My voice is my instrument. I have an hour of study a week with my vocal coach and put in another 2 or so hours a week singing. Working on a Radiohead song at the moment.
Why Don't More People Into Music Reproduction At Home Play Around With Musical Instruments
In the pursuit of music reproduction in the home it is my firm belief that you must listen to live music every now & again so that you know & understand how real music,with real instruments,in real physical spaces sounds...
With that as a foundation I used in judging equipment's "voice" I also believe that playing around with a musical instrument is an excellent way to gain first hand experience with musical sound...EVERY person that reads this can learn a few musical notes,on ANY musical instrument on the planet..For instance I play around with electric guitar.NO I can NOT play,but I can play the notes EFG,on first string & BCD on the second string...Now I know those few notes & easily recognize them in any song..I am just this coming week going to start playing around with an electric keyboard....So I wonder,why don't more audiophiles simply play around with real instruments as part of their pursuit of honest reproduction in the home?Surely the education in reality is worth the $100.00 it takes to get an entry level guitar,keyboard,horn etc...
With that as a foundation I used in judging equipment's "voice" I also believe that playing around with a musical instrument is an excellent way to gain first hand experience with musical sound...EVERY person that reads this can learn a few musical notes,on ANY musical instrument on the planet..For instance I play around with electric guitar.NO I can NOT play,but I can play the notes EFG,on first string & BCD on the second string...Now I know those few notes & easily recognize them in any song..I am just this coming week going to start playing around with an electric keyboard....So I wonder,why don't more audiophiles simply play around with real instruments as part of their pursuit of honest reproduction in the home?Surely the education in reality is worth the $100.00 it takes to get an entry level guitar,keyboard,horn etc...
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In my teens I used to play the violin in the school orchestra. I scraped through grade 8 (see what I did there!). It must have shaped my listening preferences as I very much prefer sitting in the middle of the music, and my Bryston sp3 splits the music up round the room very well. I also look for authentic sounds like piano decay and for example listening to Bix Biedebecker picking out a cornet instead of a trumpet. Why, does it make a difference? The players obviously consider the subtle difference important too. The genuineness of the sound is important to me and synthetic music just grates. Pressing a keyboard and different sounds coming out at a press of a button does not appeal. The mix of guitars in Rod Stewart's Mandolin Wind always gets me querying how many guitars are playing in the instrumental sections. On that note (see, I did it again) a big question to you audiophiles ........ How many guitars (or of that genre) are playing on Mandolin Wind? I say 3 but a guitar playing friend said 4. It has been bugging me for 40 years or so! Please put me out of my misery! Again I suppose, most music listeners don't care but to some of us such things are dear to our hearts. |
Great topic. I agree wholeheartedly and happy to see so many comments supportive of your premise. “Now I know those few notes & easily recognize them in any song.” Then you have more talent (ears) than you give yourself credit for. Get yourself a good teacher! **** I mastered the trumpet in 1967-1971 and was in the jazz band in high school **** No offense, but I kinda doubt it (the “mastering” part). **** “I love flamingo...“ **** I love flamingo too 😊: https://youtu.be/lt0GojgWrA8 Btw, a new professional quality saxophone can be had for about $4,000 (and up, of course; much less for used). |
I started playing piano when I was four and played in a small town rock band in my late high school and early college years. I continued playing at home until about age fifty, when I gave it up. The excitement wasn’t there unless I was pushing my boundaries, and I did not have the time or energy to do what I needed to do to improve. I still have the piano, which has been in the family for 124 years. Listening to good music on a good system keeps the passion alive, and needless to say all those years of playing enhances the appreciation. Maybe I’ll go back to it. |
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