What's your favourite instrument and why did you pick it?

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Armistice said:
As it turned out they all stopped playing, and they all got fat and bald and married and hagridden by wives who could flay the flesh from your with their voice, and saddled with ungrateful children, and poor and suburban and generally lived blighted lives, whereas I, the true guitar god of the group, remained strong and thin and edgy and rich and kept my hair, not to mention getting more attractive with each passing year.
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That was seriously funny, those losers...:)
 
miroslav said:
I was only about 8-9...and it was the guitar first, then I added piano shortly after that (my sister was taking piano lessons, so it was easy to add)...but I had no "Rock Guitar God" inspiration at the time (they were still using stuff like "Camptown Races" in their instruction program :rolleyes: :D)....and electric guitar had yet to break out into the lead instrument it eventualy became.
It was mostly the early Beatles the fueled my music interests....but then that quickly exploded as "Rock" became mainstream in modern music.

I kinda' stepped away from the piano a long time ago, after the last live band I was in, where I alternated between guitar and keys. After that I got into the studio/recording SOP, and while I still play keys on a lot of songs I record, my main instrument is the guitar...with keys used mostly for backing tracks, and also quite lot as a writting tool. I still sit at the piano to work arrangements as much as I use the guitar for writting.
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I never learned piano but I tinker a bit when I get the chance. A beautiful piece of music moves me more on piano than any other instrument. I love the organ too. Wonder if anyone around here plays that?
 
CrowsofFritz said:
You know, during the first 6 years I played, I thought that was a ridiculous claim. I thought it was ridiculous because, as a child, I saw everything in black and white. I've been finding that it REALLY does pick up chicks, especially if you're good. When I say "black and white," I thought the whole pick up chicks meant they instantly wanted to date me or take their pants off or something and, logically (or illogically, I suppose), I thought that was stupid. I have found, playing flamenco on my college campus, the girls just smile and listen and it's so easy to strike up a conversation with them. :guitar:
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Yeh, it totally softens us up. :D
 
Bass Guitar, because my parents said I was not allowed to get a drum kit.

After the no drum kit rule I was over at a friends house who was learning bass he showed me how to play "Sunshine of your love" (Cream) on it, I thought this is for me so I bought one without telling my parents (in case of another oh no you don't rule) with money from my paper round and Sat morning at the servo jobs. Was in a band 6 months later playing 5 gigs a week.

Funny, I got into the audio side due to it being me that had to get the PA working all the time.

Alan.
 
Having started being trained on violin at the age of 7, I moved to guitar in my early teens. At that time I had also been playing brass; flugelhorn, in the school band. Rather than me doing the choosing, the guitar picked me. 45 years on it is still my main instrument, although ukulele has been added in the past two years.

RB
 
witzendoz said:
Bass Guitar, because my parents said I was not allowed to get a drum kit.

After the no drum kit rule I was over at a friends house who was learning bass he showed me how to play "Sunshine of your love" (Cream) on it, I thought this is for me so I bought one without telling my parents (in case of another oh no you don't rule) with money from my paper round and Sat morning at the servo jobs. Was in a band 6 months later playing 5 gigs a week.

Funny, I got into the audio side due to it being me that had to get the PA working all the time.

Alan.
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It's so great how one song can inspire us. I've often thought of laying the guitar down forever but then I hear a sweet simple tune and think, well...I'm sure I could learn to play THAT. That sort of thing has kept me going for years. :)

I honestly don't know how people live their lives without playing an instrument. I've got a colleague who bases his music preference on how many hits a you tube video has received. He hasn't got a clue about music, let alone good music. He's missing out on one of the best things in life.
 
RichBrew said:
Having started being trained on violin at the age of 7, I moved to guitar in my early teens. At that time I had also been playing brass; flugelhorn, in the school band. Rather than me doing the choosing, the guitar picked me. 45 years on it is still my main instrument, although ukulele has been added in the past two years.

RB
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Cool, I've got a ukulele as well, but I don't play it very often. I really love Ohta San.
 
I started playing piano in Kindergarten. Took lessons from then through 3rd grade. I was inspired by my older sister and brother, and my mom who was fairly musical and a good singer. Picked up guitar, bass and drums along the way. I guess piano is still my favorite for writing, but I do love to play everything. 40 years later - here I am lol
 
Electric Guitar, of course!

Started playing when I was 7, got my first Strat at 12.

 
Started on piano lessons at age 4 playing classical (actually, I wasn't allowed to even "touch" the piano for my first 6 months...really strict teacher who thought respect for the instrument was paramount) I am still amazed that I didn't give up during that period (seriously, I was only four!) But then I started to hear Liberace and Van Cliburn on TV and by age 8 I was doing recitals for large crowds. Caught the saxophone bug in school. When I turned 12 we moved to Idaho (VERY rural town of about 650 people) and my piano and sax career almost halted...and I started playing bass. By 14 I was playing sock hops and formals, and by 16 I was in a band playing around the area in bars. Started doing backup vocals.
At 17 I had a nearly fatal disease that left me mostly incapacitated for a long while, and I couldn't remember basic things. (Not that I didn't know them, but I couldn't tell HOW I knew them...very complicated). Have re-learned and picked up the bass again, vocals, keys, violin, and recently guitar. Never got back into sax (to my regret) but can't afford a decent one (with all my other addictions). I have enough trouble keeping up with strings for three guitars and a bass, drum heads, picks, sticks (love those Zildjian Trilock's with the yellow grippy handles. Mics, software upgrades, etc. etc. It's all a bit much on a poor man's budget.
 
