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Any musicians here?

Word Smith Sr

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What instrument do you play? How long have you been playing it? What is the age required to start playing it? Is there anyone here who does it for a living? Any studio musicians ? Any tour musicians? I'm thinking about becoming a musician after studying something else.(to have something to fall back on)

I do not know to play yet, but when i have time i'd like to learn how to play the bass guitar and maybe drums and keyboard later on. I am 21 now, am i too old to start learning to play? How many years does it take to learn how to play the bass guitar? Will i have to pay an expensive school tuition to become a recording studio musician? Maybe i'd like to become a tour musician later on.

I couldn't go out of France as i had other things to settle but right now i could easily travel to another country (especially a european one) so if you know a good place to start learning do not hesitate to tell me. I think Arxter told me about Bristol (england) I know that having this kind of job and having a good wage/be successful is very hard + there's a lot of competition ....etc....etc..... I'm asking just to see what answers i'll get.
 
I'm a Muscian i play the Piano and i have done since High School, for the amount of time it takes i guess it depends on the person but if your really kean on learning the chosen instrument you want to practis then most of the time you can become really good in a years time only if you stick at it and don't give up.

If your looking to study Music then there are some good Colleges in London and other UK Areas ( Assumeing its the UK you want to come to) if you search on the web then your bound to come up with some College's/Uni's so you can persue your intrest :yes:
 
I come from a quite musical family. My father was a musican playing in a band: guitar,bass and harmonica. My uncle was multitalented and played many instruments including drums and flute. My grandad sang in a choir. My cousins are more into music than I am, one of them plays piano and the other knows some guitar by ear. I haven't started to play instruments yet. I had a piano synthesizer when I was a kid but my music hobby didn't take off to anywhere. Only my other cousin has had some sort of musical education.
 
pac said:
What instrument do you play? How long have you been playing it? What is the age required to start playing it? Is there anyone here who does it for a living? Any studio musicians ? Any tour musicians? I'm thinking about becoming a musician after studying something else.(to have something to fall back on)

I do not know to play yet, but when i have time i'd like to learn how to play the bass guitar and maybe drums and keyboard later on. I am 21 now, am i too old to start learning to play? How many years does it take to learn how to play the bass guitar? Will i have to pay an expensive school tuition to become a recording studio musician? Maybe i'd like to become a tour musician later on.

I couldn't go out of France as i had other things to settle but right now i could easily travel to another country (especially a european one) so if you know a good place to start learning do not hesitate to tell me. I think Arxter told me about Bristol (england) I know that having this kind of job and having a good wage/be successful is very hard + there's a lot of competition ....etc....etc..... I'm asking just to see what answers i'll get.
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i play keyboards and i was in a band for a short stint. i'm still working on things..

you can hear a sample of my playing on either of the links in my siggy.(same file in both links just in case one link doesn't work.)

i think, the best thing is to be driven, cus it can get hard.
 
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I am a musician. I have been singing as long as I can remember (I am almost 30 now), and it is my musical passion. I took piano when I was young, and also a little in college because I was a music major. I was never very good at piano, though. I played violin for 3 years when I was growing up, too. I liked it ok, but wasn't very talented. I stopped playing instruments and focused on and pursued my vocal abilities.

if you are going to be good at music, it can't be something you "fall back on". I know many musicians, talented musicians, who never had formal training, just had a good ear and taught themselves. I don't recommend that for you, however. Taking serious lessons in the instrument(s) of your choice is what you need to do. Not to mention, daily, intense practice. I know it's hard, and it can get boring, but if you are passionate about something, you do it anyway. I don't know that university is necessarily the best thing for you to do if you want to become a recording artist; it is an aid. Being a music major was very difficult for me, and I didn't do very well in that atmosphere. I do much better just being me. things like college level Music theory doesn't help me much in what I do. I am able to focus on getting better at my own art, developing my own personal style, etc. Most musicians I know just take private weekly lessons from a music store, or at the college, or from a talented friend, etc. If you want to get good, dedicate yourself to it. practice as much as possible. You are definitely not to old! You are still a youngster. go for your dream. The time it takes to learn an instrument and get good at it depends totally on how much time and effort you put into it. But even when you practice a lot, learning something well like that takes a long time, many months, a year, a couple years. After that it is perfecting it, just always making it better.

