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# Music
I used to play:
- drums
Now I play:
- bass
- ukulele
- a midi keyboard, if you even consider it an instrument
<details markdown="1">
<summary>Click to expand infodump on how I got into music</summary>
I was not raised a music person. As a young kid I had near zero exposure
to formal music education. We would listen to Mandopop and Cantopop, and
mom would hum tunes while she did dishes, but that was it.
There was once my parents picked up a 88-key keyboard for me at our local
supermarket in hope I might amount to something. I never did. Sorry mom
and dad :(
In sixth grade I joined a brass band as a percussionist (that was before
I wore braces; the conductor looked at my teeth and said "nyeh"). For most
of my band career I was in charge of the bass drum and the drum kit, but
I did learn the timpani and a lil bit. My favorite performance however was
Takarajima, where I played the agogo (the soul of this musical number,
despite being just one bar over and over again).
As a side effect, a disadvantage I had to all the other band kids was that
I can't really read pitch, only rhythm. I did not know what a Bb minor
was.
Fast forward to 2021. The summer I graduated high school, I decided to
challenge myself to learn ukulele. My father got one secondhand for me. It
turned out you only need a tiny set of "easy" chords to get started. You
can sing in other keys with a capo. And if that doesn't work, the song
probably isn't made for the ukulele anyway.
On my mom's birthday I sang her "House Of Gold". It remains my favorite
song to play on ukulele.
The uke sounds pretty, sure, but I'm afraid my hands are too fat to press
adjacent frets (like D and Dm), and especially bar chords (B, Bm, etc). My
setlist effectively stopped expanding as of 2022.
So near the end of winter break, early 2023, I took the other extreme and
invested in a bass (known in guitar world as long boi). It is a red Ibanez
GSR200 PJ bass, the only model that'll ship in 3 days. The date of arrival
is 2023-02-02.
I learned most of my songs from [Rod
Nieder](https://www.youtube.com/@rodnieder).
However only less than a week later I found out I was somehow admitted
into UMich. Afraid that the airline might wreck it, I decided not to take
it with me across the ocean. Instead, I will buy a Squier that costs about
the same. (I know it makes no real difference, but I kinda prefer the
Telecaster-style headstock that has all pegs on one side.)
</details>
## My music
Here is a list of music I made, most recent first.
### [This Song Will Uncure Your Depression](uncure-your-depression.md)
My first attempt at actual composition. Involves synthesized equipments,
bass, rapping, singing, and samples.
### Choker
I recorded this with my friend Ryan in August 2023 but I haven't got
around to writing a blogpost
### [Early Sunsets Over Monroeville](early-sunsets-over-monroeville.md)
I recorded the ukulele, did the vocals, and mixed them in Ardour. Result
is an acoustic cover of "Early Sunsets Over Monroeville".
## Not my music
- [Review of My Chemical Romance discography](mcr_discog_review.md)
- [Playlist to put on on my deathbed](deathbed_playlist.md)
- [How I Discover a Band](band_discovery.md)
- [Review of _Clancy_](clancy_review.md)
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