Building the Sonic Arsenal.....
I started getting into music when I was young. When I was 5, my parents got me a three-octave, 12-button-chord Organaire organ for Christmas. They thought it was a good way for me to develop my eye-hand coordination, which at the time was pretty horrible. They soon upgraded the organ to a Thomas Californian 261 organ. I guess they liked the young man who played organ at the mall so much that they wanted me to be like him. Ugh.
In 4th grade, at the urging of my parents, I started clarinet lessons. In junior high, I transitioned from clarinet to alto clarinet to bass clarinet. I played bass clarinet in my high school marching band, wind ensemble, and pit orchestra for the school musicals. When I started college, I put the clarinet in the closet. (The bass clarinet belonged to the school district, so it stayed behind.) I didn't even play in the pep band. After I graduated from college, I met some filkers -- science fiction fans who were musicians. And so I started hanging with that crowd. I also dug out the clarinet I had stashed away years before.
I liked playing again. My parents weren't telling me to play for my relatives. I wanted to be one of those musicians in the pit orchestras that played several instruments. And so I started buying instruments -- a flute, an alto saxophone, a bass clarinet, and a stand for these instruments. (All were previously used; they're cheaper that way.) I started taking flute lessons, and tried to teach myself how to play the sax using a fingering chart and a method book. I live in a condo, so my opportunities to practice have been extremly limited.
Also, while in college, I bought a Minimoog synthesizer. I developed a love of synths while in high school. It really came in handy when I was taking a signal analysis course. Another advantage is that I could play the Moog with headphones on; no one else would have to listen to me.
I'm sad that I don't get to play these instruments very often. But I don't want to sell them just yet. I think I still have a lot more playing to do. It's just a matter of practicing and getting together with other musicians and jamming.
In 4th grade, at the urging of my parents, I started clarinet lessons. In junior high, I transitioned from clarinet to alto clarinet to bass clarinet. I played bass clarinet in my high school marching band, wind ensemble, and pit orchestra for the school musicals. When I started college, I put the clarinet in the closet. (The bass clarinet belonged to the school district, so it stayed behind.) I didn't even play in the pep band. After I graduated from college, I met some filkers -- science fiction fans who were musicians. And so I started hanging with that crowd. I also dug out the clarinet I had stashed away years before.
I liked playing again. My parents weren't telling me to play for my relatives. I wanted to be one of those musicians in the pit orchestras that played several instruments. And so I started buying instruments -- a flute, an alto saxophone, a bass clarinet, and a stand for these instruments. (All were previously used; they're cheaper that way.) I started taking flute lessons, and tried to teach myself how to play the sax using a fingering chart and a method book. I live in a condo, so my opportunities to practice have been extremly limited.
Also, while in college, I bought a Minimoog synthesizer. I developed a love of synths while in high school. It really came in handy when I was taking a signal analysis course. Another advantage is that I could play the Moog with headphones on; no one else would have to listen to me.
I'm sad that I don't get to play these instruments very often. But I don't want to sell them just yet. I think I still have a lot more playing to do. It's just a matter of practicing and getting together with other musicians and jamming.