DB Cooper Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 If I had decided to pick up, say, the bassoon...(or the clarinet, or the trumpet, or whatever...) Would I be hanging out on the bassoon discussion board, talking about the latest in bassoon development, bemoaning the impact of cheap Asian bassoon imports, B.A.S.ing for vintage bassoons, slamming Bassoon Center for their poor customer service, arguing about benefits/detriments of bassoon modifications, posting youtube videos of my favorite bassoonists...??? What is it about guitars that make them so special, and what is it about us that draws us to them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 In a way, I think you answered your own question. Because we have all those things, (GC, forums, etc.) we are drawn together and have become a community that helps foster our addiction, and keeps us going in our pursuits of guitar knowledge and expertise. And thus, our numbers grow. We all know that people who play the bassoon do not have such things. Bassoon music is not the most popular music of today. The guitar is. And most folks like music with a guitar in it. And the Beatles didn't play bassoons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Some of my guitars sit on stands, and I find myself staring at them quite a bit. I don't know why. It's like they're saying "play me" or something. Their is craftsmanship involved in making a guitar or other stringed instrument that, outside of a piano, encompasses many aspects. Woodworking, finishing, electronics, hardware. etc. When I see a trumpet, I just see a brass object. I don't ooh and aah over a trombone. Maybe there is a wind instrument forum asking the same question in reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShredAstaire Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 http://www.8notes.com/f/forum28.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Nah, my friend bought a $5000 dollar sax, then traded it in for half of what he paid, then dropped another $4000 plus the trade in for a "vintage" sax because it sounded so much better. Now he has nothing but problems with his new sax, its broken once a month, but "the sound is so much better" I think its just that you can get a new guitar for 500 and be pretty happy, where most other instruments cost an arm and a leg for something decent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Would I be hanging out on the bassoon discussion board, talking about the latest in bassoon development, bemoaning the impact of cheap Asian bassoon imports, B.A.S.ing for vintage bassoons, slamming Bassoon Center for their poor customer service, arguing about benefits/detriments of bassoon modifications, posting youtube videos of my favorite bassoonists...??? Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.... I work (and hang out) with musicians of many varied instruments. In the 20-piece Big Band alone we have people that play (or double on) trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, bass trombone, soprano sax, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, guitar, upright bass, electric bass, percussion (from congas to triangle), drum kit, piano and organ (I don't think I've forgotten anything). Many of them are as passionate, and particular about not only their music, but about their particular instruments. There are highly sought after (and expensive) classic and vintage eras of ALL professional instruments, for example the Stradivarius violin, Selmar Mark VI tenor sax, the Steinway grand piano, the Fender Rhodes electric piano, the Hammond B-3 organ, etc. Many brass players have custom mouthpieces made for their instruments, and/or play "Signature Series" trumpets endorsed by their idols. Our baritone sax players plays a sax and bass clarinet from the 30's or 40's (he probably bought them new, he's OLD), and our bass player plays a custom built handmade upright bass. Each one of them can tell you exactly what instrument their favorite player uses, even on a particular song or record. I'm sure there are forums just like this one for most any professional instrument. So, yes, many musicians are just as ANAL about their craft as we are, we just happen to be guitar players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Some of my guitars sit on stands, and I find myself staring at them quite a bit. I don't know why. It's like they're saying "play me" or something. Their is craftsmanship involved in making a guitar or other stringed instrument that, outside of a piano, encompasses many aspects. Woodworking, finishing, electronics, hardware. etc. When I see a trumpet, I just see a brass object. I don't ooh and aah over a trombone. Maybe there is a wind instrument forum asking the same question in reverse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Dunno, man... excellent question. All I can remember is that I was always drawn to it. I enjoyed making music in general, but the guitar always seemed to "call" to me.... and still does :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Dunno, man... excellent question. All I can remember is that I was always drawn to it. I enjoyed making music in general, but the guitar always seemed to "call" to me.... and still does :D same here, i have mine hanging on the bedroom wall and i lay there just looking up at them...(don't tell the missus) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Cooper Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 http://www.8notes.com/f/forum28.asp OK...So there is a bassoon forum. But, take a look at the number of posts, and the recentness of the posts...no where near any guitar forum I've ever looked at. Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes.... .... So, yes, many musicians are just as ANAL about their craft as we are, we just happen to be guitar players. I'll grant you that - there is passion to be found in just about anything by a devoted few, but... same here, i have mine hanging on the bedroom wall and i lay there just looking up at them...