How many instruments do you play?


Thought this would be interesting.

chrispiano

Just one (recorder).

Only the piano. When I was at school I did do some of the less complex ones like the chime bars, triangle, tambourine etc. And I did join Mr Farrs recorder group but I only just about got to (School Recorder) Book 2 (the dirty green one)

In order of competence : clarinet, saxophone, flute, recorder, penny whistle (those Irish things in D), piano, voice, 'cello.

Currently sax, flute and piano (though the piano doesn't get much practice these days).


Previous instruments include: Cornet, Tenor Horn, Baritone horn, classical guitar, folk guitar, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, penny whistle, organ.

Lever harp, Piano, Voice, Flute.

Just put piano on pause for six months to concentrate on lever harp before I take my grade 4 Fed up with feeling guilty because I never fitted in piano practice after harp practice and the numerous daily things needed to take care of 4 kids! But I will miss taking piano lessons. I still miss my singing lessons, and that has been 10 years! Oh, for more hours in the day (and more money in the bank...!)

Flute, Piano, Voice, Classical Guitar,

Playing the flute and singing require much the same breathing,

and Piano and Classical Guitar require the same understanding of voicing and ambidexterity, and reading at least two musical lines at once (even though they're entwined on the same staff for CG).

So I only have two musical skills really.

Piano and harp are the same. Nice to hear of someone else with similar tastes, taking advantage of the similarities between instruments. I just love hearing other people also like to experience playing more than one instrument!

Too many

Piano and Oboe and sing in a choir but would never class myself as a singer

Maybe far in the future I wouldn't mind getting a Cor but like Collyermum, I need more hours in the day and more money in the bank !

You're a singer. If I am, you certainly are

You're too kind Barry

I belong (sing) in the choir because: a) I love the chorale music e.g. Faure, Rutter, Mozart b) It helps my music theory and our Conductor is very informative and c) the people are very nice

I would

Violin, piano, organ, cello (not very well) and I sing in a choir but have never had singing lessons so I don't know if it counts.

See above : it does

Only the piano.

Voice, cello, tenor viol, bass viol, piano, alto saxophone, alto recorder, tenor recorder, 6 course Renaissance lute.

The last three I'm not currently actively pursuing, although I'd like to. I don't own a lute, I hired one for a while and had lessons, but it's a tricky instrument and I decided I didn't have the time or the funds to follow it up.

Thanks for all the answers!


chrispiano

Flute, recorder, voice, piano, bass viol.

Piano and clarinet.
Quite enough for me.

Violin, obviously, with a viola-ish technique which translates well when working with that instrument. (My teacher was about 5', so her violin technique dealt with it as a taller person tackles the viola!)

Piano, very much a second instrument. I love being able to accompany pupils, especially when we get to a level where there's a musical communication both ways.

Tuba....began three years ago, as my contribution to a Grade-1-athon. So different from anything else I've tackled, but I've had some excellent help along the way! Taking Grade 5 next month

Currently I play piano, flute, recorder, and ukulele. Previously I've played cello, orchestral percussion and guitar. I had a brief flirtation with steel pans which was fun, but the group closed. I kind of sing, but only for leading my pre-school music and musicianship classes so not trained in any way.

I have oboe lessons and play the oboe and (sometimes) the cor anglais in orchestras.
I play the piano for pleasure and also accompany my daughters.

In the past I have played (and still own and can play with varying success) lots of different sizes of recorder, the violin, the flute, the guitar and the clarinet.

I can also play simple tunes on my daughter's cello.

However, when people ask me what I play (particularly in France where people usually only play one instrument) I just say "oboe and piano."

order of competence: Piano, Horn, <---big gap----> recorder, kazoo

Currently: violin, voice, flute, piccolo, piano, ocarina, just started learning a little on clarinet.....in the past I have also played recorders of all sizes (treble to grade 3!) penny whistle, big Irish whistle and handbells.

LOL it looks a bit crazy when written down like that!!

Violin, Guitar, Baroque Guitar (I'm counting it as a separate!), Recorder (only just).

Organ, piano, rusty recorder any size (rusty=me, not the instrument).
Plus I sing: in a choir, but often do a solo part if a real soloist isn't around.

Piano. Could probably still make horn-like noises with a horn.

Currently Play: Piano, Voice, and some Guitar (enough to play some ACDC and Dio in my cover band, but not much more!)

Have Played: Clarinet, Recorder (could probably pick these two up again quite easily), Cello (not so easily) and Trombone (never again!).

Piano, organ and trombone for me...

