Did You Have Unwanted Music Lessons?

D

Damaged Goods

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They chose clarinet probably because of mom's admiration for Benny Goodman. Even at age 8, I was sufficiently hip to know that the up-and-coming instruments were gitbox and honking sax, but mom said that you can barely hear a guitar in an orchestra. She was apparently unaware that electric guitars had been around for some time, but, at any rate, I never intended to join an orchestra. As for sax, they believed -- or pretended to believe -- the popular misconception that you needed to first learn clarinet before learning sax.

So it was clarinet for which I had neither the talent nor the willingness to learn. After four years of wasting their hard-earned money and my time, they surrendered. But there was more to come.

In the summer prior to freshman yr. of high school (9th grade) she had me audition for a music scholarship. Money was tight. She pulled out the old and dusty clarinet case, handing it to me. While waiting for the audition with my little clarinet case, I heard the music director torment the other kids in what appeared to be a foreign language: "What is Baroque music?" "Play E minor pentatonic, ascending and descending, covering more than one octave." "Play this passage arpeggio allegro."

To avoid such harassment and embarrassment, I slipped out the side door, homeward bound. "Hey mom, I took the audition but don't think I did so well."

She still wasn't done, prevailing upon me to try out for the marching band because with " ... your music background, you'll be one up on the other boys." One up for what? I mean, what are the perks of being in a marching band? But the obedient boy obeyed.

The band director was brutally honest. "You're not much better than the other boys who have never touched a clarinet ... but you have good facial bone structure so we'll give you a tuba." Mom blew a gasket.

There have been guys who were cut from the football team and joined the band. I'm probably the only one in that school's history to quit the band and join the football team.
 

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Nope. I had 6 years of piano lessons, and loved it. I finally quit in my teens when I discovered that I could buy the music myself and teach it to myself, which I did for years.
 
I had to play violin in the school orchestra in 5th grade (the one grade I went to public school instead of Catholic), and then trumpet in public high school marching band. In neither case did I get any lessons. For violin I had a ratty old book that showed fingerings and that sort of thing. I watched the other kids to see how to do it. I doubt I was ever any good. Whether I had lesson or not, I would not have done well because I had absolutely no desire to play the instrument, and still don't. Trumpet was alright since a lot of pop tunes on the radio used it, but again no lessons. The band instructor handed me another ratty book that showed fingerings and that sort of thing. I went into a broom closet and practiced until the instructor said I could march with the band. Again, I doubt I was any good but at least I participated.

What I wanted was to play the guitar. When I was in the Army stateside, before going to Vietnam, there was a guy from Hawaii in our barracks who played. He played "Yesterday" all by himself instrumentally. I can still hear and see him to this day. I bugged him for lessons, but he had no interest in that. I have never wanted to sing and wish a lot of those who do sing, felt similarly. :) So my interest was playing instrumentally. I never realized what a tall order that is on the guitar. Easy enough to do, but to make it interesting, that is another story. That takes years of learning all about fretboard harmony, arranging, etc. Fortunately, that journey has been fulfilling and it never ends, so even in retirement it is still a main focus for me.

Tony
 
Both my parents where very musical. My mom took lessons on the piano and my dad played by ear and could pick up most any instrument and play. There was always some type of instrument in our home.
I had absolutely no interest in any of it and thank goodness they didn't insist.
I was more inclined to art and they encouraged my interest.
 
About 2 years of piano lessons when I was in the 4th or 5th grade. I'm not musically talented, I didn't want to do it, I didn't like it but Mom always wished she could have had piano lessons when she was a girl. So I got to fulfill her vicarious fantasy.
The teacher eventually did something Mom never did and asked how things were for me. So I told her and she wisely and kindly terminated the lessons. Thus ended my brief, unenviable musical career.
Mom sulked in her room for a couple of months.
 
Damaged Goods said:
It's hard to imagine playing an unfretted instrument.
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Though I hated having to play the violin, I have to admit that it really me to hear music because you have to listen to know you are playing in or out of tune. Later, when I began playing guitar, this really helped me when learning material off recordings by ear. To me, being able to hear as well as read music, is an equally, if not more, important skill especially since music, unlike painting and other visual art forms, is a hearing art.

Tony
 
I had just one guitar lesson back when I started playing. Just the one but I got a great tip that I still use to this day. I'm left handed, so I played the guitar left handed. My teacher advised me to learn to play the guitar right handed. Left handed guitars were pretty rare back then, especially where I grew up.

