Other than the slide whistle and kazoo I never learned a musical instrument. I hated music class at school. I don’t sing at church if anyone can hear. Yep…it’s that bad. But I wonder: would learning to play not change the way you listen to and appreciate it? If you can play…should you not be able to compose too?
I dunno if I should regret never learning to play or not…
I could play a mean stereo in my day.
ReplyDeleteHa!
DeleteHa!Ha!
Ha!Ha!Ha!
I love it. I'm stealing this one.
The young mommas in our family exposed their little ones to classical music in the womb. I have no doubts the mothers were on to something. Grandkid's grades are NOT genetically related to me, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI never went far in learning a musical instrument. I can strum a few chords on a guitar, but that the extent of it. I DID, however, singin the church choir for quite a few years and YES, whether singing or playing an instrument, being involved with the making of music TRULY DOES affect the way you listen to and appreciate it! Little do many people know just how much work and time it takes to "get it right." Even if you're a "natural," getting it right is HARD WORK! A singer or musician can appreciate this. He can also say things like "If it was me, I would've done it this way" or "DAMN! That girl can take her voice wherever it wants to go!!!" Performing in front of an audience, whether it be in a colosseum or small town church, certainly DOES enhance your appreciation of music!
ReplyDeleteI ran around with the National Junior College gymnastics champion.
ReplyDeleteHe had a scholarship to Odessa jr. college. Dude was a total loss at everything except gymnastics. Until one day he walked to the piano in the student union building. Everyone who knew him laughed when he sat down. Until he hit the keys. Sunnohvabitch! The place fell silent.
Wasn’t John Denver thought to be a dork or something until he sang & played guitar and EVERYONE loved him? I can play the didge & the wireless really well, but everyone still reckons I’m a dork. Le sigh.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though Glen, if you’re still breathing, you can still learn to play.
I for one, learned Trombone in grade school and took up the Guitar when I was a teen. THAT... is an addiction. I suffer from two forms of GAS. The usual and customary and Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. The former everyone is familiar with. The latter is a very costly affliction that comes with serious consequences.
ReplyDeleteI will say this, Good Sir, it is never too late to learn. I know that had I the "STUFF" available to the budding guitarists of today (the CNC precision, inexpensive QUALITY guitars of today vs. the CRAP we had in the 70s and the INTERNET) I would be a far better player than I am now... however these resources now have improved my abilities vastly.
I say go for it. Get a cheap but decent nylon stringed guitar (easy on the fingers) and learn ONE SONG. It won't cost a fortune money wise... might take a bit of time but you might be very surprised where it will take you.
I think that primarily it's a discipline that requires focus and practice to learn. In that respect it "trains" the mind in ways that will help with other disciplines. You could probably substitute any other discipline that requires memorization, focus and practice into that meme and get the same results.
ReplyDeleteI was forced to take band for a few years by my parents. Learning to read music was simple enough, as well as punching the right keys on the baritone to match the music. Blowing and hitting the right notes took too much practice. There were simply too many other fun things to do during the day for me to spend an hour or more blowing into a brass instrument.
If you had told me during that same period that learning a guitar and playing in a band would help me score chicks, I definitely would have practiced more. But those days are passed.
I had five years of choir practice (mandatory), and can whistle from sheet music. Instruments, not so much.
Delete"Music Majors" are considered to have a leg-up in computer programming and project management.
ReplyDeleteSomething about how melodies foreshadow early in symphonies and then build up with every part showing up EXACTLY on time for the climax.
I would expect people who garden would do well for the same reasons. It is a spacial-timing thing.
It does change how you listen and appreciate music. It’s hard to explain, but you start hearing the hidden things…subtle harmonies, counterpoint, key changes that really aren’t key changes… Composition is hard, way harder than playing, at least it was for me. I found transposition and arrangment easier. Guy named Rick Beato on Oytoob explains things pretty well on his “What Makes This Song Great…” series. Worth a look.
ReplyDeleteMy parents had an extensive record collection, and I learned to enjoy the big band sound and a certain amount of classical. I never did like opera - a bunch of fat ladies screeching away in Italian.
ReplyDeleteUp until I was kicked to the curb, I played in the high school band. I played (ha ha) the trumpet. If you can learn the chromatic scale, and practically anyone can, you can play a song on the trumpet. Jericho or Saints are good to begin with. Another thing you should know is that if you can play the trumpet, you can play any three valve brass instrument as they all use the same fingering. All but the French Horn, which is a little different. The flugelhorn is easier to play than the trumpet, so if you want brass you might want to start there.
Electric guitars are easier to play than acoustic guitars. You don't need an amp at first, although you might want one later. The thing with the guitar is this: It's a folk instrument. You find other guitar players and they'll gladly teach you how to tune the thing and play a few chords. You can find all this on the Internet. So, spend less than $200 USD on a used electric guitar. Buy it at a pawn shop or music store, just keep the price of the guitar under two bills. If you're at a music store, whoever is working that day will find you a good beginner's guitar and cheerfully buy it back from you should you give up. Give yourself six months with daily practice and see how it goes.
Now me, what I actually had was a voice. I can sing, and people have told me so - unsolicited. As for playing? Not so much. Out of all the guys I knew during the '60s who played, only one made a career out of it. He's in Cincinnati, and is one of five that the union calls on to be a house musician. When some big name shows up, such as Barbara Streisand, he would provide the music. Streisand, I'm told, is a very difficult personality to work with.
As for composing, it's like writing, or golfing, or pitching in baseball. You know what pitchers talk about when they meet up with another pitcher? The weather, women, family, whatever - because you can either pitch or you can't. Composing music is the same thing - you either can or you can't, and you won't know until someone says that what you're doing is really good.
I'm off to pour myself a martini. Later!