Smogon Chamber Ensemble(Musician General Discussion)

Tenshi

and I think that's beautiful
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♮♯♭~Smogon Chamber Ensemble~♭♯♮
Hello! This is a general discussion thread for musicians of all types and any inspiring performers involved with Smogon to talk and discuss about what's going on in their lives at the time. Be it practicing for a school concert, a major recital, or just performing for your community, or just silly stories about their misfortune!
(Discuss the people behind the music, not music itself :p)
I'm currently in my Freshman year of College as a Music Ed major with a focus in piano. I've been having a very active year with my piano study and Choir, which I have a Messiah performance at the start of December we're preparing for. Real fun singing with no prior experience but I'm liking Choir so far and my director is amazing. :psywoke:
Also fuck 8 AM Theory classes
I was hoping that I can get some musicians together as there are plenty of artists on Smogon and it's always fun hearing about the experiences and stories of others.​
 
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Chickenpie2

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Been forced to play piano since i was little, dropped it after getting a diploma at 13, but still continued to play for school musicals. Also started singing in choirs and picking up other instruments like flute and french horn to rebel against piano i guess.
Fast forward to now I’m in uni, and despite all the crap ive gone through with it, music is something that makes me happy now. Met a lot of great people through acapella choir clubs, love making chill little tunes and ditties and covers on piano, and actually teaching music both at home and in a primary school.
 

Tenshi

and I think that's beautiful
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Been forced to play piano since i was little, dropped it after getting a diploma at 13, but still continued to play for school musicals. Also started singing in choirs and picking up other instruments like flute and french horn to rebel against piano i guess.
Fast forward to now I’m in uni, and despite all the crap ive gone through with it, music is something that makes me happy now. Met a lot of great people through acapella choir clubs, love making chill little tunes and ditties and covers on piano, and actually teaching music both at home and in a primary school.
Glad that having piano put on you didn't burn you out completely with it, music was very much my own initiative for me as the only other musicians in my family are guitarists.(which is my least favorite instrument sound wise, really put me off from ever trying to play it even though now I'm willing to try it out if I had one) I was going to try giving small beginner lessons over the summer before uni started but it didn't work out which is very sad, I'm aiming to be a college professor so teaching music is something I need a lot of experience with for obvious reasons. One of the things that really strives me to continue as a musician is that it has a positive effect on people, really makes it feel like you're getting something out of putting so much time into playing.
 

Cresselia~~

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I was forced to learn piano when little too. For a long time, I hated classical music because of that.
I briefly taught piano to little kids, but now I have another job.
A lot of people tell me that I'm very talented in music, but not necessarily piano (or playing an instrument).
I'm now taking lessons on composing and arrangement, and I believe that this is the place where I'll shine.
 

GatoDelFuego

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Played string bass for 12 years, elementary school through college. Had to give it up in the "professional" world as I don't have any interest to join community orchestras and I can't just sneak into a professional one. Really weird how few strings players there actually are out there, everybody plays piano or marching band
 

Tenshi

and I think that's beautiful
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Really weird how few strings players there actually are out there, everybody plays piano or marching band
Yeah it's unfortunately really tough for string folk :(
Normally the best bet for string folk is def orchestras(the most important ensemble in chamber music is the string quartet!!), always has a place in just about every type of orchestra. String bass especially has a prominent role in Jazz since it's a big core in the rhythm sections, even getting spicy solos. I think a contribution to piano players being more noticed isn't the fact that there are more, but rather there's just more famous piano players(normally who also sing while playing the piano like Alicia Keys or Sara Bareilles)
When I think of more modern famous people who play string instruments I just kinda think of Lindsey Stirling's call to fame is that she dances while playing the violin. I don't think you can really dance while playing a cello or bass in comparison, it's really unfortunate because lower string instruments imo are among the most beautiful sounding instruments out there. It's just unfortunate that there aren't really a lot of mainstream artists pulling out a string instrument in performances, maybe it'd give the instrument more attention and have more artists willing to experiment with them outside of the typical orchestral pieces you find in a lot of indie pop
 
I started in concert band when I was in 7th grade, and was playing trombone. I continued into my senior year of high school doing a variety of concert bands, marching band, and pep band. After that I went to college and haven't really played since, but would love to get back into it and learn other instruments.
 

Ivy

resident enigma
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My sister recently got back to playing cello after a while of learning guitar and a brief vacation from cello since graduating high school. She got an invitation to join some pretty prestigious metal cover band (with classical instruments) and is determined to bolster her skills to meet the expectations lol. Meanwhile I haven't touched my violin in 5 years
 

Hipmonlee

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I play Trombone in a local amateur orchestra and concert band.

