Playing Something Else Just For Fun? What Would It Be?

10 Responses to “Playing Something Else Just For Fun? What Would It Be?”

1. John
   October 9th, 2008 at 4:21 pm

   

   As a musical/instrumental alternative……BagPipes!!!!!! That’s got to be about as far removed from guitar as possible

   I took lessons for a while, but had to stop when I borrowed a full set of pipes from a friend and got banished from the neighborhood after about an hours worth of practice!!!!!!

   Oh…as far as guitar “relatives” go though, I think Sitar would be interesting….maybe a biwa or shamisen…lots of alternatives.

2. Robert Fisher
   October 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

   

   A uke was one of the many instruments around the house when I was growing up. So, I played it some. Can’t really imagine picking one up today unless I’m really trying to evoke a Hawaiian or vaudeville vibe for some reason.

   I’ve often thought of picking up the mandolin. So far, there’s always been something else I wanted to buy more, though. I know a guy who can really make that little instrument sing.

   My wife bought a banjo, but she never took the time to learn it. I’d fiddled around with it some. If she decides to give it up completely, I’ll probably spend some more time with it.

3. Ovidiu
   October 9th, 2008 at 5:52 pm

   

   @John: BagPipes, man, what a choice A noisy one!

   @Robert: The mandolin seems interesting to me, also there is one other instrument in Romania that is interesting, however I don’t find it as interesting as a mandolin: the lute http://www.eliznik.org.uk/RomaniaMusic/cobza.htm It is used mainly for popular music but the neck seems quite strange to me.

4. Robert Fisher
   October 9th, 2008 at 6:37 pm

   

   I find the lute and oud interesting as precursors of the guitar. But perhaps not enough to dedicate the time to learn to play them.

   Speaking of the oud, the Godin Glissentar looks interesting as well. It’s built like a modern electric nylon-string guitar, but with the 11-strings and fretless fingerboard of an oud.

   My biggest interest right now, however, is in trying straight major third or perfect fourth tunings on the guitar. Which is almost like making it a whole new instrument. I’m just worried that they would require a complete set-up and adjusting string gauges.

5. Tennyson Williams
   October 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pm

   

   Mandolins are so much fun to play. I had two years of lessons with a bluegrass God who toured with a lot of the greats, and his specialty was the mandolin. One day he was explaining to me how there are so many concepts that haven’t been applied to music. I actually witnessed him using a wah and distortion pedal with his mandolin once, it was a real eye opener, and it totally jammed!

6. Chris - GuitarToyBox.com
   October 10th, 2008 at 1:01 am

   

   I own a mandolin too. Believe it or not is sounds awesome through my Marshall! I got that from watching a Counting Crows DVD.

   Here is a tip for budding mandolin players… if you need to play one in a pinch you can fake it my playing all your chords upside down. The mandolin is tuned the same as a guitar’s low four strings except backward - a guitar is E-A-D-G-b-e . A mandolin is G-D-A-E.

   Example

   G Chord - Guitar

   e -3-
   b -0-
   G -0-
   D -0-
   A -2-
   E -3-

   G Chord - mandolin

   E -3-
   A -2-
   D -0-
   G -0-

   Hope that helps some people wanting a quick start on mandolin

7. oracle
   October 10th, 2008 at 1:11 am

   

   Yeah, my next instrument will be a mando… been planning on getting one for some time now.

   I think I may have mentioned my playing uke before… or maybe that was another guitar blog. Uke is great ’cause it helps with guitar too, since the tuning is a 5th up from the guitar.

   I also diddle around on keyboard too. Bought one a few years ago and just learned chords so I could play basic songs… Some song just need to be played on keyboard.

   Bringing things full circle, I also had sax lessons for about 3 years when I was in high school. I still have my ol’ sax, but don’t really play it anymore, it’s looking a little worse for wear. I got it out a few months ago and could still sight read notation, but I was a bit rusty… just like the sax.

8. Mike AGOS
   October 10th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

   

   Years ago I picked a tribal african drum that stands about 4′ high and sits between your legs. It has tribal carvings all down the wooden body and is covered in calf skin on top and produces a great range of beats. Its a great stress reliever to come home and just bang on that cos it sits in the living room and sometimes its an impromptu coffee table (!)

9. Bluegrass Rocks with Iron Horse — guitarkadia
   October 14th, 2008 at 6:06 am

   

   […] checking out the cool mandolin video over at Ovidiu’s blog and thought it’s ripe time to share the awesome Iron Horse. If you don’t who they […]

10. How About A Little Bluegrass? How About Metallica? | Guitar tabs,electric guitars,acoustic guitars
    October 14th, 2008 at 8:13 am

    

    […] pick subjects from other websites, but this song that Emon posted on Guitarkadia.com, following my post of a few days ago about mandolins, just blew me […]