Also musicianship tends to run in families. People in Musical families like my own tend to have an easier time picking it up. Those starting out raw tend to have more difficulty, but that is ok. It starts somewhere. I remember my dad always singing in the car and listening to music. He has a decent voice. My mom is tone-deaf. My older sister sang in the school choir for years and years, but was never very serious about it. She stopped singing after graduation. I, on the other hand, was interested in music from very young. I started seriously singing when I was 11, was very involved with my various choirs and small group ensembles throughout the years, and I have taken private lessons at various times when I could afford it. I married a very talented trumpet player, who himself gives private lessons. 3 out of 4 of my children have musical talent of some kind or another, and are just beginning to find out their own. My 10 year old is gifted at piano, and has been begging to take violin lessons forever. Finally we will do that soon. my 8 and 6 year olds also enjoy playing piano and singing, as well. They do not take music lessons right now, but teach themselves from the music books and cd's we have. They do extremely well. It's just there, and soon they will find their particular niche, whether they decide to take off with it or not is another matter.

Anyway, I wish you best of luck in your musical pursuit. I cannot stress enough that you must, must must be passionate about it if you are going to get anywhere with it at all. don't use the "something to fall back on" mentality; that will NEVER get you anywhere musically, even if your music is only recreation.
 
Thanks MichaelsGuardianAngel, vncwilliam (ill check out your siggy links), and mjroxworld for taking the time to answer. To mjroxworld: thanks for wishing me luck. As for using the "something to fall back on" mentality, i did not mean to say that i would like to use music as something to fall back on. I meant to say that i wanted to study something else (other than music) to have something to fall back on (even though i am not interested in anything else) , as i do not know where being a musician will take me financially, it is my passion but i have to think realistically.
 
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I so wish I could play piano!! Everyone says I have the fingers of piano player :lol:

But hey, pac, I hope you find the instrument you want to play and I wish you success in playing it. Good luck! :)
 
I am a flautist - a flute player. I started off playing violin at 10, then switched to the flute at 11yo. I also play saxophone and sing...The music industry is tough and competitive. If you can, and you like to teach, I suggest music education. That's a good place to be for a career.

As far as how old you need to be, it depends on 2 things - 1. How mature you are (are you ready to put in long hours of practice to be the best musician you can?) and 2. Your body size. For instance, it takes a pretty big arm span to be able to play the flute - and I am short by nature, so I had to wait until I was 11 to be big enough to play the flute the correct way...Good Luck to you! My cousin is a studio musician, and tours. He's a jazz drummer - his website is http://www.stevejohnsjazz.com/. My brother plays the double bass, my sister plays the trumpet and is a music educator. My mom started off playing the drums, but now plays keyboards....and sings. My father plays practically every instrument under the sun - he's a retired music educator. It's a rewarding career, being a music educator. My father STILL, after 15 years or so of retirement, gets letters from former students who themselves turned into music educators because of the inspiration they got from my Dad. He treasures ALL of those letters...it brings a tear to his eye knowing he lit the fire of love for music in others...
 
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Yeh, I've been playing music for a while. Lately I've been trying my hand at making music. My soundclick page is soundclick.com/bobgeorge
 
pac said:
What instrument do you play? How long have you been playing it? What is the age required to start playing it? Is there anyone here who does it for a living? Any studio musicians ? Any tour musicians? I'm thinking about becoming a musician after studying something else.(to have something to fall back on)

I do not know to play yet, but when i have time i'd like to learn how to play the bass guitar and maybe drums and keyboard later on. I am 21 now, am i too old to start learning to play? How many years does it take to learn how to play the bass guitar? Will i have to pay an expensive school tuition to become a recording studio musician? Maybe i'd like to become a tour musician later on.