I've been working on changing my embouchure over the last couple of years. It used to be inconsistent in different ranges, which made my flexibility diabolical. I am pretty happy from that perspective with where I am now, but instead when I play high I am putting a hell of a lot of tension in my neck. I am hoping that will reduce when I build up more strength and endurance with the new embouchure, but that takes a lot of playing and its hard to find time to practice these days.

I probably need to go back to good old Claude Gordon for a few months..

My advice: get that shit right the first time.
 

Annika

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I played piano from ages 10-13. I then quit because I didn't have the time or motivation to continue.
 

Havens

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I'm no pianist, but rather a clarinetist and saxophonist playing at the collegiate level. I've also got quite a bit of accolades under my belt and am currently in the Wind Symphony at my uni, but it's nothing much.

While I do love playing my instruments, the level of commitment that I have to devote to practice with the amount of responsibility placed on my head feels very bothersome. Like, I'm still pursuing Music as my major (Commercial Music Business), but being in an ensemble and taking lessons and having juries has absolutely nothing to do with my career path. It kinda sucks; I feel like I'm losing my grip on the things that brought me on this path just because it has nothing to do with what I want to do. Truly a pity, really. However, dropping my instruments to further my career has really helped me meet some wonderful people and discover amazing music, so I can't really complain as much.
 

Tenshi

and I think that's beautiful
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Just had my last studio class of the semester, my first jury is approaching in 2 1/2 I stressin' but we gon' do it

One of the faculty did a really interesting recital lab where he played to a little short film. It's really interesting how giving music a visual can entirely enhance or even change the feeling you get from listening to it, truly a magical phenomena that excites my nerdy musical brain :blobuwu::blobuwu:

More noteworthy than my finals that's about to bite my ass, I'm seeing my favorite singer Sara Bareilles live in concert(my first non school related concert I've been to so there's that much more hype) in 3 days of when this is posted. Definitely one of those singers who helped me stick with the piano and really one of the influences towards my enjoyment of soul music as a genre. Super excited for this coming week :)
 
I play Tenor and Bass Trombone and am gearing up for my college auditions, especially Ohio State's and Cincinatti's. I plan to do Trombone performance with some sort of jazz minor. Although I may switch to music ed, its a hard decision. Most of my options in the end would be the same, except I wouldn't be able to teach with a performance degree
 

Tenshi

and I think that's beautiful
is a Smogon Discord Contributoris a member of the Battle Simulator Staff
I play Tenor and Bass Trombone and am gearing up for my college auditions, especially Ohio State's and Cincinatti's. I plan to do Trombone performance with some sort of jazz minor. Although I may switch to music ed, its a hard decision. Most of my options in the end would be the same, except I wouldn't be able to teach with a performance degree
If you have an interest in teaching I def recommend going for music ed but you should aim for performance if you don't (nothing is worse than a teacher who doesn't want to teach.) Your going to be a lot more focused in your instrument with a performance degree while an education degree will have you gain general knowledge on a variety of instruments, especially if you're going with band(transcribing is a whole mess you gotta be able to hear and know what they're actually playing versus what it is in concert pitch.) You could also potentially double major performance and education if that's a possibility. There are definitely a lot of options out there for you, good luck on your auditions buddy :)
 
Sup. I’m a freshman composition major at Peabody Conservatory with a applied minor in piano. though i passed out of every piano class since i aspired to be a concert pianist from the age of 8 and studied piano at Curtis for ~8 years. I had a hand injury/surgery that ended that specific direction of my life but honestly i love writing music more and im still excellent at piano. I have perfect pitch as well I guess.

I’m totally loving my first year. However, its been a little tough adjusting to a new environment creatively but i’m sure ill adapt soon enough. I’ve been a little less productive as a result but I’m still doing fine.

If anybody has questions or concerns about anything regarding conservatory auditions, conservatory life, music in general, or whatever, just hit me up. I did a lot of auditions last year for prestigious schools so I’m very familiar with the current iteration of the process. If its more personal my discord dms are also open (durza#5669). I love music and talking about music so i’m always down to talk!
 

Ivy

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I was at some multicultural holiday event at my friend's college and we had the chance to sing along with one of the songs and it was printed on sheet music. My first time trying to read sheet music in 5+ years, let alone singing from it (versus playing an instrument). Felt weird man. Advanced Karaoke
 

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