going on to a second instrument...brass?

Mugga Please · 04-09-2003, 10:42 AM

i play guitar and have been playin for a few years...now i really wanna get a few more instruments down. i thought maybe a trumpet or something. so how hard is it to play? can i teach myself maybe? is there some other instruments that i should go for.

robert4xst · 04-10-2003, 11:24 AM

Wind insturments are not something that you can really teach yourself, not unless you already play a similar insturment. (E.g. a Trumpet player picking up Baritone, or a Sax player picking up Clarinet). There are a lot of factors, breath control and support, embousure, form, tone, and more. Could it be done? Of course. Could it be done easily? No.

Ashleigh · 05-08-2003, 02:15 PM

ya brass instruments are generally easier to learn if you take band, i played tuba in jr.high and now i play guitar and bass and its like 2 completely different worlds. Like it might not be that hard to learn a brass instrument if you got music basics down but it takes a while to develop your mouth and breathing so ya like if you want to then go ahead but i would suggest learning another stringed instrument like the mandolin, or bass or even banjo. Ya tahts just what i think so ya.

majestikmoose · 05-11-2003, 12:13 PM

might i suggest the glorious french horn? true, is pretty hard, but the rewards you get from playing the horn are worth it. if you want, i can give you all the help on it i can from across the computer, or even phone. some might shun the idea of learning to play sort of over the computer, but how many of the get advice on playing and even learn how to play the guitar on this site? alot of my horn info comes from the net. it's an awesome instrument, and the world needs more horn players, go for it!!!!!

just my $.02
Majestikmoose

jmpeter316 · 05-12-2003, 04:02 PM

Forget brass in general.... are you kidding me with the French Horn??? That is probably the hardest brass instrument to play...

I play tumpet and I can say that if you want to play it well you will need years and years of practice and lessons... Teaching yourself trumpet (or any brass instrument) could cause you to learn improper embrouchre, breathing, tounging techniques, and other things...

Try learing non-wind instruments...those are the easiest to learn without lessons...

Good luck!!!

Peace,

Jay

majestikmoose · 05-12-2003, 04:05 PM

omg,
it isn't hard!!!!!!!!!! why do ppl think that the horn is so hard, it's just like learning any other instrument!

jmpeter316 · 05-13-2003, 04:07 PM

No it's not like learning another instrument...not to say that it is impossible, because it is...

But what I'm saying is, you can learn piano and guitar with different fingering styles, etc...but if you learn the trumpet and teach yourself the wrond embrousure, you will never be able to play high notes properly (i.e. pulling in instead of faster air), and you will kill your chops (won't be able to play for more than 5-10 minutes tops...)

In my opinion, if you are really serious about learning a brass or a wind instrument, take lessons from a professional...

Jay

P.S. try to teach yourself the "triple tounging" technique...tu tu ku....

Peace...

Leviathon · 05-14-2003, 11:35 AM

If I was going to pick a second instrument I would pick up the piano. Why, because you can do more with the piano than you can with a trumpet. Believe me. I have been playing trumpet for 20 years, and the best decision I ever made was to take some piano. It has helped with chord building, and scale structure and all the jazz that goes along with it. Having played the trumpet and some piano, has definately helped out with picking up the guitar. . .

The trumpet is a great instrument, but like someone said you can pick up a lot of bad habits if you are not taught by the right person. Plus the trumpet has limited applications in certain settings. That is why I have decided to take up the guitar, I want more versatility out of an instrument. Plus certain things that you hear in being played by trumpet players in music can only be achieved by years of practice and training and the right coaching.

IMO, take up the piano.

xSuspensionx · 05-23-2003, 08:45 PM

I play trumpet and euphonium.

IMHO french horn isn't too difficult (i picked one up and messed around once), but until you are really really good, it sounds really really bad, even if you get the right notes with the right pitch, french horn tone sounds horrrible until you play for 6 years or so.

majestikmoose · 05-24-2003, 08:08 PM

ummm, try 1 year for the awesome tone(if you're really serious, and practice for 3 or 4 hours a day) I've been "playing" for 4 years( really, faking it and letting 1st chair do all the work), but this year, I had an awesome director, and I started to practice, and I got 1st chair, and I beat out 6 other horns for principle spot in the professoinal wind ensamble, and I give private lessons. Not trying to brag, only trying to tell how it's not as hard as everyone says it is. You all are scaring away people from playing a really beautiful instrument. It only takes dedication and practice. I would rather someone not take up a second instrument at all if they are worried about it being hard, because it shows that they aren't willing to work for it, therefore making it impossible to really make music, no matter how much natural talent they may possess.
*steps off soap box*
Wow, I think that was one really big run-on sentence. Forgive that.

majestikmoose · 05-24-2003, 08:33 PM

Originally posted by jmpeter316
No it's not like learning another instrument...

