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Ask HN: What music instrument do you play?

by fromdoon on 6/30/12, 4:26 AM with 23 comments

• by mtinkerhess on 6/30/12, 5:32 AM

  I started piano lessons in elementary school just before I started copying QBasic out of library books. I also took lessons on guitar, trumpet, and turntables (scratching), and ended up getting a Bachelor of Music in jazz trumpet performance.

  Then I decided I really wanted to make video games, so I got a master's degree in CS and now I'm moving to Seattle to make video games. I'm pretty much only playing guitar now, which is a much easier to play casually than the trumpet.

  Programming and music (especially jazz improvisation) seem to involve very similar kinds of problem solving. Both of them require thinking about a problem at many different layers of abstraction simultaneously, and both are fundamentally about recognizing and manipulating abstract patterns. Also, both require a pretty focusued mindset--I learned that hours and hours in the practice room can pay off musically, and now I'm spending hours and hours at the computer in order to make games. Both are passions that, from the outside, might seem like they require a lot more work than they give back in payoff. But if you enjoy the process, it doesn't feel like work at all.

• by ecubed on 6/30/12, 8:48 AM

  I'd say I'm pretty proficient in bass, dabble in acoustic guitar (Wonderwall?), and then hobby at electronic production.

  Electronic music production is alot like web design/development in that you start with a completely blank canvas, and then you tweak and change tiny paramaters over and over again until you get a product you're satisfied with. Overall I think the major personality trait that lends itself to both web development and music production is being comfortable with long periods of isolation/introversion, blocking out the world to see what your mind is really capable of. An interesting look into this is ReGeneration (on hulu) where you really see Pretty Lights buckle down and do some work on a track with only a laptop and a pair of headphones. He's alone, in a corner, really tapping into his inner self, which is what I think alot of hackers really are doing when you get down to the root of it.

• by 3riverdev on 7/3/12, 5:28 PM

  I've played classical piano since I was 5 (so, 22 years now). I'm a senior software engineer and have always focused on math and development.

  I always thought that classical music was extremely mathematical and, to me, made the most sense. However, I'm interested to hear how many of you are able to play jazz (or anything with improv). I studied under a jazz pianist in college and, although I had a decent grasp on the theories and chord structures, fell flat on my face during any form of improv.

  I play a lot of guitar as well, but the above remains true -- more rhythm guitar and "messing around with chords" and no "lead guitar" improv.

• by Rust on 6/30/12, 5:09 PM

  I've never identified a strong correlation between my music playing and coding, but I've learned guitar, bass, saxophone, sousaphone, trumpet, piano, ukelele and drums over the years, and I know enough about violin, cello, upright bass and flute to not sound like a complete tool.

  I guess I'd equate that to the ability to write in specific languages (PHP, Python, ASP, Javascript, C) and the ability to read other languages (Perl, Ruby).

  I've no doubt that being able to effectively and efficiently learn at one (coding or playing) is incredibly helpful when learning the other one.

• by CyberFonic on 6/30/12, 8:50 AM

  Piano, keyboards, violin, trumpet, clarinet, currently learning sax.

  I guess a programmer is like a composer, the program is the score and the computer the performer and the running program the performance and the user the audience.

  My CS interest is Model Based Software Engineering. In music, the score is a notation and a model for what will be reified - performed. Much of music is abstract and the playing the instrument is a learned automatic response to reading the score.

• by adrianwaj on 6/30/12, 7:38 PM

  Drums and percussion. I run a YT channel too with my favourite material http://www.youtube.com/user/adrianwaj

  Keeping layers and variations according to the music in the mind equate to layers in code.. loops and conditionals... which can be improvised too. Also setting up a context environment in music can be like setting up a context with code... blah.

• by _nato_ on 6/30/12, 3:53 PM

  I play violin. It's a really difficult system to grasp and the left hand and right hand have extremely contrasting rolls -- so one learns two difficult systems just to play one instrument. It prepared me well for learning languages and understanding how to code/hack. http://nato.cc/ for some violin music (warning: classical music YIKES).

• by tjr on 6/30/12, 5:13 AM

  I play keyboards (piano/B3 organ) and bass guitar. I originally wanted to compose and arrange more than perform, but recently have been doing more playing than writing.

  Here's one of my compositions, with myself on electric piano and other folks on everything else: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1204208/amh.mp3

• by golgo13 on 7/3/12, 5:51 PM

  I played the tuba in HS and college. In college i was in the marching band and basketball band. Twice a year, all the band alums are invited back to play with the band, again. I would love to play more often, but spending $6K for sousaphone is a bit more than what I would be willing to pay

• by joshontheweb on 7/1/12, 11:32 PM

  I've been playing acoustic guitar for 10 years, electric guitar I have been picking up in the last 6 months. Playing music is definitely one of my true passions along with programming. They both are provide very interesting avenues for creativity.

• by Quiark on 6/30/12, 1:40 PM

  I bought an electric guitar, like many metal fans do, but I don't play it very well. Yet it's great for relaxing relieving stress..

  What I found very interesting was that my kung-fu teacher plays the guitar too, and very well.

• by bandy on 7/6/12, 7:05 PM

  Nothing seriously now. In the past: sax, harmonica, lap dulcimer. Was working on teaching myself how to play the banjo I had made some time ago, but I seem to have forgotten what I'd learned about that.

• by andyzweb on 7/3/12, 3:08 PM

  I am an organist first and foremost but I play piano/keyboards in general. I also have played the violin since childhood

• by pawelwentpawel on 7/2/12, 1:35 AM

  I play ukulele a lot. Unfortunately the only person really appreciating my musical skills is my half-deaf grandma.

• by tirrellp on 7/2/12, 8:51 PM

  Saxophone and a bit of piano (mainly to work out theory/chord changes/noodle around)

• by JackpotDen on 7/4/12, 10:06 AM

  I can play guitar, bass, keyboard and can keep time on the drums.

• by Nikkki on 7/1/12, 12:22 AM

  Guitar

• by mrose on 7/2/12, 9:30 AM

  I sing and play a variety of instruments including guitar and keys. Additionally, I enjoy producing electronic music.

  If anyone is interested, some of my works across a number of genres are available on my SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/magnus-rose

• by voxx on 6/30/12, 4:52 AM

  Air guitar. Air turntables. Air keyboard. Air drums.

  Aw, yeah.