mcgraham Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 As I spend 30-40 hours a week in front of a piano keyboard, I am tempted by getting a Moog Voyager, but to be honest I am not drawn to keyed instruments in the way I am to stringed instruments. It's all the different ways of attacking the strings that I love, whereas keyed instrument generally lack that subtlety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 (edited) Isn't that where a synth's velocity, aftertouch, pitch bend & Mod wheel/stick come into play? & then you have all the parameters that you can play about with in real time. I do still prefer playing bass in a band situ though & I don't think there's a good forum for any other instruments (not that I've found). Edited April 16, 2013 by xgsjx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 (edited) - Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 My keyboard skills are far too inadequate for me to consider that, and my violin skills are even worse, so it's bass or guitar. If playing in a band, unquestionably bass - I'm not a good enough guitarist to be able to find a band that wanted me. If playing solo or with a singer, guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 I think for a duet, key or bass with vocals sounds better than guitar & vocals. I used to play some stuff with just a singer, most with guitar & some with bass. Hated the monotony of strumming chords & doing something more complex wouldn't always work with the vocals, but bass just sounded soo sweet & much more fun (even just playing roots & harmonies). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 There is something verrrry satisfying when singing songs with bass as the accompaniment, and hitting a solid root note under the vocals... nice! But as a duet, i.e. one voice and just ONE other instrument, I think guitar - either acoustic or electric - is almost always going to win out for me. It is ideally suited for the role in terms of harmony, melody, rhythm, bass movement, etc. Easier to write in, instantly scales up to a band well, or scales down to a solo act well too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 (edited) This appears to be a devilishly good idea and thread. Kudos, Mark! What struck me most was how scary the very concept is. Things were always comfy, and now this! You've "forced" me to a hard look at me. OK, so you've ruined my life. How do I proceed? First a prerequisite: that one instrument of course just works till the day I die, no matter what realism commands. Also, it's always available to me, so a grand, four-manual, pipe organ is still an option, even though in theory some might say it's in some large building far away. For this thread, I have one at home. So, do I go for: - composing, and keep the grand piano with large note sheets right in front of my nose? - the thing I do best (the complete orchestra called pipe organ) but which I left 20 years ago? - the funnest thing, my synths? Oh no! Only one allowed! That ruins it completely. No single synth is gonna cut it - not even - portability and general purpose adaptability, and keep the acoustic guitar? - my old and newfound love, ye basse? Even if I don't know whether I will ever master it? - the drumset, for banging the lifeshit out of every mood shange I might encounter, accompanied by my trusty mp3s? First out: organ, piano, synth. I've done them for almost 50 years. I was a pro, and left it. All I hear now is a guy who'll only get worse. Second out: drums. When listening to CDs, I can always bang on the sides of my legs and of the sofa (if the rules allow it, then a sofa is not an instrument). So, is it gonna be a bass or an acoustic guitar? I think I'll keep a Bongo or the fretless StingRay, thank you. It's what I love and what I feel comfortable with. The acoustic guitar can never be anything else than a second instrument to me, mighty as it is. BASS! ... and thank you for forcing me to think and sense. best, bert Edited April 16, 2013 by BassTractor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Yes it's a bit of a pain isn't it? Trying to pin down what you'd want to play for the rest of your life. It's obviously an advantage to play more than one instrument, but often we end up having too much 'stuff' distracting us from actually making music. Einstein said 'everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler', so for some people it would not make sense to have just ONE instrument. For example, in my case I teach from piano, love bass most as an instrument in its own right and get gigs on bass, but prefer using guitar (acoustic or electric) for accompaniment purposes (as well as getting gigs on guitar). It would be silly for me to 'throw away' any one of these, but at the same time this train of thought is helpful to gain perspective over where my hidden priorities lie, and if my priorities are misplaced for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huw Foster Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 My first instrument was piano for many years. Since I took up bass at the age of 13, that quickly became my primary instrument. I definitely feel more of an affinity with bass, but it's a tough call. Piano has a much greater expressive range. That said, if I really had to stick with only one, I think it would still be bass. I can't fully explain why, but my technical ability probably has something to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huw Foster Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Another reason for my choice: I find bass infinitely more satisfying to play than any other instrument. I can't quite put the feeling into words, but I really feel the difference after long periods of playing guitar, ukulele or piano. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Slightly o t ; how hard is it to get a moog , join a band and just add textures rather than being Keith Emerson ? I would love to learn another instrument, and like using apps on my iPhone . If this is the wrong place to post this question , please tell me and I will post seperate thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 (edited) An impossible choice for me. Piano is the instrument I have most skills on, and is also the most versatile of the instruments I play. On the other hand, I've had more fun, played more gigs and made more friends playing the melodeon than all my other instruments put together, though it's the one I've been playing the least time and is the least versatile (it doesn't even have all the notes on!). Bass and guitar come somewhere in the middle. So I really couldn't choose - but then again perhaps it's indecisiveness that makes us multi-instrumentalists in the first place! Edited April 17, 2013 by Earbrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 [quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1366196938' post='2049414'] Slightly o t ; how hard is it to get a moog , join a band and just add textures rather than being Keith Emerson ? I would love to learn another instrument, and like using apps on my iPhone . If this is the wrong place to post this question , please tell me and I will post seperate thread [/quote] Knowing what textures to add and how to create them is IMO just as easy/difficult as knowing which notes to play and how to play them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1366199833' post='2049462'] Knowing what textures to add and how to create them is IMO just as easy/difficult as knowing which notes to play and how to play them. [/quote] Thanks , not easy then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 (edited) - Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1366199833' post='2049462'] Knowing what textures to add and how to create them is IMO just as easy/difficult as knowing which notes to play and how to play them. [/quote] As is remembering how the knobs were when you got that lovely sound, never the same noise twice unless you've got a bit of paper..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 And patch leads.... Recallable patch memories are you friends in the world of synthesis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1366206334' post='2049588'] And patch leads.... Recallable patch memories are you friends in the world of synthesis. [/quote] Yep, my old jen Sx1000 came with a load of templates for sounds that were bits of card with holes for the knobs, and lines drawn where you should put them for trumpets etc. Sounded nothing like it, and the cards got lost fairly quickly as I just wanted it to make scary noises with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 I think I've decided that, for me, it's got to be electric guitar. It's a close call between all the instruments, but it's just pips the others at the post for being the one instrument that would allow me to express my creativity more or less regardless of circumstance. Bass is definitely my favourite instrument in it's own right, but for writing, composing, solo work, band work, live, studio, it's hard to beat the versatility of guitar. On top of that I find the sonic range of electric guitar far more satisfying for months/years on end than acoustic guitar. As such, my answer is electric guitar. Course, I could feel differently tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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