Photo via the Minneapoline
I have always wondered what instrument will help me seem the most authentic. I feel like too many people play guitar, and tons of people can play ableton/turntables, so I’m just searching for something that will make me stand out a little bit more. Would like to start some sort of authentic folk band and get ’significant coverage in p4k magazine.’ Might buy a banjo. Feel like people who can play the banjo are always respected as pure musicians. Feel like people always ‘respect’ folk music no matter what.
Might buy a saxophone instead. Possibly start a ‘pazz and jop’ band like the TelevisionsOnTheRadios.
Might write an album about every state in the United States, and get it done before Sufjan does.
Do yall know what the most authentic instrument to be able to play is?
Or is it better to ‘be a production genius’ who is decent at every instrument?
Did ur parents get u musical lessons when u were a kid? Do u wish u took them more srsly so u could be in a relevant band 2day?
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IAmCarles.com
46 Comments
It is best to use everything you have currently at your disposal. If you have talent the equipment you use doesn’t mater as much.
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//////////Reply by LVL5INFERNO
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
@anony, you totally missed the entire point of this post.
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//////////Reply by deaf child
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 1:48 am
@LVL5INFERNO,
wrong bro. u did. u only got 1 layer?
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Carles, you should be playing the skin flute.
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//////////Reply by gestALT
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 1:27 am
@colin barth, hyuk hyuk
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just wanna be a one man band man (via swizz beatz {subvia the bro from beirut})
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//////////Reply by hey anony anony
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
@hey anony anony, forgot 2 post that harmonium (<3 shilpa ray) could be big in 2k10.
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Is the cowbell still relevant?
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//////////Reply by Mightytaiger
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
@john, only via The Rapture getting some play at the end of one of those “meaningful parties” Carles tells us about.
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SP404
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//////////Reply by Slik
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
@Gregg G., yup
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//////////Reply by douchebag
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
@Gregg G., Casio SK-1?
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//////////Reply by cmraphnsrdrmy
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 9:45 pm
@douchebag, kora
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I feel like Sufjan won’t do it. How many albums did Bobby Dill make? He might have made 50. No way this Sufjan bro will. I feel kinda like he still tries to be “hott” to chicks as well.
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//////////Reply by d
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
@Joe, In all seriousness….wtf is sufjan doing right now? he hasn’t released and album in like 5 years (or did i miss one?)…. what does he do all day?
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//////////Reply by Mightytaiger
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
@d, being lame is a full time job, give him a break.
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most authentic instrument : hang drum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQXn5ba0aT8
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//////////Reply by monster
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
@troyish, very authentic, but the DIY version is even more authentic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5dD4KkJcAw&feature=related
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<3u travis
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How did you not pick the ukele? It’s more ‘alt’ and popular now than the banjo. Banjos are kinda 2006 anyway.
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//////////Reply by Kenny G
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
@Rich, ya bro
Dent May bro, obvi
2 legit
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H8 SUFBRO STEVENS
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Xylophones are pretty authentic as well.
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 10:39 am
@Drew., There starting to become played out at this point.
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//////////Reply by Drew.
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 12:24 pm
@anony, Yeah, I guess you’re right. The most authentic thing would be to use some random object as an instrument. “Thinking outside the box, y’all.”
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it’s all about using Max/MSP to write your own VST synth from scratch. I like to use that with a nice MIDI controller that I made from old Megadrive parts.
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//////////Reply by douchebag
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
@douchebag, actually, I think maybe the ‘floppy disc drive’ is the most authentic instrument ever created: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SER7kKj5Vis&feature=related
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 3:55 am
@douchebag, I think that’s making me wet.
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keyboards. everything has a fucking keyboard on it. accordion, synth, organ, melodica. even my fucking computer has a fucking keyboard on it. you could play everything that is an alternative to the guitar.
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baritone uke. banjoz so oves.
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DO NOT FORGET KEYTARS.
THEY ARE LITERAL ALT-TARS.
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 3:56 am
@Marpo Colo, please no.
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does broe#1 use the mandolin as a pick 4 the banjo? what an innovative broe.
does broe#2 have active-camoflage? i promised myself i’d b 1st 2 buy that when it was invented. fuck ass. it will be mainstream in 2 months hopefully.
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I think recorder is very alt. who plays recoder anyways? no – fucking – one, that’s who! so i think that if you want to be rylly altm, try recorder, or flute maybe.
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//////////Reply by anofk
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 1:19 am
@dimie, jimmy joe roche plays recorder but hes pretty alt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbaTxUqbOQg
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D00d the most authentic musical instrument is a walkman +a bunch of cheap guitar pedals.
