h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Quite a few instruments you play, and want to learn. I thought I was going far playing drums and guitar, starting singing lessons soon and wanting to learn bass guitar, the trombone, the piano and viola
So do you come from a quite a musical family, or just took an interest in playing?

my uncle is the chairman of the music department at a large university, but other than that, no. i just enjoy music and can learn it fast.

i'm just excited because my ocarina will arrive within the next few days.
they're such beautiful-sounding instruments. i guess you could say i'm rather ambitious about learning to play new instruments, but i just love the different sounds and how i can incorporate them in the music i write.
the bass guitar shouldn't be hard to learn if you know guitar... pretty much the same thing only lower notes, really. good luck, though.

MC

Cheers. I was thinking the same about bass, I'm just determined to use finger picking instead of a plectrum.
What kind of music do you write, or is it a variety of things?

umm....right now i'm working on writing a waltz for a winds group(with tuba and oboe solos)...a collaboration with one of my good friends on a song (really the only way i can describe that is that it's minor and for guitar and piano with vocals), and just some other random stuff. so basically, it would be a variety of things

fingerpicking a bass....are we talking bluegrass?

MC

oh, and my ocarina came in today!! so i've been fiddling on that a bit as well. it's a trickly little bugger to work with, though.

MC

I bet it is
With the bass I'll probably do a bit of everything, I'm just always drawn to the bassier side of music, and I think it looks abit of a cop out to play with a pick, kind of like "I've only got a bass because the guitars were sold out"

Your stuff sounds cool. Nice to give the tuba's a solo for once, normally it seems like only the trumpets or violins get them.
Would you be recording the piano/guitar/voice piece? I ususally love that combination.

I understand about the bass. I'm always tempted to move from oboe to bassoon, or to the English horn, alto sax to tenor, guitar to bass.

I guess I should start recording my newer music...problem is, for right now i only have access to my recording software 2 days out of 14, and on top of that I must conquer the scheduling with my guitar lady (). I could just overdub the guitar part, play backing chords on piano, sing, and set some sort of electronic drum beat to it, (and then add bass via keyboard) but my friend's far better at doing the part than I am. Plus, the song's still pretty much a work in progress. We need to work out a definite chorus and lyrics. I'm getting together with her tonight, though, so we'll most likely work on it then...

Whoops! Thinking aloud, sorry.
MC

It's alright, they're interesting thoughts.
I always find the chorus hard, which is why I've never written a full song. Maybe one day I'll manage it.

Yeah...in a typical song choruses are like verses, only they are supposed to be different, and they need to be better so you can come back and play them again and again (lyrically, that is, but also musically, although not to the same extent) because that's kind of the release...all the tension builds up during the verse and then goes "poof!" when you get to the chorus....sometimes....for an example of this, listen to The Humanist Queen by Angel and the Love Mongers.

MC