Well.......just ordered my Xmas present.
Seydel Saxony orchestra tuned chromatic harmonica. Most of my harmonicas have ABS combs, but this one has an aluminium comb, so now I'm looking forward to seeing how different the tone will be.
If the guitar isn't a pleasure any more, take a look at ukulele, lots of guitarists have taken to them.
Flutes are nice, but I've had difficulty in obtaining my embouchure, it comes & goes, but I keep trying. I now have a couple of nice keyless 'simple system' flutes (& piccolos) in my collection.
Acoustic guitar - my choice to make my neighbours happy ;D Seriously, i play guitar for more then 10 years, and it's getting less funny and interesting for me, but i keep playing sometimes. Now i try to learn play flute as good as i play guitar, or even better(i'm not sure for that)
I have a feeling that may be due to the prevalence of wound strings on guitars, my ukes have fluorocarbon strings in the main - but I will also be trying it out on my steel string electric uke, with the effects that are on my amp.
Funnily enough, I've just bought a glass slide for my ukes, I'd been been meaning to get one for ages, (about a year actually).
Thought I'd try multi tracking a tune using 3 different whistles.
https://soundcloud.com/user-604445267/shall-we-gather-at-the-river-using-3-different-whistles
I totally agree, my music making is just for my own enjoyment, & I can get a tune out of most of my instruments, but, of course, some better than others.
I also know it was said in good faith. I do agree to a certain extent, that I'm better off getting to know one instrument well, & I know that that instrument is the chromatic harmonica for me.
(At this time of year, with the colder weather, our breath condensates on the windsavers, therefore sticking the two parts together, causing notes to not sound, so we need to keep them, our chromatic harmonicas, warmed up to about body temperature)
But I like other instruments too, latest fascination being the whistle, & as I used to play recorders, it isn't too much of a learning curve for me, (just need to get more proficient with half holeing).
Here's something I wrote about never being 'good enough' back in 2009. It's on my dulcimer blog but it applies to playing any instrument I think:
https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/09/am-i-too-old.html
There's no way I could concentrate only on one type of instrument for months at a time. It's not in my genetic makeup!
More accurately, it would take some of the joy out of making music at home for me.
Wow, I didn't know one had to keep harmonicas from getting cold. Who knew?
On one of my other forums, I've been told I should concentrate on just one instrument - until I'm proficient - not sure that I can do that, but my harmonicas do take first priority.
(I just found out the other day, that reptile heating mats are good for warming up my chromatics, so I went online to order one to try out.)
I've got a collection of all but soprano & sopranino - my fingers are too big for comfort on them.
My present favourite size is tenor scale on a concert sized body, & my best one is a solid acacia KoAloha Opio, backed up by my solid mahogany Ohana, I really like these two. :)
I retired three years ago, & I was determined to learn to play a musical instrument.
First I bought a digital piano - that didn't work out. Next, I bought a (diatonic/blues) harmonica - but I couldn't get my head around sucking & blowing, let alone bending notes, so I also bought a chromatic, but still couldn't get it to work.
Next came the uke (ukulele), that actually worked for me - so started my musical journey. :)
Eighteen months, & I was just about playing tunes, & of course, UAS had got to me! Couldn't stop buying them, they're all different, you know. ;)
So then I went back to try my harmonicas again. This time, I got it, & started to be able to play tunes on them - slowly - but recognisably - & caught HAS.
Then I thought that I would try my old flute, purchased in the 80s, when I was trying to learn to play - at that time I had recorders. That lead me to the Chiff & Fipple forum, where I quickly caught the whistle bug, & WAS, but they are mainly Irish music, & I like a variety, so I went & did an online search for (tin)whistle forums & found this site.
UAS = Ukulele Aquisition Syndrome - HAS = Harmonica Aquisition Syndrome - WAS = Whistle Aquisition Syndrome
I tend to like to experiment in various instruments and genres of music over time. I won't list 'all' the instruments I've dabbled in at one time or another, but it also means I will never be an expert player in any one specific instrument. I've come to accept this and just enjoy the journey. :)
The ones I currently turn to, either often or maybe just occasionally... are banjo, mountain dulcimer (and it's relatives the epinette des Vosges and the Swedish hummel), the bones, rebec, jouhikko, and of course my penny whistles.
Do you play other instruments aside from the whistle?
Tell us about your playing fun on other instruments!