Any music makers out there?

So giantbomb was wondering which of you play an instrument or enjoy singing. I personally play bass and have played for about 10 years I also play my guitar here and there. I moved from a place where the music scene was great and had plenty of people to jam with but now I live in a shit town that consists of shitty cover bands or country bands. It's awesome to grab a guitar and just make music and I find it as a great escape from the everyday stress of life. Music is an amazing thing and is the only thing I invest more of my free time in than videogames. So what do you guys play and how long have you been at it?

I play piano, bass, guitar, sing, and work in the electronic music medium as well. I've been teaching and performing for about 5+ years now.

I.... play the guitar.... used to...... the strings have been rusty for a long time now.... 
 
:(

I used to play the violin and the oboe when I was in school, but I haven't played either in years.

Leeet's see here.. I play the triangle, the ass-claps and sing Radiohead songs at a pitch that's unnaturally high for my baritone voice when I shower.

While the aforementioned is certainly what I print in bold, stylized letters at the top of my resumé, I also happen to play accoustic guitar (got myself a beautiful ebony-wood western that I bought for next to nothing, life was good that particular day) as well as a five-stringed e-bass. I've got some rudimentary skills on the cello and the piano, and I'm a tremendously gifted lover. Hey, look, I was already bragging by that juncture, might as well go the full nine yards.

@laserbolts: I feel that we are all very much obligated to post pictures of our instruments or our tonsils. Just don't ask me to take a picture of my flute. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Someone stop me.

Edit: Forgot to say; been playing e-bass since a few months now, and have had my accoustic for a number of years. Sung Radiohead songs in the shower since '97.

I play guitar, sing, bass, drums, keys. Got a crappy budget acoustic guitar for my birthday 11 years ago and my fate was sealed. Actively perform and stuff too.

http://soundcloud.com/ashleychittock-1/sets/ashley-chittock-ep/

I strum the guitar (aka no musical knowledge whatsoever and try to come up with songs)

I play guitar and keyboard. I've been playing for.... I think about 4 years for guitar and maybe 1 year for keyboard. Sorry, I am forgetful.

Anyway, I like to write original music but I'd also love to try composing for video games or other projects etc. Plus recently, I've been attempting traditional metal inspired covers of video game music.

I sing.

By myself.

Behind the steering wheel.

EDIT: If I'm not mistaken, a Giantbomber made this and I fucking love it. Dude, if you see this, this is a great song:

I can make the ladies sing...

Sure do! I play guitar for a little over 7 years now though I never followed music school or anything. I just play it as a passtime, because I find it relaxing. I always wanted to play the drums instead but I've never had the space for a drum set. I have a smaller electronic one but I feel like I will destroy that set with every strike so... My brother's moving out by the end of the year though, I'll finally be able to put a real drum set in there and get smashing ^__^
 
As to making music itself, I've done a few songs, like this onefor a friend's showreel or " Magrino Rides Again", the last theme song for GameSpot's podcast The HotSpot. Other than that I've punched together a few demo's, like this one (early demo for the theme song) or this one. I have a few hiphop beats as well: example 1 and example 2. Unfortunately my jobs prevent me from spending a lot of time on music :(

I make (most likely) shitty beats in FL Studio and post them up on youtube. But it's a hobby of mine and I have no inclination of doing it "professionally". I would like to get so good that I could be considered a pro, but really just because I love listening to instrumental hip hop. Then I could provide my own crack, so to speak.

And if any of you are so inclined...

http://www.youtube.com/myketuna

I have a bunch of indie banks in my city so Im thinking about how I could appeal to that crowd.  I have been rapping seriously for about a month and Ive noticed improvement.  It still doesnt come as natural as I want it to be but Im getting there

i know a little bit of piano. a few chords here and there. i made three songs from the class that i took in college. the three songs were a project.

I make electronic music. I don't consider myself good enough to upload anything....yet.

Sure. I've spent my youth making electronic music, but have now migrated to metal and hard rock.
I've played guitar on/off for about 5-6 years, bass guitar for about 2.
 
I have a little one-man hobby "band" called Kill It With Science. Trying to find someone to put vocals on my tracks, because I can't sing worth a crap myself. Could be fun to finish a complete EP or album.

I play Guitar and I'm starting to dabble in electronic music and synth building. I play Guitar way more than I play any games.

Man it's been to long but I finally started a new project this month.

Check out my youtube channel.

A few game related tracks and some ambient tracks too. My biggest problem is mixing so that's what I'm working at the moment.

I've at least given a few hours to most "normal" instruments. I can read most notes and play some simple songs on Piano/String instruments. Though I don't think the little violin I learned stuck... And I never got the hang of flutes and the like.