I started guitar when I was twelve, probably the result of listening to WAMO (a great R&B station out of Pittsburgh). Me and my little five watt amp were the scourge of the neighborhood, especially when my friend next door got a drumkit.

Later I picked up bass, harmonica, and gradually became a one-handed keyboard player, lol. And always had some sort of tape recorder around, there's a few good moments in all those tapes.
 
Lately I've been digging drums a lot. I didn't chose them so much as they chose me when I was offered the job of Rick Allen's left arm.
 
I first started on guitar because my dad had one (still does) and I always wanted a go on it. It was right handed and I'm left handed, so I'd always hold it the wrong way round and just strum the strings a bit. I was too young really to learn anything, but, on Christmas day when I was 7, Santa was kind enough to deliver a left-handed, 3/4 size, nylon-stringed classical guitar. My dad taught me a few chords and riffs and I had a book with chords and simple songs in.

I played for a few years, but kind of gave it up when I was around 9 or 10, I guess. Then, when I was in secondary school I decided I wanted to play again, but wanted an electric, so I (well, my mum and dad) bought a left-handed Encore Strat copy and started to learn Oasis, Radiohead, Nirvana, etc. songs.

In the meantime, I'd started learning drums at primary school (I was probably 8 when I started). I used to go once a week to see Mrs. Whitling, where I'd explain that no, I hadn't done my practice, and we'd bash around learning rudiments and simple beats on a snare drum. At big school, I was finally ready to do Grade I (after probably 3 years, lol), but I gave it up because I liked Maths more right then. What a mistake-a to make-a!

I persevered more with guitar, but I never learned it properly. I don't know any music theory (well, maybe a few bits and bobs) and am pretty rubbish, but I have fun recording and playing by ear. I own a drum kit now and can play a few different beats, but I don't have the time to get good.

I'd say that guitar and drums are my equal favourites, but guitar has had more of my time and I'm way better on that than anything else (I play a little bit of bass, percussion and keys as well, purely for recording purposes and I'm well shit on them).
 
Easy.....The faders on an old analog desk doing FOH work. Why? Because I "play" them better than anything else. :listeningmusic:
 
I started with the drum kit - however, I did not pick it, it picked me. My dad was a big band, swing drummer so there was always a kit in the house and I just started banging on it. I suspect drums will always be my first love - and certainly the instrument I play most effectively (I've played thousands of gigs as a drummer).

I also enjoy playing percussion - since I can combine rhythem and melodic "colors".

Currently I spend most of my time on guitar - between electric flat pickin', accoustic finger pickin' slide, etc. there are more technique to learn than time in the day

I think keyboard is the ultimate instrument, since everything is laid out in front of you and you can play chrods, melody and a bass line all at the same time. Before getting obsessed with guitar, I spent a lot of time playing keys.

Other instrument I play, but don't have a love affair with include, lap steel, banjo, mandolin, violin and harmonica - I try to find time to develop better technique - but time seems so short.

That brings me to pedal steel - which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love what a well play pedal steel can do, and when I do learn some riffs it is very satisfying - but I hate how complex of an instrument it is and I'll neve understand why I thought I could learn how to play this God-awful thing!
 
My folks liked music and we had a gramophone, (didn't get a "stereo" until about 1973), but there was no suggestion, thought, inclination from them to have me learn anything. In part of being that was a matter of money - as in there wasn't any - and in part because they were in no way "aspirational". They were from a generation that were placed in their niche & stayed there.
I had a couple of friends at school who had "electric" guitars and wanted to form a band. They'd had to put up with me tapping along to music for years so decided I should be their bass player.
I washed a few cars and we went to a music store, picked a bass that matched one of the guitars, ( they said we had to have a "look"), which was a white SG copy by Coronet. I put the bass on layby, did odd jobs until it was paid off and had it in my hands to play with by mid 1975. NO ONE had discussed the matter of an amp though. I played through the matching guitarists 10w Coronet amp with him until the band fell apart about 2 months later. Then, without them knowing, I plugged into my parents new "stereo". After that came the end of high school, time without money/un/underemployment, purchase of my 1st Bruno Royal Artist guitar but I didn't get an amp until 1983. Essentially I played through borrowed guitar amps, the stereo or nothing at all for a decade.
Why bass? Because I was told to. Why bass still? Because I really enjoy it - def. still in love with bass playing.
I only moved to guitar so I could write songs. It's quite difficult to do that on bass: not impossible, but difficult.
 
I played guitar in bands for several years, but now my favorite instrument is the drums.
 
Guitar is my favorite instrument and i love to play it again and again
 
Acoustic guitar. I state this as electric and acoustic are not the same. I've been messing with acoustic now for about 30 years. Still can't play it well, but I still play it.
 
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