For the people who know how to play an instrumet, how did you learn?

[TheLiham]

I can play Bass, guitar, drums, cello, keyboard and I've just bought a ukelele.

I taught myself how to play guitar, bass and cello and my friends gave me a bit of help with keyboard and drums.

My favourite songs to play:

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica on bass.
Am I Evil? by Diamond Head or Raining Blood by Slayer on Guitar
Master of Puppets by Metallica on cello
Waking the Demon by Bullet for my Valentine on drums
Tetris theme on keyboard.

I haven't really learned anything on the ukelele yet.

For the cool points, my friend brought his bass down to the smoking area at college and let me play it and I attracted a audience.

I really want to learn how to play sitar and lute.

I failed maths at GCSE and am now retaking it.

 

[ms_sunlight]

I did piano and classical guitar lessons as a kid, but I taught myself to play whistle using books. I mostly play whistle / low whistle these days. You just have to put the hours in and practice, that's all. No-one learns to play anything without working at it.

 

[Mordekaien]

I play tin whistle and harmonica.... pretty much started on my own and learned it from TEH INTERNETZ- I love the sound those instruments make...
I play pretty decent, not great but can play around campfires without causing other people to run away from me with bleeding ears.

Favorite songs are....

Omnia- sidhenearlahi set
Traditional medieval song like two ravens, battalion etc.

And for Harmonica I mostly jam, but when I play I tend to play blues music... My own takes on songs from Charlie Musselwhite for example.

 

[DannyBandicoot]

I play the ukulele, I bought a really cheap one when I got into listening to Julia Nunes, wanting to play her songs was pretty good motivation.
I think the best way to learn especially if you have never played a string instrument before is to find a song with really simple chords (C,G,Am,F)
It has to sound alright though, then just play that song over and over until you get good at switching between chords then try to learn new ones. The fact that you can actually play something that sounds -okay- is real motivation.

for more discussion:
1. 'Belle' from Beauty and The Beast and 'I don't want to set the world on fire' by the Ink Spots
2. My friend wanted to learn to play the ukulele so I brought mine into school to teach him and I ended up spending the whole day playing songs for people, I felt pretty awesome.
3. I'd like to get into the Keyboard.
4. I am taking a retake of GCSE maths in 9 days and I'm in year 13..what do you think?

 

[Christars]

When I was a wee lad, my mother picked up a piano from some auction somewhere and decided she wanted to learn playing it as it had always been a dream of hers. Sadly, she never really got around to doing much on it. I, however, thought "hey, that looks fun". When my mother realised that I had been playing the piano more than she had, she decided that I could have it.

Been playing since then, with and without instructors, and I figure I'm not gonna get any better without studying it professionally, something I don't intend to do, so I'm kinda upper level amateur.

Favourites:
Anything of Beethoven
Anything of Bach
A Fight to the Death from Kingdom Hearts II
Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Continued Story from Code Geass

The last song (Continued Story) happens to have become one of my female friend's "favourite songs ever" after I played it for her, so I guess that counts as cool points?

I always kinda wanted to learn the violin, partially because it'd be nice to have an instrument I could actually carry around as opposed to having to sneak into the musics department at campus to "borrow" a piano there.

As for maths, I'm acing my master's degree currently, despite being two-three years younger than I "should be". So I'm gonna be arrogant enough to say that I'm really good.

 

[Floppertje]

I played bass. got into it because my friends were, really... then did a lot of nothing with it for 2.5 years and then another buddy got me to play in his band and he started properly teaching me. I had to quit though, I'm getting a job and it would clash with practice, which can't be moved. too bad...

1. vultures and original prankster by the offspring. other than that, a few songs my buddy tought me, but you don't know them as he wrote them himself.
2. not really
3. drums would be sweet.
4. I suck at math. how is that question relevant?

 

[Bishop99999999]

Took a level in bassoon.

Also practice. In fact now that I'm thinking about it, I need to take up the bass again...

 

[viranimus]

Which one?

Piano - Direct lessons starting at about age 6

Woodwinds - Clarinet/Sax - Taught in band classes in middle school

Brass- French horn/trumpet/trombone/tuba - Taught in HS band

Strings- Bluegrass- Mandolin/Violin - taught by family

Strings Rock - Guitar/bass/ self taught and modified techniques learned from bluegrass

Drums - Self taught, though predominant exp is electronic and not real world.

Hambone- Great grandfather

 

[Stuntcrab]

Guitar class in school, I thought "Why not? better than band"

My favorite song to play? I might say "Let it be"

 

[Alphonse_Lamperouge]

Ive been playing guitar for about 5 years now. i started because i was always really jealous of my older brother, who is still the best guitarist i know. jealousy is a GREAT motivator.

my favorite song to play is ''To Zanarkand'' from Final Fantasy X, a beautiful fingerpicking classical piece. most music bums me out these days, and i find that not many people appreciate the beauty of a video games soundtrack. ideally id love to write music for games one day *sigh* we can dream right?

