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How did you choose your instrument?

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 2:48 am
by LoyalTubist
In my case, I began as a trumpet player. There was a music store in San Bernardino back in those days (actually there were four!). But there was one, Ossa Music Company. They had an unbelievable deal on a trumpet. I think it was something like $30 a month (40 years ago).

I did lousy on the trumpet. My band director offered me the tuba when I started out in 7th Grade. I liked it. I began studying privately when I was a high school freshman.

Now that I think about it, I loved listening to an old 78 RPM recording of Tubby the Tuba. I still have it. I played it for my Senior Recital in College.

I earned a B.M. in Tuba Performance and an M.M. in Church Music with dual concentrations in Education and Tuba Performance, with a minor in Clinical Psychology. I played tuba in the Army band program for seven years.

I have done many things with the tuba that people didn't think I could do. I am not a full-time professional but I do my best with what I have.

:D

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 2:47 pm
by swuster
I started playing the clarinet in the 5th grade, and in 6th grade, my middle school band director asked me if I would like to try to play the oboe or the bassoon. I chose the bassoon, and I've been playing it since. Also, when I entered high school, I picked up percussion because I couldn't march my bassoon for marching season.

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:23 pm
by Jakob der ludner
swuster wrote:I started playing the clarinet in the 5th grade, and in 6th grade, my middle school band director asked me if I would like to try to play the oboe or the bassoon.
Actually, it was a similar story with me. Unfortunately, he asked a little too many people and all the school oboes and bassoons got checked out, so I looked around for other woodwinds and found the clarinet. Lo and behold, it was love at first sight. I've only recently started learning another instrument (trumpet. I know I know. Big jump. But bleh, I'm really curious, and the desire to march corps has something to do with it)

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 7:23 pm
by Boninetax
I chose my first instrument, clarinet, because my dad got a free clarinet when I first started band. He wouldn't buy me an instrument since we already had this one. I wanted to play sax or violin. It's actually a very nice clarinet, tho. It's wooden and about 45 years old. I love my clarinet.

Then, last year I picked up tenor sax. I've always wanted to play sax. And the jazz band at my school didn't let in clarinets. I love my saxophone.

Now, I play trombone too. Our marching band didn't have any returning trombones, so I started playing it in marching band. (turns out, a bunch of people joined the section, and there was a shortage on clarinets). But I stuck with it. It's definately my favorite for marching band, but I prefer other instruments in anything else. But I love my trombone.

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 8:00 pm
by lord hornblower
I picked trumpet in fifth grade because that was one of the only instruments that I actually knew the name of. That, the flute, the drums, and the piano were the only instruments I thought existed.

I play trumpet to this day... and I love it.

Posted: Wed Apr 19, 2006 10:48 pm
by ZJH
I kind of just hopped on the bandwagon when I decided to play flute. My friend from Chinese School played it, and I kinda looked up to him, so I started too. Well, I stuck with it for 6 years now. Not bad. ;p

Instrument choice

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 7:37 am
by JCYS
Never played an instrument until 10th grade. Had 2 friends who had been in band since 7th grade, but we had never had a class together in HS. So we all decided to take beginning band so we could "mess around" together..and they would take up a secondary instrument. As the teacher was going around asking us what we wanted to play, I looked at my friend (now a professional percussionist) and said, "what should I play?" He said, "how 'bout baritone horn, we always need those!" I asked what the heck a baritone horn was, and he pointed out a large orange case in the back of the room (any of you who had Olds baritones would recognize that case). So when the teacher got to me, I said, "baritone." He was very happy, because "we always need those."

I did a half year of beginning band the 2nd half my sophomore year of HS.
Next year the intermediate and marching bands.
Senior year the wind ensemble and made All Southern.
I found it a "life altering" experience, and band to be one of the few things (other than sailing) I really enjoyed, so I became a music major.

And although I have had some opportunities, and have played bass trombone professionally too, my first love is Euphonium and could never picture myself playing anything else.

jcys

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 8:51 am
by thaiguy20fromla
i originally wanted to play alto sax in sixth grade, but there were too many other people, so i picked trombone.

easy enough.
but for jazz band, i already knew how to play piano. for like ten years now.