(don't tell the missus) ...how many of them lay on their bed staring at their saxophones? Just sayin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I've always thought the guitar and guitar players were a little unique among other instruments and musicians for a few reasons. Although every instrument (or any hobby for that matter) has publications and discussion forums dedicated to that topic, I don't think there's as much to talk about as with the guitar. For one thing, of all the major instruments, the guitar and piano are the only ones that can play chords and single notes. But a guitar is a little more personal IMO. On a piano you hit a key that moves a hammer which strikes a string. Where on the guitar your fingers directly touch the strings. This make each individual sound slightly different, depending on how exactly their fingers move. It's like a walk. Everyone walks basically the same, but each person has their own little mannerisms that make them unique. Also a guitar can kind of "go with" you wherever you go, unlike a piano. This makes us feel more at-one with our instrument. I could be wrong, but it seems like many other instruments are learned "the proper way" so most musicians will play s very similar way. Except for classically trained guitarists, most of us just adopt whatever way feels right to us to play. Almost no two people will hold their guitar, fret the notes, strum the strings etc. the same way. Again, more variations and possibilities for individuality. Add to that all the possibilities of variations with electric guitars. Pickup types, pickup position and height, amps and tubes, effects etc etc. We could go on forever. All these things lead to an almost endless amount of topics to discuss. A lot more than other instruments IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 OK...So there is a bassoon forum. But, take a look at the number of posts, and the recentness of the posts...no where near any guitar forum I've ever looked at. I'll grant you that - there is passion to be found in just about anything by a devoted few, but... ...how many of them lay on their bed staring at their saxophones? Just sayin! That's because they play them instead of fantasizing about one painted purple and yellow to accentuate the other 30 they have in the basement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S t e v e Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 That's because they play them instead of fantasizing about one painted purple and yellow to accentuate the other 30 they have in the basement. i've missed you riverside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoRedFoot Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Plain and simple. Does a bassoon player get groupies? No. Endorsements? Not likely. Fame? Hell no. A full time gig in an orchestra doesn't pay that much but gotta repsect them. The amount of training, dedication, talent... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 There's a lot of truth here from everyone who's posted here from their own perspective. L5Larry is absolutely right, though, about other musicians who are "into" playing. Fiddlers are about half nutty, IMHO, along the same lines, for example. Drummers go nuts over a difference in cymbal sound I can't hear at all. But I also agree about the versatility of the guitar. You can play it like a piano for classical sorts of things or a few less notes for Scott Joplin, or you can play single-string jazz leads or you can play bluegrass or... And it's eminently portable. I've been a picker for coming too close to 50 years doing everything from folkie to rock to country to blues to old-time music. There's no other instrument that would allow that sort of versatility. Add that it's so nicely portable and that there are so many instrumental variations... Yeah, I've been told how the theater pipe organ is THE instrument. Or the piano. And certainly keyboards are versatile if you have one that electronically emulates a lotta other stuff. But you certainly don't find them around campfires. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB Cooper Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 And certainly keyboards are versatile if you have one that electronically emulates a lotta other stuff. But you certainly don't find them around campfires. The truth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavsrock08 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I think its a part of what kind of music you like. I've always liked rock and always liked the guitar parts the most. So naturally, I picked up guitar. I guess I just remember being 14 (Even though I am only 18) and hearing Green Day's, American Idiot, and just wanting to do that. Now I can do that and more. Its just about influences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstMeasure Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 All these things mentioned have everything to do with it's popularity, IMO. It has a low enough register to play bass notes, it has a high enough register to play Top Notes, it's portable, it's Electric and Acoustic, and it's just as good at accompanying the singer as it is leading the band. Most importantly, IMO is that it gives the player more ways to play a note. You can slide up to it, bend up to it, trem dive down to it, play two of the same notes in unison (try that on a keyboard), take it easy or get crazy. No other instrument meets all those requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Plain and simple. Does a bassoon player get groupies? No. Endorsements? Not likely. Fame? Hell no. A full time gig in an orchestra doesn't pay that much but gotta repsect them. The amount of training, dedication, talent... THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE A POINT! This statement is just so wrong in so many ways, I could argue it point by point (and spend two hours typing it), but I'm not going to . I know bassoon is being used as an example, but the inference I'm reading here is that unless you play a "rock & roll" instrument, you will never get laid, endorsed by an instrument manufacturer/beer/liquor/cigarette company, become famous from your craft, or become wealthy. All you have to do is stop and think about this for a moment, and you'll realize how narrow minded this inference is. One specific example from the above list that I think we all will understand, MONEY. