How many musical instruments can you play?

I may have gone a bit over the top in my latest endeavour.

I always wanted to be able to play a musical instrument, but when I was a kid, my parents forced me to play violin from when I was 6 to when I was 13-14 and I hated it, and that memory always prevented me from picking anything up.

Now at 55 I realised that it is now or never and gone all in, and purchased….

• Acoustic guitar
• electric guitar
• bass guitar
• 88 key keybord/synth
• edrum kit.

about a month in now, doing just 10-15 mins most days on each instrument (counting electric and acoustic guitar as one), and really enjoying it. I think at the moment 10-15 mins is enough on each instrument, I think I will have to split my practice differently one I start actually playing some songs rather than just basic techniques.

Couple of regrets in the kit I bought, firstly the keyboard is a roland fantom 08 which is the wrong tool for the job, I really wish I had bought a more basic electronic piano. And second I wish I had bought some kind of FRFR speaker instead of separate bass, guitar and drum/keyboard speaker cabinets/monitors.

As can be seen I got a bit carried away, and with other things required, stools, drum hardware stands etc I put myself in a little financial trouble (nothing too serious but I am going to be on a tight budget for the next 6 months or so and hope I don’t have any financial emergency’s), however even with that I am really happy with the direction I am taking.

I can play 6 or 7 instruments, but they’re all on the same drum kit!!

Flute

Bagpipes

Guitar

Base

I can demonstrate that i can play these fairly well. But lots of other instruments i cane pick a tune on, most fretted instruments for example.

I can kind of play guitar a little bit

I can make vaguely tuneful noises on a guitar. Cowboy chords only though, none of this barre nonsense.

I have played drums in the past, I would probably like to do so again.

I would love to be able to play piano, but I doubt I have the patience to learn to be honest

I am equally good at all musical instruments.

me, earlier

The most I can do is the first bit of When the Saints Go Marching In on keyboard.

I used to be pretty good at turnablism though (hip hop dj’ing… scratching and beat juggling etc).

Nominally I can play the guitar. I used to be able to play quite well, but haven’t practiced in so long, I’d feel like having to start more or less from scratch, and every time I think about having to have to do that, or how I can’t play very well anymore, it discourages me from picking it up.

None.

None. I am in total awe of those that can.

Pretty good on the kazoo.

Played the violin at school but wish i’d used it as a fiddle.

Had some council-supplied cello lessons in primary school but beyond that, nothing.

Interestingly, I had an earworm the other week of a melody from a song. I didn’t know the name/artist of the song. Within an hour I’d figured out what the song was, found some instructions online and learned how to play it on the synth in GarageBand on my iPad. For sure a triumph of the technology, rather than any skill on my part.

Had some council-supplied cello lessons in primary school

I might be able to play the cello. Don’t know as I’ve never tried

Had Silent Night down to a tee on the Stylophone – Rolf Harris taught me (from an instructional vinyl record not from his cell).

None at all, I wasn’t even allowed to handle the triangle at school.

But I used be quite competent at beat matching across 3 Technics 1210’s as long as I had sorta planned the set beforehand,

I wasn’t even allowed to handle the triangle at school.

I play the triangle in a reggae band. It’s dead easy, I just have to stand there an’ting.

Pretty decent on drums.

used to be decent on guitar, good as a teenerage, now, erm, adequate, though still seem to be able to do a very decent rendition of stairway to heaven, which is of course banned in public.

adequate on bass.

Can just about remember how to play the hovis ad tune on a keyboard from my childhood lessons.

drum lessons were denied by the music teacher when I joined secondary school, on the logic that I “hadn’t had lessons before”… I carried that grudge for many years until my amazing partner (now wife) bought me a drum kit for my 30th birthday. And I was like “see, I knew I’d be good at this!!!”. Joined a covers band, yadda yadda. Live the dream man, rock on. **** you Mr Fitzsimmons.

Saxophone, Tenor Horn, Violin, Piano. I think I win as the most diverse spread. Can also therefore get a tune out of most brass instruments (bar the trombone) also both alto and soprano saxophone. Also got a degree in music but that’s about useful and relevant as a chocolate teapot but the student loan debt is great. Haven’t played most for many years, did buy a tenor horn again over lockdown and was surprised how much I remembered. Unfortunately my youth and life was so full of musical instruments/bands/choirs/etc that it stopped being fun.

drum lessons were denied by the music teacher when I joined secondary school, on the logic that I “hadn’t had lessons before”… 

My secondary school music teacher had the same logic, we weren’t allowed to touch any of the decent instruments if we didn’t already know how to play them.

I remember asking why that didn’t apply to other subjects like PE, German or Physics and wasn’t that supposed to be what they were supposed to be teaching us, then got a bollocking for my insolent attitude. I was only ever allowed to play the triangle or wood block after that.

