Wow, thanks for the list. That took some work!

I confess I recognize fewer than half the songs -- I guess GooTube is about to get a workout!

I ended up playing alto recorder through a circuitous route. I've since dropped the harmonica in favor of it. Unless you plan on recitals, a brand name resin recorder is a good hobbyist and rough use instrument. The one I have is a Yamaha YRA-312 ~$30. I've found that the arched windway really helps with breath control. The other two name brands are Aulos and Zen-on.

A while back I picked up a Yamaha Alto (ABS Resin) recorder — YRA-314B. That’s the only one I try to play The wood recorders are nice, but whether they sound any better is academic; I suck as a recorder player so ABS resin is a much better option.

Russ, you suck?? That's your problem - you are supposed to blow!!

Always glad to assist...

LOL! That's where a harp is so forgiving -- just the right amount of suck and blow makes a joyful noise.

I wonder if we have reached "peak thread" though -- we're down to Mel Brooks??? Oy.

I need to post something broody and soulful real quick!

And emoticons! Need more emoticons!

Just looking back through all our old threads, it seems quite a few others have given this one a second look. So, permit me to give it a bump.

Fires and floods, power out and people on the move. Hard times out there.

Are you folks still playing, singing, strumming, blowing and (on purpose) sucking, defying the storms outside? I hope so. Music lightens the load.

I have a couple of earworms that won't let go of me, so I have no choice but to learn them and play them. This week it's "End of the Line" by the Traveling Wilburys and "Ol'55" which is a Tom Waits tune covered by a few country rockers you may have heard of. Both on gootube. And they won't let me go until I know them by heart.

Hope you have a soon-to-be-portable earworm or two on your list as well.

Cheers!

I'm working on a "Tin Whistle" Simple device like a recorder, with 6 finger holes. There are plenty of free you tube tutorials to learn how.

Wow, folks. Crazy times! Like many, we're voluntarily sheltering in place and distancing from COVID-19.

I thought a thread bump might be appropriate.

BTW, RIP Kenny Rogers. "The Gambler" is part of my fireside repertoire. Everybody likes it, regardless of their musical preferences. Somehow it rings true.

An couple of ideas:

Don't discount the ukelele as an instrument. It's much easier to learn to play than a guitar. I learned in elementary school. It can handle all the basic chords for campfire songs. A decent instrument should really have geared tuning heads. Ukes are a total hoot to mess around with!

For those who have an old guitar but don't play: you can still make pretty noises. Instead of standard tuning, drop both the high E (1st string, at the bottom) and the low E (6th string, at the top) down one full note to D. It now has a nice chord when you strum it open. And then you play an "A" chord and just move it up and down the neck (same fingering as A) until you find other spots that make nice chords. This works!

Don't have a guitar tuner? You can get them on your smartphone.