I picked out a new solo with my teacher the other day and drum roll please...
Khachaturian Toccata!
I really love it and I know I'll learn a lot from it.
Here's someone on youtube playing it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvaV7vpsmyk

@Alegretto: So you like marching music? I never have been into that. It just doesn't move me much. I haven't been into Jazz either although I'm sure if I actually listened to it I'd develop an appreciation for it.
I do like classical though. It has always excited me. I'm about to play a modern piece and I love it so I think I want to look into more modern peices...not by Americans though. *shudders*

@littleaes: I'm sure you could find a guide book you like online and if you didn't want to pay for it request that your local library purchase it. It might take a while but they eventually buy them. :3
When I was little my Dada bought my sisters and I harmonicas and we would just blow away not knowing what we were doing at all. xD

@ElendarSilvermoon and xnarnian: I don't think I could play drums. I have never been one to regularly use a metronome, syncopate, or really stay much on beat. Plus, I love piano and the different tones. I could see myself being able to play drums by myself at home. But I guess it'd be the same way with any time I didn't have the melody or something.

@Quaint Sheep: I would like to learn guitar but I honestly don't have time. I can barely keep up with flute. I'd like to spend more time on the piano.
Is your band still playing together?

@sugarkane: I should hope that by now you have a bass. That would be very important since you do need to practice at home. And if you aren't going to get lessons from a private instructor, which I also recommend, then take advantage of your school music teacher and ask for help whenever you can.
I imagine tuning a bass is very frustrating and then having to do it repeatedly. x.x

Ah, this should be my place to settle down =D

I was always very fond of percursion when I was little. I believe I was 8 when I first wanted to get into music. I went to a club in which children could try out several instruments and check what theyd like to play! I seemed to be a big musical talent! :o

I wanted to drum really badly, but my parents didnt allow it. Though my music teacher said I had a big talent for violin, that just wasnt my taste, and I went for Keyboard.

I had keyboard lessons for about 5 years before I stopped playing. I was 13 when I stopped. I could have gotten free lessons the next year on that. I was the biggest keyboard tallent of the musicschool. I never really stopped though, I tought myself some tricks, but I never got any amazingly good.

Something Ive never had lessons in but got very good at was percursion.

After that I have been posting software composed music on the internet. On a site called Newgrounds. Something I have been doing for about 5 years now, and made big progress in.
http://whirlguy.newgrounds.com/audio/

And lately I have tried singing, but I dont feel very comfortable about that.. lol. People tell me its good though. I have a low voice, and I absolutely love singing falsetto.

I have been thinking of picking up Piano lessons or starting to play bass, but I havent yet. Maybe I will. Maybe.

I play guitar and have been playing for about 6 years. :)
I mainly play my electric guitar (Fender Stratocaster), though I do own an acoustic.

Okay, so the Khachaturian is so much fun and wow, it's a powerful piece. I love those kind that you can just pour everything into these amazing chords. But there are also some fast soft parts where I have to present a lot of control and yes, I'm having to work with a metronome but it's not as scary as I make it out to be. All these years I've just gotten so used to tuning the metronome out while I play just to say I played with a metronome. xD;
But I'm learning to actually not be so tense about it but to really feel the beat and to be one with it. I have the parts I'm practicing memorized so my teacher told me to look at the red light beeping on the metronome while I play and it really helps.

D-Loop: Wow, it sounds like you have always had a natural talent for music. Don't let it die!

Why did you stop your piano lessons? Five years is a long time to just drop something.

I listened to several of your compositions from that site. They are addictive little tunes. xD
I wish I could compose music, but I have a lot to learn about music itself before I start that.

Very few people feel comfortable singing at first without sufficient practice. The voice is an instrument so it needs to be warmed up (scales, arpeggios..etc.) and sing everyday.
I love hearing guys sing falsetto. ><
Mika does that well. :3
But the best falsetto I have ever heard comes from Park Hyo Shin's lips. You may not understand what he is saying but it's amazing nonetheless. He sings phenomenally~ If I was a guy I'd want his voice...well, his or David Phelps. They are both so different but I love them!

Even if I am biased, you should take piano lessons. ^^
I think it'll help with whatever you plan to pursue.

((I love the pic in your sig btw.))

@dark_secrets: Good for you! You must play very well now. :3
I don't know much about guitars but maybe I'll pick it up one of these days...nothing fancy - just chords.
If acoustic guitar didn't give you callouses, the electric sure would, huh?

