.

I have played around with some other instruments such as guitar, violin, some music production and probably some other stuff that I am forgetting but definitely not enough to say that I "play" those instruments :P

K.Smithy

  • QLD MVP - 2019
  • QCE Moderator
  • Forum Obsessive
  • *****
  • Posts: 400
  • "We are the cosmos made conscious." B.C. (she/her)
  • Respect: +396
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #9 on: March 12, 2020, 09:29:31 pm »
+4
I play piano. I started around 5/6 years ago, but I really only became dedicated ~2 years ago - I wouldn't say I practice everyday, but its a lot more than I used to. I've never had lessons, so I'm entirely self-taught. Which unfortunately means that I can't read sheet music because I never taught myself music theory.

It was the song Clocks by Coldplay that made me fall in love with the instrument and after listening to that song one day and actually really paying attention to it, I decided I was gonna learn piano. The first song that I learnt was Mad World though.

I don't know how advanced I am, but some songs I can play are:
- Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi
- Comptine d'un autre été by Yann Tiersen
- Penn ar Roc'h by Yann Tiersen
- Arrival of the Birds by The Cinematic Orchestra

And I'm currently learning Requiem for a Dream - Lux Aeterna - which sounds epic!
I've learnt up to 2:19, but I'm trying to perfect 1:33-1:46. I'm having a bit of trouble, but slowly improving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7Yjy5vASas
QCE 2020: Physics (92) || Psychology (96) || Biology (93) || Methods (79) || English (98) || SOR (91)
ATAR: 98.40
2021-2024: Bachelor of Advanced Science (Honours) @ UQ

Uni Journal ; U3 Bio ; U3 Psych ; U3 Physics

Owlbird83

  • BLAA 2020
  • Victorian Moderator
  • Forum Leader
  • *****
  • Posts: 553
  • Respect: +785
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #10 on: April 08, 2020, 02:21:24 pm »
+3
I play the piano, but I only have a on-and-off interest in actually playing. How did you get introduced to the musical instruments that you play? I want to know (in a non-creepy way, of course). And do you genuinely love it, or do you feel like it was something you were pressured into doing and that it was nothing more than an obligation? Also, how advanced are you in the instrument?

I play clarinet, but I haven't practised a lot since the end of year concert last year with my school band.
I did genuinely enjoy it most of the time, but in year 10, 11 I kept thinking I'd quit, but I was too scared to tell my music teacher that I'd stop because he was scary, so I kept playing, but I did enjoy it. I liked how it gave me an extra thing at school that was different to schoolwork.  I'm not that advanced, I've played since year 7. I haven't had the motivation to practice by myself now that school has finished, so I'm not sure if I'll maintain being able to play, but I still want to be a person who is able to say 'yes I can play a musical instrument', which isn't a good reason lol.
2018: Biology
2019: Chemistry, Physics, Math Methods, English, Japanese
2020: Bachelor of Psychology (Monash)

Marylen

  • Forum Regular
  • **
  • Posts: 57
  • 'You can live with disappointment but not regret.'
  • Respect: +46
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2020, 11:56:59 am »
+2
Ever since I was in year 3, I learnt how to play the classical guitar but I stopped lessons when I was in year 5. I continued to self learn by my own pace and I eventually expanded on to playing tabs and chords and rock songs. When I started high school, I've been learning how to play the bass guitar. I started piano lessons when I was in prep but it didn't last for very long since I didn't really have an interest in piano.

I guess if you want to learn something, you'll always come back to it. I find playing music fascinating but also understanding how the chord progressions work and the theory behind the music super interesting. I'm very grateful that my family have been supportive of my musical endeavours, especially my brother who initially sparked my interest in guitar at such an early age!
Marylen's VCE journal

2020:
Psych: 40
Further Maths: 39

2021:
Methods, Accounting, English & Chemistry

The Cat In The Hat

  • MOTM: NOV 20
  • Forum Leader
  • ****
  • Posts: 991
  • Do all to the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31
  • Respect: +344
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2020, 10:30:36 am »
+2
I play the piano. I do enjoy it but year 12 doesn't leave much time for it. I originally went for it because well I really like it, but also, my parents used to make us all do it, except that because of other stuff I never got lessons (well except from my sister, heids) so I'm largely self-taught. Not very good at it - I like classical stuff but most of it I can't play (I mean, I've tried Beethoven's Tempest, and Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, as two of the hardest I've tried). Currently wrestling with triplets in one hand and quavers in the other (and discovering the weird wonder of Scarlatti in doing so...) and probably life in the other too :)
I love piano. Classical music, that is, not modern stuff; I find the modern touch jarring.
VCE 20
HHD MM Revs (F/R) Eng T&T
ATAR 85
Uni 21-24: BNursing/BMidwifery @ Deakin
Y1T2:
HNM102
HNN122 (double)
HNN114
I hope I don't fail....
Listens to Amira Willighagen and Alma Deutscher and a little Marjolein Acke
~English - PM for P&P/creatives help~
Creative excerpts
Nur/Mid uni journal

For Narnia and for Aslan!

she/her

Basically inactive now. May change. Have a nice day.

s110820

  • MOTM: April 20
  • QCE Moderator
  • Forum Obsessive
  • *****
  • Posts: 304
  • you'll be everything to the right someone
  • Respect: +151
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2020, 11:59:27 am »
0
I used to play the piano and the saxophone :)
QUT 2021 - Bachelor of Education (Primary).

keltingmeith

  • Honorary Moderator
  • Great Wonder of ATAR Notes
  • *******
  • Posts: 5493
  • he/him - they is also fine
  • Respect: +1292
Re: Who here plays a musical instrument?
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2020, 12:13:05 pm »
+1
Y'all be fancy, I'ma break the mould a bit:

I play basically everything in the contemporary rock band and nothing else, with all y'all fancy classical piano and woodwinds 😏 Learned piano from a young age, did not get very far despite studying it for 8 years, basically only know how to chord bash at this point (and related techniques like arpeggios from guitar). Eventually started getting electric bass lessons, which is my main instrument that I took to year 12 music (back when I thought I was gonna become a musician, heh). Learned guitar on the side because it's really not that hard if you already know how to play a stringed instrument. Drums I've had the least practice with, but I learned rhythm from my bass playing and can do a few different beats and improvising fills is fun. Also, being a male in high school who didn't mind singing, I very quickly got drafted into doing choir and musicals so they had male singers, and picked up a few things - even got a year of singing lessons in year 10

Nowadays it's just limited to playing guitar and singing for fun, and I'll occasionally upload something to Facebook or Snapchat. For a few years out of high school I played bass in some rock musicals, my favourite and most challenging experience being Next to Normal (mental illness trigger warning if you decide to look it up, its themes are fucking intense). But also I have a 6-string bass, which makes the insane ranges they want played much easier