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Hey, what a fabulous thread! I have a whole apartment full of random musical instruments but, alas, they've mostly all been mentioned already. I may not be able to start from scratch but I do want to add to a few things that have been brought up before: - If you really want to learn a new musical instrument this summer, the theremin is a terrible choice-- it's hard enough that you may never get to the point that you can actually play songs on it, and its reliance on electric power limits its portability for summer fun. Don't let me discourage you, though! It is an absolute blast to gently caress around with and everyone who sees it will want to play with it (possibly after you explain what it is). I wouldn't recommend one as an instrument to learn, but as a toy it is great fun. And if you did want to buy one for serious, the manufacturer you want is Big Briar, a company founded by the late Bob Moog. Yes, that Moog. - In defense of the recorder: If you grew up in the US, at least, you've probably already played one of these in primary school. This was mentioned as a negative (I don't want to think about what I was doing in fourth grade either) but I think it can also be a positive! It's very easy to pick up and play and feel confident about when you consider that most nine year olds can handle one just fine. My four year old nephew has messed around with mine before (granted, mostly just hitting things with it) and in a few years maybe we can play duets together. That is about as cool as it gets. The recorder also scales up: what most people have experienced is actually a soprano recorder but there are larger versions with lower ranges available too. An alto recorder is only slightly larger, about half an octave lower (root note is G iirc) and sounds much nicer-- the lower range means it isn't so shrill. I once knew a gal who owned a bass recorder, which was taller than she was, made of nice hardwood and most of the holes had keys like a saxophone because you couldn't reach them otherwise. That's a little excessive, I think, but the point is that recorders can be more than just toys. - If you're an experienced guitarist looking to pick up a new instrument, why not try a bass guitar? It will be familiar enough (standard four-string tuning is EADG) but playing style and technique is very different. It's not worth going into too much detail here, because I am sure there is plenty of stuff already out there and the bass isn't really a "weird" instrument, but it is something to consider. (And try it fretless! It is awesomer and not as difficult as you think.) I'd be happy to come back and write up any other electronic instruments you might want to hear about, but the truth is that most wouldn't really be applicable as new weird instruments to learn this summer-- they tend to be "a piano keyboard that sounds different because of some odd internal circuitry" or "a midi controller with a difficult interface" and I wouldn't put either class into this thread. I mean, a Mellotron is awesome and so is a Hammond B3 but if you can play a piano then you already know how to play both of them (and you probably can't afford either).
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Jul 11, 2011 08:20
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:So far as what to buy, the gist I get is that Meinl and Pearl are two reliable brands, and have some very affordable models well under $80. Meinl is an excellent source for all your world percussion needs. My experience with Pearl is limited to regular drum kits but "reliable" seems like a good description of their stuff. Chances are excellent you'd be happy with a purchase from either brand.
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Aug 8, 2011 21:46
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Strings and keys mostly, I'm afraid. I think Remo makes decent tunable synthetics but not at an entry-level price. I haven't seen the drums pictured above in person so I can't say how they feel or sound, but drat they are ugly to look at. I'd prefer to put down $60-100 for something like this. I know it's a pretty significant jump in price, which might not sit well with everyone, though I think the extra features and quality would more than make up for it.
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Aug 8, 2011 23:20
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Metamucil posted:On a related note, any experience with the Keytar? I'm a very mediocre keyboard player, and lately I've been wondering if my limited skills would carry over at all (and, of course, if one can be purchased at a reasonable price). Because keytars are flipping awesome. Yeah, it's not really much different than playing a piano. You can even reach your left arm inside the strap and play the keys two-handed. Not cheap, though; I got mine used (and in awful condition) for a hundred bucks. They are often only midi controllers, too, so you might need some sort of synth to plug it into to actually generate sounds.
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Sep 2, 2011 02:28
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Longhouse posted:Again, I don't have much experience, space or tools (yet), so I thought I'd choose wood that's easy to work with very basic equipment. The distinction between "hardwood" and "softwood" is a lumber industry technical thing that has very little connection to what you'd expect-- balsa is a hardwood, for example. Spruce is probably the most common softwood used for musical instruments but you local contractor won't have instrument-grade stuff and you probably don't want 2x4s. This is definitely something else to ask your luthier forum about, they'll have the best recommendations for you. Also, another tangentially related resource: Stewart-MacDonald is an excellent luthiery supply store. They carry all of those millions of tiny little pieces that hold a guitar/banjo/mandolin/whatever together, as well as wood, tools, etc. I've bought stuff from them a couple of times for various projects and have never been unhappy.
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Sep 17, 2011 21:56
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