I don't know if this is in the right place. Feel free to move it if you want to, Jay.

What instruments (if any) do you play, and do you work them into your stories? How?

I can play piano and guitar, and will probably learn to play drums someday.

I haven't actually used music in my stories that much, though.

I don't play anything, I can't read music. But I do like to use violin music in a few very moving scenes.

I play violin, guitar, piano and I sing, and right now I'm tinkering around with a recorder, but I can't really play it.

Music in my stories is not usually EXTREMELY important, although drums are used in a lot of Black Magic rituals. The one story I have where music IS important, it's a way of identifying people who have not been swallowed by Darkness.

Those who ARE lose the ability to sing at all. Music escapes them.

I play piano, and I sing a little bit.

I haven't really worked music into my stories that much. I haven't really even thought about it.

But that's a really cool idea, Mindy!

Thanks! And I forgot, one of the characters who is like...my carbon copy plays the violin and the harpsichord. Kind of like me.

I play Flute and as some of you know my MC is a Musicthiss so yeah I use instruments and Music in my book a lot!

Chaidens play some sort of instrument, although I'm not sure what to call it really... it's not a huge plot point, but it's still fun to use.

I play the piano and guitar - used to play the flute - and have dabbled in the recorder... (we have an old accordion upstairs I've been wanting to try out )
One of my very first books (never finished, hence one of my very first) was about a blind girl that played the piano. I don't know if that's possible or if there are any good piano players that are blind, but I thought it was fun to write. A couple of time I forgot my girl was blind, though, and would have her running around doing things.
One of the books I may write in the future has the idea of a culture whose backbone is singing (kinda like "Fairest" by Gail Carson Levine but different).
This is inspiring me to put more music in my stories, though, thanks!!

I play piano (quite well, everyone says...I'm not that good, really), have tried guitar *very* briefly, but it's too complicated. lol
Currently learning this song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g35zS1tVO3o She doesn't play it quite the same way I do, and I have to use left hand for the bass, but it's coming along ok.
And in my stories, one of my charries plays a traditional Carseldian song on the flute, and a bunch of prisoners in a dungeon sing together. Song starts out:
I know we're outnumbered,
I know we're outguessed.
I know we are lower
than all of the rest.
Yet somehow we'll get there
somehow you'll see
always one step at a time.

I can post more...there's 4 verses.

I play the piano, violin and guitar and I'm trying to relearn the recorder and flute. And I'm capable of singing, but I don't have a specific place to sing other than our living room. I come from a musical family; both of my parents know (or knew, lol) how to play the piano, my mom sings and my dad has a really good ear (he runs sound at our church and acts like an unofficial producer.) Me and my sister Annalise play the piano and violin and the fourth (out of five girls) also plays the violin.

I really love music, so I'm going to incorperate it in my stories. For instance, in my (yet unnamed) world, there is a piano with two keyboards. The lower one fuctions just like a regular piano, but the top one is the special one. The keys are connected to small spoon-like metal tools that tap the strings inside the piano. (You have to hold down the damper pedal to get the optimum ringing sound and without the pedal it comes out in a pizzicato style.) I posted this elsewhere, but if you want to hear what this sounds like, open up a piano, hold down the damper pedal (far right) and tap the strings with the convex side of a metal spoon. Actually, I am listening to a song that uses this sounds right now. (Tamarack Pines by George Winston on the Forest album)

I'm also going to have instruments similar to violins, flutes and harpsichords. Music is a big part of culture, so I'll have to decide what types of music each country has.

lol! That is so cool Alaethea! What would you say that of those three your favorite instrument is? (I can never decide.)

It is very hard for me to pick between violin and piano... I like the violin because it is portable and I also like the sound. But I like the piano because it is what I am best at.

I know what you mean. I like the sound of the violin best, but in my opinion it's easier to put my soul into the piano and guitar.

In one of the stories I'm working on, which is a Robin Hood twist, the main character, Rosamund, plays flute and harp. Her playing leads to her secrets being discovered, and is instrumental (pun intended) in some of Robin's band's escapades.

I play the piano, and I usually just work instruments into my story when I'm using metaphors, as I'm not adept enough with music theory to invent an instrument.

I play the bagpipes, the bodhran, keyboard and tinwhistle. I will be using instruments to open doors and solve puzzles in the video game I'm making.

I play many different instruments that all find their way into most, if not all, of my stories. Even simple poems find themselves driven by a self-made musical symphony. The specific instruments I play consistently are piccolo, flute, wooden flute, tin whistle, piano, and drums. Instruments that I do not currently play but still find themselves incorporated within my story lines include harp, violin (classical style)/fiddle (country style). To even more so classify me as a bit of a musical geek, I enjoy singing as well; and every story, poem, or article of mine must contain some form of song or singing within it (though, what type may not be readily apparent to the reader).