Excuse me, do you play the horn,( really play,like in a band or orchestra, not just the " pick it up and doodle around" version of playing )and if you do, did you learn another instrument before so you would have something to compeare it to? I did, I learned 2 instruments before the horn, if you answered no, then you have absolutely no room to say that it's not like learning anyother instrument. As a professional Horn player and teacher, I can say that it is .

jmpeter316 · 05-28-2003, 01:20 PM

Chill moose man...chill...

No I don't play the horn, I play trumpet. But playing a brass instrument does give me some credibility here as I know the mechanics of brass instruments.

The reason I made that comment is because the person who originated this thread most likely has never had experience in playing a brass instrument, or any wind instrument for that matter. I have talked to several horn players (including my wife who has played horn for 15+ years) and they say it is much harder than other brass instruments. Why???

1. As a horn player I'm sure you know this, but on a horn it is possible to play any notes with any fingering (artificially creating sound by lipping the notes...). For example, my wife can play a C major scale all with no valves pressed down. This presents a big problem for beginners to the instrument. I can press the first and second valves down, blow and not actually know what note I am playing. Without experience or proper interval ear training, you could be playing a lot of wrong notes as a beginner. Now as I say this I know this (lipping notes) can be done on a trumpet as well, however it is much easier to do on the horn. I'm sure with experience and practice this is easily mastered, but again for a beginner makes it much more challenging.

2. The right hand. If your right hand placed in the bell is off by even an inch or so, the whole instrument will be out of tune. Again, this can definately be mastered with a lot of practice, but to a beginner makes it much more difficult.

3. In order to be a good horn player, you should be able to read music in treble, bass, and alto cleffs. This is due to the extremely large range of the horn. Once again, not something that is hard for an expert such as yourself, but hard for a beginner.

My point? My point is not to try and persuade others away from learning the horn. I think it is a great instrument and I wish there were more players out there. However, the person who started this thread wanted to teach himself how to play another instrument. All of my comments were based on that. It would be extremely difficult to teach yourself how to play horn (or any brass or wind instrument) because of the proper mouth mechanics that need to be taught by a professional. You are even a horn teacher. I'm sure you don't give a couple of lessons to your beginning students and expect them to learn the rest by themselves over the next several years. I'm sure you know that you are constantly helping your students with thier embroucchre and intonation.

Lastly, I give you a lot of respect for playing the horn. I have tried to play several times, and cannot get much out of it at all. So before you accuse me of being a "horn player" basher, just remember the context this thread was started in.

Keep up the good work with your students.

Peace (and chill)

Jay

majestikmoose · 05-28-2003, 02:13 PM

I'm sorry, BTW, it's moose woman:kgrin: :kgrin:
Anyway, I guess I just never thought the horn to be a difficult instrument to play, I did learn it alone. When I switched from clarinet, I was given a book, a horn, and told to go learn.
I had to master transposition real quick, as I was always playing the pitch on my clarinet, so I would know if I was playing the right note or not. Never had a lesson.I just thought that if it was that easy for me, and I was basically blindly playing, then it would be easy for others as well. My bad. I do remember being thrilled when I ran up my C scale 3 octaves natural horn style......... no one else cared. Our band is so unknowledgable about music, I really hate it.
Hey, you can pray that my band will start caring, and practicing...... It drives me insane that they are only taking band so they can get their credits so they can graduate..........
well, my apoligies again, my philosiphy was always, if I could do it, than anyone else can do it , usually with better results....
majesticmoose

lizwrenne · 05-29-2003, 10:46 AM

i think that you should play the trombone. i have been playing it for a long time and it has always been fun.

sliding is the best part, because no other instrument can do it.

also....it is really loud (which is good and bad at times) so if you have an annoying neighbor you could drive them crazy *no, wait, that's not the christian thing to do*

xSuspensionx · 06-26-2003, 01:58 PM

I can't handle slides. My arms have no coordination. Luckily, I can get by with ok fingers.