Like Doppelbock, I've been primarily a tinkerer. I have a guitar, which I haven't picked up in a couple years. My nails are too long and there are no callusses. The long nails on the right hand would work for finger-picking. I learned long ago to type with the tips of my nails.
In my two previous houses, my then spouse had pianos. I would noodle and used them for writing. I love all the notes laid out in a row. Piano became my most frequent vehicle for baring my soul.
The instruments I was most serious about are percussion. I took some lessons from Airto Moriera. Fingers - CTI SQ/Q8/Q4. I met him through the folks at Slingerland Drums here in Chicago. He taught me some incredible techniques and philosophy. He also has some absolutely fascinating stories. He would speak of "moosicians." Love that accent! Many of my LP's of his are autographed. Sadly, Fingers isn't one of them. I began as a drummer and guitarist at 14, and graduated to timbales, octabans, and conga. Mostly, I've played my practice pad. lol!! Airto turned me onto berimbau, surdo grande, cuica, surdo pequeno, and a variety of Brazilian percussion. He also advocated playing conga with sticks. It produces a radically different sound, BUT it allows one to play many other percussion instruments simultaneously. He expanded my pallette, and I was never the same. For his best demonstration of this technique, listen to Toque de Cuica on Airto's Touching You, Touching Me 2ch album. I often used it to demonstrate speakers.
Since I'm nowhere as cute as Sheila E(scovedo), I didn't pursue a career in music.
(and all the other members that enjoyed it too, it does mean a lot to me)
