Music: Play an Instrument? Post your instrument/equipment!

[IFHTT]

If so, what's your setup.

Mine:

Guitars:
Fender Strat
Ibanez mmm1 Mike Mushok Signature
Ibanez acoustic
New PRS Tremonti Se

Amps:
Marshall JCM800 1-12" Combo.
Line 6 Flextone III Plus 1-12" Combo

I've been playing for about 7 years now. I play mostly metal, and progressive rock. Some acoustic stuff too. Been in a couple bands... Now I mainly just play as a hobby.

I hope I'm not the only one who plays...

[darkmetal505]

ive been playing for quite a while, since 3rd grade I think

[rockmanj]

i used to play from ages 16-20, then i broke my guitar :-(

[IFHTT]

then i broke my guitar :-(
That sucks. I've gone through about 4 guitars total. Back when I was really into playing and young I'd spend all my work money for guitar stuff, (strings, picks, pedals, etc.) But now that I'm older I just have seemingly started to lose interest in playing.

[rockmanj]

i mean i liked playing it, but once i broke the 2nd one, i was like, either i stop drinking or playing guitar...

[IFHTT]

i mean i liked playing it, but once i broke the 2nd one, i was like, either i stop drinking or playing guitar...
Well, I guess you made the right choice :D

[Raven]

I've been playing guitar for about 15 years now, but only accoustic. I know most chords (mostly self-taught), and usually I'll sit there either playing familiar songs by ear or writing my own if I have time.

I'd like to move up to electric, but that's gonna take money which I don't really have right now. But yeah, I love playing it, it's very relaxing I find.

[masamuneehs]

I play the alto saxophone (i know, i know, not a guitar, but figured it goes along with this conversation nonetheless) although I really haven't played much in the past 2 years or so.

I started when I was 10 but quit until late in high school because there was never a real good part for saxophones to play in the school band productions. But when I was 16 a new band teacher came to my school and organized a jazz band. I started playing and was so happy to be able to play blues and jazz, which is really what the sax is best suited for.

In the past two years I haven't done it because it wasn't allowed in the dorms and a, well I just got too busy with other shit. I do want to pick it up again, but god knows I'll be rusty. Music is a great way to express yourself and even if you're not great it can be a real help letting out stress/whatever.

sorry for the deviation you guitarists, figured I'd just throw that in there.

Edit to below: "playing the trombone is not very fun" just sounds so dirty... hehe :p

[IFHTT]

Cool Masamuneehs, I used to play trombone but I dropped that a long time ago because playing trumbone is not very fun.

[Uchiha Barles]

I've been playing since I was 18 but wasn't really very much into it until about 3 years ago (I'm 24 now), so I'm not as good as one might expect, but I'm good enough to play most of the stuff I'm interested in playing. I still can't play the solo from Domination though...but I'm getting there :D

[KitKat]

I play bass guitar. I'm not very good though. I don't mean this in an "I'm just being modest" way, because I really honestly suck. I think I could be decent if I took the time to practice, but being in an engineering program doesn't leave me with much time leftover and I'm sad to say the video games usually take precedence when I find myself with a bit of free time. I'm hoping to play a lot more next year though, cause I'm moving to my brother's house, and he is building a recording studio in his basement. Between him and his housemate, they have 6 guitars, a sweet drum kit, a keyboard, several amps (my brother also works at a music store so he often brings instruments home to fix them) and I'll be adding my bass and two amps, as well as my keyboard (Kurzweil, 88 keys, weighted) to the mix when I arrive.

I'm much better at piano than at guitar, although I haven't played too much of that since I started university either. In highschool though, I did my grade 9 conservatory exam. I love playing the songs from the Final Fantasy piano collections. Hopefully I'll start playing more piano next year too. Maybe a lot more if I end up being unemployed for a while....

[IFHTT]

@Uchiha Barles: Sweet. I didn't start getting what I'd call decent until about 4 years in myself. It really wasn't until I got serious about it and threw all my cash away for better equipment that I started getting pretty decent. I'm self taught. What about you?



