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Who Here Is A Musician?

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If you are one, what instrument and style of music do you play? I play guitar and bass and play anything from classic, prog, hard rock to heavy metal, to fusion and blues. Creating music is my CPL, but I don't know what direction to take it in so...

P.S. Have you ever heard of Harmony Central, a musicians' forum? I could use some help defending Objectivists politics at Harmony Central Political Forum

P.S.S. I don't know if posting that link is against forum rules so mods, do what ya hafta do.

Edited by studentofobjectivism
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Electric bass is my main instrument. I also noodle on piano, guitar, and drums.

Stylistically, I play in a band that does rock and pop covers from 70s to current, and original rock music. I also have a good chunk of experience playing prog rock, jazz, and blues.

I don't know if posting that link is against forum rules so mods, do what ya hafta do.

I don't either, and since my forum rules link isn't working, you're in the clear . . . for now. :huh:

[Edited to add that I see you're from RI. A few years ago when I still lived in MA I did gigs at The Living Room and The Station (RIP).]

Edited by Groovenstein
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Electric bass is my main instrument.  I also noodle on piano, guitar, and drums.

Stylistically, I play in a band that does rock and pop covers from 70s to current, and original rock music.  I also have a good chunk of experience playing prog rock, jazz, and blues.

[Edited to add that I see you're from RI.  A few years ago when I still lived in MA I did gigs at The Living Room and The Station (RIP).]

Who's your favorite bassist? Obviously Jaco is up there! You played at The Living Room AND The Station (I hate Great White, always have, now it's multiplied x2)? You must be a pretty serious player.

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If you are one, what instrument and style of music do you play?

My primary instrument is guitar. I also play bass (like a bass player & not a guitar player!), piano (although more like a bar-room hack than a 'pianist'), drums & banjo (not regularly, though; just for a few good paying gigs).

I've played guitar now for 29 years. I love to play classical, older jazz standards & some pop tunes on my classical nylon string. However, my favorite instruments are my Strats & Marshalls! I grew up listening to & playing electric guitar stuff: Van Halen, Blackmore, Malmsteen.

Click here for mp3s

I also compose & arrange music, in all genres, for myself & for clients as a small business on the side.

Creating music is my CPL, but I don't know what direction to take it in so...

That can be difficult. I made a living as a working musician (original & cover tune bands, gigging, recording, studio work, teaching private lessons, etc.) for about 15 years when I was younger.

I could use some help defending Objectivists politics...

I applaud your efforts in that direction. Explaining anything that requires rigorous logic to your average musician can be very difficult. :huh: & if you think Objectivist politics is hard, try metaphysics & epistemology to some knucklehead that swears he just knows his musical talent is due to his past life's as an Egyptian prince & a palm tree in Costa Rica.

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I've played trombone since I was in 6th grade. I went to an arts-only high school that provided its students with college-level music training through Miami-Dade community college. I haven't played seriously since then, but when I did, I was into wind ensemble and orchestral music. I moonlighted in jazz big bands and salsa bands for money, though, and I have to say that I enjoyed those gigs more than orchestra rehearsal.

These days I'm a very amateurish guitar player.

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I am an advanced pianist. I am studying for a BA in music composition at UNLV. I plan to go into film scoring and eventually write a movie of my own.

I play alot of classical but get most enjoyment, after my own music, from modern jazz forms.

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I used to play the recorder when I was about eight. I was fairly good, but for some reason I have since forgotten I stopped and have not played an instrument since. I think that one day I will though, probably a wind instrument or the violin. Maybe the keyboard, I think I would be good at that.

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I play guitar, bass, piano, and a little drums. My real passion is guitar and piano, and have about 6 years of performance experience with jazz and alternative rock. I'm sure everyone who's posted in this thread would agree that music is a lot of fun!

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Although I play a variety of instruments, my primary axes are keyboards & synthesizers. I'm not much of a "pianist" - there's a particular technique to making a piano really sing, and I haven't put my hands on a grand in years. Besides, a piano is always just a piano ... I need a wider range of sounds under my hands.

But I dig playing funky clavinet and rhodes, bluesy wurly and organs, and especally enjoy ripping up a synth solo, especially when there are lots of encoders to tweak!

Honestly, though, I rarely hear the music that seriously influences me. I hope to move out of my apartment (which is literally next to a freeway on-ramp) into something quieter, so I can get some of my stuff finished up and mixed.

I still laugh at the fact that I've been thrown out of 4 bands in 3 years, all because I wanted the music polished, rehearsed, and flawless before a gig.

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I still laugh at the fact that I've been thrown out of 4 bands in 3 years, all because I wanted the music polished, rehearsed, and flawless before a gig.

Some of my good friends say the same kind of thing. It's not like a musician's life depends on his music huh? :)

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And they always say, "it doesn't have to be perfect!" :)

How can anyone - especially a working musician - not want to completely perfect their craft to levels that maybe only they'll enjoy? Sure, I want people to think I'm a good player, but not because they're too drunk to notice otherwise. Besides, I don't play primarily for their enjoyment; I play for mine.

I've never been happier with my music than the time since I stopped playing in bands ...

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I play guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers, drum machines, samplers, amps, pa's, soundboards, effects, etc.

I can play any style, but not how they're usually heard. Some of my favorites are "Dream Pop" (indie pop music from Europe in the 80's and 90's), Ragtime, and French Disco. But I don't usually think of my music in terms of existing styles, besides if I'm trying to achieve some specific end exemplified by a particular historical style.

In general, I don't like rock music. But there are exceptions. (Similarly, I don't like most blues, which most people consider indistinguishable from ragtime.)

I'm playing in a band now, but we have the opposite problem from people on this thread-- all three of us being perfectionists, we can never seem to get our songs good enough to warrant actually playing shows.

I've heard of Harmony Central. But why do they have a political section? To help legalize the unauthorized publication of tablature and sheet music written by musicians who are not compensated for their publication? (I haven't looked at it yet..)

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all three of us being perfectionists, we can never seem to get our songs good enough to warrant actually playing shows.

My band has a similar issue. The guitar player does most of the writing, and we both do a lot of the revising and production. We're both very particular about things, so we struggle to get things finished.

I think you have to ask yourself what your goals are and how you can realistically achieve them. We want to write the best music we can, but after a while we realized that if we worked on composition and production forever we would never get the pleasure of playing shows, making a CD and selling it, trying to get on the radio, etc.

We decided that when there is something one of us wants to add or fix or whatever, we determine how important we think it is. Then we think for a minute about what else we want to work on, and if other stuff is more important, we work on that. Of course we want to do the best that we can, but we're in school, we're not going to live forever, etc. Our music might be a little less quality than we might like, but the upshot is that we get to do those other things.

I'm not saying our specific approach would work for you. But the general one should. Take some time to think about what you want to accomplish with your music. Do you only want to compose? Do shows? Sell CDs? Have a full-fledged band business? Then think about how much time you have at your disposal with everything else in your life. Make a decision.

I'm not trying to be cynical, or suggest that any kind of "sacrafice" should be made. I am trying to say that you are working with limited resources, particularly time, and that it is important for your personal satisfaction with your project to rank your values and see if and how they can be realistically achieved.

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