Ive def scored a few cool points with my playing, because im not a boastful person. i don't tell people that i play, so when i do most are surprised (obviously not close friends). haha ive always hated ''that guy'' who busts out a guitar and wips his shirt off.

and i am terrible at maths

 

[xplosive59]

Im a bassist and I am self taught, mainly it started by playing random classic rock and metal songs via tabs on ultimate guitar but later I got Guitar Pro which is a tab player on the computer which helped out greatly.

Favorite songs to play are probably, Black Night - Deep Purple, Anesthesia (Pulling Teeth) - Metallica, Spirit Crusher - Death, A Fine Day to Die - Bathory etc. Oh and The entire Ocean Machine:Biomech album by Devin Townsend is very fun to play.

Ive been asked to join bands (which is good because ive been asked alot and there are alot of other bassists in my area) and have been complimented by other musicians but thats really it in terms of coolness.

Ive wanted to learn violin because its another 4 string instrument that I think is good for metal.

Im taking Higher Physics and Maths at college so i would say I am above average at maths but still not amazing at it.

 

[flamingjimmy]

I had piano and guitar lessons as a kid, but hated them. I quit piano but my parents made me stick with guitar because they had had to pay in advance for loads of lessons. I'm soo glad they did though because eventually it clicked and I started improving on my own. I still quit the lessons though because my guitar teacher was crap and made me play awful status quo songs while he sang, and he couldn't play anything other than that kind of stuff and a little bit of blues. But I've played pretty much every day for about 12 years now and I'm still improving.

Whats your favorite song to play on your instrument?
My favorite song to play would probably be Muse's 'plug in baby' with a band and Paul Mcartney's 'Blackbird' if it's just me and my guitar.

Any awesome occasion where playing your instrument got you major cool points?
Pretty much every girl who's ever slept with me said my playing (and/or singing) is what made them interested in me in the first place, so yeah, that definitely counts.

Any instrument you want to learn?
I intend to get back into playing the piano someday, I can still do the basics but I want to be good enough to play some Bach (although I think that might be a little bit too ambitious).

How good at math are you?
I'm great at maths, as it happens. I love it too, my favorite subject alongside music, and physics.

 

[Berlioz]

Piano. Mother forced me to have lessons when I was 11 because I seemed interested in music but didn't want to work for it.

I'm a composer now, so yeah, it was a good decision.

I don't have favourite pieces because I use the piano mostly to compose, and one shouldn't brag about one's own creations because it's rude. I only play other people's stuff if I have to, for classes. If I had to choose, Mozart's Alla Turca.

Playing piano doesn't get me as many cool points as having people listen to my orchestral compositions.

I'd love to learn to play cello.

That music/math correspondence is pure myth. I suck at it. Violently.

 

[Something Amyss]

I know there are a lot of escapee's who can either play guitar, piano, violin, bass, cello, viola, or something unique like the bagpipes. My question is, How did you guys both motivate yourself to get and learn the instrument, and what steps did you guys take to learn the instrument?

Trombone: 12 years of lessons. My parents made me.
Guitar: Completely self-taught, mostly learned songs with tabulature from the internet or by ear.
Bass: Basically, the above.
Piano (Though I really suck): Three years of music theory. It was just....Easier to have a keyboard handy.

I actually tried to learn the bagpipes, by the way. Half of my blood comes from Scotland. Didn't have the coordination, though.

Whats your favorite song to play on your instrument?

Probably Dave Carter's "When I Go" or Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World."

Though I usually play guitar to accompany my voice, so I'm kind of biased by what I like to sing, not just what I love to play.

Any awesome occasion where playing your instrument got you major cool points?

Playing Black Sabbath on a trombone got me some major respect from people at college. I mean, "Iron Man" is pretty simple, but nobody expects to hear it from a 'bone.

Any instrument you want to learn?

Shakuhachi. Just love the sound.

How good at math are you?

Great, but lazy. Which averages out to terrible.

 

[intheweeds]

I play guitar still, and in high school I was very good at Alto Sax.

Motivation was not a problem for me. I wanted to learn guitar so bad, I spent several hours a day in the basement with a chord chart and guitar magazines. I practiced and practiced and practiced. The only way to practice that much is if you truly want to. I couldn't do it now, I'm glad I did then.

I find it interesting that you mention mathematics. In guitar anyway, this is not an issue until you try to lean to solo on electric or something. You must realize that all scales are a mathematical pattern and be able to call up the pattern you want and 'see' it in the fretboard so that you can know what notes you can and cannot play.

If you want to solo, a mathematically inclined mind is a MUST, but for the most part, if you have some rhythm, anyone who can keep a beat can learn to play rhythm guitar chords and sing along.

 

[Baradiel]

I got a cheap keybaord for Christmas, self taught myself for a year, then got lessons for another two.

Stopped for GCSE exams, and I've regretted it ever since. Cant get back into it.