Finding inspiration from other instruments....

Andrew Lamprecht

Andrew Lamprecht

Minion of One
I've found that I have been inspired lately by listening to instruments other than what I hear everyday....

I know it is a lot but ALL of these videos are worth listening to. They are all really good.













 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

There is also stuff like piano and violin but I figure most people here know what those sound like... also, the sitar vid has to be viewed on youtube but watch it. ;)
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

I was really into melodic lines and style usually associated with the oud. The influence can still be heard when I play more indie-style rock solo work.

Lately though, I've been really interested in looping myself, and adding melodies on wind instruments. Lots of tin whistle ; I find the simplicity to be the perfect compliment to my writing mindset. Having a harmonica holder has also really helped.
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

That Incubus song is very cool.

I'm listening to a lot of this kind of stuff these days, especially classical Arabic and Chinese music. My favourite instruments are the 'ud and erhu.

Joseph Tawadros is one of the hottest 'ud players around


Anouar Brahem; one of my favourites of his.


Erhu.


I'm also loving Renaud Garcia-Fons at the moment. Makes me want to get a double bass!
 
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Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

Great stuff! Love the erhu and Koto...although I prefer a more "contemplative" koto style.

Lots of tin whistle
Click to expand...
The company I work for sells tons of tin whistles. Every once in a while we'll get a real good player in the store and I'll have to stop working and just listen to the mini-concert. Someday I'd like to learn to play the tin whistle myself.

here's a good one with tin whistle, harp, bodhran, uilleann pipes, violin and some others I'm forgetting...
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

years of living in the middle east has kinda permanently infused me with inspiration from all sorts of arabic/indian instruments, both melodic and percussive.

Lately though, I've been really inspired by the sound of mandolins. Trying to get a mandolin feel and sound out of an electric guitar is....interesting lol.
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

I've been a serious student and player of the Autoharp for over 40 years and it's great for finding new song ideas. My harps have all been deconstructed and rebuilt so that each only plays in one or two keys, which allows the extra strings to be tuned in unison. Kind of like a 12 string guitar. Here's a guy who's playing I really like and who I learned a lot from:

 
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Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

You know, I always thought that the Autoharp was basically an obsolete instrument that no-one played anymore. Then, the other day I have a guy come into the shop looking for auto-harp strings. He's an old customer/friend of mine and he starts telling me about the instrument and various players. Turns out Bowers just played at our concert venue a month or two ago. I have to say, I have more respect for the instrument after speaking with my customer and then listening to Bowers play it!
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

I get a lot of inspiration by just listening to Middle Eastern music for a little bit. I also get inspired by playing different types of guitars I haven't tried out before.
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

I am a huge fan of the ehru and the shamisen!

Really want to get one of each sometime soon.
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

SH-101

sh101.jpg
 
Re: Finding inspiration from other instruments....

My favorite non-guitar instruments (I'm counting bass, banjo, mandolin, uke, etc. as guitar):

DV016_Jpg_Large_468333.904_lacquer.jpg

There is no horn as cool as a Sousaphone. They kick ass, and they are a blast to play. Nothing like an instrument that you wear!

4HS1940.jpg

My "baby" is a '36 Conn named Emily, very similar to the one in this picture. I also have three others (one of which I spray painted blue in my marching band days), including my other "good" one, a Yamaha F-key model:
DV016_Jpg_Large_461518_angle.jpg


...and, of course, the king of rock-n-roll horns, the tenor sax. I have a '50's King that I just had signed by Big Jay himself at a gig:
big-jay-mcneely__28628_zoom.jpg
 
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