Why Don't More People Into Music Reproduction At Home Play Around With Musical Instruments

frogman -- great post!

When I was about twelve, I sat down one lazy afternoon and picked my way through more than 250 pop songs, all without sheet music.  It was exciting and gratifying to be able to do this, and those around me recognized many songs and were pleased.  Gradually, however, I became more aware of the missing notes, the transitions I couldn't play, and all the rest of my limitations.  Eventually, I found myself up against a wall of frustration that could be overcome only by working much harder at this.  It was the steady improvement in my ability to hear and understand the music that undermined my interest in playing it.

Does Guitar Hero count.  I play guitar sometimes and if I go to guitar center I always goof around on the keyboards to see what strange music I can create.  I used to play trumpet a long time ago.  Too bad I never heard Miles Davis until I got out of college, might still be playing today.

I've always played (mostly acoustic) guitar. I have a bunch of 'audiophile grade' guitars. Meaning, high quality, well made, great sounding (and expensive} lust-worthy guitars. I also played piano for a while. I also need to say, I am not very good.

But i consider playing and listening two, mostly unrelated, activities. Kind of like when I was a kid. I loved playing hockey, but watching pro hockey was not that interesting.

I've learned a lot about how someone constructed a song from playing. I can hear a bass line and riffs in guitar music. I was amazed how mathematical Gershwin's music is on piano. I like to sit where I can see a guitarist's hands when at a small concert to understand what he is playing. Learning a song is a lot about understanding what the musician was thinking. But I really see playing and listening as two distinct activities.

Ironically, for acoustic guitar at least, the player is not in the best position to listen. That's why some luthiers have played around with sound ports on the upper bout to give the player a better sound.

Good question, though. And learning an instrument is its own reward. Like becoming good at tennis, or skiing, it takes effort and repetition. You have to enjoy the journey. I've taken lessons from some very well known players and the best lesson I ever got is that music is not a competition. If you play, you win.

I play guitar every day. I'm good enough to play most of the non-virtuoso stuff. And I play bass once in a blue moon. I don't equate playing an instrument with listening to music. They are two separate activities for me ... unless I'm in a learning mode, when I hear something and say, "I want to learn that." Otherwise, I'm just listening to the musical experience.

As far as knowing what instruments sound like compared to what you're hearing through your speakers, there are just too many problems to mention. All speakers produce correct notes, so let's ignore that. Let's start with multi-tracking, overdubbing, equalizing, compressing, processing, the room, the mics, etc. IOW, recordings aren't real. So there's no use trying to compare real to not real.

BTW, please don't buy a $100 guitar and call it a day. That's a sure way of getting frustrated. The most important thing about a guitar is its "setup". I gave up guitar when I was 16 because the strings were high and I couldn't get it to stop buzzing on every chord. I thought I didn't have the ability. Fortunately several years later I went back and rented a good guitar with a good setup. Investing $50 in a guitar setup when you buy a guitar is the best money you can spend. Can you get a good guitar for $100? Sure. Especially a used one. In fact, I like a Strat-like guitar I purchased used for $80 better than my real Strat that would sell for $1,000 today. But I did have to set the intonation and work the frets a little.