Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?

[GibbsEmphasis]

I’ve been making electronic music for a few years and am planning to start learning guitar soon. Wild times.

What kind of musical background do we have here on Opposite-Lock? With my last full-time semester wrapped up for college, I’m planning to get back into writing/producing again. Very curious to see the wide variety of talents we’ve got here on Oppo.

[BicycleBuck]

@way2blu

We have some SUPER talented people here, of which I am not one! I'll let them introduce themselves.

Most of my music-making ended with high school band many years ago. I have a couple of guitars and plink around with them occasionally, but I learned long ago that while I could play a variety of instruments, I was never going to write or produce anything original. Still, I enjoy torturing my wife with the few songs I know.

We did break out her saxophone a few years ago when our kids were interested in band. She banned me from playing it after a fairly raucous session of Christmas tunes. I played bari sax in jazz band, so her little alto just wasn't up to the task. She said it sounded like I was trying to murder the poor little thing.

I'm hoping the professionals come out of the woodwork to impress you with their talent.

[ttyymmnn]

@way2blu I have three degrees in trumpet performance, and play professionally. Yet I have no skills whatsoever in composing or arranging. I'll play just about anything you put in front of me, but don't ask me to write anything.

[beefchips]

@way2blu I play bluegrass/country/old time guitar. It's a lot of fun! Before covid-times I used to do open mics, jams in pubs and summer festivals and stuff to play with other people. My neighbors and I also at one point had managed to put enough covers together to do an hour set so we played a couple "gigs" (meaning, we got free beer at the end). I'm really excited for stuff to open up again cause I miss playing with other people. Zoom just isn't the same

Also I have a fiddle lying around but I suck hard LOL

[ttyymmnn]

@bicyclebuck said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

I played bari sax in jazz band

Something I never knew about you. Love me some bari sax.

[CB]

@way2blu I've played French Horn, Trumpet, and Baritone (where I was conscripted into a marching band for six months after not playing for ten years). I played bass guitar and now I have an acoustic guitar I pick up every once in a while and have no real motivation to play.

[beefchips]

@way2blu you thinking acoustic or electric?

[SamV8]

I've got a Yamaha Pacifica Guitar which I've not touched for years but I've just recently got myself Rocksmith in an attempt to start learning again, also looking at getting a bass guitar at some point

[SamV8]

@ttyymmnn if you love bari sax I take it you've come across Too Many Zooz?

[ttyymmnn]

@samv8 said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

@ttyymmnn if you love bari sax I take it you've come across Too Many Zooz?

Heck yeah. My son is a big fan, and went to see them live here in Austin last year.

[beefchips]

@samv8 said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

@ttyymmnn if you love bari sax I take it you've come across Too Many Zooz?

Love Too Many Zooz! Their music is so fun.

[SamV8]

I missed out on seeing them in the UK last year, only found out they were over here when it was too late to get tickets

[MM54]

I used to play a TON of guitar, then I didn't have time / space (because noise) in college and I never got back into it. I've spent years saying "I should get back into guitar" but I never have the time and ambition simultaneously (still have all my equipment - a couple guitars, marshall half stack, 100w and 50w heads, practice amp [tube] that I built, etc etc).

[ttyymmnn]

@samv8 My son plays trumpet in marching band, and one of his prized possessions is the dollar bill the Zooz trumpet player autographed for him. The band were very gracious and took time to talk to three high school band kids who had come to their show.

[SamV8]

that's pretty awesome of them

[BicycleBuck]

@ttyymmnn said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

@bicyclebuck said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

I played bari sax in jazz band

Something I never knew about you. Love me some bari sax.

It was a strange time in my life. I played Bari in jazz band before school, then oboe in concert band during first period.

[BicycleBuck]

@samv8 said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

I've got a Yamaha Pacifica Guitar which I've not touched for years but I've just recently got myself Rocksmith in an attempt to start learning again, also looking at getting a bass guitar at some point

We bought an inexpensive electric guitar just to play Rocksmith. It can be fun, but I found that the frets on the cheap guitar are a little too tall and inconsistently so, making the tuning slightly sharp on some notes, somewhat flat on others, even with consistent finger pressure on the same string. I really should buy a mic setup for my classical guitar.

[i86hotdogs]

@way2blu I play a mean air guitar, bass, and drums.

Coincidentally, I also am pretty good at the guitar hero and rock band video games.

But that's about it.

[mustangchris66]

@way2blu I play Alto Sax and Clarinet in a Big Band and Clarinet in a local Community Concert Band. The pandemic has been extremely hard on my musical outlets. I'm very much a group/ensemble player and don't enjoy playing alone. Pre pandemic I had two rehearsals a week one for each group. I've not picked up an instrument since March. It's the longest I've not played some kind of music since I started playing an instrument in third grade in 1995. I really miss it.

[awesomeaustinv]

I love to play the guitar, and I write music with my mom from time to time. I'll come up with the chords, and she writes the lyrics. It's fun. Haven't recorded any of our songs, though. Not sure when if ever we'll do so.

I also play the ukulele and my mountain dulcimer every now and then, although it's hard to find much sheet music for the dulcimer besides basic old folk songs and hymns (not that I have anything against old folk songs and hymns, they're just not really my thing), so I don't play it as often. It's interesting, though, so I like to mess around with it.

[ttyymmnn]

@bicyclebuck Because those instruments are so similar....

[Chariotoflove]

@way2blu I played trombone fairly seriously up through college. I also taught myself a little flute to play with my daughter a couple years ago.

[Chariotoflove]

@ttyymmnn said in Musical Oppo — Who here writes/produces/performs/mixes music?:

@bicyclebuck Because those instruments are so similar....

I had a friend in high school who played flugelhorn for the marching band, but also played oboe and french horn in the wind ensemble. Crazy talented and yet just for fun.

[MattHurting]

@awesomeaustinv I've never heard of a mountain dulcimer. Big fan of the hammer dulcimer, especially when it's featured on an episode of Jack's Big Music Show.

[beefchips]

@awesomeaustinv My wife plays a little bit of mountain dulcimer! It intrigues me because it's a truly indigenous American instrument. You can make it sound pretty great in bluegrass too, one of the women I jam with plays a mean dulcimer.