I play bass guitar. I'm not very good though. I don't mean this in an "I'm just being modest" way, because I really honestly suck. I think I could be decent if I took the time to practice, but being in an engineering program doesn't leave me with much time leftover and I'm sad to say the video games usually take precedence when I find myself with a bit of free time. I'm hoping to play a lot more next year though, cause I'm moving to my brother's house, and he is building a recording studio in his basement. Between him and his housemate, they have 6 guitars, a sweet drum kit, a keyboard, several amps (my brother also works at a music store so he often brings instruments home to fix them) and I'll be adding my bass and two amps, as well as my keyboard (Kurzweil, 88 keys, weighted) to the mix when I arrive.

I'm much better at piano than at guitar, although I haven't played too much of that since I started university either. In highschool though, I did my grade 9 conservatory exam. I love playing the songs from the Final Fantasy piano collections. Hopefully I'll start playing more piano next year too. Maybe a lot more if I end up being unemployed for a while....

About video games coming first I know how that is as I'm the same way now. I want to learn to play piano but I don't have the money to buy one. I am planning on getting a keyboard but I don't know enough about whats good and bad for what price so I am holding out till I research a little more.

Edit: @XanBcoo below: "Playing in the orchestral band just got boring."
Thats exactly why I quit playing trumbone. It just got boring. that and it was making my lips protrude from my face from blowing in the mouthpiece. That damned buzzing makes your face go numb.

[XanBcoo]

I'm working on playing bass. My friend's got one that he's letting me borrow. I can't play that well, so I usually just copy cool basslines from songs I like. Which is good enough for the moment.

Like masamuneehs, I also played Saxophone in high school. I was pretty good, but I wish I could have been in our Jazz band so I could really enjoy it. Playing in the orchestral band just got boring. I also can play a few songs on the piano by ear, and can play a mean blues harp.

[Uchiha Barles]

@ TonTon:
For the first year I took lessons, but I wasn't very serious about them, which I regret. So I'm mostly self taught. I did learn to read music, so I use that to train in classical techniques. I also trained from rock and roll instructional books but I'm done with those, so I mostly train in song books of the bands I like, or from articles in guitar player/world when it comes to that type of music.

As far as equipement is concerned, I have 2 guitars. My acoustic is an ebony epiphone PR-100. Its kinda crappy and hard to play. But I love it, because by practicing on that and making sure the songs sound nice on the crappy guitar, I'm just that much better when I switch to my electric or a superior acoustic. In fact, I'm almost twice as fast on my electric as I am on my acoustic. I recommend this to everyone who has the patience and fortitude to deal with the initial pain on their fingertips. My electric is a brownsville les paul remake, I'm not sure about the exact model. I paid 300 for it, marked down from 600. It sounds great because the humbucking pick ups on it are really good, but its shoddily constructed in two places: the peg at the bottom that holds the strap just refuses to stay on, and the jack for the cable slipped into the body. I have an extended warranty on it from Sam Ash so I can get them to fix the issues and only pay for parts, which should not cost me anymore than 50 bucks.

[Dug88]

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years now usually either metal or heavy punk stuff I've never had real lessons or anything though just a shitty class at my old school where we never really got taught anything but I mostly just play for fun. I've been trying to get a band together for a bit but it's hard to find a drummer in my new town so not a lot of luck there.

[IFHTT]

@ TonTon:
For the first year I took lessons, but I wasn't very serious about them, which I regret. So I'm mostly self taught. I did learn to read music, so I use that to train in classical techniques. I also trained from rock and roll instructional books but I'm done with those, so I mostly train in song books of the bands I like, or from articles in guitar player/world when it comes to that type of music.

As far as equipement is concerned, I have 2 guitars. My acoustic is an ebony epiphone PR-100. Its kinda crappy and hard to play. But I love it, because by practicing on that and making sure the songs sound nice on the crappy guitar, I'm just that much better when I switch to my electric or a superior acoustic. In fact, I'm almost twice as fast on my electric as I am on my acoustic. I recommend this to everyone who has the patience and fortitude to deal with the initial pain on their fingertips. My electric is a brownsville les paul remake, I'm not sure about the exact model. I paid 300 for it, marked down from 600. It sounds great because the humbucking pick ups on it are really good, but its shoddily constructed in two places: the peg at the bottom that holds the strap just refuses to stay on, and the jack for the cable slipped into the body. I have an extended warranty on it from Sam Ash so I can get them to fix the issues and only pay for parts, which should not cost me anymore than 50 bucks.
I used to have an epiphone acoustic, I wish I still had it. It was a lot better than my current acoustic. Yeah strap pegs getting loose is a common problem. Thats easy to fix. Just fill it in with some wood glue, then screw the peg back in after it dries... Fingertip pain is inevitable but the more you destroy your finger tips the harder they come back.