So I did, and I think that one tip really helped me with my playing all these years. My left hand (The hand I write with.) is on the fret board dancing on the strings while my right hand is happily plunking away ..
 
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HazyDavey said:
I had just one guitar lesson back when I started playing. Just the one but I got a great tip that I still use to this day. I'm left handed, so I played the guitar left handed. My teacher advised me to learn to play the guitar right handed. Left handed guitars were pretty rare back then, especially where I grew up.

So I did, and I think that one tip really helped me with my playing all these years. My left hand (The hand I write with.) is on the fret board dancing on the strings while my right hand is happily plunking away ..
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Didn't Hendrix play it upside down?
 
I am also left handed. However, since I taught myself to play guitar, I simply did what I saw everybody else do when they played - play right handed. It seems to me that when first learning, everything feels new and unfamiliar, so does it really matter whether we are right or left handed? If that is the case, why not just learn to play right handed? What is "right handed" regarding guitar anyway? We use both hands to play. Typically, right or left handed involves using one hand such as writing or using a spoon. What if we never used the terms "right handed" or "left handed" with regard to guitar and simply said this is how we play the guitar? Would there still be an issue with which hand does what?

When we play piano, it doesn't matter whether we are right or left handed. The left hand plays the bass part and the right hand, the melody part (using very general terms to illustrate). Everybody who plays piano does that. There is no such thing as a right or left handed piano, there is simply "piano". So why should it matter with guitar, which hand frets notes and which hand plucks strings?

That said, I do know a very few left handed folks who insist that they simply could not manage the guitar right handed. So I suppose the answers to the questions I just posed don't apply to those who could only play the guitar one way. I suppose such folks would not be able to play piano since there is no choice with that instrument. As HazyDavey mentioned, the real advantage to playing right handed is that there is a much wider and more readily available supply of right handed guitars.

Tony
 
tbeltrans said:
Though I hated having to play the violin, I have to admit that it really me to hear music because you have to listen to know you are playing in or out of tune. Later, when I began playing guitar, this really helped me when learning material off recordings by ear. To me, being able to hear as well as read music, is an equally, if not more, important skill especially since music, unlike painting and other visual art forms, is a hearing art.

Tony
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Really makes me admire Mairead who not only played the violin but did so while doing everything but double back flips.

Celtic Woman - Máiréad - Granuaile's Dance [HD] - YouTube
 
Damaged Goods said:
Didn't Hendrix play it upside down?
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Yes he did with the strings reversed. I had that guitar lesson long before I knew or heard of Jimi Hendrix. I had my brother's right handed guitar which I did like to flip over and try to play. That's what prompted my teacher to suggest playing right handed, and I'm glad he did. That helped open the door for me to many good times. Playing, talking music, meeting other folks and trying out their gear as they tried out mine.
 
HazyDavey said:
Yes he did with the strings reversed. I had that guitar lesson long before I knew or heard of Jimi Hendrix. I had my brother's right handed guitar which I did like to flip over and try to play. That's what prompted my teacher to suggest playing right handed, and I'm glad he did. That helped open the door for me to many good times. Playing, talking music, meeting other folks and trying out their gear as they tried out mine.
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In retirement, guitar is a great hobby too. It can be as (in)expensive is you want and you never run out of new ideas, concepts, and things to learn. You can pursue your own path playing solo instrumental acoustic guitar, strap on an electric and spandex and bounce around with a band, or anything in between. These days, there are plenty of fine choices for instruments under $1k. If you play acoustic, you can pursue your hobby in an apartment or condo without disturbing neighbors. If you decide to have an RV travelling lifestyle in retirement, a guitar is small and easily portable. I played full time professionally in the late 1970s, which was pretty much the tail end of when you could make a solid "blue collar" living playing supper clubs, resorts, and the Holiday Inn circuit. I also met a lot of people through guitar playing. It can be a great social pursuit.

Tony
 
When I was about 14, we could get music lessons at a very reduced fee, via the High School band. It was kind of like a grow your own marching band. I wanted to play the flute. But since this was to provide for future marching band musicians, they didn't have flute players. I was talked into getting a trombone. So I came home with this big brass thing. Have you ever been around somebody, who's practicing on the trombone? My parents and neighbors were so damned happy when I gave up the thing.
 

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