Nexus musicians?

[nexalizer]

Been a musician most of my life. Parents play.

I'm primarily a guitar player, but I started with keyboard and drums.

I currently have 2 strats. 1 I keep in open E. The other is an 84 fender elite (only made them one year). I have an ibanez scoffield semi hollow body (my primary instrument these day's) and Taylor acoustic (Love that guitar...saved a long time for it! ), and a cheap fender bass I use to lay down tracks with. Oh and an even older acoustic that just hangs on the wall now.

Nice !!

My semiacoustic is a Epiphone Dot Studio, which I tend to use more when home (for power chordage and melody)

The main acoustic guitar is the one in my avatar (Dean Koa Exotica) :lol: and like you there's an older acoustic (beginner fender, black) that I keep around because it was my first guitar.. it still sounds good, changed strings and had it cleaned up not so long ago.

I looked yours up, they look sweet as well8)

I actually started playing music as a result of spice use, I was having trouble integrating and someone on here said I should take up the didgeridoo. AND I TOOK UP THE DIDGERIDOO!

Now I mostly play bass, with some didj and banjolin on the side. I've always wanted a bouzouki and/or a mandocello, though!

LOL

I play the drums, mandolin and am currently learning to play the bass.

Ah I forgot, I also own a mandolin. My technique is crap and only know 4 chords though. The ukulele (the most fun you can have with 4 strings!:lol grabbed my attention more than the mando.. I quite like it though, hoping to improve in the future

I took guitar classes when I was fifteen and then I stopped, I played around with vinyls and with production softwares for four years and then I gave up, and recently I bought a djembe but I never ended up using it. Im just a failed musician
It's a pity cause I really love music, but it seems that I can only be a listener...

If you want to, you can. It's a skill that takes quite some time to develop, but so worth it!

@Dante: if you love music, then playing an instrument isn't an impossibility, it's only a matter of practice I've been there myself; failure and success are the same thing, because both represent opportunities to learn. It's up to you to learn those lessons. In what ever we are pursuing, the only thing holding us back from achieving something is the actual doing of it. We had it all the time, it just didn't occur to us to actually get to it.

^^ This man speaks the truth.

Question for you folk: How many of you have studied music theory? Or do you just play what you feel?

In the beginning I paid way more attention to music theory, because I needed a framework to fit things into (and then break it accordingly).

These days I play mostly by feel, but that's a combination of experience, and theory is a factor there.

Knowing your intervals is also very important, because then you can materialize the sound you hear in your head. This of course goes with scales knowledge - I don't know that many scales (lazy bum) but can usually play a melody I hear, because I do know my intervals.


In the future I plan to ramp up the study of theory once again, then incorporate whatever I find.

The next big project is learning how to read music, because at some point I'd like to learn the piano and who knows, also the violin and I figure it will be an almost essencial skill. Plus I can't see how it would hurt playing any instrument.

Sometimes it's not so fun (practicing, learning music theory when I'd rather be jamming), but like so many other things in life, the real fun begins when you know the underlying concepts and become free to play around with them.


The way I look at is is that, barring my untimely demise, I have decades and decades to work on this stuff. I don't want to make a living out of it (altough, who knows? I'm having fun) but I enjoy playing. All the hours of pratice/jamming do add up, I think that if you keep at it eventually it's pretty impossible not to be any good.

I play guitar, drums, harmonica, keyboards and sing. I also am trying the psytrance / trance/ techno creations on the computer. I am self taught. I learned some chords from a friend and then taught myself the blues (box scale) from listening to music. But have learned many more scales since the start. I play blues, reggae, punk, rock, folk and psychedelic music and trying to learn the trance thing just need to work out the computer beats thing. I also do visuals at nightclubs (animation on the walls while people trip on psy drugs).

Impressive

 

[tele]

Rocking with a Telecaster. DMT nexus jam would be killer:wink:

 

[BananaForeskin]

Yeh, Dante, it really is just a matter of practice! I always thought I was a failed musician too, and then I started playing every day for fun... it's amazing what that will do in a short amount of time!

Music theory... Yeh, I agree it's not that complicated and it can really up your game. When I started playing bass I made the conscious decision to learn some music theory (although I never learned to sight-read music) so I could jam well, instead of learning to play specific songs. A little bit goes a long way, once you really understand scales you can pretty much play anything. I know bassists who've been playing for a few years, know some amazing songs and can play WAAAY FASTER and with a wider variety of techniques than I, but if someone shouts "E MAJOR BLUES!" I can well scrounge up some groovy riffs, but someone without that modicum of practiced knowledge might be lost. It makes jamming a whole lot easier, and that's what I'm in it for, the groovy jams.

