Watershed Decision

[entropy]

Okay friends.

 

I'm at the point in my life where I'm fairly satisfied with my guitar playing ability, and while my theory is constantly improving, my technical ability slowly building and my interest as strong as ever, I've reached the point where I'm able to play nearly everything I want to play. I've gotten a healthy dose of electric options and a dedicated acoustic, and I'm looking to add another instrument to my roster.

 

I've played piano for nearly 14 years (at 23 that's a fair accomplishment I'd say) but only freestyle really-- my theory has mostly come from my guitar work as the only instructor I ever had was an avant-garde jazz musician who, despite his amazing ability only ever really taught me enough to play a couple of tunes so my parents would 'see results' before he took off to live the life of a nightly performer on a cruise ship. Wonderful man, great teacher, but besides what I know how to play, not excellent for expanding my abilities.

 

So I'm at a crossroads (with more than four options.) Do I pick up a banjo? A mandolin? Do I start working on Lap Steel so I can add that element to my band(s), do I buy a new piano and attempt to relearn and broaden the skills I've already got a good base for? Do I pick up a student violin and become a renaissance man / devil-eye'd foot stompin' fiddler?

 

I'm open to anything really except the drums-- nothing against them, but the kit I've had in my basement for the last year serves visitors only. They aren't my thing.

 

Give me some badass suggestions. Cost is a bit of a factor as I'm still in university and living on a paltry newspaper editor's salary, but I'm willing scrimp and save. I'm just looking for some advice from a group of people who are at least somewhat like minded musically, and generally pretty dang helpful.

 

Cheers everyone.

[BigWheeledWagon]

I play both mandolin and banjo (not well, but well enough for adding parts to my home recording stuff), and I found that coming from guitar, mandolin was easier to pick up than banjo, if that helps inform your decision. Of course, if you're already playing some slide, non-pedal lap steel shouldn't be a big adjustment. Pedal steel on the other hand . . .

[owl]

Lap steel sounds good. Ever since I heard the version of "It Ain't Me Babe," from Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue CD, I've really envied good lap steel playing.

[rileykill]

Lap steel sounds good. Ever since I heard the version of "It Ain't Me Babe," from Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue CD, I've really envied good lap steel playing.

 

Lap steel is cool - I can get around alright on one (nothing to write home about). It's an easy transition from guitar. In fact, if you play in open tunings it's hardly a transition at all ...

 

But for my $$ I'd choose mandolin. I'm an acoustic die-hard at heart, which is the reason I'd favor mando, banjo or dobro over the electric steel. Mando just happens to be the sound that really ignites my imagination. It's like a snare drum with strings! I love the sound.

 

Let us know which one you pick!

[owl]

Actually, that might be pedal steel on the Dylan album. At any rate, I say lap steel.

[oceanman]

If you can play the keys,you got an upper hand on any musician out there.

[BigWheeledWagon]

If you can play the keys,you got an upper hand on any musician out there.

 

Good point. When I was kid, my mom forced me to take piano lessons, and I hated it. In hindsight, it has helped me more than I ever could have anticipated. In middle school I went on to play saxophone, and the lessons learned from piano made it quite easy to pick up. Around that time I started picking up my dad's guitar, and it wasn't too difficult to teach myself the basics (though I did go on to take lessons). After that, I've been able to pick up the basics of mandolin, lap steel, banjo, and a few other instruments, and I never would have been able to do it if it weren't for those piano lessons my mom forced me to take. When I think about it, most multi-instrumentalists I know started out on the piano. When I have a kid, perhaps I'll force the little one to take piano lessons. He or she will thank me later.