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Do you play an instrument/sing?

Personally, I'm a trombonist. Quite a bit of my audition is searching for something such that Joe Alessi sounds just the way he does when I actually see him at Carnegie/Avery-fisher. In other words, PHENOMENAL! Similarly, another part of it consists of listening to some brass heavy orchestral works, such as Mahler 3, Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz, Beethoven 5,Brahms 1,2,4, etc, Beethoven 3 (maybe slightly less brass-heavy), etc. Then I listen to some classic rock, just to sound how it deals with yet another part of the music that I listen to, but the initial two parts tend to be the more important.

Are you an instrumentalist/singer, and if so, how does it affect the way you audition equipment and/or listen to music.
midficollege
pragmatist
336 posts
 
(Holds thumb and index finger about a centimeter apart.)I play about this much piano.

For me effective practice/performance is having a mental image of the sound I want and then trying to achieve it. As the performance gets better,so does the idealization,so I'm constantly chasing something that is unobtainable(at least for me),but making progress in both areas.

Yes,as my ears become more accomplished it does effect the way I judge equipment. I'm more conscious of articulation and imaging than I was five years ago. Who knows how I will feel in another five years?

Aaron Copeland made distinctions between listening to music on sensual and musical planes. I'm becomming more conscious of counterpoint and tone colors of orchestrated combinations of instruments. I find myself listening to less large ensemble,concert hall music and more small ensemble,salon venue music-be it classical or jazz
musicslug
430 posts
 
I play 2 Indian classical stringed instruments, rudra vina (archaic, ancestor of sitar family) and surbahar (bass sitar). It definitely comes in handy when I'm auditioning equipment - I bring along a CD of my teacher and know what it really should sound like.
They say you can tell painters at museums because they walk up to see the paintings from close range while non-painters stand back. Do musicians listen more closely? Kind of asks you to get into other people's heads....
jzzmn88
58 posts
 
I grew up playing classical violin and piano and about 10 years ago progressed into playing jazz piano/keyboard. Music has been such a part of my life that its only natural to extend that into how I listen to music whether its at a live concert or in the comforts of my living room. Am I more critical than non-musicians. Probably, and sometimes that does detract from the overall enjoyment but I wouldn't have it any other way!
isellstuff
99 posts
 
I play the Drums. I started playing on
September 26th. 1980 the day AFTER John Bonham died.
He played drums for Led Zepplin, for those here who don`t
know who he is. I was INSPIRED by Neil Peart of RUSH!
I always loved the drumming of
Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Billy Cobham, Simon Phillips
as well as 1000`s others. I like to use live drum
recordings to see if a piece of gear is good or not.
Neil Peart`s solo on Exit...Stage Left from 1981
is 1 of the best to use, as well as his later release of
A Show Of Hands 1989, it has better sound quality
on it.
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