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2006 4:58 pm
by JazzGeek
instruments:
age 8: violin and piano - mom's idea to keep me off the streets; I played in orchestra thru high school; started doing gigs as a keyboard player at age 12 , all the other guys were high schoolers
age 11: tenor sax - dad's idea; he loved the tenor sax
age 13: flute and trombone - I needed to learn flute to do doubles in jazz band, trombone because we didn't have enough bones to march
age 15: bassoon and bass clarinet - We needed someone to play bassoon in wind ensemble and our band director handed me a bassoon fingering chart and said "learn this", bass clarinet was yet another double for jazz band.

In high school, I got my first synthesizers: a Yamaha CS-5 and an ARP Omni and was making more money gigging than my friends who were flipping burgers at Mickey-D's.
In the navy, I played in a rock band playing electric violin and keyboards --- we were doing stuff by Kansas, the Doobies, Jean Luc Ponty....
College [USC] I played tenor sax in the TMB and the B [jazz] band, and played piano in the small group combos; later, I played bari sax in the A band and piano in the B band.
These days I play more keyboards and soprano sax; still teach, too..... 8-)

Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 10:35 pm
by Shamgar
For pretty much as long as I can remember, I always wanted to play the flute. Then some band directors came to my elementary school to test out people to see what instruments they could do or would be good at. They told me I could do flute, but I'd be average and there would be a lot of competition. So then I decided I would take choir. Then some other band directors came again, and they told me I'd be really good at the french horn. So I decided I'd give it a try, and found out I have a natural talent on french horn!

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 9:32 am
by VTejeda
well where do i start i think i decided to pick up an instrument when i realized that music was so awesome and that i loved it and that all ym cousins were musically enclined.

so i started on Clarinet and played that for a year and was Section leader in the fourth and half of fifth grade. then i decided i wanted to play trumpet so i switched during that second Half of the year. I then
went threw junior high playing trumpet and being section leader my eight grade year
but during my eight grade year i would always play on the snare and joke around with my director by telling him that i was going to leave my section and join percussion and he wouldnt let me
so i then went on to high school and began to take the percussion class and half way threw my freshman year i was kicking butt on snare
and i plan on getting a career in music being a snare tech some where hopefully.

enjoy

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 9:56 am
by mightyhorn
:toot: :hmr:
My primary instrument is trumpet. I started in 4th grade. I origionally wanted to play the Baritone, like my grandfather. Since I had an over-bite, and the director mentioned how playing a brass instrument helped ... AND my grandfather said that I could start on trumpet and swich to baritone later... it was trumpet. I found out much later, after inheariting his trumpet (1896?) that he started on trumpet also.
mightyhorn
B.A. Music Ed./Performance-S.J.S.U.
M.A. Teaching and Learning Concepts Kaplan University (almost!)

Posted: Thu May 04, 2006 5:37 pm
by wind-drummer
I've been playin the clarinet since the 5th grade and been with it ever since. I wanted to play the alto sax, but there were to many so I switched. Freshman year of high school i decided to pick up drum sticks and play with the percussion for the winter season.

Band director deceit

Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 7:56 am
by Chapagne
I was tricked into playing euphonium. I wanted to play sax, but my director somehow made me play euphonium. He made me a deal where if I played it for a few weeks and didn't like it I could switch. Of course, once I got going on it, I forgot all about sax.

Pretty clever technique for getting low brass though.

Posted: Fri May 05, 2006 8:48 am
by sexydrummergirl
i first wanted to play violin when i was in 5th grade. i was looking forward to playing it when i thought i was going to get it but i couldn't afford it at the time.

now...im not saying anything bad about flutes but in 5th grade, my best friend played it and i didn't have anything to play. so...i wanted to play flute. but i couldn't get a flute so.... im kinda gald that i don't play flute now but in 5th grade, i was either givin a tuba to play or a trombone.

i was thinking to myself that there is no way im going to play tuba cuzz it was soooo big for me. so i decided to play trombone. so now...i have been playing the trombone for 6 or 7 yrs now. i love it. i think it was the best choice for me but i still want to play violin tho.

~ but now im pretty much a drummer now!! thats wht i is!!

low brass girl!! Xx.:SexyDrummerGirl:.xX