 

[nexalizer]

Rocking with a Telecaster. DMT nexus jam would be killer:wink:

Word:d

 

[Inner Paths]

I'm lucky to make a modest living and pay the rent and bills as a gigging musician and guitar teacher. I have been playing guitar for the last 21 years, picked it up at the age of 9, Dad always had a couple of guitars lying around the house from a young age and the only thing Mum could do to quiet me when I was a baby was plop me down in front of the TV with an ELO (a prog rock band from back in the day) videotape playing so I guess you could say music has been a big part of my life from the very beginning.

I also play bass guitar and am okay behind the drums also. I spend most my free time (besides researching about psychedelics and esoterica, etc) working on, writing and recording music in my home studio. Anything from folky instrumental progressive rock crossed with psybient tinges (I'm just putting the finishing touches on an album), through to a stoner rock duo I just started up with one of my closest friends which I am also branching out into vocals for (I'm loving every minute of it and the added dimension of writing lyrics is a great outlet and challenge).

Music, along with psychedelics, is the closest bridge to God (or universal love or whatever you want to label it) for me and constantly provides me with unbounded joy, solace and a place to hide and find myself within

Peace and happy traveling...

 

[Dante]

Thanks guys for the kind support
I was DJing for few years, so I know that I have a decent rhythm and that I can be quite inventive. What I think I really need are the basics of musical theory, because I dont have the skills to start to ply an instrument by myself.

 

[Sky Motion]

I am a DJ and hopefully will soon produce my own electro/progressive house music with trance elements.

I also am proficient at 4-mallet technique of marimba and vibraphones.

 

[Imagine]

i produce music and i'm a pianist ,

 

[chrissobo13]

Thanks guys for the kind support
I was DJing for few years, so I know that I have a decent rhythm and that I can be quite inventive. What I think I really need are the basics of musical theory, because I dont have the skills to start to ply an instrument by myself.

Do it man! There are tons of sites around that can easily guide you through the first couple levels of theory. Learn what you find useful and leave what you don't. We live in a time where you can sort of create your own functional music theory. All things are acceptable. Plus after a certain point theory is just specific to periods if classical music, like I never find myself wanting to use German +6 chords.

I also am proficient at 4-mallet technique of marimba and vibraphones.

Cool! How did you get into those instruments? I primarily play marimba, but unfortunately I can't play it in my apartment so I have to go over to my parents any time I want to, thus my skills are sort of dwindling.

 

[DogMaTea]

.
Sometimes I play the EADGBE but mostly the GCEA

I have fun with a guitar synth, effects, etc. but I really like the simple joy of the uke.

and I'm sure the ukers have seen this, but just in case:

[YOUTUBE]

 

[zoopzop]

That ukulele video is INCREDIBLE! absolutely blown away! Also I am really impressed by the amount of musicians on here. Music is a really beautiful thing, and understanding it through making it really allows you make connections to things a lot easier. I'm a banjo player myself, and to anyone on the fence about buying one, just go for it. They have a very unique sounds and many people are surprised by the kind of sounds you can squeeze out of those things. I've played some very interesting Indian melodies going on my banjo, as well as your standard chord progressions, and even a few Grateful Dead covers. It's a great instrument to just sit down with and jam for a while, and i love how you can tweak the sounds from a rough, harsh sound to a soft, melodic vibe just by altering your playing style.

Also I believe anyone can make music, it's just a matter of learning the instrument. It takes a while, but after a couple months you get to the point where you can have an idea of what you want to do and from there can cooperate with the instrument to make something truly incredible. Music is absolutely amazing, I mean really, few other things are capable of producing the same emotions so easily. There's something special about it, I say.

 

[Parshvik Chintan]

mostly i just percuss everything i can get my hands and/or sticks on, though i also play a little bit of piano/keyboards, and even less bass/guitar.

 

[Dante]

Do it man! There are tons of sites around that can easily guide you through the first couple levels of theory. Learn what you find useful and leave what you don't. We live in a time where you can sort of create your own functional music theory. All things are acceptable. Plus after a certain point theory is just specific to periods if classical music, like I never find myself wanting to use German +6 chords.

Thank you my friend, Ill have a look... and hopefully Ill get something out of it.

 

[Iforgotmyface]

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I have fun with a guitar synth, effects, etc. but I really like the simple joy of the uke.

and I'm sure the ukers have seen this, but just in case:

[YOUTUBE]

Mr. Shimabukuro is incredible. I also play the uke a bit. I got a really nice acoustic/ electric ukulele from a local shop on Maui a few years ago. I've played the piano for about 11 years, the guitar for about 5 and the didgeridoo for maybe 3.

It'd be my dream to get one of these beauties..
The hang drum:

[YOUTUBE]

 

[DogMaTea]

Also I believe anyone can make music, it's just a matter of learning the instrument.

I agree, although there's no question that some people are born with certain innate abilities, such as perfect pitch, natural rhythm, etc. But these are things that anyone can master given enough drive and vision.