@Dug88 : The reason I stopped being in bands was because around where I live there is so very few musicians that follow your certain style that it makes it damn near impossible to get a band together... Good luck though.

And as said previously. Music is an excellent stress reliever. I love to play out my woes and anger through the strings of a guitar. Infact confliction is the fuel that drives the power behind music. No emotion. No music.

[darkmetal505]

I self taught myself how to play piano after guitar, it was a wonder on how easily I could pick up after learning the chords.

It also seems like piano would be a basic instrument for everybody in learning the mechanics of musics. Maybe thats why it is compulsary for all music majors at my school to take piano.

[Uchiha Barles]

Yep, the relationship between notes and scales (from which chords are built) can actually be SEEN on the keyboard much more naturally than on any other note layout that I'm familiar with. I took a music theory class and we used this paper keyboard printed in a book as a visual aid to our studies. I would actually learn to play the piano and continue music theory study with a keyboard, if I had a keyboard. I simply REFUSE to play notes on that stupid fucking piece of paper. As soon as I can afford one, I'll be purchasing a keyboard.

[KitKat]

Yeah, for those of you looking to buy a keyboard, I recommend searching around and finding a decent one rather than cheaping out on a crappy one. Keyboards are great because they're way more portable than pianos, but they can also be really low quality if you're not careful what you buy. I guess what you need to take into consideration is what you want to use it for. If you just want to play around and learn chords, maybe a cheap one would work for you. But if you're interested in learning to play well, or if you're going to use it to make recordings or play for other people, here are some things to take into consideration:

First is sound. Does your keyboard have a good range of different sounds it can simulate? How authentic are those sounds? Does is simulate a real instrument, or does it sound crappy and synthetic?

Next is size. I highly recommend having a full size keyboard. Mid-range keys are ok, but having those extra low and high notes gives you so much more scope to play around (and if you ever play any FF music, you'll learn that Nobuo Uematsu makes quite a lot of use of those low and high ranges). This is probably less important though than some of the other considerations. The advantage of smaller keyboards is that they are lighter and more portable.

Weighted keys: Ok, so this is maybe a frivolous add-on, but playing a keyboard that actually feels more like a piano is so much better. The biggest advantage of this is that the harder you press the keys, the louder sound you can produce, so you have a much greater range of expression. I love this so much, and I highly recommend it.

Compatibility and versatility: Can you hook up your keyboard to your computer? Can you make recordings on the actual keyboard? Does it allow you to lay down a track and put in different instruments? Does it require any special software? These things are good to know if you want to make any recordings or compositions.

Good luck with keyboard hunting!

[IFHTT]

Alright I have a little treat for you guys. I didn't think there was a reason to create a new thread for this so I'll just post it in this thread.

I recorded myself playing guitar, more precisely the guitar part to The Raising Fighting Spirit from the 1st Naruto Soundtrack, by Toshiro Masuda. I love the song and the guitar part so I figured I'd throw it online and let you guys see what you thought of my crappy guitar work lol. Seriously though please tell me what you think. It doesn't sound perfect, nor is the timing exactly right but you'll get the gist of the song when you hear it. Edit: BTW It would probably sound better with drums, but I've none to play nor record on...

You can listen to it here:

PureVolume (http://www.purevolume.com/kylehabighorst)... Just go to my purevolume and click play, it's the only song in there. Sorry this is the only hosting I could do for now... Please leave a post here with your comments though. Thanks, I hope you guys like it :D

[XanBcoo]

LOL - I loved the message at the end! Your voice is a lot deeper than I imagined.

I can't give you any technical advice since I don't play enough to know what's what, but from a causal listening perspective I'll tell you that I really liked it. Sounds great. I did notice, like you said, the timing was slightly off (just as a result of you playing it at a fast tempo, I guess :confused:).

Otherwise...:cool:

[IFHTT]

hahaha @ the voice comment.

Thanks for the feedback, I do know that I suck at keeping tempo without a drummer backing me up, so thats why the timing was off. I have a tendency to play faster than needed. Cool though, I'm glad you approve of it :D

[samsonlonghair]

Seriously though please tell me what you think.
That's really great. The version of fighting spirit we normally hear is produced in a studio. I enjoyed hearing it "raw" so to speak.

