Musicians?

N

NolaGal

Peer Supporter
Who else on here is a musician (any level)? I think Eric mentioned being a guitar player. I took piano lessons for a few years as a kid, a year of guitar lessons in high school, and I've recently had two on-and-off years learning violin. I just switched to cello because of my shoulder pain. I ordered my rental cello right before I read "The Mindbody Prescription". If I had known what I now know about TMS I might not have done it, but I'm glad I did. I know I'll pick the violin back up at some point, maybe concentrating on fiddle tunes, but I'm desperately in love with the cello, and the playing position is so much more natural. I think cello might become my main instrument (meaning the one I put the most practice time into, not the one I'm the best at, lol! At least not yet).

I'm also currently studying music theory. There are so many concepts I don't understand, but there are LOTS of things I can memorize, which I'm very good at. Growing up, my sister had a lot more natural musical ability than me, and now so does my husband, but I'm the best at memorizing, by golly! I think learning theory before having a huge amount of musical skill is like learning all the road signs and rules before you learn to drive. It may not all make sense at first, but eventually it will be very helpful!

I would love to hear from any amateur and professional musicians on this thread, as well as folks who have always wanted to get into playing music.
 
The cello is a gorgeous instrument, both visually and accoustically. Such a mellow and graceful sound! I studied violin for about a year when I was very young, and then trumpet for about 4 years in elementary and middle school. I thought of picking up trumpet again to play a little funk, but that was when my TMS was in control and I had too many other things to worry about.

I've always been quite curious about music theory ever since an adult taught me the basics of major and minor chords at a party when I was young. I looked into it, but it looks quite mysterious to me as well. I guess you just need to hear or play a lot of music, applying the concepts as you go, for it to make sense.
 
Love this thread! Agreed on the cello. It's such a soulful instrument. I never played string instruments but I took piano for 10 years, and have been singing for as long as I can remember (classical, Broadway, jazz, current hits). Recently I started playing the djembe (African drum) in a drum circle, which is an INCREDIBLE emotional release. It has the same effect for me, I think, that some people get when they meditate. I just play and play, and feel the beat of the other drums all around, and everything else goes away. It's an unbelievable feeling.
 
Couldnt do without my guitars.... been playing all my life.... love song writing and muti tracking... just something nice about making another world for a few minutes.
 
NolaGal (& others), thought you'd enjoy this article - http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-power-of-music-to-reduce-stress/000930?all=1

I feel like there are a lot of articles on how listening to music reduces stress, but not a lot on how playing music can relax us! Maybe because playing music (or rather, the other factors that go into playing music -- practicing, competition, pressure from parents or teachers or yourself, etc) so easily have the ability to make playing music stressful? I dunno. But I do know that I am completely stress-free and that I feel a thousand times better, emotionally, mentally, even physically, after just a few minutes of playing on my djembe!!
 
I sing in a women's a capella group and it thrills me. Harmonizing is a good way to blend the one with the many.
Becca, I played djembe for a couple of years before giving up due to RSI wrist pain. Now, thinking back, I bet it was TMS! And I sold my drum:(
 
Tarala this is crazy, I sang in a women's a cappella group for years! Now I'm in a co-ed group, mostly a cappella but sometimes w/ accompaniment...but I agree, there's just nothing like harmonizing :) What part do you sing?
 
Hi Becca, I was just watching those cat videos. OMG nothing like a good belly laugh. I sing alto though sometimes second soprano. I just love it. It's also challenging as the women in this group are mostly better musicians than I am. What part are you? I do miss the drumming though; it's similar but maybe even a bit more primal.
 
tarala said:
I sing in a women's a capella group and it thrills me. Harmonizing is a good way to blend the one with the many.
Becca, I played djembe for a couple of years before giving up due to RSI wrist pain. Now, thinking back, I bet it was TMS! And I sold my drum:(
Click to expand...
Looks like someone needs to go buy another drum :*)
 
tarala, get thee a drum. We need that primal rhythm. Sometimes I think more than half the tms problem comes from being soulful and squashed into a thinking world. Beat it out.
I have drummed but prefer to move. Dance is my forte although I am blessed to be married to a musician and move in musical circles.

