Want to learn a musical instrument
- Thread starter Yoga Face
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Mee too although I am not midlife crisis age yet 
I was thinking a keyboard would be OK to start.
Keep us posted what u uncover cause I am not that far there like you but eventually will get the urge to take action.
Try using your left hand more to stsrt, I find it helps with the creativity especially if you hold a very technical job.
I was thinking a keyboard would be OK to start.
Keep us posted what u uncover cause I am not that far there like you but eventually will get the urge to take action.
Try using your left hand more to stsrt, I find it helps with the creativity especially if you hold a very technical job.
With using music as a tool to keep the mind sharp I am
biased towards listening to some complex works over learning
to play an instrument. I am convinced that I will remain mentally
sharp forever if I can one day digest the entire work of Britten's
"Young person's guide to the orchestra" or Bartok's "Concerto for
Orchestra" and continue listening to them into my old age.
biased towards listening to some complex works over learning
to play an instrument. I am convinced that I will remain mentally
sharp forever if I can one day digest the entire work of Britten's
"Young person's guide to the orchestra" or Bartok's "Concerto for
Orchestra" and continue listening to them into my old age.
What about sound effect machines or whatever they are called
Getting good on one might even get one into a band
Seems like the instrument many have success with later in life is the guitar. Not a scientific position but certainly true in my circle of friends.
Best of luck - KK
The stimulation of learning to play is great for the mind and once you reach a certain level you can dazzle your friends with your new found talent. I play guitar and tinker with the piano. The guitar is easy to buy, easy to transport, and not particularly easy to play well but at any level there are always like minded people to teach/learn from and entertain. Figure out what you like to listen to and go from there
Guitar is pretty easy, at least compared to piano. The problem with piano and many instruments compared to guitar and its relatives, is that you have to relearn each scale, or song, or pattern, or lick, or whatever every time you change keys. But with guitar, if you learn something and want to play it one semitone higher, then hell, just move up a fret. This is kinda nice and handy when yo are a beginner. If you can play a g-major scale on the guitar, then you can play any major scale starting on a note on the same string. With piano or, say, saxophone, you have to learn how to play 11 separate major scales to cover every key.
Having said that, if you are serious about music, piano is the best instrument. ALL serious music theory courses use piano as the sample/demonstration instrument. If you take music in college or university, it doesn't matter whether you play viola or marimba, the music theory class will use a piano. Not only that, but any incompetent clown can hammer out Smoke on the Water or the opening bars of Stairway to Heaven on the guitar, but with no more effort or talent, you can be the smooth motherfucker that can play the opening bars of Lovin Spoonful's Summer in the City. You'll be a hit at every party. Jackasses with their accoustic guitars won't know what hit them as their girlfriends all flock to your side. You will be rich and successful, that acne will clear up and everything will come up roses I tells ya.
So easy, a monkey could do it. A smooth motherfucker of a monkey!
Having said that, if you are serious about music, piano is the best instrument. ALL serious music theory courses use piano as the sample/demonstration instrument. If you take music in college or university, it doesn't matter whether you play viola or marimba, the music theory class will use a piano. Not only that, but any incompetent clown can hammer out Smoke on the Water or the opening bars of Stairway to Heaven on the guitar, but with no more effort or talent, you can be the smooth motherfucker that can play the opening bars of Lovin Spoonful's Summer in the City. You'll be a hit at every party. Jackasses with their accoustic guitars won't know what hit them as their girlfriends all flock to your side. You will be rich and successful, that acne will clear up and everything will come up roses I tells ya.
So easy, a monkey could do it. A smooth motherfucker of a monkey!
Lean to whistle
One handy instrument you may consider is harmonica.
Any musical instrument is but a median between you and
the music and hence a barrier in some way to what you
want to express. There is no instrument more effective
than the human voice.
One handy instrument you may consider is harmonica.
Any musical instrument is but a median between you and
the music and hence a barrier in some way to what you
want to express. There is no instrument more effective
than the human voice.
Anyone can learn to play an instrument, at any age. You need a teacher who enjoys helping an adult learner, you need an instrument and a quiet place to practice, and you need 30-60 minutes a day to devote to this.
And you need to give it a fair chance. At least a year or two for piano, though with the right teacher you'll be playing some songs after just a couple of lessons. You could also take voice lessons, and/or join a choir. Toronto has scads of choirs that would be thrilled to have another male voice, even untrained.
And you need to give it a fair chance. At least a year or two for piano, though with the right teacher you'll be playing some songs after just a couple of lessons. You could also take voice lessons, and/or join a choir. Toronto has scads of choirs that would be thrilled to have another male voice, even untrained.
Yoga Face, see if there is someone in the Toronto area who does reasonably priced testing as to whether you prefer pure tones or overtones this can make a difference as to how much you will enjoy an instrument. For instance string instruments tend to be pure tone, while a piano is an overtone instrument.
I have never heard anyone make that distinction musically.
I'd say base it on what music you like, what instruments you can play that music on, what instrument sounds good and can work with you.
