Any adult dancers who play an instrument?

[Claude_Catastrophique]

I wonder if there are any adult dancers out there who play an instrument (seriouse or just for fun). If yes, what do you play and do you think it affected your dancing?

 

I play the piano since elemtary school and I was never really good, I thought. Ha, I was wrong...now that I nearly have no time to play, only about 20 min. per day, I realized how bad I got compared to when I was in school and practiced for about 2 hours per day. I just love it and it is like driving a bike: Once learnt you will never forget the basic things.

It gave me a deeper understanding for the music I dance with. I got a whole lot of CDs at home with famouse ballet music and since I play the piano I listen in a different way to the music, also when I dance.

 

And you?

[minty]

well, I've played the piano for 15 years, and I play the trumpet too, and I've taken singing lessons for two years ...

unfortunately, I have no time for practising, but I think that it helped my dancing. How ? Mostly because I begun ballet as an adult, and I seem to be one of the rare ones in the class who can actually dance to the music...I am not "good", but many people have told me they like to be behind me at the barre, because they can follow me...

[Reebs511]

I never played an instrument formally but took guitar lessons when I was younger and sang in chorus in high school (oh, and I was in a church handbell choir for a while...). Learning how to read and understand music has helped me find the rhythm in combinations...as long as the combination fits the music!

[handan]

I have been playing the piano for fun for a very long time, and I am not very good, but I do think that you get a different feel for music when you do play an instrument. I have also played violin, and sing as well. Since starting ballet again after a very long break, I found that when I play piano I want to play more "Barre- music" like Chopin, but I have not found any good sheet music yet. My daughter doesn't mind, she will dance to anything that I play. I agree that you listen to music differently, especially if it is something that you have (tried to) played yourself. I listen to classical music a lot, don't think I could do without it, and I think it is part of the reason that I love doing ballet so much again .

[Serendipity]

I started my "career" playing guitar. I pound piano and if I'm in a really bad mood and want to annoy neighbors or students, I'll dig out my violin. Even my cats run caterwalling from the room when that thing comes out....

 

My first ballet teacher told us all to learn to play the violin, because the movements the arm makes in drawing across the strings is similar to the gracefulness of an arm in ballet.

 

It's helped me most with being able to pick out rhythm. With one teacher I had last year, she was always off the music and it really got to me - like nails on a chalkboard!!

[Claude_Catastrophique]

Thank you for your replies. It was very interesting to read. So the general experience here is that playing an instrument helps with rhythm and a deeper understanding of the music. He,he, I had to laugh about your post, Serendipity. I always feel sorry for our neighbour that lives in the flat over mine. Me in the first floor plays the piano and the lady over her in the third floor plays the piano too and is an Opera Singer besides that (she practices often, I can hear it, especially in the bathroom). When my sister still lived with us, she played the guitar and played the flute (and she also sang quite often). That poor lady in the second floor....

[gav]

Haha! Claude, look online for a musical theatre/cabaret song called "The Girl in 14G" (written by Tesori/Scanlan, I think for Kristin Chenoweth's CD). I think you'll find it describes a familiar situation...

[missvjc420]

I grew up playing the piano and the guitar, and have been a drum and bass DJ for almost 10 years. I miss being a child and having time to do all of these things well.

[handan]

Hihi Serendipity, we used to have a dog that would leave the room with his tail between his legs as soon as I got the violin case out... what I thought was funny is that my ballet teacher was always telling me and a friend that also played the violin off for tilting out heads, the way you hold your violin. And then at violin lesson we would get told off for standing with our feet outwards- in the fourth position...

[olddude]

I studied the cello as a child, but gave it up after college. It was another 35 years before I started dancing. I do have some talent for rhythm, which probably influenced both activities, though I doubt either one influenced the other very much. Serendipity, I also have one teacher/accompanist combination where the dance and music tempos are uncoupled, but she is otherwise an excellent teacher - I just try to keep an eye on her to pick up how fast we're going at any given time!

[Tiffany]

Serendipity, I totally agree, it drives me crazy if I have a teacher who is 'off' the music.

 

I took piano lessons for 9 years, competed in several competitions each year; I know at some point I practiced 30 min./day. I can still read music & play the piano occassionally still-have some old pieces that I love. I played flute for 2 years and don't remember the notes/finger positions anymore. I also sang in the choir.

 

I think learning to read music helps you dance because you can count the music more easily & stay with the music more easily when you are dancing.

 

Sometimes I run into teachers who count the music differently than I think it should be counted; I always wonder "am I counting the music wrong or are they or are there just different ways to count this music?" Maybe they just phrase things differently than I would. Other teachers that I have I feel are always 'on' the music.

[Marjolein]

I've been playing the piano for 16 years, I've now been playing the cello for a year and a half and I've been singing for 10 years. I think it all influences each other. I'm often one of the only ones in ballet class who actually jumps to the beat.

[Mel Johnson]

I was an old "brass man". That means all the honk machines between piccolo trumpet and contrabass tuba. Being sort of the "swing boy" of the brasses meant that I learned a lot about transposition and interpretation. You never want to go straight from playing a tuba to fill in for a missing French horn. In the latter case, your embouchure is only about a quarter of an inch wide, in the former, you just stick your entire face into the mouthpiece and blow!

[dancepig]

Wow - I always thought Major Mel was multi-talented - now it has been proven! I played the flute and piccolo all through school up until I finished college. And I played AT the piano. I think those years gave me a better sense of musicality than I would have if I had not played an instrument. I also have a better understanding and knowledge of some of the classics, from having played them. However, even though we played Stravinsky, I still don't understand it (most likely because I just don't care for it).

[Mel Johnson]

I often felt that Stravinsky was a lot like much of Bach and some of Mozart. Much more fun to play than to listen to!