I adore music in and of itself; therefore, it may not be surprising to some that my stories often have a composer within them. Hence, I joyfully get to try my hand at writing music to fit that particular character's style of composition. All in all, my fascination with music is displayed among past and present characters and stories.

I play the piano, and I've also done a bit of work with the recorder. I have great plans to learn the guitar, lap harp, and Celtic/Irish flute, to name my top three. Oh, and I enjoy singing, although I've had one short lesson in my life (and that was for a specific audition).
However, I love music. Therefore, it plays a large role in my books. Many parts of the world were sung into being (yes, it is like the Ainur). Singing is revered among the elves. One of my minor MC's plays the flute (he can supposedly make the rocks and trees dance).

I sing and have considered at different times creating a race called the Sirens whose women work powerful magic (not merely luring in men, a bit more powerful than that) by singing. I'm pretty sure the root of the idea comes from Terry Brooks' Shannara books and the idea of the Wishsong. In one freak thought, I thought about having a world that was sung into being like the music of the Ainur and in it have the Siren race be descendants of the Ainur-like creatures whose magical singing was a hereditary thing. Never took any of these ideas anywhere though, just kind of left them lying on the wayside.
In Christ,
Jordan

That is so cool! I really love that idea. Don't get rid of it!

I plan on hanging on to it, I just don't know which world it will go in since it never really had a world to begin with. Actually...I think there might have been one world where I first brought up the idea, but that world has been scrapped since then.

I am an "accomplished" pianist and drummer.

I dabble in piano (I had 1 1/2 years of lessons when I was 11-12) and I play guitar, though I'm only a beginner. I have had 5 guitar lessons and the rest is self-taught. ^^

My mom used to play flute, so I have a couple stories where someone can play flute. It's a very portable instrument.

My dad can play the guitar, and he can sing. My brother plays the piano very well. My uncle is really good at the guitar too.

I've played piano pretty much as long as I can remember (probably about 5 or 6 years of age) - now can play anything I want and am learning to play by ear because I want to play film scores that are not available as piano books.

I always love having those musical people in my books. I have a character who I really like, who could play by ear, and made & tuned pianos for a living, just wandering the (fictional medieval) country. He was an interesting heroic character. I liked him. But I don't know what I'll do with him in my current draft of the work.

Harp! I am a harper! I love fantasy novels with harpists in them, although fantasy descriptions of harp music is impossible to realize in real life and the only part of fantasy writing I've ever tried to achieve in reality...

One of my SciFi stories features an android who learns to play different instruments. Another one has an alien space pilot who learns piano while stranded on planet earth trying to fix his FTL drive.

Other than that I haven't done much music in my writing, surprisingly. Except for a few characters who are singers.

But fantasy harpers...

...and out of the dust the topic arises...

I play guitar at an intermediate level, though I don't practice enough to be any good. Mainly I use it to write songs.

So far I haven't used music in my writing, but I have plans to in the future.

However, you have been very good at helping other authors who don’t have a clue about meter with their work.

I've played guitar for about 9 months now, and love it. Apparently I have a 'knack' for it. I do not sing, that is for certain.

One of my MCs sings. I've toyed around with making a character that, when he/she sings the right song at the right time to the right person, that person and the singer can see what is being sung, either what is happening in the song, or the story around/in/behind the song, or feel the emotions in the song. Actually, that would fit my MC very well, come to think of it, considering how she is gifted.

I just figured that out typing this.

I play piano, but frankly, I don't have a lot of time for it right now. However, I have a deep appreciation for music, and it abounds in my stories. My characters play a wide variety of instruments, and sometimes I work a specific piece into a scene.

I have one story (co-op'd with Melody) where music is a major theme. Most characters can play multiple instruments, music styles are associated with different characters based on their personality, and the whole works.

At current, I have one scene planned for Alaidia (Peter's Angel) that involves music. Peter is a pianist of concert proportions, and during a party he plays a piece which speaks to Nathan's mind. Nathan associates his emotions with the music and mentally struggles while Peter is playing. The piece is a real-world classical selection, but I'm not sure I'm going to state the name in the text, to keep things from getting too complicated. Rather, I just describe how the music feels. One day I want to post that scene on the forums and see if the tone comes across. It can be very hard to describe music in the prose!

Ok along with being a pianist and drummer, I just picked up the harmonica, Bass, and guitar And I'm working on finding someone to teach me how to play the saxophone...

I play piano and I want to learn guitar, drums, harp, violin, and maybe the flute...but, for now, I just know piano.

Oh, yes, Robyn, that's very possible. I've heard of lots of blind people who became amazing at piano. I can't imagine doing that, but blind people have to adapt, and they do.

I'm learning piano. I haven't been able yet to weave music into my story, but I want to.

And now I am learning guitar. I plan on having a scene or two where some people are singing around the campfire, and one person pulls out a guitar, while another pulls out a recorder (which is a flute-like instrument).