What musical instrument do you play?

[Soontir C'boath]

My primary instrument is Horn (playing it since 1995). But, I'm proficient at all the brasses, and mediocre at the woodwinds, percussion and piano.

Errm...horn...like...a carhorn? Shoehorn? French horn?

Horn = French Horn. There are no other names that describes it in the musical instrument category.

I play the trumpet/cornet, and although I don't know the fingerings quite yet, I can play low brass like the euphonium and trombone.

[Slartibartfast]

Andean panpipes. Used to play them a lot in school, did it in the city's opera hall once also.

[SpacedTeddyBear]

Used to play violin. Was your typical shmo in the upper middle 2nd violins. Ummm...... I can also whistle.

[J]

I'm ok with an acoustic guitar, really out of practice with piano, and if I've had enough to drink I'm not a bad singer.

[IRG CommandoJoe]

Horn = French Horn. There are no other names that describes it in the musical instrument category.

Heh, do you ever play the Force theme? That must rock.

I play the piano and here is my current repertoire:

Johann Baptist Cramer:
No. 1 from 84 Studies
No. 8 from 84 Studies
No. 2 from 84 Studies (I haven't finished this one, but nevertheless I still practice it)

J.S. Bach:
Prelude No. 1 in C major from WTC I
Invention No. 8

Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach:
Solfeggietto

Massenet:
Aragonaise from the ballet Le Cid

Beethoven:
"Moonlight" Sonata Op. 27 No. 2, first movement
Für Elise

Mozart:
Rondo alla Turca

Chopin:
Prelude in G major Op.28 No.3
"Revolutionary" Etude No. 12 in C minor

Rachmaninoff:
Prelude in C minor Op. 3 No. 2
Prelude in G minor Op. 23 No. 5
Prelude in E flat major Op. 23 No. 4

I'm still learning that last prelude. I've had many more (simple) pieces in the past, but there's only so much time I have to practice. And I barely have enough time to practice that repertoire as it is. The next piece I will learn will be by Liszt. Ouch. My piano teacher and I haven't decided what it'll be, but I'd really love to learn to play Liszt/Schubert's Ständchen "Leise flehen." That's a great piece.

[Hawkwings]

piano, oboe, mallet percussion, auxillary percussion, marching snare drum

learned in that order

[Zaia]

Ok, this is my livelihood, so don't yell at me for being long-winded.

My main instruments are:

Piano: been playing since I was 7 or 8 (can't remember which), most advanced stuff I ever got to was learning about 15% of the piano solo to 'Rhapsody in Blue.' I could probably be able to perform about half of it fairly well, but I don't think I'm good enough to ever be able to play the whole thing, unless I was allowed to play it very poorly.

Oboe: I still play occasionally, but it was my main band/orchestra instrument for almost ten years. I was good, but not great. Can't think of much else other than some basic oboe solos that I played during high school, like the one in 'Russian Christmas Music' (since we didn't have an English horn).

Voice: I've been singing (officially) since my junior year of high school, which was about ten years ago. I can sing soprano II and alto I or II, although I'm usually put on either sop II or alto II because I'm a strong singer and those harmonies are usually hard. I lead the way and they all follow! Haven't done any solo lit because I only sing in chorales and such, but one of the most awesome pieces we ever did was "Water Night" by Eric Whitacre. Alto II, baby. Soooooooooo gorgeous. Most beautiful choral piece ever written.

Percussion: Didn't play a note of percussion until my freshman year of high school, and then only did marching band pit for four years. Got into college, was bummed about having to play so much classical music for piano (was a piano major for a year and a half before switching to being a perc major), so I changed. Because of my piano background, I can sightread keyboard parts on the marimba, xylophone, vibes, bells, etc. like no one else, but I also got pretty damn good on the tympani and the snare drum. Some stuff I've played: the Creston marimba concerto, Bach's Cello Suite No. 4 on marimba, some of the Delacluse snare etudes, and a few of the Elliott Carter tympani solos. Plus all kinds of crazy-cool percussion ensemble pieces like "Crown of Thorns" by David Gillingham! Oh yeah, and I've done two productions of 'West Side Story' as the main percussionist, have done a studio recording session, and have been paid $50 to play an anvil for five minutes.

Baritone: For sheer frequency I have to include this in my list of main instruments. I mostly suck, but as this is my third year playing it with the Hopkins lacrosse pep band, I'd be remiss if I didn't consider it one of my main instruments now. I don't have much of a repertoire, although the bari lines for "Jungle Boogie," "The Final Countdown" (w00t!) and "Paranoid" are all pretty slammin'. Just ask Dalton.

Bari sax (and therefore any other sax, basically): Taught myself how to play well enough to solo in two days so that I could join my high school's jazz band after two other bari sax players quit, and I still play it now and then to keep up that growly thing it's got goin' on. Bari sax rocks! Especially on the solo to "Chameleon!"

Flute/piccolo: Played for a couple of years in school. Started out on flute, moved to oboe, but then was asked to pick up the flute again to learn picc so that I could do the picc solos in certain concerts. The fingerings are almost identical to the oboe fingerings, so I can still play them fine now. Although I hate playing the picc because it gives me a piercing headache.

