I am beginning to believe that people here know _EVERYTHING_...
I am trying to find the "right" instrument to play. At my parents' urging I've followed the family tradition and sorta-play several, but my primary three are viola, piano and hammered dulcimer. I pick up new instruments relatively quickly if I find them appealing enough to obsess over.
Until recently, I've been doing most of my messing around and composing on viola, but I've managed to thoroughly mess up my jaw joint doing that. My dentist has frightened me (and my parents) with the big scary numbers it will take to make my jaw stop hurting, and I've already noticed that I'm starting to burn out on bowed instruments in general, so now I'm instrument hunting.
About a month ago I got my hands on a brass wire strung harp and absolutely adored it... both the sound and the ability to do chords and melody a the same time. The one thing that drives me nuts about the instrument is its limited notes... last night I spent a rediculous amount of time trying to figure out how I could retune it to allow it to fit the song with diminished chords I was trying to write, and finally had to give up on that. I know there are chromatic harps and cross-strung harps, but chromatic harps are too big and I haven't been able to find wire cross-strung. I also haven't been able to figure out how to make a harp sound "nasty" when necessary... at times it's just too sweet.
I've also at various stages tried mandolin, banjo, guitar, hammered dulcimer, autoharp, cello, and recorder, but none of them were "it".
Here's a list of what I'm looking for. If anyone can suggest an instrument like this, I will be eternally grateful.
1. String instrument. (I've never really connected well to any non-string instrument.) Probably plucked or strummed (the sounds I really like).
2. Not "twangy" like a banjo or mandolin.
3. Portable. I'm going to college soon, so something that could be kept in a dorm but if necessary carried out of a dorm for playing would be good.
4. Able to do both chords and melodies, but not necessarily simultaneously.
5. Able to play unusual chords and switch keys midsong. (Probably chromatic.)
6. Under $500 (US) and/or buildable to someone with experience in building hammered dulcimers (dad has offered to try building something if I can't afford it). (The price limit isn't absolute, if the "right" instrument is more than that I will gladly sell my other belongings (including my computer if necessary) to raise more money.)
I know a lot of this sounds like I'm describing a guitar, but guitar is one of the few instruments I've played that I've never been able to "click" with... I've tried and tried but I just can't form a connection to the instrument. :-(.
Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, and if you have any suggestions as to instruments, I'll have to find some word stronger than gratitude. |
