Where Are Our Musicians? If You Play(ed) An Instrument...Tell Us About It

I started playing the viola in third grade, took some lessons, and then played in several orchestras into my late thirties. I also taught myself to play the piano when I was 16 and took a few lessons to further my skills. Then I switched to violin due to a neck injury and have been playing it for the past 13 years in chamber groups and orchestras.

Currently, I have a piano, a Yamaha keyboard, a small harp, a guitar, a viola, and a violin. I also have played music on Youtube and have written my own music (using Noteflight) and set the music to poems that I wrote. The one song I've uploaded to YouTube has garnered 2,700 hits since last year. I look at it as a hobby. I used to teach violin/viola in my thirties, but no longer teach.
 
My father majored in Music in college and played the trombone. I think some of it rubbed off on me. I took piano lessons and attended recitals in elementary school and could play the piano "by ear". I didn't continue it as I got older, but I became an amateur DJ, making dance mixes for my friends. It does take a special ear to mix dance beats because you need to know when beats match and when to cut in/out of songs. That was it for me. Now I just enjoy listening to music.
 

@Tom52..your guitars and basses are nice. I especially like the one in the dark colored case. You inspire me and at the same time make me admonish myself yet again. I should be practicing at least an hour a day too, but don't play my instrument nearly enough. :cautious: Pat yourself on the back for sticking with it, thus finding relaxation and peace.

@jujube I bet you weren't as bad at piano as you thought you were. ☺️ I would love to see a picture of you from your "beatnik..hippie" days. Seems like to me you knew how to work your show. 😆

@Lynn Wow a multi instrumentalist, some of it self taught! What a talent. Do you have any recordings of yourself? I'm sorry you are no longer able to play. 😒
 
oldman said:
Our church has two services. At 8:15 is the Traditional service and our keyboard player plays the piano while the congregation is coming in and being seated. Once the service begins, all hymns are played with the organ.

At 9:30 until 10:30 is Sunday School classes.

At 10:45 is the Contemporary service where they play guitars and a drum that is hardly heard. I prefer the Traditional service.
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At least you are given a choice. My church only offers 1 service, and in it, they do a mixture of traditional hymns and contemporary . . . or so they say, but it's mostly contemporary (formerly referred to as "choruses") which I see as aimless, rambling, and repetitive.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
At least you are given a choice. My church only offers 1 service, and in it, they do a mixture of traditional hymns and contemporary . . . or so they say, but it's mostly contemporary (formerly referred to as "choruses") which I see as aimless, rambling, and repetitive.
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We also sing hymns using two different books. However, we hardly ever use the other book with contemporary hymns. You are right about those hymns. It defends on the subject of the Pastor’s sermon. We sing a hymn that acts as a segue to his sermon.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
At least you are given a choice. My church only offers 1 service, and in it, they do a mixture of traditional hymns and contemporary . . . or so they say, but it's mostly contemporary (formerly referred to as "choruses") which I see as aimless, rambling, and repetitive.
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I should have added that our church is having 2 separate and different Candlelight Services on Wednesday night.

At 7 is the Contemporary Service and at 9 is the Traditional Service. There will be Communion at both services.
 
I started piano lessons when I was six and continued for many years. I got pretty good at it.

My other instrument is the recorder, which I started playing in college. I continued with that for years, joining recorder ensembles and playing in renaissance festivals, early music concerts, etc. I gave it up a few years ago because the recorder society had their monthly rehearsals at night in a church a pretty long drive from my home. And it involved a lot of rehearsals, climbing up and down steps carrying recorders of various sizes, music stands, etc. In other words, I just got too old. But music is still a big part of my life. Every day I play one or more of my enormous collection
of CD's, old-fashioned as they are, or I get Alexa to play whatever I want to hear.

Two of my three children grew up to be professional musicans, probably inspired by me. (The third is an excellent artist, definitely not inspired by me.)
 
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