Not that I still hold any grudges about it at 44 :D

None but the amount of people who think that I should is quite staggering, apparently I “look” as if I should.

I have even on occasions been challenged …..”are you sure you don’t play any instrument?”  Quite why I wouldn’t want to admit it I have never really understood. Nor how anyone can “look” as if they play a musical instrument.

Fretted string instruments. Guitar, bass, Ukulele etc. I have 0 interest in woodwind instruments. I may get an electronic drumset for mini. 10 and I to **** about with.  I can whistle.

Saxamaphones

Bit of flute

Why oh why is it expected that woodwinds (see sax) *SHOULD*double?

Don’t expect a cellist to be able to play piano do ya?!  ?

Sorry.

i “attempt” to play the guitar (electric) and i did have a bass guitar that i enjoyed playing also (need to buy another bass sometime).

In order of fluency…

1) Guitar – electric, acoustic and bass.

2) Bassoon (Grade 8 and played in various county and national youth orchestras, but quite rusty these days)

3) Keys – piano and synth.

4) Mandolin/octave mandola

5) Drums

6) other woodwind and brass instruments – can get a tune out of Sax, Oboe, Clarinet, Trumpet and Trombone.

Do we count DJing? I was a pretty good techno and D&B DJ in my time – beat matching on vinyl, and a bit of scratching.

Just the trouser trumpet…but I reckon I could manage la marseillaise.

Didgeridoo, used to play in a band, give performances and do workshops and have a world record for organising the world’s largest didgeridoo ensemble nearly 20 years ago, still unbroken!

Have  dabbles with various flutes and whistles and DADGAD guitar tuning, but wrist OA has stopped those. Tuba for a bit but it drove my tinnitus mad, though using didgeridoo techniques on it was good fun.

Also play a bit of hand drums occasionally, darbuka mainly.

As I’m often house/sofa bound I’d like to pick something up I could do quietly like you would picking away with an acoustic guitar , but wrists grrr…. and keyboard doesn’t interest me at all.

Woodwind is my natural vibe for sure.

Also play a bit of hand drums occasionally, darbuka mainly.

As I’m often house/sofa bound I’d like to pick something up I could do quietly

What about a hand pan/hang?

Quiet and very meditative.

I played triangle in a reggae band. I would just stand at the back and ting.

I have a harmonica, I can make a noise with it that isn’t awful, but I couldn’t replicate a tune on it and reading music is like some sort black magic to me.

I have dabbled with many over the years however the only one I play to any decent level of proficiency is oboe.

Actually yeh  a Hang! Thanks for reminding me, I think I’ll see if I can swing to one come pay day.

I knew people who had them years ago when they first appeared and were really hard and expensive to get hold of.

Used to be half decent on the bass. Big fan of slapping and popping so username checks out. Not played for years though so probably terrible now. Tried to learn to play the Dobro and harmonica but wasn’t very good at either.

Played keyboards in a band at uni, now just guitar. I’m decent now after a lot of focus from the start of 2020.

Base

As long as it’s buttery and biscuity.

I can play the harmonica reasonably well, got grade 5 piano/theory but can’t play any more. Can knock a few tunes out on the guitar, but not very well.

Guitar

Bass

Double bass- orchestral stuff. Much to everyone who has ever seen me play bass I wouldn’t spin it or play it behind my head.

Looping synths..

I was enjoying the synths, then realized I would have to actually have to  learn. to play piano to get any better than one fingered melody. I had a go, playing the piano was massively harder than guitar, bass or double bass so I gave up.

Guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, chord organ.

Nothing.

I’ve dipped a toe in over the years.  I can read music in so far as I can look at a stave and go “that’s a B,” and I can play keyboards in so far as I can look at keys and go “that’s also a B” but that’s about my limit.  I have reasonably sufficient coordination to hold a beat on drums on Rock Band if I put my mind to it.

I’m deeply envious of those who are musical.  I think I have a good ear but I can’t sing a note either.  I think fundamentally I just lack the commitment, if I pick up a guitar and I’m not the ghost of Hendrix inside of about half an hour I’ve lost interest.

Took up bass guitar last November aged 49 and am loving it. Playing 4-5 times a week and steadily getting better. Before that I hadn’t touched a musical instrument in 32 years since keyboard lessons in high school. Still have my old Yamaha and was inspired to dig it out to play Xmas tunes with the young lad this past year. Also Ukelele curious.

Can half-play a bass, know a handful of guitar chords, play a simple “Billy Jean” beat on the drums, get a C out of a trumpet and play Good King Wenceslas on the harmonica. Trying to learn Hey Jude on piano – I have played piano on stage in a play (and sung at the same time, not well…) in the not-too-distant past but have no recollection of how to play the Vera Lynn-y stuff I played/sang in that.