# Have you ever bought and learned a new instrument simply as a means to 'do it yourself' in recording



## adg21 (Oct 26, 2010)

In cases when you can't pay anything or find a mate to help out? I look at instruments on ebay and gumtree and wonder :idea:. 

Have any of you done this?


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## bryla (Oct 26, 2010)

Theremin here, and I actually get pretty good at it.


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## John DeBorde (Oct 26, 2010)

yes! I bought a Native American flute once to play for a doc I was scoring. Practiced it every day for three weeks and I was ready to go...or at least my cues got approved. 

:mrgreen: 


The doc got into Sundance too.


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## adg21 (Oct 26, 2010)

Awesome, anymore success stories?

Sometimes I wish i had a cupboard full of intruments I can't play (a BIG cupboard).


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## Mike Greene (Oct 26, 2010)

I bought a harmonica for exactly that reason. It worked out really well, because it's a fairly easy instrument.

I also bought a banjo for the same reason. Banjo turns out to be *not* a fairly easy instrument, at least for that fast fingerpicking stuff which was the point of buying it. :mrgreen:


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## Mike Greene (Oct 26, 2010)

Also percussion instruments. The one that makes the biggest difference live, as opposed to samples, is timbales. Those little fills sound *much* better when you play them. Easy, too, assuming you have any talent with drumsticks.


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## Hannes_F (Oct 26, 2010)

I learned Viola and Cello in order to record them. Also dedusted my guitar.

I love to play shakers actually but have not found a project to record them.


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## MacQ (Oct 27, 2010)

An acoustic guitar. You can fake electric guitar pretty well with samples (Electri6ity, Orange Tree EEG), but acoustic is a different beast. Always sounds fake, and even my poor playing makes an improvement for rhythm parts. And of course little hand percussion, but that really didn't require me to actually LEARN anything.

~Stu


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## dinerdog (Oct 27, 2010)

Harmonica (though I could never play only one note at a time) and Accordion (some overdubbing required).


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## reddognoyz (Oct 27, 2010)

penny whislte, which I can play okay but none of the idomatic stuff, just enough for a little lick and fx.


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## autopilot (Oct 27, 2010)

harmonica, didge


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## poseur (Oct 27, 2010)

i think this has been a solid portion of my _creative_ "oeuvre" & motivation
--- regardless of budget ---
for a very long time;
for my own interest, and for recording, and for film scores.

now, i play a few instruments very, very well,
and many instruments..... in simply passable (and, hopefully, "charming" & useful) ways.

i'm also quite fond of "modifying" the instruments that i already play well,
if it will suit the score;
occasionally, this requires a re-learning of the instruments,
if only for their project-oriented, intended musical purposes.

as well, i often record myself slapping my thighs, furniture etc,
when i need an organic rhythmic figure or two.

for the following (fairly recent)wee little opening-titles sequence 
(which included pretty continuous voiceover),
i bought a pedal-steel guitar, slapped my thighs, 
learned to play an old mechanical fan-organ (for 3 tracks)
and polished (ha! sort of.....) my mandolin-"playing"
(a bit! --- ie, _just enough_, i thinks).
(i sold the pedal-steel guitar, directly following the film, fwiw).

*john alighieri*
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=7730382&q=hi&newref=1

d


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## Tom tom (Nov 18, 2010)

Saw this thread and had to share the latest instrument i've acquired which i consider one of my best music related purchases ever..and like most of you i've made a lot

The Mongolian Morin Khuur. What an amazing instrument!! Coming to it as a guitar player (a left handed one at that) and never having so much as touched a bow, i'm amazed at how comfortable i've become with it in just a couple weeks.

Haven't used it on a gig yet but the few tests i've done with string layering and fx type stuff...woof... like i said best purchase

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKC346bOosI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV2roy7Duvw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB0s4MTN ... re=related


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## poseur (Nov 19, 2010)

Tom tom @ Thu Nov 18 said:


> Saw this thread and had to share the latest instrument i've acquired which i consider one of my best music related purchases ever..and like most of you i've made a lot
> 
> The Mongolian Morin Khuur. What an amazing instrument!! Coming to it as a guitar player (a left handed one at that) and never having so much as touched a bow, i'm amazed at how comfortable i've become with it in just a couple weeks.
> 
> ...



nice!
i admit that i was expecting to hear what you're doing w/this beautiful instrument,
but.....
..... the morin khurr really is a gorgeous, expressive instrument.

here's a cue from a film,
where i'm playing oud, resonator guitar (& the somewhat "ambient" textural effects):

*truth is beauty; beauty, truth*
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=6542688

best,
d


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## Tom tom (Nov 21, 2010)

That's a dam beautiful cue Poseur!... How much of it was sample based?..Were the voices loops?

I haven't used the fiddle on any cues yet but for fun i did a quick 2 chord comp with strings and improvised 2 takes with the morin khuur..then comped between them..

So if you look past all the bum notes and general crappy playing you can start to imagine how useful it could be for layering or simple solo stuff...I figure in a couple months i should be fairly proficient with the instrument at least for simpler passages. As it is now i can certainly use it in my work it just takes more time to get a useable take or tweak it in the virtual world..

http://soundcloud.com/tom-tom-4/horse-hair


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## adg21 (Nov 22, 2010)

Mike Greene @ Tue Oct 26 said:


> Also percussion instruments. The one that makes the biggest difference live, as opposed to samples, is timbales. Those little fills sound *much* better when you play them. Easy, too, assuming you have any talent with drumsticks.



nice idea, or indeed a nice set of toms to bring your programmed drums to life


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## adg21 (Nov 23, 2010)

by which i mean concert toms. bags of fun!


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