@[ s u k i ~ s h i n e ]; I play well, I don't have much time to practice, but I don't get worse. A bit better, but not by much... I really should practice more.

Chords are good, good base for songs. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. :)

Yup. When I first switched to electric my fingers hurt so much because I practiced a good deal, I had to stop for a while because it hurt too much. x_x Sadly because I don't practice much now I've lots those callouses, but I'm trying to rebuild them because it hurts to play for a long time now.

When I don't practice I usually get worse. Especially on the flute...If I don't practice everyday it sounds like crap. I need to practice my flute a lot more too.

Yeah, I think it would be really good for me to learn guitar because I can't always have a piano with me and if I want to have some music while my sisters and I sing guitar would be good. My older sister "plays" guitar okay. She hasn't practiced in sooo long but still claims to play it. She could play well if she put any effort into it but she has her excuses. *rolls eyes*

Ooh, I wouldn't want to have to build up callouses twice. x.x

Anyone that would like tips on FL Studio, PM me to come to the thread. Or post because I'll be watching this topic for a while. :wink:

Originally Posted by [ s u k i ~ s h i n e

]All musicians who would like to exchange tips or give music recommendations are welcome here. And please post what instrument you play and how long you have played it.

I'm totally not a musician, but my brother is an ex=guitarist of a band and now he's the manager of this small band.

he used to come to Menewsha, but now he's just too busy!

When he's back I'll definitely tell him about this thread, so you guys can talk! ^^

I am learning to play the violin and am on grade 2. [ashamed]
My sound isn't quite loud enough and my bow keeps going as far down to the start of the fingerboard. Anyone have any ideas to help?

Originally Posted by [ s u k i ~ s h i n e

]When I don't practice I usually get worse. Especially on the flute...If I don't practice everyday it sounds like crap. I need to practice my flute a lot more too.

Yeah, I think it would be really good for me to learn guitar because I can't always have a piano with me and if I want to have some music while my sisters and I sing guitar would be good. My older sister "plays" guitar okay. She hasn't practiced in sooo long but still claims to play it. She could play well if she put any effort into it but she has her excuses. *rolls eyes*

Ooh, I wouldn't want to have to build up callouses twice. x.x

I really need to practice a lot more too, shall hopefully do that soon.

That sounds like a good idea, you should should learn then. Maybe get a book or take some lessons, depends on which is better for you.

I hate having to re-build callouses, it hurts so much.

@Andre: I really have no idea about FL studio or anything like that. I am very uniformed about those types of things. I'll check out your thread though. :3

@witch: I'm sure he would be busy as a manager of a band. So, has he kept up the guitar since he was in a band?

Yeah, that'd be great if he could stop by. The more musicians the merrier! ^0^

@cutiepie: My sister has been playing the violin for about five years. I'll tell her to get on and maybe you two could discuss some things. I don't really know much about the violin...just some basics from watching her and trying viola for a week. xD
But as for the obvious, put more pressure on your bow and always be checking if you're holding you bow right. The littlest wrong position would have a great impact on what you could do with your bow. It just takes so much practice and constantly paying attention to where your bow is at. My sister has had to work on watching where her bow was at for a long time. Always make sure to play right in that middle part...what ever it's called. >__> The farther you get away from it the worse the sounds usually gets.

I've been playing guitar for a couple of years.. and I started playing the trumpet about five and a half years ago.. stopped for a while, and recently picked it up again.

So many here play the guitar I feel as if you all should have a guild. I don't know hardly anything about the guitar. >__>;

I'm glad you picked the trumpet up again.
Is it very hard? The embouchure looks kind of difficult.

Practice? I mean, I played clarinet for seven years, then joined the military. I came back years later, and I can't play for ten minutes straight because it hurts my mouth so bad and my lips go all numb. It's been nearly a decade since I've played now, so I may never do so again. Don't let yourself get so out of practice! It's sad.

Just days without practice definitely has an effect on playing.
That is why I'm sad about barely playing this entire week on either instrument. I've been trying to rest my arm and wrists when I can to let them heal. I don't know what's wrong with them and I don't think it's tendinitis.
I won't be working on my solo for the next couple of weeks and my teacher will give me tips on how to take care of my hands to my shoulders.
We'll be working on that tomorrow along with theory.