What instrument would you choose if you had to start over?

[k001k47]

Pianoforte.

[imperialbari]

Likely euphonium and tubas, which I consider being the same instrument species in various sizes.

However my time spent on trombone and on horn has contributed invaluable experience in controlling intonation and in shaping sound.

Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre

[JTJ]

I would study cornet (not trumpet -- only cornet), and try to become a brass band cornet wiz.

John

[sloan]

I would return to my roots - the instruments that I actually did start on: Piano and Voice.

[KiwiTuba]

Orchestra - I would be a conductor. They get the best groupies.

[imperialbari]

OK, thought this was about getting the chance in another life based on the experiences of this one, but then you cannot accuse me for lack of love to my low conicals.

Starting over again would not be easy at my age anyway as arthritis and numbnes of the fingertips exclude woodwinds and fretted strings. If bowed, then the viola, as my fingers are too wide for violin and not strong enough for bass and cello. But most likely would be, that I took my cornet to a brass band or one of the flugelhorns or trumpets to a German band.

Klaus

[Stefan]

I would choose horn. In fact, I may still switch.

Stefan

[sungfw]

NO TUBA/EUPH ALLOWED.

Well, in that case ...

BARITONE!

[David Zerkel]

Strauss is gauche.

??

I definitely didn't get THAT memo!!

[windshieldbug]

Michael, you may now officially start making fun of me regarding this viola prospect. Get all that meanness out, boy!

Wade, your question was, "What instrument would you choose if you had to start over?".
Viola, not being an instrument, does not qualify. You gave poor Klaus such a hard time, wake up and smell the coffee (cantata)!

[imperialbari]

What in the hell does "gauche" mean?

Are you guys just making up stupid ignorant words to try to make me feel like an ***?

damn.

Your leisure clothing has a little gaucho flavour, but of cause exactly you will not know, what gauche means. The plain French etymology says left. The wider reference is to anything left-ish.

And then it is a very happy fact, that your repair-work and your reconstructions of instruments are known to be much more exact than your cutting of your own shorts.

Klaus

[sloan]

I would return to my roots - the instruments that I actually did start on: Piano and Voice.

Ah, but would you learn to do both at once? Or can you already do this?

Singly *and* together.

Next time your orchestra is backing up a pianist, watch the soloist carefully. I'll bet you'll find that the pianist has to go to conscious effort to *not* sing along.

Consider that we are always taught to "hear it in your head before trying to play it on the horn". As is evident from recent threads, most people have to be restrained from their natural tendency to allow every waking thought to spill out their mouth.

Now...playing one line and singing another does require extra work.

But...mostly I meant "one at a time". Piano and Voice tickle different musical skill sets, and both are very necessary skills. Can you name a world-class conductor or wind instrumentalist who CAN'T sing? Can you imagine a choir director (or composer) who cannot play the piano?

Voice is way over on the "sound production" end of the scale. Piano is way over on the theoretical literacy end. I'm sure it's a personal failing on my part, but I literally cannot comprehend how non-keyboardists think about and visualize melodies/chords, etc.

I really wish that I could play my upright bass and sing at the same time, whether backing vocals or lead. I just cannot get the hang of it. I have had a number of guitarists try to help me, but, alas, I am too stupid for this task it seems. And it is one that I would very much like to master. This skill set is the one musical thing that I have attempted that has totally eluded me over the years. Drat.

Can you throat-sing while playing the tuba?

[MaryAnn]

I've done this a couple times; didn't like playing violin professionally. Took up horn at 45, and truthfully that is the instrument I'd most like to play.

Dystonia put a pretty big dent in that, but I have mostly overcome it over the last two years and manage to do well enough to play in the groups I want to play in. I no longer crash and burn although some things are less stable than I'd like.

But I think prolly I'm best suited to my latest instrument foray, which is the oboe. One reach is a little tough (left hand octave Eb, with the half hole) but I can do it. And the air supply requirements fit my lung size really well.

MA

[Donn]

But I love playing viola and might end up buying one as our assistant concertmaster has promised me a LOT of work if I would get my chops up.

I like viola too, enough to get a cheap one and fool around a little. A very cheap one will need some work right away (mine needed new pegs, at least), but sounds more or less like a viola and is orders of magnitude less than a professional instrument. They come in a fairly wide range of sizes, and I thought I might want a big one - but brief trials at a shop left me with the impression size is not what matters most.

I find it difficult to sing and play string bass at the same time, too, but I think I didn't play long enough to really expect that to work. I have to pay too much attention to what I'm doing. There was a great jazz bass player who tended to sing along with his solos - I'm embarrassed that I can't remember his name, because I've heard him on a live recording with an long, brilliant solo that deserved remembering.

[andrew the tuba player]

I'd have to choose between three. One being Cello. my dad owns a Cello and i squeak around a bit and love it. Espeacialy when pros make them sing. Two, upright bass. This is right there with cello. I love lowness (seeing as im a tubist ) and strings. Three Euphonium. Its like our anouncer said. It aint a concert with out a march and a great Euphonium solo.

[BriceT]

String:

I would love playing Cello. The very mellow but beautiful sound is amazing and is unforgettable when a pro plays it.

Brass:

French horn has such a unique and neat design. I have always dreamed of playing French Horn.

Woodwind:

Pshh.. who needs that


However, tuba is still the best instrument in my eyes!

[ScotGJ]

I use to spend lots of hours (over lots of years) singing and playing electric bass. The parts that were the most difficult were the ones that felt like the two parts were counter melodies and the rhythms did not line up on the strong beats. I found if I thought of both parts as one rhythmic figure I was able to practice that one complex rhythm and teach my hands to hit the bass line parts of that complex rhythm and have my voice hit the singing notes. With practice, the complexity would fade and I could "feel" it.

On the most difficult combinations, I would write them both down on the same staff to add the visual support. Sort of like the right and left hand when playing piano.

[Highams]

Would not change anything and would do it all again! (lol).

CB

[tubatooter1940]

Bass or solo guitar is difficult for me to play and sing at the same time - make that well nigh impossible.
I did play rhythm guitar and sing in a rock band for 25 years. When I needed to solo I picked up a trumpet or trombone.
One night a bar customer asked me why my hands stayed in the same place while the lead guitarist's hands moved constantly up and down his guitar neck.
I told the customer the lead player was looking for it but I had found it.

[Biggs]

I would return to my roots - the instruments that I actually did start on: Piano and Voice.

Ah, but would you learn to do both at once? Or can you already do this?

I really wish that I could play my upright bass and sing at the same time, whether backing vocals or lead. I just cannot get the hang of it. I have had a number of guitarists try to help me, but, alas, I am too stupid for this task it seems. And it is one that I would very much like to master. This skill set is the one musical thing that I have attempted that has totally eluded me over the years. Drat.

I suffer from the same problem when I try to sing and play drums/percussion at the same time (I'm no Vic Firth or Giovanni Hidalgo, but I take my playing/studying pretty seriously). One thing that helps me sing and play independent parts is to keep a basic pulse (the opposite of subdividing - superdividing?) in one toe/heel/elbow. Then, even if the vocals and drumming fall on different subdivisions, each is still forced to be in the time with the basic beat. When the parts get more complicated, this system gets more difficult, but by slowing it down and picturing the two lines compared to the basic beat, I can work it out and get it up to speed.

In performance,I still prefer not to do both at the same time but can make it work this way if I have to.