Here's my badass setup:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008O0ZX.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Pretty sweet, huh?

[IFHTT]

Thanks for the positive feedback :D, Your setup rocks hahahahaha.

Edit: I was recording a new slower paced version, but got carried away with toying around with a solo. Long story short I thought it sounded cool, but was just supposed to be the song itself, but I'll let you guys be the judge of whether or not it sounds cool. I uploaded the new version to my purevolume site so If you want to hear it, its the second song in the playlist. Feedback please if you listen :D Thanks

[KitKat]

Haha, very nice! At the end of the first when you give the title, it feels like a radio show. Man, we should bring back gotwoot radio sometime. It was pretty awesome while it was up.

What software do you use to record? You should add in a digital drum track. Or else put down a drum track first, and play with it when you add your guitar. It would even out your tempo a bit and up the intensity. Very well done though. You should record some more!

[IFHTT]

Hehehe Thanks. I use Adobe Audition to record. It has a lot of helpful filters and stuff you can run the tracks through to improve the sound. I thought about adding a drum track, but all I have is Fruity Loops studio and the drums sound flat and fake so I went against it. I may do that though eventually.

[XanBcoo]

I think the second one is a whole lot better...sans the new part you added in. The solo itself sounds great, but it doesn't mix well with the original part imo. They kinda clash. What you were doing around the 0:45 to the 1:00 mark sounded pretty awesome though. Everything else just didn't seem to fit quite right.

Also;

Man, we should bring back gotwoot radio sometime. It was pretty awesome while it was up.
Gotwoot Radio? 0_o

[IFHTT]

Yeah the timing was more accurate. I'll toss the version with out the crazy solo up later tonight...

[aznimperialx]

Guitar Noob here, If you have any advice for me please share some =)

[KitKat]

Gotwoot Radio? 0_o
I could have sworn you were around when we had this. http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=9886&highlight=radio

[gr3atfull]

Wow! That was awesome:D ! I made my guitarist friend hear it, and he said it was great!!!! Oh yeah, love that accent of yours!:p

[IFHTT]

Thanks gr3atfull! I'm glad you guys thought it was good. I still consider myself a noob at guitar aznimperialx, so I can't think of any useful advice, but if I do think of some I'll let you in on it for sure.

[XanBcoo]

I wasn't here during the Gotwoot radio thing, but what would be cool is if all the musicians from Gotwoot collaborated on something. You could gather everyone who has the means to play and record and then smoosh it all together. I know we've got some drummers among us, and enough guitar players from this thread alone to make some quality music. I dunno, I think it sounds like fun (even though I wouldn't be able to contribute).

[IFHTT]

That definately does sound interesting Xan. I'm game if anyone wants to, I'll tone down on the distortion on guitar so it doesn't have to sound like metal or anything.

[XanBcoo]

What would be a good way of making an annoucement for anyone who wants to contribute? Should you make a new thread or rename this one?

If you can actually get a few people to contribute that'd be pretty awesome. Ideas?

[IFHTT]

I dunno I guess it could be announced in a new thread? Although I was kind of wanting to rename this thread to some thing like Post about the Instruments you play to encompass any instrument, then It would be suitable to announce here. Does a mod have to rename the title or can I do it since I started it?

[samsonlonghair]

It'd be nice to see a return of gotwoot radio.

Pot it up!

[GhostKaGe]

http://media.putfile.com/Children-of-Bodom---Guitar-Dual

Children of Bodom own

I've been thinking of getting a guitar for awhile but aint had the spare cash.
i have a friend who teachs offered to teach me so i may take him up on the offer come to think of it i know about 4 ppl who teach guitar

[Terracosmo]

I noticed that you changed the title of the first post to include any instrument, so I went ahead and edited the topic title too to reflect that.

I play the drums, as some of you know. I've been playing for almost a year, and I am -very- ambitious. In fact, I haven't felt this strongly about anything since... well, ever. I -am- going to become a successful drummer, otherwise I will jump from a damn bridge.

Me being very ambitious (and according to some blessed with a good sense of rhythm) has led to fast progressions, and I recently joined two bands. One thrash metal band which has some nice original material, and a comedic black metal band which is going to record an album in a month. :D

I'd post my setup, but my current kit is hideous (still have my shitty beginner one) and since I'm buying a new one next week I'll just post that info instead as soon as I get it home.