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is currently on strike. One of the sticking points in the negotiations between the symphony management and the musician's union is that "management" wants to REDUCE the annual starting pay (lowest pay grade) to $93,000. You'd really be surprised what the tenured musicians, music directors, concertmasters and conductors make. I'll stop now or I WILL spend two hours (or more) replying to the above post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE A POINT! This statement is just so wrong in so many ways, I could argue it point by point (and spend two hours typing it), but I'm not going to . I know bassoon is being used as an example, but the inference I'm reading here is that unless you play a "rock & roll" instrument, you will never get laid, endorsed by an instrument manufacturer/beer/liquor/cigarette company, become famous from your craft, or become wealthy. All you have to do is stop and think about this for a moment, and you'll realize how narrow minded this inference is. One specific example from the above list that I think we all will understand, MONEY. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is currently on strike. One of the sticking points in the negotiations between the symphony management and the musician's union is that "management" wants to REDUCE the annual starting pay (lowest pay grade) to $93,000. You'd really be surprised what the tenured musicians, music directors, concertmasters and conductors make. I'll stop now or I WILL spend two hours (or more) replying to the above post. The Detroit who??? [flapper] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MojoRedFoot Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL ATTACK, I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE A POINT! This statement is just so wrong in so many ways, I could argue it point by point (and spend two hours typing it), but I'm not going to . I know bassoon is being used as an example, but the inference I'm reading here is that unless you play a "rock & roll" instrument, you will never get laid, endorsed by an instrument manufacturer/beer/liquor/cigarette company, become famous from your craft, or become wealthy. All you have to do is stop and think about this for a moment, and you'll realize how narrow minded this inference is. One specific example from the above list that I think we all will understand, MONEY. The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is currently on strike. One of the sticking points in the negotiations between the symphony management and the musician's union is that "management" wants to REDUCE the annual starting pay (lowest pay grade) to $93,000. You'd really be surprised what the tenured musicians, music directors, concertmasters and conductors make. I'll stop now or I WILL spend two hours (or more) replying to the above post. Hahaha.....no offense but I did not read your entire post but the first sentence I wrote is overflowing with sarcasm. Just FYI. Some people don't get my sense of humor so I won't hold it against you. I'll make sure to add more as not to cause any confusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I had a lady friend who played violin with the St. Louis, then Minnesota Symphonies. The discipline and dedication was very high. Actually... <grin> she wasn't my lady friend as much as a childhood friend of my Dad's who would walk with him to country school on the prairie back in the 20s and 30s. But because I knew something of music, we kinda hit it off on our one "date" after one of her concerts. Funny thing, at the time I guess she likely was around 50 or so; said she envied that I could play more what I darned well wanted to and could enjoy it a bit more. I've met a few other classical type musicians since then, and they seem actually more driven than most guitar players seem to be. It's as though the freedom of the guitar, excluding perhaps a few strictly classical players, is something very special. And yet, Matt Sear on here simply has me in awe because he seems to be one of the few who can do it all. But the bottom line is that as a guitarist, that's exactly what each of us has as a potential if we are inclined to pursue it. It's a very social instrument, too, which led me personally to everything from folkie stuff to blues to old time fiddler stuff that's really pre-bluegrass, to rock to a bit of classical to... Perhaps it's not so much the "get laid" that is kinda a youthful perspective, as much as a "get together" social aspect that happens in a more laid back, play largely by ear and improvisational sort of music that guitar lends itself to so very well. That's true whether you're doing some rock that you know with other players, folkie stuff, bluegrass, country, blues... I don't know any other instrument with that versatility and portability although perhaps the fiddle comes close and held that role for some centuries in one variation or another. It was, after all, considered as viol as the guitar and both have similar ancestry. <chortle> m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 If I had decided to pick up, say, the bassoon...(or the clarinet, or the trumpet, or whatever...) Would I be hanging out on the bassoon discussion board, talking about the latest in bassoon development, bemoaning the impact of cheap Asian bassoon imports, B.A.S.ing for vintage ba..... Probably. But I'm sure the board would be pretty slow, owing to the lower numbers of oboe/bassoon players. How many guit tar players do you know? How many bassonists do you know? I suspect, in India, the sitar board would be just as lively as here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 The sax forum talks about cheap Asian saxes, and the Selmer Mark VI is treated with the same respect as a 50's Les Paul. And any affection for sax player Kenny G will start a flame war (think Jonas Bros). The Wind Synth forum has the Akai v. Yamaha debates along with some people venerating over the classic model WX7. And the debate about sound modules goes on and on. I suppose the Bassoon forum has something similar. It's not just guitars, it's art. Why? We are passionate about our art. I suppose the oil painting and poetry forums have their equivalents too. Notes ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57classic Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Though we're talking about musical instruments, the passion exists with virtually any thing or discipline you can think of. There are many woodworking forums out there, as an example. People argue all the time about which tools are better. Hand tools vs machines. one manufacturer vs another. Poor QC and customer service from retailers. Certain tools are overpriced and they could make more if they lowered the prices. I could go on and on. They are the same sorts of discussions on any forum. Isn't that why we join them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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