Can you, or did you once, play a musical instrument ?

[IndigoSpritz]

I played the descant recorder in Primary School - over forty years ago - and the violin from Primary into Secondary School. I never liked either as I had absolutely no say in the whole business.

I dare say the recorder was, and still is, a rite of passage for thousands of school children.

I'm now learning the piano - something which I want to do. I'm only four lessons in but my teacher is very pleased with my progress so far. She reckons Grade 1 within a year.

The thing about instruments is the price. My piano was very modestly priced compared to my teacher's but it was still the thick end of £1000. I remember seeing a new tenor saxophone in a music shop years ago, price £1800 ! Beginners acoustic guitars are quite reasonable though.

Viola/piano did grade 8, violin grade 6 and recorder grade 5! Have done various singing courses over the years and taught myself uke a couple of years ago. I sing in a band at church and occasionally play the viola/piano there. Playing the piano is very therapeutic and I often play between work and DC getting home from school when I should be doing other jobs.

I played the flute at school, now I can’t do anything more complicated than Christmas carols on it.

I have a recorder and a penny whistle I like to improvise/mass around with.

I picked up a recorder earlier this week and played 'Hunting the Hare' note perfect but not as fast as when I last played it in 1974.

Descant and treble recorder. Played in a brass band at school - baritone horn to grade 5. Also dabbled with bass trombone and a sousaphone

Haven't touched most in 30 years although can play descant if pushed and I look up the fingering!

I started piano as a 40 year old. Best birthday present ever. I love playing for relaxation and am happy to play in front of friends and family now. It’s a huge pleasure. I learned recorder at school and can play a clarinet well enough but piano I still much more sociable.

At secondary school I played the guitar, in the school choir,only played Catholic hymns.
I loved it,and wanted to have my own but my parents couldn't afford it.
My mum agreed to get me a second-hand one for christmas

Found out I was pregnant before Christmas The guitar got swapped for a second-hand pram😂😂

Descant the treble recorder...oboe at around 10 then Clarinet to grade 5 with distinction. My tutor let my parents but his buffet crampton clarinet that he'd played on jazz fm! He was a perve though with wandering hands 😡.
Taught myself piano and can play many pieces such as moonlight sonata by ear although I can read music too.
Unfortunately at 15 I discovered boys and music was so uncool 😩 I had a real talent

Oh and was also in the orchestra and did most of the solos!

Yes I've played since I was 8 for fun and have grade 8 on two instruments. I didn't love practicing but loved (and still do) playing in orchestras and bands. It has brought a lot of friends (and love!) into my life over the years and continues to do so. I am so glad I learnt despite not being a natural. I hope my children want to learn an instrument when they are older.

OP - I hope it continues to go well!

HicDraconis I like your harp- what make is it?
I’ve also taken up the harp as an adult and have lessons weekly. I played piano (badly- grade 1 was the only exam I passed ) but I can still remember my sight reading which has helped with the harp. My musical talents also extend to playing Little Donkey on the recorder should anyone wish to hire me.

Descant and treble recorder, flute to diploma, piano to grade 6, organ to grade 8. I have a choice to dd and she picked violin despite the fact we have a piano and flute available. She is good at it but dislikes it and I am constantly torn between insisting because she is good and refuses to change to another instrument or just letting it go. I loved being part of orchestras so much and her sound is really good but I don't want to impose me on her. She is only 8 but our aspiration was one instrument, one martial art and one language!

Thankyou isabella. I think I've made a promising start.

@Melfish it’s a 36 string Kirsten made by Keith Harrison - American white maple and spruce soundboard. Harps of the South - each one has different carving.

I started piano lessons at 7 and still play often. When the DC were babies I got back into it and would pop them next to the piano and play anything that came into my head; it was like white noise for the times when they wouldn't sleep.

@HicDraconis

Your harp sounds beautiful :)!

I started on the recorder and took that to Higher level, which meant (back then) playing the descant and treble to a very high standard. I also play piano and taught myself to play the pedals on an organ, too. I dabbled with an accordion and guitar, but I have small hands, so struggled to get my fingers into some of the positions needed for the guitar. I would love to learn to play the sax. I played the violin for a couple of years, but my teacher really shouldn't have been a teacher and after she hit me across the knuckles with the bow, I threw the violin at her and that was the end of the violin. I sing, too.

I got to grade 7 on piano and cello, was in county youth orchestra which was a great experience, and was head chorister of my school's chapel choir. Then I went to a very musical college at uni, and realised how very average I was - not even auditioned for the choir! I took my cello for the first term but barely touched it when I realised I wasn't good enough for any orchestras.

I still love singing but rarely get the chance so my voice is out of practice. Play the piano occasionally at my parents' house - I can do my old pieces but struggle with anything new. My cello has been in my parents' attic for years but I can't quite bring myself to get rid of it.

Recorder at primary school, I also played the piano (passed grade 6, went to grade 8 but failed), the violin (grade 5, my poor parents looking back, the sound of a beginner violinist is not great) and grade 5 on the clarinet. I also dabbled in electric guitar, more rhythm guitar than anything complicated - lots of power chords, amp distortion and rockstar aspirations!

Now I don't play anything really, although I was adamant at keeping the piano, and glad I did as I've still got enough knowledge to teach DD a bit if she wants to when older. I also impressed myself when I clumsily still got through a grade 6 piece despite the grade 8 failure being 20 years ago!

OP Grade 1 within a year? That'd be amazing! Not many people achieve this so you must be doing really well and working exceedingly hard. Well done!

I play very unusual instruments. I never wanted to follow the crowd. Stupidly, it also meant I couldn't really join an orchestra or anything like that, but there we are. I could join folk groups if I was so inclined (I'm not).

Mandolin
Mandola
Zither
Hammered Dulcimer
Irish tin whistle

Can play a tune on a piano but not full chords accompaniment.

Recorder at primary school, Piano from aged 8 up to 15 up to grade 6 standard. When I look back at the music I used to play at that young age I'm amazed!!! My teacher was very classical based so although I could play a waltz by Chopin with ease, I could never just sit a the piano and play fun stuff by ear. I played 'The Entertainer' by Scott Joplin in a High School concert aged 13 and everyone was amazed at how good I was! I never thought so

Taught myself the saxophone a few years back and had some lessons - as I could read music I progressed quite quickly and would have loved to join a 'Big Band' but there aren't any in my area. I don't play either sax or piano at the moment but would love to start again - maybe this winter

I learned viola to grade 8 when I was at school. I also play violin to the same standard but never did any grades - have picked up the current violin grade 8 pieces and they're perfectly doable with a bit of practice so I'm thinking of putting myself in for it maybe in the spring. If I don't do it now, in a couple of years DS1 will beat me to it!

Got to grade 8 in piano, oboe and singing.
Played bass guitar for fun
Quit them all at uni for some daft reason

Yup!

Brass instrument. Grade 8 and I loved it. I wasn't exactly talented but I did my practice and lessons and played in a really amazing brass band which I loved so much.

We rehearsed twice a week, played concerts and did competitions (and won quite a bit) and went on holiday on 'band tour' (and yes, it was quite like 'this one time, on band camp'!).