I could probably get pretty good, but my interest is too low to get me over the first "this is kinda cool" part.

I started playing guitar because they stopped making games. I'm bad at it though.

Have been making remixes of Commodore 64 tunes since 2008. http://remix.kwed.org/

Started playing drums last year. Just recently joined a band playing covers of metal/rock tunes. I also like to pluck on a guitar every once in a while, but I'm no good at it.

Guitar is my favorite but i play just about every other instrument too.

I do everything but string instruments, which simply never have clicked with me. Currently making covers of game tunes for a Japanese community, thinking about getting a MidiNES kit, practicing the harmonica.

I have played piano for about two years now. I'm not improving as fast as I could be but I'm improving.

I started playing guitar 11 years ago when I was poor and unemployed. Now I work and can afford new video games so I don't play very much at all. I used to write tons of songs, I still have them as orchestrated midi files, i was getting into different genres and experimenting between progressive and electronica and all that. Then I got a full time job and the 4-5 hour chunks you need to write and form and orhestrate and rewrite and arrnage a really great song just aren't as available. Also I had a writing partner for a lot of it, and nothing really sparks your own development like writing with someone else, challenging each other. We would write together, and I would write alone and it was great. Now when I write alone it just seems kind of aimless. I still pick up a guitar and get some sort of melody/rhythm going, but I don't bother putting it together or adding accompaniment like before.

Man I bummed myself out.

Guitar pretty much.

I play the Guitar, Bass, Drums and Oud. Trying to learn piano as well. I write songs and see myself as a composer rather than say "A guitarist". Most of the songs are just on paper or in my head but a few short compositions can be found on my Soundcloud page. *Searching for link*

http://soundcloud.com/filipholm

@myketuna said:

I make (most likely) shitty beats in FL Studio and post them up on youtube. But it's a hobby of mine and I have no inclination of doing it "professionally". I would like to get so good that I could be considered a pro, but really just because I love listening to instrumental hip hop. Then I could provide my own crack, so to speak.

And if any of you are so inclined...

http://www.youtube.com/myketuna

you're a pretty good producer. i like your taste in samples! i spat a little something something to one of your beats http://www.mediafire.com/?at32c3qe16z5tv7

i dunno if youll like it or not. but yeah. i like your stuff :)

I write electronic music, can play a little bass and a little keys. I don't know a ton of music theory but I've been learning and I my writing is getting better. I'm studying audio engineering(done with one of three years) and making electronic music is a natural extension of my passion for music and audio technology.

@myketuna said:

I make (most likely) shitty beats in FL Studio and post them up on youtube. But it's a hobby of mine and I have no inclination of doing it "professionally". I would like to get so good that I could be considered a pro, but really just because I love listening to instrumental hip hop. Then I could provide my own crack, so to speak.

And if any of you are so inclined...

http://www.youtube.com/myketuna

I'm digging your beats. Not shitty at all. So far I've listened to maybe 3 or 4, and the Feline one says you did that in one day. Pretty impressive. So do you include the original sounds from the tracks you sample from in most of your beats or do you usually try to recreate the sounds? That may seem like a bad question since I'm not too sure about how sampling is done.

@X19 said:

Man it's been to long but I finally started a new project this month.

Check out my youtube channel.

A few game re

The game trailer ideas track is spot on. What program do you use and where do you get those instrument sounds?

Sure do! Bass since about 8th grade. Started off playing in shitty local metalcore/"want to sound like Chiodos" bands. My most recent band (& only one I'm sorta proud of) broke up right after we released are debut EP. you can check it out here! http://festivalsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/brother It's pretty much new wave folk/indie rock.

@SarjuTheRapper: Well, thanks for the kind words and the little flow over my beat.

@H2Oyea: Thanks. I usually use the original sounds from the tracks. I wish I could recreate them sometimes since I can't/don't know how to get the right sound out of a sample sometimes. And as far as sampling, I do it (what I believe is a primitive way) by opening up Audacity and recording. Then I'll cut that into sections that loop and mess with them later in FL Studio if I need to tinker more and more.

But I believe most people doing actual hip hop stuff professionally use an MPC (Wikipedia article) and, I'm not sure of the specifics since I've never used one, record their samples straight in and chop them up in there. Then they have their drum kits in there and play around like thisuntil something cool comes out. But everyone has their own unique process, I'm sure.

Glad too see a bunch of musicmakers on GB! I play mostly guitar and keys, used to jam with people but nowadays school and work take off most of my time. Any of my free time not spent in games and 3d modeling I spend in trying to compose symphonic soundtrack-ish pieces. You can check it out at www.soundcloud.com/gideon-amos. Your feedback is also welcome!

I play drums in a couple bands in my city. We gig around town and have loads of fun.