My Instrument Collection
Over the years I've accumulated a number of musical instruments, only some of which I can actually play. This page is a showcase of all the instruments I own and some information about each one.
Yamaha TRBX304 Bass
When people ask what instrument I play, I usually say bass guitar, as this is by far the instrument I've played the most in recent years. I only got Ash a few years ago after spending a long time playing basslines on my (far too high-pitched) guitars (Yes, I do name some of my instruments, very pretentious, I know). Although I don't like the stereotype of bad guitar players becoming mediocre bass players, that's exactly what happened in my case...
Classical Guitar
This is the very first musical instrument I actually learned to play back in 2009. This one in particular actually belonged to my dad. I had a much smaller guitar back then but I grew and it unfortunately didn't.
"Gibson" Les Paul Electric Guitar
It took a fair bit of convincing, but my parents eventually got me an electric guitar, which I named Ellie. Although not an actual Gibson, Ellie is most certainly a stunning instrument. I don't play it very often anymore. In fact, it's been missing a high E string for quite some time.
Epiphone Acoustic Guitar
This one doesn't belong to me actually but its real owner has yet to notice its absence. I "borrowed" it for a Music Competition in which I took part in Prague (I won 1st price!). I used this instrument for a song that required a guitar in open G tuning, so I bought some very high-tension strings that could survive a significant drop in tension. Unfortunately, they make the guitar practically unplayable in standard E tuning.
Laka Ukulele
Onto the last of my named instruments. Behold Lala. After becoming obsessed with the idea of owning a Ukulele a few years back, I set out to get myself a Uke for under €30 and ended up getting this beautifully resonant Ukulele for €99... Thanks to its size, I've actually been able to bring Lala on some of my trips, having traveled as far as South America!
Kawai X30 Keyboard
Moving away from the plucked strings section, this is my keyboard. It belonged to my late grandmother originally, who passed it on to my father who eventually passed it on to me (Well I just sort of took it). I've recently been teaching myself some music theory and keyboards are by far the best instruments for this. Unfortunately I can't play very well but I have been learning Erik Satie's "Gymnopédie No.1" in an attempt to get better at piano.
Hohner 32-key Melodica
This is my Melodica, gifted to me by my girlfriend (who now regrets giving it to me). Once again, I'm no good at it, but I can play the iconic "Clint Eastwood" melody by Gorillaz. I hope to someday be able to play any of Jacob Collier's mind-blowing Melodica solos, although I might need a few more keys and a few more lungs for those...
Harmonica
Now moving onto the instruments that I don't actually play, this is my Harmonica! It was given to me by a dear friend back in 2014 shortly before I left Argentina as a "going-away" present. I've tried playing it a few times but the sound that comes out is quite far from pleasant, so it normally just hangs on my wall without a real purpose (much like the majority of the instruments following this one).
Kazoo
I've wanted a kazoo ever since I saw the video of the kazoo kid. I got my opportunity to buy myself one on a visit to London with the friend who gave me the Harmonica. Once you figure out which end to blow through and how to get it to make noise, it becomes an easy-to-play, fun little instrument! It's also the closest thing I have to a trumpet (for now...) so I use it every now and then to satisfy my "brass needs".
Tin Whistle in B♭
Together with the kazoo, I also bought myself this tin whistle on my trip to London. It's definitely a much nicer sound than a kazoo, but infinitely harder to play. I can just about manage the B♭ scale, nevermind an actual tune.
Jew's Harp
This is a Jew's Harp. This instrument is known by a million different names around the world. My personal favourites are: gewgaw, guimbard, khomus, trump (yes, really) and murchunga. I discovered this instrument on a school trip to Carlingford, a small town near the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. I ended up buying one for myself on a very dodgy-looking Russian website and, to my surprise, it actually arrived!
Kalimba
The next few instruments were all acquired on a trip to Portugal in 2019. This is my Kalimba. I have yet to find the ideal tuning of its tines so I haven't used it much, but it makes a very beautiful sound when plucked. I can actually play John Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" from the Harry Potter movies on it!
Pan Flute
This is a very cheap pan flute I got in a random souvenir shop in Albufeira. Apparently, pan flutes are usually tuned to the key of D. Well this pan flute is tuned to the key of F ... and the key of G? ... and also B half sharp?? I'm not sure what they were thinking when they made it, but then again, it's not like I'd be able to play if it was in tune anyway so...
Slide Whistle
Do you ever wish you could sound like a bird? Do you ever feel the need to add funny sound effects to your life? Well then a slide whistle is the instrument for you! This one was very cheap and feels like it might snap every time I pick it up, but it never fails to get a laugh out of me :)
Tambourine
Last but not least of my 2019 Portugal instruments is this DIY Tambourine made by Kikkerland. All the necessary pieces come in a nice little kit which only takes a few minutes to put together. They even have a DIY Ukulele! This isn't sponsored by the way, I just quite like the idea.
Ocarina
Remember that music competition I talked about earlier for which I sto, I mean... borrowed a guitar? Well I got this nifty little instrument while walking across the Charles Bridge in Prague during that trip. It came with a tiny little set of instructions and easy tunes but I've never actually attempted to play it.
So that's the current state of my instrument collection. I'm sure it will keep growing over the next few years and I'll try my best to keep this page up to date! If you happen to have an instrument lying around your house which isn't on this list, get in touch!