Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Talk about any music other than Pink Floyd/Solo Stuff
User avatar
moodyblue
Hammer
Hammer
Posts: 1434
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2003 11:06 pm
Gender: Male
Location: Market Harborough

Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by moodyblue »

Many of us have of course, had more time than usual to ourselves since most places around the world have gone into lock down for a period of time. I cannot imagine what it must have been like for those parents that have been locked up with their large families in small flats, stuck in the centre of big cities. A complete nightmare no doubt.
As for me, it's been very easy. Daughter lives with her boyfriend and I simply reside with an undemanding partner that is quite happy doing her own thing.
I was extremely happy about being forced not to work. It's got to the point where I am reluctant to ever go back.

Any way, I started out in the first few weeks of lock down buying all sorts of new musical equipment, most of which I still haven't used much. The onset of the virus made me feel like I should live for today and sod tomorrow, so why not raid the bank account.

About ten days into Lock down, I decided to have a crack at learning (or re-learning) to play keyboards. I had a crack at keys around 25 years ago for maybe five of those years but haven't played properly (or at all) since 2001.
I purchased an all singing, all dancing Korg Kronos about three years ago hoping that my circumstances would change and I'd have the time to learn how to 'play' or even learn more than I did all those years ago. Hey presto, cue the virus.

I have often sat in my room for sometimes up to 5 hours a day getting those fingers to work rediscovering the joys of learning once again.

Sometimes one really has to wrench themselves from the settee where it's all to easy to sit and browse the PC, watch a movie or a documentary etc and make yourself go and practice.
Some mornings I find it hard to get into it but within half an hour, (and the time flies by) motivation usually kicks in and you're off.
I tend all too often to pick really hard pieces to learn as I find that far more challenging as after all, who wants to play the garbage they sell in those 'easy play piano' books?

So has anyone else learnt a new skill or an instrument these past few months?

Jimi Dean Barrett
Judge!
Judge!
Posts: 1592
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2010 1:30 pm

Re: Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

Well unfortunately, and even a Doctor confirmed it, my left ear is blocked. Getting that fixed is my bigger priority over avoiding the virus.
I play my bass unplugged and can't hear a note. Plug it in, play the notes and it sounds massively out of tune, even though I'm playing the right notes and tuned as best as it can.
Suffice to say even Pink Floyd CDs sound terrible. I'm missing certain frequencies I know are there. Makes it an incredibly frustrating listen.
I did think recently if only I stuck with keyboards (when I was in school thirty years probably!) instead of moving to guitar.
But would it have made a difference?

It is good to play though. And best of luck getting back into it.
User avatar
space triangle
Hammer
Hammer
Posts: 858
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:25 pm

Re: Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by space triangle »

I'm thinking of learning to play Ukelele just because of it was Syd Barrett's first musical instrument. :D

Syd Barrett: 'My first musical instrument at a very tender age was a ukelele - then, when I was eleven years old my parents bought me a banjo. A year latter I talked them into a buying me a guitar'.
User avatar
DrNakano
Embryo
Embryo
Posts: 15
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2019 4:13 pm
Gender: Male

Re: Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by DrNakano »

Indeed, I have bought and "learnt" glockenspiel! Worth it
User avatar
Massed Gadgets
Supreme Lord!
Supreme Lord!
Posts: 5001
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2005 8:16 am
Location: Take it easy, man

Re: Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by Massed Gadgets »

I wouldn't say I just decided to do it during the pandemic because I had already been learning how to play and use various synthesizers, but I've been continuing to learn them. As well I have been jamming with my wife too, which we had not done in a long while.
ZiggyZipgun
Hammer
Hammer
Posts: 1236
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 3:04 pm

Re: Has anyone decided to learn to play a new/old instrument these past 2 months?

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

I've been using the extra time at home to reorganize my music room, finish a number of guitar wiring projects that had been on the back burner, sell off extra pickups and parts that are leftover, and spend more time with different lap steel tunings. Instead of having multiple desks or tables with crap on them, everything's getting mounted to an ever-growing Gibraltar rack - several analog synths, a wavetable synth module, a Roli Seaboard, my amp modeler and interface...maybe even my Fender Stringmaster! I've had the double-neck 6-string for a number of years (Gilmour uses the single-neck 6-string version, and his red Jedsen is a Japanese knock-off of the same model), but I recently bought an 8-string neck that I mounted in between the other two, and I just finished wiring it up. Now I just have to figure what tunings to use on those three necks, plus the little Fender Champion lap steel I have.