Ask HN: If you play an instrument, which is it? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: If you play an instrument, which is it?

9 pointsmpk20 comments

Most of the coders I've met either play an instrument or wish they could play one.

I play the violin, but not at concert solo level. So I just play for my own enjoyment (digging into classical, modern and folk).

On the coder side I've run into people who do drums, piano, flute, etc over the last several years. Playing music or just wishing to play music is a consistent thread here.

I'm just wondering - what are you guys/girls playing?

View on HN

I don't play any instrument, but wish I could/intend to try to learn something.

I do however do custom guitar pedal effects and mods, and have done some various bits of studio hacking/engineering work (when I still lived in Detroit I helped a well known artist get his first PC-based/digital mixing board up and running).

I taught myself acoustic guitar. First, I learned from books and websites. Then when YouTube came out, I found a lot of very good "How to Play Song X" videos on it. I really enjoyed learning to play. Spending 5-10 hours a week away from my computer, and not looking at a screen for most of that time, significantly boosted my productivity and improved my morale. I was pretty burned out and looking for something to do besides computer work, and reading about computers, when I started picking it up. I haven't played in a few years, though. As I got older, I kinda lost interest in music (both listening to and playing).

I used to play saxophone - but I sucked. I also play a teeny little bit of piano.

Violin. I could have gone professional, but decided that I'd enjoy it more if I kept music as a hobby, and that computing/mathematics paid better for less work anyway.

The AXiS49. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9-OSCl7kOc

It's like cheating at music.

Piano - I really like how versatile and consistent it is. If I were to learn another instrument, it'd definitely be guitar.

I play guitar very poorly. When I'm stuck on a problem I'll run scales for awhile until the answer hits me.

Guitar - jazz and blues. I used to play pro and then "found" computers :)

Awesome. If you don't mind, do you have any music links of you playing I can listen to?

I don't have but 1 or 2 songs today online and those are not ones I'm too proud of lol. I did just buy a new Eric Johnson Fender Strat and have started getting back into practicing though :)

I dont play music, but I love to listen to it. HipHop, R&B, Pop, Jazz, Classical, Blues, Rock, everything. I too have noticed that playing music is a consistent trend for many.

Electronic drums, banjo, guitar, piano, trumpet -- in order of increasing skill (not that it increases to any significant level).

piano and saxophone(not at the same time :) ) Though recently I have been thinking of taking up bass guitar.

Play piano and guitar; try to sing too as I write music and someone needs to sing it.

Expert Rockband drums... that counts right?

Me too. And absolutely it counts; VB programmers are still programmers aren't they?

I play the guitar.

piano, guitar...not well

Clarinet

guitar hero!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com