Why Don't More People Into Music Reproduction At Home Play Around With Musical Instruments

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.

No talent from whomever hands out the musical talent gene--and either you have it or you do not, period.  I played several instruments starting in about 2nd grade, but was never that good at any of them. 

Fast forward to college, and guitar and drums became my choices and I played in several bands, but was the only "non-musician" in any of them.

Forward again to the early 1970's when I opened my shop.  What a revelation is was to stumble through a song myself and and then listen to a reproduced version.  Taught me that box speakers of the day, while fine, were not capable of accurately reproducing the sounds that I played on the actual instruments, even at a basically beginner level.  Closest to real were speakers from Magnepan, and they have improved quite a bit since the early 1970's.

That's what messing with instruments did for me, and I still have a few around that I mess with now that I am retired.  It is relaxing and enjoyable, but of course no one else has to listen!

Cheers!