Fellow Musicians!!

Wow, lot of new faces here. I thought about starting this topic for a while, and the influx of people joining clinched it.

I would like to say greetings to my fellow musicians! I’m seeing a lot of musician references from quite a few of you, so I wanted to start a topic for us. I’m not putting any limitations on style of music you prefer, what instrument you play or skill level, as I feel we’re a very inclusive bunch.

Who wants to start?

6 Likes

I play bass mainly, and never ever ever miss going to Ohio Valley Filk Fest—the only reason I wasn’t there in person last year was because it was held online (so no one was there in person) thanks to the plague, and I haven’t missed going since at least 1991. I’m not a professional but I have fun. Other instruments are keys, rhythm guitar and theremin.

4 Likes

I’m a fair to middling bass guitar player, and I was pretty good at tin whistle until I moved in with someone who couldn’t stand the sound of it. :woman_shrugging: And I can sing okay as long as I stay in my range (contralto). Also decently competent at writing parodies on the fly.

My greatest musical gift / curse is perfect pitch. I have lived to regret it. :joy:

5 Likes

Another bass player here! Played bar gigs for a while up until a few years ago. I also play guitar–actually played guitar for many years before picking up bass.

I also build guitar pedals as a hobby, and I’ve dabbled in amp making.

3 Likes

I’ve played and wrote music since I was a wee lad. I’ve played solo and with several bands, even had a couple tracks make it on local radio in Nashville - though I never broke nationally, the thrill of that was beyond words (the first to play it, Natalie the Token Rock chick - she was amazing, she’s not at that station anymore, but I believe is still involved with musical endeavors.)

I don’t play gigs or do studio work in my old age, and have sold off most of the equipment (the amps, mixers, Mackie power speakers and board, and drum kit, etc). Though I’ve held onto the Telecaster, the Ovation, the cheap Squire bass and my late uncles Suzuki Three-S (which is a pain to play, there no action on the neck) , just can’t part with them, even if they are collecting dust.

I’m a child of the 60s so my musical influences are the Beatles, Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel (suddenly I have the Yipe Strips riffs in my head "The Dead Kennedy’s! Circle Jerks! The Cramps, The Buzcocks! B-hole Surfers, yaaay!)

lol, the forum censors the b-hole surfers

2 Likes

I play the piano, mostly stuff by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart etc.

I used to play the violin, but then I gave up.

2 Likes

Pianos (acoustic, Rhodes) and Hammond organ, mostly. I’d just call what I play “American” music: jazz, rock, blues, soul, funk, country. I still spend a lot of time on classical repertoire and technique on piano, but not as much as I should.

Finally getting back into guitar with a cheap-but-adequate Ibanez copy of a Gibson ES-175. It’s going to be a long time before I’ll be playing in a legitimate style, à la Grant Green or Wes. I don’t even think I can force my fingers to make the barre chords for “Communication Breakdown” after so many years away from the guitar.

After the whole CV-19 thing, I’m really not even sure it’s worth the effort to put some jobs together: I end up carrying hundreds of pounds of gear for maybe a handful of free beers and “exposure!” Nah, I already caught that act: I must be paid!

2 Likes

First instrument: oboe. Taught myself piano, saxophone, percussion, and guitar from there. Currently leaning hard on that guitar stuff.
I’m forever in the process of joining , starting, or sitting in on a project.
Lots of Queen, Sparks, Robyn Hitchcock and the Stooges in my musical stew, which is odd when you come back to that first instrument.

3 Likes

Plucked strings, ‘specially guitar. Baroque, Renaissance, Romantic, some Classical, modern avant-garde-y stuff, also folk, rock, blues, writin’ songs about some of my favorite late night classics (Cat Women of the Moon, Plan 9, Dracula and the Mummy), dream project: An opera of Ed Wood’s life using only his own words (from movies and books) as a libretto.

2 Likes

Howdy! I started as a young’un with piano and clarinet. But in adulthood I picked up the guitar and a couple years ago played regularly with a bluegrass group (very informal) and then on stage with a band at the NorCal Renaissance Faire. Such good fun, especially with a group. I’ve kind of let it slack off, though, after I moved to Hawaii.

2 Likes

Percussionist/hand drummer here. Did the classical training thing, played professionally on and off for 30 years (though not full time since the '90s). Currently gigless and OK with it.

2 Likes

I posted this in another topic, but I wanted to share with you all as well.

2 Likes

If there’s ever another ConventioCon, we have got to have a filk room and a jam session. :smiley:

3 Likes

This reminds me: any of my fellow musicians do any analog synth care and maintenance? I’m cleaning up an Arp Axxe and I don’t want to destroy it in the process of de-grossing it.

They Bb keys stick. Just the Bb keys. :thinking:

2 Likes

I’ve cleaned my share of keyboards (digital and the Rhodes and Wurli), but I don’t know how the Arp is constructed in detail.

All of the Bbs? That’s really strange. If it’s a used instrument, maybe the previous owner really really liked playing Herbie’s “Chameleon”! :sunglasses:

All I can offer is that if you remove the housing, ground yourself, don’t touch any capacitors (don’t touch any of the circuitry whatsoever, really), I’m about 99% sure you can just get at any surface of the keys you desire.

You can probably swab down the keys just by depressing the surrounding ones and getting in there with a Q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol, I’d guess. Shouldn’t harm anything internally.

Nice axe, BTW: you any good at dialing in some of those classic Odyssey sounds? Not really my ball of wax, but I did force myself to spend some time learning the basics, extending into prog, just for the sake of being better rounded as a musician.

3 Likes

Just rescued it from my husband’s deep storage, so I’m still learning my way around it! I think the keys just have decades of muck built up- with no case or cover, my guess is that it got grabbed by in two spots where the Bb keys live.
Thanks for the info on cleaning it up! I think it really just needs to get the rubbing alcohol treatment. I should post some photos on here!

2 Likes

While it has been a few years, I played Sax every day from 4th grade till maybe my 2nd year of college. Few times on and off since then, but it has been years. Played all the saxophones, but Tenor was my main bae. Bari close second.

I noodle with guitar, but not very good. Again, time slipped away and I just don’t find myself being able to practice enough.

And as a kid I played Piano.

3 Likes

I see cake! Happy birthday!

I don’t know why I didn’t mention this before (you jogged my age-affected memory, I guess). In addition to bass and guitar (which I mentioned previously), I played trumpet from 5th grade up until college. I would have played it in college too, but I wouldn’t have received credit toward my degree for it. :slightly_frowning_face: Luckily, I did pick it back up and played it on a couple of songs in my cover band.

3 Likes

I’ve been playing percussion since 2nd grade (though the “percussion” part has mainly become playing a drum kit over the years - please don’t ask me to sightread anything on a marimba or vibraphone anymore, because 30 years of not doing it regularly means you would no longer be impressed by that particular skill set).

The majority of my playing is for my wife, Nikki Lerner, who is an exceptional soul/jazz singer if I do say so myself, and she’s released a few albums over the years, including one just last year. If you’re curious, you can find us on YouTube or at nikkilerner.com… if you’re curious.

2 Likes

@Mnda A quick web search pulled up this site, the author Alison seems pretty hardcore about restoration. Looks like the page has been active (at least the comment and response section) within the last year. Hope this helps!

http://www.belltonesynthworks.com/2017/09/22/arp-axxe-2/

2 Likes