The Musicians Thread

[Sputnik]

I'm sure he'll be rocking a mean 19/8-5/4 alternate beat within six months, with all the cool music he listens to.

[Victor Mildew]

my fave is:

dum dum tish, da-dummy dum tish
dum dum tish, da-dummy dum TISH
dum dum tish, da-dummy dum tish
DIGGYDIGGY, diggydiggy, diggydiggy, TAT TAT

FUUUUUUU play somethign else!

"erm, shall i play that faster then?"

[Lime]

my fave is:

dum dum tish, da-dummy dum tish
dum dum tish, da-dummy dum TISH
dum dum tish, da-dummy dum tish
DIGGYDIGGY, diggydiggy, diggydiggy, TAT TAT

FUUUUUUU play somethign else!

"erm, shall i play that faster then?"

Awesome fill, man.

[Hesk]

Play that beat fast enough though and it becomes a breakbeat. Which is a good thing.

[Exxy]

I believe there's 2 methods of doing it, Exxy. 3, actually.
The first one is doing it by the book - starting with a single drum, studying drum music (the actual notation, like any other instrument) to build up your discipline when it comes to time-keeping, and understanding the value that conventional note values have in building up a rhythmical repertoire. Then, you'd implement your skills around the drum kit, introducing both feet.
The 2nd way is more about instinct - sitting at a kit and hoping that your natural ear for rhythm translates into funky chops. Both methods take a lot of practice - and this one more so, perhaps. The risk with this - and I've seen and heard it many times - is that passion, enthusiasm and raw power substitutes for accuracy, precision, and balance, when really all of those elements can co- exist, if you're skilled enough.
Drumming - unlike most instruments - in my opinion is not one where you can become merely competent after a year or two. Drumming skill and technique is one which is nurtured, and built over many years. Feeling the beat not in your mind, your brain, but to a point where you don't even think about time - it flows within you subconsciously.
The third method is one I was raised, and it's a successful combination of the first two - 'by the book' meeting the free spirit. But regardless of where you fall, the best thing you can do to learn, is to learn from others. Listen to drums in songs in a different way, where the riff is king. gooseberry fool, some of my favourite genres are metal, then funk, then hip-hop. It's the riffs. Always the riffs. More techniques to borrow, to incorporate into your own style.
Good luck!

Cheers buddy Method two seems best for me. Might work some lessons in as well. Been looking at electric kits (tempted to look at acoustic now though) and the ones I can afford look a little...gooseberry fool. Always the one thing that has put me off drumming is how much it costs

[Hesk]

Yeah, cheap electric drum kits are pretty shite. You'll be lucky to get a decent one under £400, and even that's scraping it. I bought one for £675 (Roland TD-K3) a few years ago. Good kit, but expensive. And that's the lowest model they do/did!

[Adam231]

Anyone know of any good free programs that i can download and record some guitars and vocals and put on youtube/myspace etc?

[Squinty]

Audacity. Sometimes crashes for me, but it fits the criteria pretty well.

[Adam231]

Thanks Sounds perfect from reading up on it.

[Igor]

Holy gooseberry fool.






I just realised how good I would currently be on piano/guitar had I actually bothered learning them properly when I bought my piano (seven years ago) and guitar (four years ago). How strawberry floating depressing.



I'm going to bust my old keyboard out when I get home for Christmas. Maybe I could be reasonably good by the time I'm 30. Urgh. Such a waste.

[blackoutHERO]

Can anyone recommend a good acoustic guitar for around £350? My current one is just a cheap £120ish and hoping to get a new one for Christmas.

[Exxy]

Re: Me asking about drums.

I'm going to try and learn some guitar, if I can show some patience with that then I'll think about drums. I can't even do simple chord progressions at the moment though

[Lotus]

This time last year i decided to get back into guitar playing after not playing for well, about a decade.
Just wanted to learn classical. gonna see about actual lessons int he new year, just teaching myself for the last year. I did this in summer of this year, its gooseberry fool quality (recorded direct from laptop speakers), and my drop D is out of strawberry floating tune. also theres a couple of mistakes. But probably definitely the most complicated piece of music ive ever learnt. Ive gotten better at it since then, and also gotten a good electric tuner The difference playing in concert pitch makes is astounding.

I used to play classical. I sometimes wonder how good I could have been if I'd kept practising all this time.

[Dr. ogue Tomato]

Can anyone recommend any decent keyboards, around the 200-300 quid mark, I am mainly looking to learn the piano and this will be my first keyboard, it also has to be portable, so light and relatively small. A clerk at one of the shops I looked at said 61 keys was okay for a newcomer, is this true?

EDIT: Ideally I would want a digital piano, but with my suitcase it would be kind of cumbersome to haul a full sized one up to scotland from the midlands on the train.

[Hesk]

I can't recommend anything myself, but if you're looking to use it for learning piano, try to make sure whatever one you get has good reviews about the responsiveness of keys. A lot of keyboards fall short in this area from what I've seen and don't feel anything like an actual piano. Can make dynamics much harder to play.

[Dr. ogue Tomato]

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/m-audio-prokeys-sono-61/19623?gclid=CLqJ7YeFjK0CFUQMfAodtl1Fng

I was thinking of that due to green geckos recommendation in the other thread but it doesn't have any speakers would a standard guitar amp double as a speaker for when I'm not using my headphones.

Failing that I was thinking of getting this.

But the cheap price sort of puts me off a bit considering all the features it has, obviously full weighted is out of the question as it's too heavy to transport so I think semi weighted is the way to go.

[Dr. ogue Tomato]

Saw the MP-31 in Digital Vilage in birmingham today, wasn't impressed with the sound quality at all, it just seemed rather tinny. I am probably going to get the M-Audio one and will just use my Bass amp as a speaker, or headphones.

[smurphy]

Another one for the collection!

If someone told me a year ago that I'd one day own a Fender Strat in Sunburst I never would have believed them. Totally love the style now.

[Pontius Pilate]

Favourite guitar is a strat, by a mile. I love the look of the sunburst ones, especially the cherry sunbursts.



If only I could afford one.

[smurphy]

strawberry floating hell it sounds so good, and I'm only playing it through my (fairly good admittedly) bass amp. Such a good light crunch to it when playing hard, and a sort punchy twanginess with some overdrive. Undecided as to whether I should buy a proper guitar amp for it, sounds amazing as is.

Edit: Yeah, I've really fallen in love with Sunburst of late. The wood grain and paint on this Strat isn't as nice as on my Jaguar bass, but I guess that was double the price. Still looks awesome.