Anyone have an unused musical instrument at home?

[User169]

My daughter's sax is still at my house even though she moved out 14 years ago. I periodically toy with the idea of learning to play it.
I think it cost me 800 bleedin' quid IIRC

Ha! I've just had a bill for 300EUR for a bleedin recorder!

 

[Diggs]

everything but the body... pick-ups, potentiometers, saddle/bridge, machine heads, even the old scratch place, and yes, the neck

“This bloke said to me: ‘I’m going to attack you with the neck of a guitar.’ I said: ‘Is that a fret?’” - Tim Vine

 

[Profpointy]

I agree that seismic change is needed. However I hope that James Rhodes' campaign will shed some light in the public domain about the importance of music education at all levels. I can't imagine anyone being anything other than appalled by that so-called "music" lesson given by the poor untrained teacher who said she hated it and was utter, utter rubbish at it.

I've had a long and heated debate with my sister on this - she is involved in music education and despairs... can I interest you in this proposal that she forwarded to me (to which my response was "Holy cr@p on a spiky stick!"):



There’s a fresh threat to music education
The Government have launched a consultation on the newGCSE, AS and A level in music.
The deadline for the responses is Friday 19 September 2014.

While the aims of the reforms are good, the actual proposals will do little to support and encourage musicality and risk undermining music in schools.
Why we are concerned?
We need an up to date, relevant qualification for the musicians of the future -and this isn't it.
The Government has only properly defined one area of study: ‘music composed in the western classical tradition between 1700 and 1900.’
Not only does this artificial timeframe make no musical sense, but musicians of the future will only be able to study classical music written before 1700 and after 1900 if they take this as a separate area of study.
On top of this, the Government are proposing to increase the percentage of music assessed in a sit-down exam and limit the role of performing and composing.
It is also proposed that the amount that is examined in a sit-down exam - with all pupils assessed at once in a formal setting – is increased to 40% of the overall qualification.
As it stands, there is no guarantee that the new GCSE will be rigorous, broad and relevant to budding musicians. Similar concerns apply to AS and A level.
Here’s what you can do to help
Respond to the DfE’s consultation by Friday 19 September.
As with our Protect Music Education campaign, you can respond to the consultation by copying and pasting our template response into an email togcseandalevel.consultation@education.gsi.gov.uk AND consultations@ofqual.gov.uk.
You can also tell us on Twitter what pieces of music you think should be part of the reformed qualifications that were written #before1700 and #beyond1900 that pupils should learn about as part of GCSE, AS or A level music.
Best wishes,
The Protect Music Education Team

There's a certain irony in a "right-wing" government choosing a date range that pretty much rules out English (so-called) "Classical" music entirely. And that's quite apart from Jazz, Blues, Rock presumably being considered unsuitable.

 

[Ganymede]

There's a certain irony in a "right-wing" government choosing a date range that pretty much rules out English (so-called) "Classical" music entirely. And that's quite apart from Jazz, Blues, Rock presumably being considered unsuitable.

That's what I thought - no Purcell! Hardly any Vaughan Williams, no Holst's The Planets, no Britten...? My theory is that this suggestion is so outrageous that any climb-down from it will seem reasonable and they'll end up getting something totally unacceptable, anti-music and unscholarly through. And no jazz, nothing contemporary at all??? It's weird and creepy.

 

[rich p]

Ha! I've just had a bill for 300EUR for a bleedin recorder!

What!!!!
I could have let you have my daughter's one for a snip!
I often play it to accompany li'l George on the Joanna....

 

[Profpointy]

That's what I thought - no Purcell! Hardly any Vaughan Williams, no Holst's The Planets, no Britten...? My theory is that this suggestion is so outrageous that any climb-down from it will seem reasonable and they'll end up getting something totally unacceptable, anti-music and unscholarly through. And no jazz, nothing contemporary at all??? It's weird and creepy.

Byrd, Tallis etc all too early - so that's the Great English Choral tradition out in its entirely.
Walton is another that missed the bus, quite apart form the modern crowd.
some early Elgar might just get in, but not any of his famous stuff.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any English/ British composers who'd be in the lean two centuries - only Germans then I suppose.

(nothing wrong with Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert etc, but still....., no Sibelius, only early Strauss, no Stravinsky, Shostakovitch, Copland, )

 

[User169]

What!!!!
I could have let you have my daughter's one for a snip!
I often play it to accompany li'l George on the Joanna....

The Rich and George recorder/joanna combo?! Sounds like @threebikesmcginty 's sort of thing.

 

[rich p]

The Rich and George recorder/joanna combo?! Sounds like @threebikesmcginty 's sort of thing.

I'm superfluous, he's a one man band...
I'm just banned
I'll stop now, I'm getting too gushy and people may think I'm a soft git and not a beer-swilling hard man

 

[Moon bunny]

...And once I've learnt a few of them, I want to get a didgeridoo.

Didgeridoos make excellent kindling for bagpipe bonfires.

 

[Ganymede]

I'm superfluous, he's a one man band...
I'm just banned
I'll stop now, I'm getting too gushy and people may think I'm a soft git and not a beer-swilling hard man

View attachment 55792

You're a soft git.

 

[rich p]

You're a soft git.

Definitely the latter!
(written in haste to beat 3BM)

 

[Ganymede]

Byrd, Tallis etc all too early - so that's the Great English Choral tradition out in its entirely.
Walton is another that missed the bus, quite apart form the modern crowd.
some early Elgar might just get in, but not any of his famous stuff.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any English/ British composers who'd be in the lean two centuries - only Germans then I suppose.

(nothing wrong with Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert etc, but still....., no Sibelius, only early Strauss, no Stravinsky, Shostakovitch, Copland, )

I know though, mad eh? All the middle-England faves, some of which are majestic works of art.

 

[Cheddar George]

I'm superfluous, he's a one man band...
I'm just banned
I'll stop now, I'm getting too gushy and people may think I'm a soft git and not a beer-swilling hard man

View attachment 55792

That's a Tunnocks caramel wafer.

 

[summerdays]

I think the accordion I learnt as a child is still at my parents house, though the violin has gone to a niece I believe.

As for music in schools now, I think my children were lucky to have keen teachers in their primary school, and ethos that music was important, from the choir, to the school orchestra which met every Wednesday afternoon in school time. They even had the loan of a cello each (try storing two of the things), for free and I know that they did sessions with other school orchestras.

 

[rich p]

When I was at primary school the talented kids got proper instruments while me and Malc Blake ended up on tambourine and triangle.
Pah!