Anyone of you master an INstrument??(vocals included)

[socratez]

Im thinking about getting some pianolessons, i already got some skills because i played in a band, but i would love to throw in some great solo's in my own tracks.

Do you master an instrument? ANd how does that effect your music?

[casey]

i am in the piano class right now at san francisco city college. for $33 a semester i have a great teacher and a dedicated 3 hours on saturday morning to learn and have fun. so far it has been the most rewarding investment of time i have made in years! smile.gif go for it

[DOTSmusic]

i wouldn't say i am a master at it but i do play bass ok.
i also play a litl guitar and sing a little also.

[socratez]

Originally posted by casey:
i am in the piano class right now at san francisco city college. for $33 a semester i have a great teacher and a dedicated 3 hours on saturday morning to learn and have fun. so far it has been the most rewarding investment of time i have made in years! smile.gif go for it At the school im going to,, i have to choose between jazz and classical. I love jazz, i dont feel much for classical, did you have to choose between the 2 also~?

[Nege]

As long as you do theory work in your jazz class it shouldn't really make a difference even though the fundementals of the two styles are different.
when I was in school I had no choice but to take classical in the beggining.
but when I started playing in some of the bands(stage band etc.),we started getting into Jazz .
if you are doing this because you want to manipulate notes better in your tracks and do solos, maybe Jazz is a better thing for you.
BTW I play keys.

[JorgeG]

Originally posted by socratez:
Im thinking about getting some pianolessons, i already got some skills because i played in a band, but i would love to throw in some great solo's in my own tracks.

Do you master an instrument? ANd how does that effect your music? Socratez, till this day I regret not taking piano lessons because of many obvious reason but especially because knowing how to play the piano is like DJ'ing you have the band (sort of speak) in the palm of your hands or fingers.

I learned upright bass (fiddle) at HS of Music and Art in Manhattan and was a little, if not a lot, bored playing to records and just by myself with my bass guitar. That's when DJ'ing came in to play the thought of being able to play a difference band and song was more exciting than playing the bass.

But knowing how to play the piano with both hands, does not have to be on a gifted playing level, just enough to create your chords with your left hand and melodies with your right hand. Knowing how to play the piano can only take your performs/song writing/musical ideas etc. to that next exciting level.

Don't get me wrong learning how to play the bass, in my opinion, gave my ears that great club music ear. I think we all love those nasty or simple exciting bass lines which are complimented and taken to the ultimate level by the piano in whatever form (electrical, synth etc.).

Like Casey said go for it graemlins/bolt.gif and like Nege suggests if you have a choice of style to learn it would depend on if you want musical theory/form or you want to learn improvisational skills; you would benenfit from either one of these styles. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[socratez]

Ill get my first lesson next week smile.gif

Ive chosen to do Jazz,, music theory will be included in the lessons so i guess ill learn alot there.

[Mocambo]

Played trombone for a decade. Even doing jazz improv. Then I sat it down. Now, I picking back up. Funny thing is I can still read and know slide positions. But, my chops and breathing is shot. Still learning guitar and being taught by my father for percussion.

[ February 26, 2004, 05:09 PM: Message edited by: Silhouette ]

[casey]

i get to choose the pieces i learn and play in class from a book that has both blues classical and modern excercises. so far i have been working on blues pieces, and i bought another basic blues book on my own, but you have to remember that mingus, duke, miles, all those cats were well versed in classical as well. it is all music and shows you a glimpse of the divine in different form. smile.gif

[Digiman]

I studied classical guitar for about 7 years and even though I don't use the guitar on tracks, the theory knowledge I have makes making tracks easier.

[martino]

Not a master, but i play piano for money so i guess that makes me a "professional" graemlins/conf44.gif haha. It helps yes.
If you are wondering so you can help with composition/producing and youre deciding on which to take between classical and jazz? Then i'd say to study jazz for theory reasons, but classical for technique reasons (not dismissing classical harmony by the way). If you have to choose one or the other, then take the one you are more distant from. Like if you grew up with lots of rnb and jazz in the house then take classical, and if the situation is the opposite do the vice a versa. Because i think its about getting your brain, ears and hands all on the same page.
just my opinion