What Instrument do You Play?

I did the piano thing when I was a kid. Had Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, (you've heard of these guys?) drilled into me. Scales, scales, scales, and more scales. Finally, after the Beatles, American arrival, my mommy let me move to popular music. It was great and I was motivated, for a while, to practice. Got side tracked in school. Played alto sax for years in the school band. Sat in first seat. Played oboe in high school. That was a toughy. Double reed was a killer. Still to this day, I'll hit the ivory if I'm near one. Don't have to think of how to play every major scale. After 40 years it's still there. Never considered myself a musician, though, but I can appreciate Art Tatum and the rest of those music monsters. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall, when he took his piano lessons. This has given me an idea for a cool thread. I'll keep you posted.

Piano.

KF

I'm also floating in Warren's boat. I began taking formal keyboard instruction at age 11. After 7 years of scales, arpeggios and chord progressions taught to me by a then 71 year old classically trained woman, (who could bring tears to your eyes when she played), I moved onto another instructor. At that point, I spent another 9 years learning improvisational jazz. During that period I owned and played Hammmond B3s, C3s, and X5s, Fender Rhodes pianos, and an assortment of synthesizers. Although my practicing was always done on a Kawai 5'6 baby grand. It has now been about 5 years since I last played, but I have promised myself another acoustic piano. I miss playing SO much. But, it's like riding a bicycle, other than a general loss of dexterity in the fingers, you never forget how to play. And for me, no audio rig can reproduce the emotions you feel when you play.

the skin flute

Indian (east) stringed instruments: surbahar (bass sitar) and rudra vina (archaic ancestor of sitar family), and tablas (Indian hand drums) . Playing an instrument comes in handy when you're auditioning equipment: if you have a recording of your instrument you know how it is supposed to sound!