I am a self taught pianist. I tried guitar and my fingers just didn’t get it, lol. They Piano is a percussion instrument and maybe my grade school drum lessons helped? I just never could even play a chord on the guitar.
I think a lot of things depend on your teacher too, not only on your enthusiasm.
Rick, welcome to the forums. Yes, you have cited an excellent example. A great teacher can make learning music and learning to play an instrument both educational and enjoyable. Good point.
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
I got exhausted just watching. Brilliant. And some of the riffs that bass played delivered. Knockout. I guess that shines a whole new light on just how 'easy' a person is looking for
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Sax (I've been playing it since I was a child) Wind Synthesizer (It's an extension of sax) Bass (as long as it's fretted) Guitar (electric) Flute (I don't play it often enough) Drums (I'm decent but don't have that much stamina because I no longer have a set) Piano (again, I don't have the time to put into it) Voice (the hardest instrument I've learned)
Sax/Wind synth is easiest because it's my main instrument, and has been since I was a kid. I started on drums but switched to sax in the 7th grade.
I get along with the vertical bass/chord/ structure of the guitar better than the horizontal. On the guitar, both hands are doing the same thing. On the piano, both hands are doing different things. I suppose if I spent more time on the piano, it would be easier, but there just isn't enough time in the day to give everything the attention I'd like to give it. Making a living gets in the way.
Exactly. I'd been told that the harmonica was the easiest ..... yeah, well not in my world. I think it's all about what you connect with and your mental confidence and approach to that instrument.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I found harmonica to be difficult, too. I think my lower lip is toughened by the reeds of my sax, and it was difficult to play only one note. But then, I really didn't give it enough time.
Indeed. The more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn. And you don't know what you don't know, until you know it.
That's one of the things I like about music. There is always something new to learn and some new skill to develop in order to play the new lesson. There is always another adventure and sense of accomplishment waiting around the next corner.
Indeed. The more you learn, the more you realize there is to learn. And you don't know what you don't know, until you know it.
That's one of the things I like about music. There is always something new to learn and some new skill to develop in order to play the new lesson. There is always another adventure and sense of accomplishment waiting around the next corner.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
I feel like even after 60 years of playing music that I haven't even scratched the proverbial surface of what is possible on my guitar. Especially when I watch these kids under 10 years of age on Youtube. At 10 I was happy to play a campfire chord without having to look at the fretboard.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I started getting serious about the guitar in my 60s. Before that it was major, minor, and 7th barre chords as a double when a sax wouldn't fit into a song. Sax has always been my main instrument.
But started guitar in my 60s, makes me realize, I'll never attain Jeff Beck greatness on that instrument.
But I played bass for a few years, so the fretboard was familiar, I also play (in various degrees of incompetency) drums, wind synth, flute, piano, and vocals. I also had a lot of theory in my brain, so I progressed on the guitar much faster than an absolute beginner.
That means that if I live to be 140 years old, I'll still have new guitar skills to work on.
Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music. I think that's a Sergei Rachmaninov quote.
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
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Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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