I’ve finally decided on what my first instrument will be to learn how to play, so that I can record real performances in my future music compositions. It will be Irish whistles (flutes), both a Low D and a High D.
I also have a couple of more instruments on the “want to learn” list. Next in line will be an electric guitar. And some percussion instruments like Djembe and Tablas.
Then if the Roli Seaboard gets back in stock again (the company is in financial trouble) I may get that as well for ultimate expression on synths and modeled instruments.
Cool! Have fun! Learning instruments is time consuming but always fun and rewarding when you start to get the hang of it. Having fun with my horn–almost have that STDS9 theme down, just have problems with hitting that high C note
If you want any advice about guitars, let me know!
Cool! it is always a delight to play real instruments. Good choice because that flute you can take anywhere … but it is only one mono voice, so if you got it right, you will develop more creativity because you have to deal with few notes instead of harmonies… (I heard that from many musicians like Miles Davies and great bass players)
It is a pity that of Roli financial problemas… I believe their products are great (I have the Seaboard and I love it, I can play very realistic flute -for instance, guitar solos, metals … I love it. The problem I perceive with ROLI is that their price are SOOOO steep that they are not aiming at high volume retail and also, their software updates are very expensive and does not consider properly to their captive and loyal users… they need a Steve Jobs master of MArketing to help them gain market… I believe it could be done because of their sui generis products (I love their soft synths)
I have only played the flutes now for a few days (took weeks to get them delivered due to Covid), but I am in love with them!
As you say, there is something magical about playing and focusing on one note at a time. It forces you to focus on expression and emotion in every note.
I still hope ROLI will solve their issues so I can buy their Seaboard. I think actually marketing is a bigger problem than high prices. 99,9% of music producers have simply no idea how much a revolution this product is to MIDI expression of software instruments and synths. So they simply buy a cheap MIDI keyboard. So yes, they would need someone like Steve Jobs that could make people WANT to buy their product, and with a bigger market they could also lower the prices. It’s a bit like chicken and egg problem. =/
This right here! I think the main problem with expressive MIDI and virtual instruments overall is a lack of understanding of the what expressive playing actually is.
“MIDI people” aren’t really looking for solutions, because they’re happy with their filter cutoff and vibrato depth wheels, and don’t see the problem.
Vocalists and players of expressive instruments just dismiss it all as robotic sounding toys, assuming that this is an inherent problem with anything that wasn’t given by nature, or meticulously handcrafted from natural materials.
As a clue as to why this is, there is a very common attitude within singing, that the ability to sing is something you’re born with, and which cannot be learned or trained. Similarly, there are still people claiming that bowed strings vibrato is something that “just happens” naturally when you’ve played long enough, and that it cannot be taught, or fully understood.
What I see is part elitism, part unwillingness to embrace and analyze the complexity of these things. People want their magic, and are afraid of breaking the illusion.
you got that right, no pain no gain! many are just looking for a magic wand… even if you were born with aptitude for something, that means nothing against another who is just dedicated and uses the time for deliberate practice.
That is true, people don’t realize. . . so the marketing first I believe they should cover a lot with introductory prices so they have more enrolled people (like I am a captive customer to them now becuase I not only like their hardware but the software… equator2, I love it!!
Once they have a good market share, their products will be well known and searched for… so then, they could sell the premium products also. . . . but yeah, it is egg and chicken game…
I hope they get through, I don’t want them to disappear or be absorbed by a heartless bigger company.
I agree completely. I think it is actually an insult when people “indirectly” dismiss all those years of practice by saying you are blessed with so much talent.
It’s like saying someone is amazing at basketball just because you were born tall. Yes, it will serve you well, but the “professional” skills were and always be based on years of really hard work, practice and dedication to improve.
Regarding ROLI, I am a bit worried that even if I manage to get my hands on the Seaboard, the software may soon become abandon-ware if they go under in a bankruptcy. =/
I truly think that one of the main reasons people who seem “genius” at their chosen craft are that way do to single-minded focus on that craft; they just enjoy doing something or find something so interesting, it’s all they think about and just keep at it until they get to the level they want to be. I just remember as a kid when I was learning piano and guitar, I got good at playing quickly, not because I was born with it, but because I started out trying to play the hard stuff right from the start! I loved Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto so much, that’s what I started out trying to play–not that I can actually play it mind you, but starting with that, going back to intermediate stuff seems like a breeze.
I’ve got into too many debates with people who think that fast shredding guitar solos contain no melodic material or have no emotional content, but I just don’t understand that train of thought. They think it’s all just “scale runs” but any good musician will know that a Dorian scale run gives a different emotional feel than say a Phrygian Dominant or Lydian or natural Major scale run. Each and every note has it’s own role to play in context and thus contributes its own expressive value, no matter how slow or fast you play.
Yes I agree Matt, fast progress comes from pure passion and dedication to whatever you desire to learn.
If you truly want something, you will work much harder for it.
PS. I decided to dedicate at least 4-6 months of pure focus on learning these Irish whistles, and then after that I can more “easily” move on to other open hole flutes from different parts of the world.