To all, surely the most beautiful and erotic experience of all is a barefoot woman playing cello. (A lovely example is young Emily Blunt in My Summer of Love. Utterly gorgeous.)
 
Tarala, I'm also alto/second soprano! Usually alto though. I miss being soprano at times...they get the easy parts! But usually, I like being the harmony. What sort of music does your group sing?

Totally know what you mean about drumming being primal - it's supposed to be connected to the heartbeat, and I find that very powerful. I find it to be a better emotional release (don't get me wrong, singing is certainly pleasurable, but it does has a level of stress attached, at least at the amateur choir level, that I could do without!). Drumming (alone or in a group) is like connecting with myself.

So I agree with plum - get a drum! (Although good djembes are very expensive...do you have a birthday coming up? ;) )
 
Thanks everybody, for the drum support. I have to rethink this in TMS terms now, since "wrist injury" was firmly entrenched in my mind at the time.

Becca, we sing lots of canons and Renaissance music like madrigals. Sometimes it's a bit of a stretch for me musically, but I like that mostly. We also sing quite a bit in languages other than English. I love singing alto as it's more challenging, but sometimes it would be nice to learn the more melodic bits!

Plum, dance is really my passion too. I was a competitive figure skater all through growing up, but love any kind of dancing. We used to live in Egypt, where I belly danced. But since having sciatica, dance, like drumming has been scary for me. I'm finally back to yoga and exercise, but when I add in dancing the problem flares up. Very TMS I know, but at the moment I'm just focusing on getting stronger since I've ended up with lots of core and leg weakness. Slowly slowly, I will get there.:rolleyes:
 
tarala, belly dance was my passion too. I've not done it for years and years but the body remembers...
Best to be gentle, no matter what the cause or issue, kindness is the best healing gesture we can make to ourselves and others. With hugs and a cheeky hip-bump. x
 
I envy all of you who play a musical instrument.
Never learning to play any, I love music and have attended many classical concerts and operas in Chicago
and New York City, and throughout Europe when I was in the army.
Recently, I've become a big fan of Opera Australia, although I've been there.
That began when I saw a PBS television telecast of its production of LA BOHEME about
ten years ago. David Hobson as Rudolfo and Cheryl Baker as Mimi knocked me out,
even though I had seen several other productions of it before.

There's a YouTube clip of the opening scene with Hobson and Baker but I don't know how to put it here.
 
I wish I could dance. Started as a kid but never had the discipline to really follow through and do it. Always wanted to pick it back up. (Would love to do jazz or modern...maybe ballroom or swing!) For me, the hardest part is remembering combinations that are over 4 steps! I get so discouraged :(

Tarala, I thought you'd enjoy this:

Top ten reasons for being an alto

10. You get really good at singing E flat.
9. You get to sing the same note for 12 consecutive measures.
8. You don’t really need to warm up to sing 12 consecutive bars of E-flat.
7. If the choir really stinks, it’s unlikely the altos will be blamed.
6. You have lots of time to chat during soprano solos.
5. You get to pretend that you are better than the sopranos, because everybody knows that women only sing soprano so they don’t have to learn to read music.
4. You can sometimes find part time work singing tenor.
3. Altos get all the great intervals.
2. When the sopranos are holding some outrageously high note at the end of a song, the altos always get the last words.
1. When the altos miss a note, nobody gets hurt.

(my favorites are #3 and #2!)

Walt, check out this tutorial for how to add YouTube clips to a post. Hope that helps!
 
Becca, try a style like Ballroom where you need a partner. I had great fun learning Ballroom and Latin for a while last year, and a real highlight was snagging a few dances with a retired champion. He was such a strong lead that I flew around the room. It was great! I'm not saying they do all the work for you but it helps and lends you an exhilaration that can carry you far with dance.
 
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