Music Anyone?

[Yeti]

I play guitar. I have since I was 10 years old and wouldn't trade it for anything. Though I listen to all types of music from classical to death metal, I play mostly folk music and like to write my own. Like martial arts, I would describe it as an integral part of me - something that helps define me - and I would not be the same person without it. Also like the martial arts, playing guitar gives me a sense of peace, a sense of calm, a sense of uniqueness and at the same time, a sense of commonality. I've even got my guitar on my lap as I'm typing this post.

Who else plays an instrument and what does it mean to you?

 

[MBuzzy]

Saxophone, Clarinet, a bit of Guitar and piano, and some auxilliary percussion.

I love music and I love playing...I feel the same as you, Yeti...it is an integral part of my life, both playing it and listening to it. Between Music and Martial Arts lie my two loves in life other than my wife and family.

 

[Jai]

Music is as big a part of my life as MA is. I own well over 2,000 CDs from every type of music from heavy/death metal to classical and big band. I also was also part of Drumline in High School as well as Jazz band and Woodwind Choir. I played sax from 5th grade well past high school and learned 4 string bass later on as well. Music is my expression of self, almost as much if not more then MA is.

 

[stickarts]

I played the trumpet for a long time. I only pick it up occaisionally but I had lots of great concerts and times in music. Now my daughter picks it up sometimes and blasts out a few notes. It will always definately be part of who I am.

 

[Yeti]

Music is my expression of self, almost as much if not more then MA is.

Exactly! That's kind of what I was getting at when I said in my OP that it gives me a sense of uniqueness AND commonality. Commonality because like millions of others, I play guitar. Uniqueness because I don't play it like anyone else does, and no one else plays quite like me. It really is like the martial arts in that regard...you learn, but then you make what you have learned your own.

 

[newGuy12]

I wonder if music is much like the Martial Arts? I say that because of this:

Music is an art that is "time dependent". There is timing involved. The tones change with time.

Same way with the Martial Arts. Timing, rhythm, are very important.

Now, the other arts, say, sculpture, or painting, or architecture, do NOT change as a function of time. They are static.

I'm not a musician, but I enjoy listening to music.

 

[terryl965]

Guitar and the flute. I love the drums but never really got it down. I believe music and MA goes hand in hand.

 

[Yeti]

I believe music and MA goes hand in hand.

I think many Capoera (sp?) practitioners would agree.

 

[Carol]

B.Mus, Berklee College of Music

 

[Yeti]

B.Mus, Berklee College of Music

Cheater...

 

[bookworm_cn317]

Who else plays an instrument and what does it mean to you?

I play 2: piano(had lessons in elementary school) and guitar (since 1997-ish).

The second part is kind of personal. But, I CAN say that I wouldn't be who I am today if I never learned an instrument.

 

[ktaylor75]

I play the organ (if anyone even knows what that is), and am teaching myself piano. I love to write my own songs...2 of which I have written, our ladies singing group sang in church! But, being a single parent of 2 of my own children, +2 foster children and now taking up karate doesnt leave much time for music right now. Sooner or later I will get back to it.

 

[theletch1]

I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket with a lid on it. Never learned anything beyond the recorder in, what, 4th grade? The world wouldn't be the same without those of you that give it a soundtrack.
Yeti, you play any Gordon Lightfoot when you're playing folk?

 

[Xue Sheng]

B.Mus, Berklee College of Music

DAMN!!

If it wasn’t for my first wife (girl friend at the time) I would have gone there for recording engineering/music… and I still wish I went there.

I play guitar. I have since I was 10 years old and wouldn't trade it for anything. Though I listen to all types of music from classical to death metal, I play mostly folk music and like to write my own. Like martial arts, I would describe it as an integral part of me - something that helps define me - and I would not be the same person without it. Also like the martial arts, playing guitar gives me a sense of peace, a sense of calm, a sense of uniqueness and at the same time, a sense of commonality. I've even got my guitar on my lap as I'm typing this post.

Who else plays an instrument and what does it mean to you?

I play Guitar like just about every other male that went to high school back in the 70s. I played Blues (and metal like every other guy that went to high school in the 70s) but have played classical as well. However I have not really played much in the last few years and I have missed it. I have started playing again but I seem to be leaning back towaards classical.

Also use to played mandolin and I have toyed with the piano.

EDIT:

Just as a note, My Xingyiquan Sifu had 2 jobs; he ran his CMA school and is a fairly successful local musician

 

[Kreth]

I played trumpet in school, did the whole Marching, Jazz, Concert, All-County, All-State thing. Haven't picked up a trumpet since I graduated. Now I sing with a metal band (link in my sig), can drum a little, and lately I've been trying to learn guitar. Unfortunately, it seems like for every day or two I can sit down and work on scales and chords, I have 3 or 4 or 5 when I don't have time to pick it up. Let me tell you, learning guitar sucks when you don't get enough time in to develop callouses.

 

[tellner]

I played piano and French horn as a kid, took up the bagpipes in college but never did much with them. For the last few years my wife and I have been doing African drumming (dununs, djembe) and a little bit of Middle Easter percussion. The motivation for the drumming was martial arts. Well, Tiel had wanted to take up drums ever since growing up in Africa. But it was the work we started doing a while ago on rhythm and timing in Silat that gave the boost we needed. I have about as much natural rhythm as your average White heterosexual American man :shrug: It helped big-time.

 

[Carol]

DAMN!!

If it wasn’t for my first wife (girl friend at the time) I would have gone there for recording engineering/music… and I still wish I went there.

Wanna guess what my major was? Or would that be too cruel?

 

[Kreth]

Wanna guess what my major was? Or would that be too cruel?

Boy band management? :lol:

 

[Xue Sheng]

Wanna guess what my major was? Or would that be too cruel?

Do you want to make an old CMA guy and ex-West Peabody resident cry?

 

[Langenschwert]

B.Mus, Berklee College of Music

Su-weet!

I've got a B.A. Mus (Jazz Performance in Bass Guitar) from St. Francis Xavier University, a pretty good jazz school. I know used to know a few cats that went to Berklee, though their names have escaped me after so many years.

Best regards,

-Mark