Time and time again, I've seen people who had been frustrated with trying play an instrument, get a uke in their hands, learn three simple chords, and they're jamming and having an immediate breakthrough. You can see the lights come on in their heads.

The uke is a perfect instrument for young children - they get an instant hit of gratification and accomplishment. It's tough for kids to get their hands around a guitar neck, and it takes a lot of pressure to get full chords, especially say a bar F on the 1st fret. An F on a uke is two fingers, an open C is one finger, and you can play anything on them, even jazz chords and progressions. And the neck of a ukulele fits into kids' small hands naturally without them having to strain and get frustrated with constant dead & muffled chords. The uke propels them into making real music real fast. But of course, there's always kids who will defy these norms and even defy logic with their playing! CHECK THIS OUT (get past the intro credits) - tiny fingers playing FULL SIZED CLASSICAL GUITARS:

[YOUTUBE]

 

[DogMaTea]

...It'd be my dream to get one of these beauties..
The hang drum...

Wow! I've never heard those - they're fantastic!

 

[Electric Kool-Aid]

Anyone can play? I think so! Unless they dont want to try.
My neice wanted to learn guitar, she never wanted to ever, until now. Yesterday she wanted to know some chords because her friends play at her school. So I made her draw out a guitar neck with strings and 5 frets and then showed her where the dots go for the fingers and the names of the chords (enough drawings for all of the main chords with majors and E.minor). I kid you not (no pun intended) she learned them and now tonight learned how to play Marry you by Bruno Mars! Its only like 3 chords, but what the heck! It takes people weeks to learn chords and placement and strum timing. She got it in 2 days and learned her first song tonight! Amazing!

Edit: I forgot to mention my neice is 13 years old. So that helps with fingers and dextarity I guess. Learning on a full size 80s Yamaha acoustic of mine. Real quick learner she is. She has jammed with her class maits at her school singing with her friends playing instruments. Oh and I forgot to mention... She sings wonderfully too! cant get her to stop! All the top songs on the charts.

 

[Hyperspace Fool]

I suppose first & foremost, I am a music producer... a studio cat.

I play a ton of instruments, and can get cool sounds out of anything I can manipulate... literally anything. Often I love playing things that aren't technically instruments.

I never was much for live performing like a lot of my bros. I hate being on the road for more than a couple days. Touring gets old REAL quick. And I don't really like repeating myself night after night. Studios are like temples and laboratories simultaneously for me... I got my first 4 track when I was 12.

As far as actual instruments go, I am probably most proficient on the various guitars & basses. Though I play flute, various brass & wind instruments, a silly range of percussion, all the keys, didj, most of the classical strings etc. etc.

As others have said here, learning music theory cold is a good idea because you can apply it to every instrument. The first one is always the hardest to learn, but then they come easier and easier as you simply port over the amassed knowledge you already have.

Playing In Hyperspace: When not so high that the idea of finding and picking up an instrument seems an utter impossibility, I rather enjoy it. If I can remember to leave something close at hand it can work wonders. A simple rattle or shaker can mold hyperspace with its vibrations. Of course, the instrument that people always have at hand... the voice, is the primary shamanic tool for Ayahuasceros. Icaros, tones, mantras, chanting... these things must be tried to be believed when cruising the jimjam highways.

 

[nexalizer]

Also I am really impressed by the amount of musicians on here.

I had a feeling there would be many:wink:

Music is a really beautiful thing, and understanding it through making it really allows you make connections to things a lot easier. I'm a banjo player myself, and to anyone on the fence about buying one, just go for it. They have a very unique sounds and many people are surprised by the kind of sounds you can squeeze out of those things. I've played some very interesting Indian melodies going on my banjo, as well as your standard chord progressions, and even a few Grateful Dead covers. It's a great instrument to just sit down with and jam for a while, and i love how you can tweak the sounds from a rough, harsh sound to a soft, melodic vibe just by altering your playing style.

It might be this year or next year, but I want to get a banjo!

Preliminary research says there are enough resources to learn from books/online lessons. There aren't any banjo players that I know of around here, but that only makes it all the more interesting:lol:

Also I believe anyone can make music, it's just a matter of learning the instrument. It takes a while, but after a couple months you get to the point where you can have an idea of what you want to do and from there can cooperate with the instrument to make something truly incredible. Music is absolutely amazing, I mean really, few other things are capable of producing the same emotions so easily. There's something special about it, I say.

I wholeheartedly agree

 

[Hyperspace Fool]

...It'd be my dream to get one of these beauties..
The hang drum...

Wow! I've never heard those - they're fantastic!

Yeah, they are sweet. A Swiss invention no less... who would've thunk it.

We've got a few of them with different tunings laying around the studio or hanging on the walls. UFO looking things.