Competitive instruments?

[Tuomas]

Ever feel like your instrument isn't what you need to express yourself? Do you ever hear music and wish you could play some other instrument because you want to compose similar music to/with it, but can't? Or that your lack of skills with other instruments restricts your creativity and that you don't want to play your instrument anymore?

I made my girlfriend play me some of her own songs. She's been studying the piano for several years, classical and others. And hearing her intro, chord progression and singing made me feel extremely proud that I'm the one she loves. But at the same time I wished I would have done all that, not her. I told her I wish I was as good.

She told me I was better than her. I'm self-taught, guitarist, I know the theory, I know the styles, I'm faster than her, I've composed a lot, I sing at times. But still she sounds so much better, with piano. And I thought if only I could play some piano too. The thing is, I have an electric guitar and a classical/spanish guitar here. And I've been longing for a acoustic steel guitar that I could use to play rythm, to actually compose songs, not just classical pieces and riffs. At the moment I'm supposed to record something, but I listen to people play the guitar and watch videos, and the music is not something I want to do. I want to make songs. The world's ffull of singer-songwriters, but fingerpicking of fast shredding doesn't really make a song.

I've been composing for both guitar and piano for some time now, but listening to her songs... they really don't need a guitar to make them sound really good. But my songs, they need drums, a piano, a bass and a guitar. Just because single notes on a solo sound like sh*t to me. A few years back a developed the style of always playing chords and melody at the same time, and most people can't play my songs because of that. It's not about rythm or melody, it's both. And this seems a lot easier on a piano. But I really want to make a song I could you know, play by taking the guitar into my hands and start ramming and singing. That or do as she does. I feel really in a block right now. And I'm in between of learning piano, which would be almost impossible, OR buying an acoustic guitar that I could ram about. But I have no money for one

I've begun disliking my electric guitar really. Everything I try to play with it sounds like something that's supposed to fill empty spaces in a song that doesn't really need guitar. I'm not sure what I want from you, but compassion or will to read through this, but perhaps you could say something to this, if you've ever had similar experiences with instruments or anything...

-Tuomas--

[Evil]

When I was a kid I never wanted to take piano, and now I regret it. I've wanted to play for the longest time, because, like you said, it sounds amazing just by itself. Then again, I also want to learn to play the sax, violin and sitar. I just want to learn to play everything. That'd make it easier.

[TwinMoon]

Piano is easier to play unaccompanied. That's a fact to me, and I wish I could play piano (I only play guitar).
However, I think it all comes down to what you're used to. I listen to a lot of singer/songwriter (Dylan, Neil Young, Elliott Smith) and they sound fine on their own, and when I write songs that sound like theirs do, I sound fine on my own too.

Looking at your last.fm profile I see you listen to a lot of progrock. Maybe if you listen to some acoustical stuff, you can appreciate yourself more.

Some quick thoughts (I really need to get to bed):
What about Elliott Smith? He's plays melody and chord (chord when he's saying, to make it easier for himself).
Also, a song you'll probably know: Time of your Life. This is just an acoustic punk song. I play it when it don't know what to play.

Also a small tip: I don't know how it is in Finland, but here in Holland I can find pretty decent second-hand guitars on eBay for very little money.

A last question: Any way I could hear your music? Someone who plays melody and chords at the same time can't be bad. And (maybe I'm missing a point here) why does it matter if other people can't play your songs?

[Tuomas]

Oh I'll do some replying before going to bed for now.

Twinmoon: You might be able to hear some of my recordings if you search the forums a way back, but I'm not proud of them. I'd love to get decent equipment for recording, but now I use my acoustic and the headset microphone I use for skyping. Also yeah, you kinda missed the point, it doesn't matter, it was just a sidenote and a thing that dpesn't bother me.

[radiowaves]

Piano rocks! Its a pity I never even started to learn it, so I can't play it at all.
Piano is sort of solo instrument that is just perfect for expressing emotions, it has those really high sharp tones and low and middle tones that make it very variable. Guitars or some trombones, etc aren't even half of that, they still sound a bit too narrow and have some noise in it. You can do all kinds of expressive experiments with guitar, but I think you still can't express emotions perfectly. There is always vocal, that is accompanied with a solo guitar, which is a crapy and all the same sounding mainstream in my opinion. But you can't put vocal over a good piano piece.

[Gregjazz]

You have your own voice to contribute to music. Nobody can sound like you, and you can't sound like anybody else. Your voice is invaluable to the progress of music; technique and theory can be a useful resource for releasing your voice. Sometimes you will listen to someone else play and identify with an emotion or whatnot--discovering another part of your own voice through listening to others.

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Agreed. If you *really* want to learn to express yourself through your voice, and want it to sound as good as the very finest violin, with all your own characteristics, then it'll be a long time of hard work - but as it is, it's already a unique instrument in itself, which you can always improve and which already has, I'm sure, it's share of gifts.

The advantage of the piano is that properly played it can sound like a whole orchestra, but that needs years of work.

[Oliwerko]

As TwinMoon mentioned, piano sounds very good just alone. Same with accordeon/violin. I personally play(ed) on flute in a local folk music ensemble and I learned to play clarinet for 2 years before my health problems stopped me. I do not regret it. Absolutely. However, now I am out of that ensemble (its a youth one, so people go in when they are 6 and out when they are 18 or so) and when I try to play the flute alone, it just sounds silly.

The sad thing is that I cannot achieve the situation of playing in the ensemble and that makes me feel awful. When I play the melodies we used to play it sounds empty. Hearing only myself with my flute is nothing to hear me playing along with eleven other people. Nothing can substitute that feeling.

So - yes, I have a similar feeling. But I cant see much I can do about it.