I couldn't go out of France as i had other things to settle but right now i could easily travel to another country (especially a european one) so if you know a good place to start learning do not hesitate to tell me. I think Arxter told me about Bristol (england) I know that having this kind of job and having a good wage/be successful is very hard + there's a lot of competition ....etc....etc..... I'm asking just to see what answers i'll get.
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Dear Pac,
I work with all of the major music industry agencies in New York, California, Nashville and any others in between including but not limited to Artists, Agents, Managers, AR, PR etc., all genres of music...A tough, brutal, but very rewarding field...

Its really about not what you know, but who you know, being at the right place at the right time, a little bit of luck, lots of dedication, and a whole lot of talent...

Best advice I can give, get out there and let the world know what & who you/your talent is all about...cause you never really know who will be watching/listening to what you have to say/offer..!

Heal The World~~~"Education Is The Key"
 
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pac said:
Thanks LindaC781, Bob George (ill check your page) and Sdeidjs for taking the time to answer. Thank you very much for your tips.
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Your very welcome, anything I can do to help...

Heal The World~~~"Education Is The Key"
 
I play the guitar and have like 50 of my songs... But since I live in a country most people never even heard of - I will never do anything with them...
 
Hi dangerous_88 thanks for answering, what kind of guitar do you play? I've been saving money to buy a bass guitar set (the amplifier, a tuner, etc.....) Should i buy a 4 string guitar, a 5 string one ......? I am hesitating between a jazz bass guitar and a precision one, which is the best? What do i REALLY need to practice except for a bass guitar to pratice on my own? (what would be a good enough amplifier, etc.....)

As for what you said: Sdeidjs wrote something about it in this thread : you'll never know who will be watching or listening to what you have to offer so keep trying. Good luck!!!!!
 
I play violin since 11 years ;)

It's the reason of my life, I love it and I could not stop! When I was 6 years old my parents send me to music school, before me my brother played on piano very very good, he is amazing, he play since 14 years, I wish someday I'll be playing like him.
My dad is musican too but he is Jazzman (piano, guitar and bass guitar) He learn me how to lisen and play music

I can't imagine my life without this...

M_Angel ;)

Oh I forgot to say I learn play piano too but I don't really like it :p
 
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I'm a singer. I'm starting to form a Jackson 5-tribute group named CKM. I started to record my solo demos last month and currently looking for 5 people.
 
pac said:
Hi dangerous_88 thanks for answering, what kind of guitar do you play? I've been saving money to buy a bass guitar set (the amplifier, a tuner, etc.....) Should i buy a 4 string guitar, a 5 string one ......? I am hesitating between a jazz bass guitar and a precision one, which is the best? What do i REALLY need to practice except for a bass guitar to pratice on my own? (what would be a good enough amplifier, etc.....)

As for what you said: Sdeidjs wrote something about it in this thread : you'll never know who will be watching or listening to what you have to offer so keep trying. Good luck!!!!!
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well I am not a pro so I can't help you that much...

I play acoustic and electric guitar,but not bass,so I can't quite help you with it.

I never really studied musical "theory" and stuff, I can't read music notes either. I just play from my soul, I create songs for my "band" - called Forbidden and it's me and my best friends... We don't practice very often nowadays due to the obligations with university etc. :( :( :(


Sorry for not helping you. Good luck with the guitar, it's really fun to play :)

Any of you guys know how to play MJ's stuff , why don't you join the video project for MJ 50? :) It is always interesting to hear renditions :D
 
dangerous_88 said:
Any of you guys know how to play MJ's stuff , why don't you join the video project for MJ 50? :) It is always interesting to hear renditions :D
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I can play on the violin any of Michaels songs, but I think that is not so interesting to play on the violin then on guitar or something ;p
 
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