To the multi instrumentalists: which instrument is your no. 1 ?

[lowtone2]

Doublebass and electric bass are my number one, but the only thing I get paid to play is saxophone. Mandolin is taking up a lot of my time currently, around the house, and I'm finally beginning to make some progress.

For me, doublebass is most natural, most ergonomic, and electric bass, saxophone, mandolin give me far more hand problems. Especially saxophone.

I would say that if someone is having pain issues playing doublebass, the problem is more likely technique than setup.

[Alban Havidson]

- If I am playing alone: guitar.
- If I have to play sheet music: chromatic harmonica (I was teached to play classical music on it).
- If I jam with a guitarist: mandolin.

[Mark Gunter]

Mandolin. It's hard to resist, easy to use, difficult to learn well.

[Bob Buckingham]

Depends on the gig, which band and what is needed. Heck I got a call to play fiddle the other day, which I haven't done too much lately. I teach mandolin, fiddle, guitar and banjo in no particular order regularly.

[Steve Lavelle]

If #1 means the go to choice, then the answer is mandolin. Started on 5 string banjo in high school learning from books, learned some guitar at college and that is what I wrote songs on, which then led to being a bass player for a band or 3. Still have each of these instruments and they all get some attention, but the it's mandolin 80% of my time with guitar pulled out for most of the rest.

[catmandu2]

Totally depends on the musical requirements at hand - which itself is dictated by a variety of factors: performances, inspiration or sheer whimsy.

Last fall I was playing a lot of accordions, which are the cat's pajamas for public performing, jamming, etc. However, I get tired of a particular niche after several months (especially accordion, which I rarely play at home for myself anyway) and find myself switching seemingly seasonally. In years past, summer means horn playing with my kids.. I've pulled out a mndln a few times recently for jamming, but usually just fiddle..

A new harp found its way to me last month, which means lots of "celtic" trad again..

It seems, more and more, I don't make a deliberate choice in these matters, but rather just go with some kind of "flow"..

[Simon DS]

Octave mandolin, definitely, though I’m going to get a nice mandolin some time in the future. Then they’re going to have to fight it out, and it aint gonna be pretty!

[Austin Bob]

I used to joke that I can play "Oh! Susanna!" on at least 7 different instruments, none of which were a banjo on my kneee.

But in actuality the only two I ever really play now are the mandolin and guitar. I started on guitar at about age 12, and discovered the mandolin years later. I'm now a senior citizen, and play the mandolin in the choir, mainly because we have 2-3 other guitar players. But whenever the director is out, I'm the backup director, and I play guitar.

When I'm at home alone, I probably play guitar 60% of the time. Mainly because I love to jam to songs from YouTube.

At jam sessions and in folk band types of settings, I'm almost always on the mandolin. When I started out I was always the best mandolin player at a jam, mainly because I was the ONLY mandolin player there. Not so anymore, it has really grown in popularity

Today I played in the Ash Wednesday noon mass, and we did three songs in Spanish because it was a bilingual mass. Afterwards a Hispanic woman who looked to be in her eighties came up and thanked me and said she really enjoyed my mandolin playing! I was floored, because most people still get it wrong, but she knew her stuff.

[Homer Savard]

Banjo!
Ducking...

[ollaimh]

well i play celtic harp(both wire strung and nylon strung) guitar mandolin and cittern on a regular basis. my go to now is mandolin and guitar. but it changes. last december i had all the mandolins and guitars in the instrument room and was only playing harp and cittern with some bouzouki.

[farmerjones]

Fiddle

[catmandu2]

I started up on hardanger I year ago. Ever since I have not wanted to play std fiddle - although I do for jams. I swear hdgfl just did that - playing std fdl almost hurts now. I wonder if others have had that occur? There are good reasons not least of which hdgfl is more like a mndln what with flat fngrbrd and sustain.. it's rustic like a cittern, oud, resonator guitar...my sprained wrist healed and i can play more guitar now than before injury I got my Keith out

[Mainer73]

Fiddle is my #1, for the last 20 years. I've played guitar, bouzouki, and mandolins as well, but about 13 years ago I stopped being a multi-instrumentalist and became monogamous to my fiddles. A couple years ago though I had a shoulder injury that made it difficult to hold the fiddle for very long, so I started picking mandolin again. These days, I am trying to stay a doubler but the fiddle gets the most attention.

[mislykketmusikant]

started singing in the church choir at 4, organ/piano at 7, guitar at 15, and last but not least, mandolin last year, at 40.

my main instrument, if I absolutely had to choose, would be my k.yairi nylon string guitar.

[Bob Buckingham]

I kind of fell out of love with the fiddle in the past decade and play more mandolin now, but banjo and guitar get a good work out too. What is needed to fill the gig or jam, that's what I'll play.

[catmandu2]

Don't play the music; let the music play you - The Original Art of Music (Ling)

[Mando Mort]

Definitely guitar, but I love to switch around between acoustic and electric, mando, bass and piano for variety and because I love hearing how they all sound.