Far too many!
I've performed in public on:

Trumpet
Piano
Organ
Flugelhorn
Tenor Horn
Baritone
Euphonium
Trombone
Tuba
Cornet
Soprano Cornet
Percussion
Synthesizer
Clarinet (Eb, Bb, Alto and Contra-alto (managed to miss out bass, somehow!))
Saxophone (mainly Tenor and Baritone, but a little bit of alto, too)
Bass Guitar
Upright Bass
Guitar

Consort of recorders (garklein, sopranino, descant, treble, tenor, bass and great bass) - wish I could play more than one at once!
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Piano
Violin
Cello
Guitar (not at all well: I would play it more if I could tune it properly. The old folk club joke: it was in tune when I bought it)

I am so tempted every time I see a bargain saxophone, but so far I have resisted. The second part of the phrase "Jack of all trades" definitely applies to me!

recorder, recorder, recorder, recorder, recorder, recorder.....

I'm glad to see a few of the other recorder players mentioning they play more than one, too! My ears are allergic to the little 'uns, so don't do garklein or sopranino unless really pressurised, but then I do play descant, treble, a bit of voice flute, tenor, bass, great bass and contrabass if someone lends me one. I count them as different because after a day of switching between them, my head is mince from trying to remember which clef and key I'm now using.

Piano, badly, but enough to find notes. I'll add harpsichord, ditto, on the grounds that the touch is different.
In the past, oboe, but I'd struggle to get much out of one now.

And I don't do singing, except in the company of a crowd, or by mistake.

Piano, cello, voice, euphonium, recorder family. Dabbled with tuba and flute, and played the shawm at university

Piano and voice [singing of the "choral, never had lessons variety"].

Ah, you're into subtle sounding instruments then?

Shawm?

Garklein?

Sorry to be so ignorant, but can someone enlighten me?

A Garklein is a very little small recorder. I'll bring an example to the Glasgow gig if you like.

A shawm is an early predecessor of the oboe. Known for being LOUD! and a bit of a menace, as the following limerick relates

There was a young man with a shawm
Who decided to play in the dorm
He practised all night
Until it got light
Then we buried him, deep in the lawn.

*Likes*

Piano, voice(solo) and beginner on treble recorder. I have been known to mess about with a tambourine at forum events in the past!

I play the piano and cello. I used to play bassoon when I was in school. I was picked on the basis that there was no-one in the wind orchestra that could play it and seeing as I could read the bass clef, the job was handed to me! I quite miss playing the bassoon, it is a fun instrument!!

As katyjay said, a very little small recorder. The 'full name' is a garklein flotein, which translates to something like "very-small small-flute".
The descant being the 'normal' recorder you play at primary school, the next smallest size is the sopranino and the next smallest size is the garklein. So a gark is an octave above a descant. (Un)fortunately you don't get the full range on a gark, so you don't get to go 2+ octaves. You need quite small fingers!
Garks are generally better in small doses from a long distance

While I'm here, I play recorders...I own garklein to bass.
I own a bass gemshorn though mostly it just sits around being pretty
I know which keys are which on a keyboard but I don't actually play any keyboard instrument. I can make a noise on the pretend-harpsichord/organ/piano on the iPad
And I did play the cello for about four or five terms at school.

[quote name='Tenor Viol' post='1132303' date='Feb 29 2012, 11:50 PM']
[quote name='tangerine' post='1132229' date='Feb 29 2012, 04:29 PM'] Piano, cello, voice, euphonium, recorder family. Dabbled with tuba and flute, and played the shawm at university [/quote]
Ah, you're into subtle sounding instruments then?
[/quote

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Piano, clarinet, flute, alto saxophone

Ditto

piano, clarinet, ukulele and tarogato.

Only just caught up on this thread. Thanks for the definitions - and the brilliant limerick! Sadly, as things stand at the moment I won't be at the Glasgow gig this time - unless I can find an excuse in a hurry for being in Glasgow that weekend.....

Garklein - small, shrill recorder. A descant seems quite a reserved instrument by comaparison.

Shawm is a double-reed instrument that comes in various sizes, usually alto and tenor. It is loosely the predecessor of the oboe. It has a big flared bell. They are LOUD. They were used to lead outdoor processions. Traditionally, the city waits (watchmen) would at festival times lead processions through the streets playing shawms.

They should only be used indoors as a form of unarmed combat.

Currently: sax (alto and tenor), piano, singing [choral, no lessons], and I can get some notes out of a clarinet or recorder at a push

Previously: violin, folk guitar [ie chords only]