Poll: What are your musical skills?

Though I wish it could be otherwise, I can't sing, I can't play anything, and I can't write. Thus, I am doomed to be a professional listener.

I too wish it were different. I own a guitar, bass, doumbek, etc. I can't PLAY diddly. I have this huge creative drive in me but no talent or follow-through. Too talentless to be a natural, too lazy to work the hard way. :) Vocally, I don't know. Some people claim I sing well. Sometimes I think so, most times I don't. I know I adore singing so I'll never stop. But it's likely not something others should hear. :)

If I do sing well, it's in the "casual-social-carrying-a-tune-for-fun" way rather than actual potential to be a *singer*.

I wish I had talent.

I do write lyrics sometimes. But I have no ability to write music to go along...no partner either...so they just go away.

Foofy.

-AK

those of us who play a bunch of instruments, but only one almost sort of well? :)

I've played piano since age 7, but stopped taking lessons when I was 16 (so I'm way out of practice at reading music, and playing "real piano music" - now I just play fake chords and stuff) and I play accordion reasonably well, partly due to my already knowing piano.

I think I play guitar "well enough" to play songs by most of the artists I like, or at least fake my way through them. but since I seem to spend more time now playing guitar than keyboards, I'm improving on it much faster. I also play bass barely well enough to record bass parts for songs I'm working on.

I write music, but have trouble with lyrics. if I could write lyrics, I'd be recording my own songs instead of other people's....

I sing a lot, in an acappella group, but my instrument skills aren't so hot. Although I play a mean jaw-harp. I'm trying to arrange... does that count?

There should be an option for singers-- I mean I did take piano lessons as a kid, but I've forgotten everything I know- so that hardly counts! But I am a decent singer

Oh come on, singers aren't musicians! *grins* j/k.. I knew I'd leave some option out. I guess just count your voice as an instrument?

Heh... that reminds me of that old joke.

Q: What do you call a person who hangs around musicians?

A: A drummer.

:)

sure... pick on the drummers!

heh! I love being a musician... and a chick drummer!

I've found a solid home at FHDC, since there are sooo many music lovers, and supporters of Indie groups and artists! There are more open minds here than anywhere else I've ever been.

yup! I counted my voice as an "instrument" that I play well :)

I oughta. I bloody well have had training at it, have entertained with it, and work on improving my skills continously and dilligently :)

I love music and have training on the Accordion and Viola. I can't really say I play anything though. My singing is somewhat nightmarish. I do play a mediocre Jew's harp and a mean Kazoo though. Not to mention managing the World's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll band Batnose.

I get paid to play, which is very cool, but I'm not in the Union or anything. So I guess I'm semi-professional. Or something. Anyone wanna hire a Swing Band? ;-)

*L* Well, I -think- I consider myself to be semi-professional, what with having the CD out soon, and regular gigs, and getting invited to tour all the heck over the place... and I hang out with professional musicians a lot, if that counts for anything. *L*

I used to make my living as a singer, which I forget now and then, but have been reminded of the last couple of days... and I don't miss the business and the work at all, but I admit to missing singing. Anyway, it was weird to see this poll because I had to think a bit about what my answer should be.

I guess I used to be professional, and now I could still consider myself semi- professional because of this. On the other hand, I think my days as a true professional singer are likely long past, if I am honest with myself... even that album was recorded a few years ago, despite its recent release.

I'm with Melinda on this one. I put down the semi-pro musician vote, but only because I've played gigs with my rock band to earn money for the band, and have done a few church gigs for money as well. But I'm certainly not going to make a living at it with the level that I'm at, and all the stories of people struggling to make a living.

Melinda, if you have any experiences of the difficulties and struggles of the music business, I'd certainly love to hear about it. I've experienced most of these tough stories with my old band, stories of having to sell tickets to play a show, playing for an audience of one, cars breaking down, and other fun stuff like that.

Actually all my experiences of making a living as an actual professional singer are from my years in the theater business. There are plenty of stories, but this is definitely not the place to start them. The music business is what I did AFTER that, and I've largely ignored the business part of it, hence the NOT making a living and being no longer professional.

I'm with everyone else who's requested an option for singers. My trombone, guitar, and piano skills have all kind of fallen by the wayside with nowhere to play or practice, but I still sing all the time, and I like to think I'm pretty bloody good at it.

I use music in my performances, but it isn't the central aspect. Dulcimer and recorder are the two instruments I use currently. My formal training is limited to violin, which I studied at Hochstein School of Music, but I am self taught on many other instruments.

Years ago I was active in the free jazz/avant garde scene here in Rochester, NY, but haven't performed a musical concert since 1985.

our choir was on tv twice over christmas in 2000 'cause we won our category in _the_ national choir competition! whoo! so technically we're still the best youth choir in the uk right now (the next competition finals are in november so we still hold the title, hehehe) :) oh, and i play the violin (that's classical violin, not fiddle) and the guitar (badly) and enough piano to get me through bach keyboard harmony lessons. boy, am i dull today :D oh yeah, check out byc.co.uk, it's the choir's site :)

um yah. that's it for me :)

and I can still play "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" on the soprano and/or Tenor recorder.

but um. that's definately it.

I've been determined to learn bass for about ten years. Now that I'm at a point where I can turn my dreams into reality... Teri makes me learn to read music (which I've since heard isn't necessarily part of the curriculum). So I'm squawkin' my recorder, learning to read. And making the cats RUN like mad.

I was really happy when I got "Ode to Joy" to sound like "Ode to Joy." Once I cut out the swearing at the A, it got much easier.

Next up: When the Saints Go Marching In

This was a really hard question for me, because my musical knowledge is considerably more extensive than my skill. OK, I took 10 years of piano lessons (and only stopped a year ago) and I've been in school choruses since elementary school, but...I'm not a performer. I love to play/sing for fun, but I really don't expect anyone to listen to me. And I like it that way. But I've also taken a few years of music theory/history, and even done some composition exercises I was pretty proud of (granted, they're about 16 measures each, but...it's a start...?), so I consider myself pretty well musically educated, and I love making sense of music almost as much as I love singing it. Since I think I'm better at the former, I hestitate to choose any of the performance choices...but I don't think the listening-only option is really accurate...

So... what was the final decision?? :)

I started out try to become a trumpet player and a music teacher, but I quit during 2nd year of a Bachelor of Music program, supposedly for a year to get my head and my finances straight. Well that was a whole lot of years ago. I like playing but I never had much ambition to make a living at it but I always hoped there would be a niche for me somewhere in the music business if the teaching didn't work out, on the technical side perhaps. I still want to try putting together a Midi keyboard and some good writing/arranging software and see if I have anything to offer on the creative side. Someday.

depends on what you call playing i can play with instruments but not in a technically correct way
i really couldnt care to play other peoples songs so i have no need to read music ....its all in my head baby

so what do i play with?
accordion, guitar, bass, keys,boderan uh lots of other goodies but dont expect to hear me do anything radio worthy ....is that bad though

anyway play and have fun no matter how bad you are