[Info Thread] Musicians

[Nyil]

I figured that since artists and writers get their own info threads, it's time that musicians got their own too!

Your Name:
Your Stage Name (if you have one):
Your Genre:
How long have you been playing music:
Have you taken any music classes:
If yes, what kind:
Where do you perform:
What is your FAVORITE thing to perform:
What is your LEAST favorite thing to perform:
Do you play with a band:
Is music going to be in your future as a career:
What's your favorite genre to listen to:
Where do you get your inspiration:
What musicians do you like to listen to:
Have you ever been paid to play music in public:
Is there anything you see yourself never playing:
Have you ever improvised:
Do you compose:
Anything else you want to say about your music:

And, now that the questions are written, I think it's time I took a crack at them!

Your Name: Nyil
Your Stage Name (if you have one): I'm generally known as "that Asian guy"
Your Instrument(s): Violin/fiddle, tinwhistle, bodhran
Your Genre: Irish contemporary, and a bit of jazz!
How long have you been playing music: For a while now! I can't quite keep track
Have you taken any music classes: A few
If yes, what kind: A bunch of college courses, since it was originally my major - studio violin, music theory, sightsinging, studio singing...
Where do you perform: All around Illinois
What is your FAVORITE thing to perform: Irish music - I like reel sets and jig sets the most, and sometimes fleadh suites when I know the music enough to do whatever I feel like
What is your LEAST favorite thing to perform: I'd really have to search for this. Probably anything where I have to sing, I guess.
Do you play with a band: Yes!
Is music going to be in your future as a career: Not really, though I'd like to incorporate music into my research.
What's your favorite genre to listen to: Irish folk and classical. And some jazz.
Where do you get your inspiration: Anything I listen to has points I want to incorporate and points I want to make sure I never ever replicate - I may play Irish music, but I draw a lot from things like Mozart and Tchaikovsky.
What musicians do you like to listen to: Maxim Vengerov, Regina Carter, Noel Rice, Frankie Gavin, Tommy Peoples, Martin Hayes, Liz Carroll, John Doyle... This list will go on. Ah! Wait! Alasdair Fraiser!
Have you ever been paid to play music in public: Yes, on more than a few occasions
Is there anything you see yourself never playing: I've pretty much done it all - I even did percussion for a rap recording. Hnng. Never again.
Have you ever improvised: Yes, I was in the faculty jazz band at my college and we typically had to do a lot of improv
Do you compose: Yup! Nothing overly complex though.
Anything else you want to say about your music: It's kind of a mix of Classical and Irish, with some jazz stylings thrown in there just to mix things up.

[Tapewolf]

Your Name: J Morris
Your Stage Name (if you have one):  DOUG the Eagle
Your Genre:Progressive rock, psych, soundtrack, some other things
How long have you been playing music: About 10 years
Have you taken any music classes: Not since school.
If yes, what kind:
Where do you perform: At home, very much tied to my studio
What is your FAVORITE thing to perform: Bass parts, organ parts
What is your LEAST favorite thing to perform:  Drum tracks
Do you play with a band: No
Is music going to be in your future as a career: Not sure
What's your favorite genre to listen to: Progressive rock
Where do you get your inspiration: DMFA, other inspiring stories
What musicians do you like to listen to: Keith Emerson, Rick Wakeman,
Have you ever been paid to play music in public: No
Is there anything you see yourself never playing: Rap
Have you ever improvised: As part of the composition, yes.  Once I whistled an improvised solo on 'SAIA Blues', but it sucked when I played it back the following morning.
Do you compose: Yes
Can you actually play an instrument: No  Bass
Anything else you want to say about your music: I would be so, so screwed without a sequencer.  I don't like being called a musician out of shame since the only instrument I've successfully played was a spoon solo, and that took about 20 takes to get right.

EDIT: Since this was written I do have some vague degree of ability on bass.  But I usually need to do a lot of punch-ins to fix mistakes.  Don't think I'm going to be doing it live any time soon.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

* llearch n'n'daCorna nails the thread to the forum.

[Sienna Maiu - M T]

The Maiu is in yur thread, making a mockery of the system.