- - - - - - - -

Other instruments I play but am not very good at: guitar (can't play much that's recognizable and I make up some of my own chords), clarinet, bassoon (too many goddamn thumb keys!), trumpet (can still barely squeak out more than an octave), trombone (although it's damn fun), horn (which I love, I just suck at it), cello (same as horn), violin, harp (lap harps, though--the ones with the pedals make my head hurt), and tuba. I hate playing the tuba. I feel like my face is being swallowed by the damn mouthpiece.

[Kuja]

*goggles at Zaia's list*

Sheesh, and here I had a buttload of trouble between guitar, trombone, and vocals.

[Zaia]

Errm...horn...like...a carhorn? Shoehorn? French horn?

Horn = French Horn. There are no other names that describes it in the musical instrument category.

Wrong. You forgot the English horn.

*goggles at Zaia's list*

Sheesh, and here I had a buttload of trouble between guitar, trombone, and vocals.

It's really not as impressive as it looks, though. Most of them are related to one another somehow, so once you know one, that instrument helps you learn the others.

But thanks just the same.

[Alex Moon]

Trumpet and some voice lessons. I'd love to learn the flute and violin if I ever had the time.

[Soontir C'boath]

Errm...horn...like...a carhorn? Shoehorn? French horn?

Horn = French Horn. There are no other names that describes it in the musical instrument category.

Wrong. You forgot the English horn.

Conceeded. I should've mentioned brass.

[Marksist]

Errm...horn...like...a carhorn? Shoehorn? French horn?

Eh, well I usually just call it "Horn," as do most professional Horn players, but, yes, I play what most people call the "French" Horn. A lot of things I've read though, usually don't even place the origin of the Horn in France, usually it places its origin as a no valved Horn with several tuning crooks developed in Austria or Germany. So I'd say "French" Horn is a bit of a misnomer.

[velvety_kitty]

I took 12 years classical piano, so obviously I like classical compositions to play, but I also like jazz and blues.

I play the drums, the biggest was a small 7 piece kit.

I also play some bass guitar.

My ex was in a band that won some dumb competition to open for Quiet Riot, way after they were cool, which was amusing to experience. While I was manageing his band, I also did some backup vocals.

[Brother-Captain Gaius]

I play yon flute and more recently the good ol' electric gee-tar.

[Darth Yoshi]

Flute, mostly. I stopped a few years ago, so I dunno how good I still am. Not that I was any good to begin with. I could play the Raider's March no prob, but anything else and I'll be faking half the song.

I've also begun dabbling with the ocarina.

[Beowulf]

Alto sax, and therefore any sax, but only also played tenor. Also trumpet (badly).

[Uraniun235]

I was pretty decent on trombone, but I'm way out of practice. I'm planning on getting back into it when I transfer to a real university with an actual band I can be part of and learn from.

[kheegster]

Classical guitar, since 15, and am studying with a professor from the Royal College of Music in my free time.

Almost decided to go to music school until Dad poured cold water on the idea. I still try to scrape together at least 3-4 performances each year, but my repertoire is a bit too small for more than that, not to mention lack of practise time.

[Col. Crackpot]

Almost decided to go to music school until Dad poured cold water on the idea. I still try to scrape together at least 3-4 performances each year, but my repertoire is a bit too small for more than that, not to mention lack of practise time.

You mean to tell me that a classicly trained guitarist can't improvise and make decent money playing small clubs while nailing endless hotties in a rock/blues band? Shit, i pretty much faked it, tooting out some minor pentatonic scales on the trumpet with some friends in a blues band and the women were.... uh, nevermind.

[kheegster]

Almost decided to go to music school until Dad poured cold water on the idea. I still try to scrape together at least 3-4 performances each year, but my repertoire is a bit too small for more than that, not to mention lack of practise time.

You mean to tell me that a classicly trained guitarist can't improvise and make decent money playing small clubs while nailing endless hotties in a rock/blues band? Shit, i pretty much faked it, tooting out some minor pentatonic scales on the trumpet with some friends in a blues band and the women were.... uh, nevermind.

Nah...I'm so used to the classical guitar that I hardly know what to do with an electric in my hand. I did use to gig in hotel lounges and teach a bit, but university is taking up too much of my time for that, unfortunately...

[IRG CommandoJoe]

How did your dad "pour cold water" on the idea? He wouldn't let you go to a music school or what? That sucks. If I were good enough (which I'm not), I'm sure my parents would have supported my decision to go to music school. In fact my parents thought I would do something with my piano, but...well...I didn't have enough confidence to go to a music school. Who knows how I would have done?

[Hawkwings]

asian parents are... wow...

I so want to learn flute though, and associated instruments (bass flute anyone?)

[Surlethe]

Viola. Nearly ten years. I Bach suites, but am not quite able to play Brahms sonatas yet; probably will be by the end of this summer.

Violin. Just this school year. I can pick the toy up and play it however I want . It's easier than the viola.

Pick out stuff on the piano, download sheet music and play through that.

When I go to college, I might minor in music. Fun fun fun!

[DPDarkPrimus]

I've been playing the violin since I was like, five, but I haven't touched it in quite a while...

[kheegster]

asian parents are... wow...

I so want to learn flute though, and associated instruments (bass flute anyone?)

Amen to that...Asian parents .