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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 5/11/2009 12:21:51 PM | I play the Quena, south american flute, pan pipes and native american flute. I also have a slide whistle. I love the slide whistle. It was originally a percussionists "trap" in the early New Orleans jazz and early "jazz" groups. Later, Louis Armstrong played some solos on it (although people sometimes think it was Johnny Dodds playing it, it wasn't" I played with what used to be christian youth band, but we took a different direction, writing our own songs and such, doing Arrogant Worm songs as well. It was good times, and one of our singer/songwriters wrote songs that featured Native American Flute and the Slide Whistle.
I wouldn't mind learning how to play all sorts of world music flutes. I absolutely love flutes, and their capabilities. I didn't think the flute was worth much till i went to this concert (world music) and discovered Rahasaan Roland Kirk. I would love to mike my flute and attach it to some sort of wind distorter. And to answer the first post, I started on flute in grade 6 ( I really want to play Violin or French Horn) and I study Jazz in Post Sec now (after dropping out of the classical program) I play in two jazz groups, an acoustic group and a free improv.instrumental.
I love the Quena too. Its from Peru and is played like a recorder, but with no reed or such. You blow across a half-circle cut out of bamboo or hardwood. I was taught to play by a busking dude downtown I used to skip class in high school to go listen and learn from him. LOL Here's a short YouTube link to some quena music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlXi_Iq0XGc&feature=related
Anyways, sorry for rambling on. Great topic,
Cheers - J | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 5/13/2009 5:58:51 AM | I dabble with the Oud. I first heard this instrument on a recording of Ahmed Mukhtar, an amazing player. From there I started listening to a lot of world music.
I have a big list of instruments I'd like to learn. Sitar and the Guqin are at the top (speaking of which, any recommendations on where to get a good guqin in the states?).
I also play guitar, banjo, mandolin, dobro, harmonica and sing. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/2/2009 4:55:16 PM | | I donot play but my deceased husband (passed 3 yrs ago) played mandolin since he was 5 and has many recordings out ..I know Peter Rowan and my my brother in law plays with him all the time.. Just wanted to reply since u mentioned Peter Rowan .. I am a big bluegrass fan and my husband also has recorded with Chris Hillman who use to play with the Byrds but the mandolin is such a beautiful instrument and also the mandola | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/2/2009 8:51:23 PM | | hi Season21 I'm pretty sure I know who your departed love was and I saw him at least several times at the Cajun and Bluegrass Festival in Rhode Island playing with Tony and others. I volunteered for ten years and saw Peter Rowan and his brother Lorin as well as the Rice Brothers. I took great pleasure in meeting several of the boys backstage at Escoheag R.I. As I said that was my inspiration to get a mandola. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/3/2009 9:45:07 AM | Though they're not terribly weird, I play djembe (assuming we're considering percussive instruments in this discussion), pan flute and bagpipes.
I often accoustic jam with people on djembe and pan flute. I rarely get the chance to whip out the bagpipes though. Unless you're playing in a brogue metal band it's pretty rare to find use for them.
Once or twice the pan flute has come out at band practice, but since we play ska music (I play the organ for them) it's not particularly useful I'm afraid. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/3/2009 10:28:51 AM | Cool discussion...
Personally I can't play any musical instruments really well, but I love hearing them. I do salsa dancing, so I love Latin percussion. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/3/2009 12:44:44 PM | I play Synth, keyboards, sequencers and Midi controllers
I currently own An Alesis Micron, Korg Electribe MKII, Electribe ZX, M-Audio Axiom 49 and A Korg Kaos Pad | |
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Joined: 1/9/2005
Msg: 36 | |
| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/3/2009 1:06:12 PM |
I need to get a valve trombone
I love low brass, there's nothing like a horn section to fatten up a groove, valve trombone certainly qualifies as rare.
I find it curious though, what some people regard as "unusual".
I see a lot of the instruments mentioned in common use, especially in the studio.
I am another Oud player, an instrument becoming less unusual as western and turkic/arabic music continue to cross-pollinate. I also play the Saz (Turkish) and the Pipa (Chinese).
The rest of the chordaphone instruments I play are relatively standard, lap steel, resophonic guitar, fretless contrabass, mandolin, various types of electric guitars, Hammond M111, Keyboard and guitar synths, etc, ...none are really "unusual"
I was recently on a recording session with an amazing "unusual instrument" player named Oöol Fjölkunnigr (unusual name too). He played from his vast collection of south and east asian wind and percussion instruments, ...most of which I've never seen/heard before, ...and names I can't remember or pronounce. 