Your Name: I can't tell you that.
Your Stage Name (if you have one): I can't tell you that either.  : |   Mostly N/A
Your Genre: Regional, Spiritual, Choral, and Classical
How long have you been playing music: FOREVER~~~  But depending on how you want to look at it, either 23, 18, 14, 12, 8, or 6 years.
  [= life, school music program/education, school choir/violin, school band, active decision to take a music for credit course (grades 10-12) and get a private instructor, begin piano]
Have you taken any music classes: Kind of answered that above though, didn't I?  ... huh.
If yes, what kind: School Program, private instruction, two years of Choral Camp after high school, most recently; a creative music workshop at the jazz festival to learn more about "improv"
Where do you perform: The shower.
Also, wherever it comes up for me to do so... usually a stage of some kind.
What is your FAVOURITE thing to perform: Choral.
What is your LEAST favourite thing to perform: . . .  improvisation.
Do you play with a band: no.
Is music going to be in your future as a career: phht, I wish.  It will always be a part of my life though.
What's your favourite genre to listen to: ... does "Shara Worden" count as a 'genre'?   Anyway, female singers, typically.
Where do you get your inspiration: The desire to create comes from within.
What musicians do you like to listen to: ...  Shara Worden. Kristin Chenoweth, and a few random little songs on my playlist.
Have you ever been paid to play music in public: no.   However, at least I have also never been paid not to.
Is there anything you see yourself never playing: Death Metal.
Have you ever improvised: yes.
Do you compose: Very little.
Anything else you want to say about your music: Mostly it's just for me.  It's not really something the world wants to share.

[Liatai]

Your Name: Sara -- call me Liatai.
Your Stage Name (if you have one): Don't have one.
Your Genre: Vocal, choral, whatever I feel like singing or the ensemble's doing, really.

How long have you been playing music?: Well, fourth grade is when choir was first offered in my school growing up, so... at least seventeen years.
Have you taken any music classes?: Yes; a basic music theory class in college, music classes in grade school, a year or two of basic piano as a child, and mandatory group lessons as part of choir in high school, which taught me a lot. I've never taken any private lessons for my singing, though.
Where do you perform?: In choirs whenever I can, in the car, sometimes when walking alone, and when doing chores. I used to enjoy musical theater when I was younger, but have yet to find a group to do it with as an adult.
What is your FAVORITE thing to perform?: Musical theater, video game/Vocaloid music, Celtic music, soft rock, and songs in other languages, provided they come with a translation and...
What is your LEAST favorite thing to perform?: THEY'RE NOT GERMAN. I had a choir director in college who was enamored with German music, and I am simply not phlegmy nor nasal enough to pronounce German easily. Especially when trying to float on the high notes! No thank you. No more German for me.
Do you play with a band?: No, unless choirs count.
Is music going to be in your future as a career?: Not likely. But it is fun! I can't picture a life without music.
What's your favorite genre to listen to?: See favorite things to perform and add rock, video game remixes, and folk music, but I'll give nigh anything a listen. The past year has given me a new appreciation for techno, hard rock, and (not very heavy) metal.
Where do you get your inspiration?: Music is my main source of inspiration for the art and writing I do, so it inspires me in and of itself.
What musicians do you like to listen to?: The Barenaked Ladies, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Elton John, Vocaloids, video game soundtracks, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Genesis...
Have you ever been paid to play music in public?: Nope.
Is there anything you see yourself never playing?: Anything with growly vocals. I just do not have the throat for it.
Have you ever improvised?: Not where anyone could hear, but yes.
Do you compose?: I tried a few times in school; I don't have the knack. I just have to enjoy others' work and honor it with performing.

Anything else you want to say about your music: Let's see... I'm a first soprano (unfortunately, as I tend to find alto parts more appealing to the ear... ), and I tend to surprise people when they learn I know how to project.
I'm normally very, very soft-spoken; once in high school, I asked my choir director what was closer to a normal speaking volume, piano or forte. A bass who stood next to me, passing by, proclaimed "You?! Pianissimo!" Because of that, I've taken extra care to work on projecting my voice for when it counts. I have a fond memory of singing a solo in a school musical microphone-less because the mic wasn't where it was supposed to be, and people after the show looking shocked when I told them I wasn't wearing one. Secret ability for the win!

[Rosenkratz]

Your Name: R. Rosenkratz
Your Stage Name (if you have one): Rosenkratz
Your Genre: Male
How long have you been playing music: About 6 years
Have you taken any music classes: No
If yes, what kind: -
Where do you perform: Public
What is your FAVORITE thing to perform: My own stuff, my own interpretation/version
What is your LEAST favorite thing to perform: If I didn't like performing something, I wouldn't do it
Do you play with a band: No
Is music going to be in your future as a career: Yes and no
What's your favorite genre to listen to: Experimental, Rock, Classic rock
Where do you get your inspiration: M. Oldfield, my love
What musicians do you like to listen to: Mike Oldfield, Tosin Abasi, Angus Stone, etc etc etc
Have you ever been paid to play music in public: Don't usually take money
Is there anything you see yourself never playing: Ugly pop, you know, crappy autotune pop
Have you ever improvised: Yas
Do you compose: Yasss
Anything else you want to say about your music: Not really, I hadn't really been interested on uploading stuff to youtube or soundcloud but I've        been recording a bit more at my place and I may start doing that

Here's a Castlevania SOTN track I recorded about a year ago, maybe people around here will like it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYqnkRgVgug

Suggestions and criticism are well taken, thanks-