My last roommate used that stuff to make noise 24/7, and I was like “wow you are being so authentic and individual like damn.”
And he was all like “What do you mean authentic? I don’t know what you’re talking about I’m just me and like Merzbow and old country and Inspectah Deck from Wu Tang.”
CONCLUSION: To be authentic you have to pretend to forget that you know what authentic is and get real pissed when someone calls you authentic.
It’s like birthday wishes. Acknowledge ‘em and they don’t come true. :(
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//////////Reply by LiaM
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 11:23 am
@Mechrobioticon, seems like a chill roommate
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 3:58 am
@Mechrobioticon, is the reefer still authentic?
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Saw. Hands down.
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//////////Reply by Mechrobioticon
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
@LBoog,
ooh ooh saw is a good one!
I think the best accompaniment for a guy playing the saw is to open your mouth into an “oh face” and slap your cheeks.
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i have to agree that the recorder is the most alt instrument. i was jamming with my bro the other day and we had the microkorg and drums and guitar and bass but then i saw his old recorder from 5th grade sitting ontop of a dusty box and i said to myself that is alt. and then i made him play something on it. it sounded great!
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//////////Reply by a.
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
@Andrew,
GAY
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//////////Reply by a.
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
@a., and your blog of high school misfit ramblings is painful. quit.
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//////////Reply by Mechrobioticon
//////////Posted May 29th, 2009 at 11:57 pm
No, I think a. was right; I think that was gay.
Bro, u should totally learn the banjo, shave ur head and play “dueling banjos” on a porch. If u can get as good as Earl Scruggs u will be a god in the banjo world.
BANJO!!!!!!!
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that bro seems way chill
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most authentic is the harp. old world shit. for reals
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//////////Reply by jonesin
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
@alt hobo, Joanna Newsom FTW
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sitar, my friend, sitar.
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i heard that playing a right-handed guitar left handed is authentic as
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the most authentic thing you could do is invent ur own new intrument
working on a way 2 combine strings and flutes
bbl c u in 2k11
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i dig rimming the wine glasses + u can drink it @ the end
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//////////Reply by Mechrobioticon
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 12:02 am
NB4 someone turns this into a dirty joke.
We’re all mature adults here, right?
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//////////Reply by willy
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 12:58 am
@Mechrobioticon,
damn u robots!
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 4:02 am
@Mechrobioticon, I don’t know where you might have gotten such an idea.
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//////////Reply by gestALT
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 2:06 am
@willy, yo doesn’t your tongue get sore after all that rimming?
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//////////Reply by douchebag
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 9:25 am
@gestALT, LOL
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To be truly authentic you can’t play any notes that have been played before, you have to make your own.
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sufjan fuckin blows.
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 4:03 am
@generik witty cmmnt, I heard he’s kind of a prude.
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U should get haxxd again plox….
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he might be spending time relaxing after a hard days work trying to figure out what affect ionizing radiation has on chromosome aberrations
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Where did all the good comments go?
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bro
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wish i took musical lessons more srsly, played in a
band with bros that decided 2 b ‘progressive’ by adding ‘complicated time signatures’ and ‘analog synthezizer’. got kicked out 4 not being good enough at music.
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what about a theremin? or a hammer dulcimer. authentic as hell.
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//////////Reply by Mari
//////////Posted May 30th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
@exjunkiealt,
theremins, fuck yes.
ukes are pretty alt.
i play the viola. (Y)
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//////////Reply by anony
//////////Posted May 31st, 2009 at 4:06 am
@Mari, The most authentic of the quartet.
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singing saw ftw
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i realized, i used to read hro only for the posts and then i started reading it only for the comments [via jessicauthentic] and then i started reading it only for the ‘fucking retarded’ blogs of cmmntrs
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Y’arls,
I own a banjo, and I do have to say, it makes me feel like a more authentic indiefolkcore kid/bro.
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I want to fuck him in the warm up.
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Anything circuit bent,
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spoons
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steve martin plays the banjo lul
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l31MSpojWTA
10th comment down on the vid haha:
“Who are these young folks who want to act “authentic” by picking on people?”
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“A blog worth blogging about”
http://www.cakein15.com/2009/05/29/blog-implosion/
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Doug Funnie played banjo… take that as you will.
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All you hipsters stay away from the banjo. Shoo, SHOO I say!!! I swear to god if I have to listen to one more kid with a DIY haircut and tight pants strum on a horribly out of tune banjo (without fingerpicks or any knowledge of a true frail), I will start breaking drum heads. Go find some other music to bastardize with your hipness so the traditionalists can get back to their bluegrass/old tyme in peace….
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kevin greenspon already has an album about all 50 states. he’s so ironic.
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