What's really great is that the many instruments once thought unusual are being used more often, which is better than them becoming faded memories. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/5/2009 9:53:09 AM | | Not really unusual, but I have a few Djembe's and didgeridoos, I have purchased as well as made one of each and find them to be so fun despite their simplicity. A lot easier to just slip away mentally (very meditative) compared to playing my guitars. Not sure if this applies to all instruments (anyone know?) but EEG scans have shown brainwaves of those entranced in hand-drumming to be in the same state as those found in participants of deep meditation techniques or in a light sleep - while at the same time circulation and respiratory functions were excited and improved. Making it FACT that music excites the body and soothes the mind | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/5/2009 4:03:38 PM | | I can play oboe well enough, but it's quite possibly one of the hardest reed instruments I have ever played. I am fully versed in SATB (soprano, alto, tenor and baritone) saxophones and can play B flat, A and bass clarinets decently. I have yet to play bassoon though and would like to some day, I suck at brass instruments though, too much back pressure. Oboe is difficult to play well, especially in the upper register as the embouchure on double reeds is extremely tight when you get into the 3rd octave of the register. | |
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Joined: 1/9/2005
Msg: 39 | |
| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/5/2009 7:57:32 PM | Bassoon kicks ass, there's a killer bassoon player, Paul Hanson; who sometimes plays with Bela Fleck (electric banjo) and the Flecktones (we're talking seriously unusual instruments here), ...he also employs a synth trigger on his bassoon, too hard to describe, you have to hear it:
Bela and the boys playing Copland's "Hoedown" (with tablas even...)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fu2s2H-hlc
For those who've never seen the Flecktones, ...the drummer's name is Future Man, guess which one he is (hint - no drums)? | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/5/2009 9:47:23 PM | | I am quite familiar with Bela Fleck's work, Victor Wooten is one of the most astounding bass players I have ever heard and some of the stuff the Flecktones play is just mind blowing. Ray "Future Man" Wooten is a rather unique drummer though, he doesn't actually play drums but rather electronic percussive instruments similar to guitars and keyboards. His latest thing is the RayEI which plays notes not found in traditional western music, apparently the notes are based off the periodic table of the elements and the golden ratio. Amazing bunch of musicians though, Bela Fleck certainly knows talent, creativity and genius when he hears it. | |
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Joined: 1/9/2005
Msg: 41 | |
| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/5/2009 10:44:04 PM |
he doesn't actually play drums but rather electronic percussive instruments similar to guitars and keyboards.
Yay! more unusual instruments.
Actually, he does play standard kit drums, it's just that he kinda' moved on.
but rather electronic percussive instruments similar to guitars and keyboards.
Actually it's just an obsolete 80s midi trigger called a "Synthaxe", with a bunch of dollar store doo dads glued to it and painted with nail polish.
Before:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SynthAxe
After:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumitar
His latest thing is the RayEI which plays notes not found in traditional western music
Or any music, it's a forced arbitrary interval scale, a cool concept but somewhat amusical for obvious reasons.
I met a kid a few years ago who came up with midi algorithms to sub-divide an octave via non dodecatonic even tempered divisions of lesser positive integers. None of which have the same viability of the standard 12 tone modalities, but have some interesting aspects of chordal intervals nonetheless.
The problem is, they don't mix. though I think there's probably interesting sonic juxtapositions in the divisors of 9, 6 and 3.
The instrument you're talking about is arranged like a three course keyboard, except with guitar picks glued to triggers instead of keys. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/6/2009 9:56:58 AM | I'd love to learn to play the digeridoo (African percussion instrument)...love the deep sound of it, though it takes a lot of "hot air" (I kill me) to play. And the cello *drool*.
Does the "organ" count as unique instruments to play? I performed on a pipe organ in the summer and wow wow for wow. What an amazing instrument, one of the largest in the city and the power that came out was just amazing!
I also play piano, a bit of guitar, hand drums, percussion and clarinet. Tho, those aren't really unique instruments. | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/6/2009 3:13:31 PM | | Sorry Diva, but the Digeridoo is an austrailian aboriginal wind instrument just to clarify. For a while there it seemed pretty popular with the college kids | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/6/2009 7:19:35 PM | | I play djembe, and any other percussion instruments. I was an early childhood music and movement specialist, but I couldn't (don't) read music. I am the most musical person though, with a great sense of rhythm. A former dancer, I always said my instrument was my body. Then, in the music world, I said my instrument is my voice. | |
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Joined: 1/9/2005
Msg: 46 | |
| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/6/2009 9:37:19 PM | Again, I'm very surprised at what some consider, "unusual musical instruments".
<div class="quote">the Digeridoo is an austrailian aboriginal wind instrument just to clarify. For a while there it seemed pretty popular with the college kids
And neo-hippies, same with the djembe, which is kinda' like this decade's bongo drums.
Anybody play the Cümbüs? | |
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| Do you play any unusual musical instruments?
Posted: 9/23/2009 12:51:37 PM | | I've been playing guitar for over 2 decades. A few years ago I started playing some harmonica and djembe. I've tried the recorder, but the fingering is quite tricky and I can't stand how it squeals. Recently I started listening to some Irish folk music (not U2, LOL!) and got a tin whistle. I need to get a better one because it squeals on some notes too. I think that's due to it basically being a straight instead of tapered pipe. I do like it better than the recorder. | |
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