What other instruments do you like to play?

JD the Whistler
JD the Whistler
@jd-the-whistler
8 months ago
3 posts

I love slide whistle, harmonica, kazoo, drums, and way more I won't be able to list.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
10 months ago
154 posts

@larrys , that is really nice, I enjoyed the little video of the tongue drum!  Looks like a lot of fun, and it's a pretty sound too.




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
11 months ago
47 posts

Yes its made of metal. And it has 3 rubber feet on the bottom with a rubber plug in the bottom. If you remove it you can tune it with magnets on the underside of the tongues.

Chifmunk
Chifmunk
@chifmunk
11 months ago
19 posts

Cool video of the tongue drum, @larrys !   grin

Do they have flat bottoms so they don't roll around, I guess?  Do they sound louder/better when played on a hard surface as opposed to in the lap?  Are yours made of metal?

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
11 months ago
47 posts

I got a couple of tongue drums recently, theyre quite  fun things to play around with. You can get them in many keys including strange, minor keys. And you can tune them yourself with little magnets.

Tongue drum

Chifmunk
Chifmunk
@chifmunk
11 months ago
19 posts

I guess bodhrans just naturally go real well with penny whistles.   red drummer


Martha Campbell:


I have a few frame drums that I enjoy for fun, but have never been able to get good on them. 😥


 


updated by @chifmunk: 02/06/24 09:09:48PM
Martha Campbell
Martha Campbell
@martha-campbell
11 months ago
15 posts

I have a few frame drums that I enjoy for fun, but have never been able to get good on them. 😥

Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

Well.......just ordered my Xmas present. shhh

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.

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
5 years ago
47 posts
I gave up with my flute. So hard to get a good embouchure then I discover the bottom pads don't close fully so I would never be able to get the lowest notes. It just seems pointless, a losing battle
Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

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.

GwenR
GwenR
@gwen
5 years ago
4 posts

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)

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
5 years ago
47 posts
Keith:

Good for you, Larry, I hope it works out OK, I used to like mine, it was just a bit too quiet for me.

It is a bit quiet, but I'm ok with that
Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

Good for you, Larry, I hope it works out OK, I used to like mine, it was just a bit too quiet for me.

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
5 years ago
47 posts
Got myself a tenor recorder today. I had one before but didn't get on with it. I intend to stick with it this time
Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

Decided to try out a (cheap) bamboo Chinese Dizi - it arrived with some 'membrane' in a packet, no idea what it was meant for, but there seemed to be one too many holes, so I taped it up, & now I have a spare bamboo flute in 'F'. flute grin

Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

I have been having a good time with my M&E 'F' flute this past 2 days, seemed to get the embouchure just right, on some easy tunes.

(Have also been playing my 'A' & low 'D' whistles.)


updated by @keith: 06/24/19 05:49:45AM
Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

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. earplug


updated by @keith: 06/18/19 01:03:15PM
LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
5 years ago
47 posts
Keith:

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). thumbsup


I already have a glass slide, but I was bought a brass slide for Father's Day. They say that brass is better for acoustic, and glass is better for electric.
Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

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). thumbsup

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
5 years ago
47 posts

I'm currently enjoying playing with slide guitar in open G tuning.

 

play Bit of slide

Keith
Keith
@keith
5 years ago
145 posts

Thought I'd try multi tracking a tune using 3 different whistles. flute

 

https://soundcloud.com/user-604445267/shall-we-gather-at-the-river-using-3-different-whistles

mp3
ShallWeGather3.mp3  •  896KB


updated by @keith: 06/18/19 08:35:42AM
LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
That's like me. Technically I play 13 instruments. But none of them really well
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

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).

 

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
6 years ago
154 posts

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




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Mack
Mack
@mack
6 years ago
2 posts
If proficiency were the only goal that might work somewhat but you would never get “good enough”
Play for joy what you like.
LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
Yes I was learning classical guitar but it was just too much, so now I am concentrating mainly on piano
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
6 years ago
154 posts

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?  frog




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

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. whistle duck

 

(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.)

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
@keith mine was an Aulos. Beautiful sound but hard on my fingers
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

Much easier with keys, mine was a Yamaha, as were my others.

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
@keith I had a tenor, briefly, but it was uncomfortable to play and I sold to a friend on Facebook. I would like to get another in the future tho, possibly with keys
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

I used to have recorders, my favourite was the tenor, always fancied trying a bass, but couldn't justify the price.

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
@keith. Thats cool. I've not played mine in ages. At the moment its all about the alto recorder for me.
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

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. :)

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
@keith ukuleles are fun, I have 2, a concert size and a Baritone
Keith
Keith
@keith
6 years ago
145 posts

Other instruments?


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

 


updated by @keith: 11/02/18 05:14:51AM
LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts

Cool mack. My dad had a banjo that he made too


updated by @larrys: 06/12/18 07:35:10PM
Chifmunk
Chifmunk
@chifmunk
6 years ago
19 posts

Mack, that's a super cool photo!!  clapper

LarryS
LarryS
@larrys
6 years ago
47 posts
I have 13 different instruments including piano, guitars and ukulele. I also have a clarinet which I struggle with and I was recently given a flute! Which is a lot harder than I'd imagined.
Mack
Mack
@mack
6 years ago
2 posts

I made my first banjo from stuff lying around the ranch.  That's it and me about 1950.

Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
6 years ago
154 posts

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.




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
Strumelia
Strumelia
@strumelia
7 years ago
154 posts

Do you play other instruments aside from the whistle?

Tell us about your playing fun on other instruments!   jive




--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990