[IFHTT]

Sweetness Terra, and thanks for changing the title for me. Keep your ambitions, I too was once like that. There was nothing that was going to stand in my way to becoming a great well known guitarist, but unfortunately it hasn't turned out so well as of yet. But there is still time, and I'm in no hurry. Good luck with the album recording, it seems you're actually living your plan out. I definately hope your dream comes true.

[gr3atfull]

Well, I started playing the violin when I was six, but I stopped when I was about 13. I didnt like the violin at all. I always wanted to play the piano, but my parents didnt want me. They said that the piano, anyone could play it and that violin was much harder and that it was much better.:confused:
Currently, my friend is teaching me to play the piano just for fun. The only song I can play is brother John:p .

[samsonlonghair]

I recently started playing the holophoner. I'm not very good though; I keep on making my grumpy snail too grumpy.

[Mr Squiggles]

I recently started playing the holophoner. I'm not very good though; I keep on making my grumpy snail too grumpy.

Hahahaha! I hope I'm not the only one who got the reference.

EDIT: I myself played piano for some years, got to grade 6.

[Terracosmo]

Got a new drumkit today! It cost me a lot but it's so fucking pretty.
I'm gonna post pictures asap.. will take a while though since I don't have a camera..

[el_boss]

Whoa! I've finally got a place to play the drums. Been waiting for this for like 10 years now. You guys got some tips for a up and coming drummer.:P

[Terracosmo]

Practice a lot & take lessons (they are a must to learn proper technique, in addition to the fact that teachers can answer a myriad of questions which always pop up).

And most importantly, to me at least, get a GREAT source of inspiration. In your case it's no problem since I assume Danny Carey is your idol. Try to mimic his style, play along with Tool songs once you get better. Hell, even do it now. The first song I played when I got my drumkit was Kurenai by X-Japan, my favorite song, which is lightning fast and employs double bass drums. Suffice to say it didn't work out pretty good, but set high standards! Aim for the stars! That's what I'm doing and I will BE THE BEEEEEEEST!

Edit: Oh and get Guitarpro and a bunch of tabs (mysongbook.com is pretty good) so you can learn different awesome beats from your favorite songs!

[Lefty]

Fender Strat and Tele
Epi Les Paul Custom and Shariton John Lee Hocker Custom with upgraded pickupes
Gibson ES335
Ibanez Acoustic
Line 6 Spider amp and a peavy practice amp.

[Terracosmo]

Okay since the photo of my new drumkit will take a while for me to fix, I'll just write down my entire equipment here. Since it consists of stuff from many different manufacturers, I'll just split it up that way.

Yamaha

"Yamaha Rec. Custom"

8'',10'',13'',15'' toms & 22'' bassdrum, double pedals, as well as all the.. ehh.. holders? I don't know the english word, but you know, the things which hold up everything. Cymbals and whatnot. They are truly awesome. All of the toms are blazing red and beautiful.

Trak

14'' snare, dressed in black :D

Zildjian

22'' ride (K-custom), 10'' crash (A-custom), 14'' hi-hat

Paiste

20'' china (paiste 2000)

Stagg

8'' splash, 20'' ride

Vic Firth & Vater

My beloved 5A sticks (my favorite is Vic, but I use Vater too occasionally)

That would be everything I think. :D
I re-used the Stagg stuff from my old drumkit, it felt stupid to throw it away.
Looks so awesome!

All of this together would cost about $300, but I got it for $150 :D

[Terracosmo]

BUMP, finally pictures of my drumkit :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/joshuajerand/drums1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/joshuajerand/drums2.jpg

So what do you think?
Oh and excuse the dust.

Edit: and the spilled coffee on one of the toms XD

[lisaa]

wow. alot of you guys seem to play the guitar. I play the piano and got up to 4th grade. i recently just quit because i was sick of it.
@ terra: nice drum kit !!

[NM]

wow. alot of you guys seem to play the guitar. I play the piano and got up to 4th grade. i recently just quit because i was sick of it.
@ terra: nice drum kit !!

Heh, I think I've played the piano a bit longer than you, but then I also quit. Mainly because I was getting bored of it, and piano wasn't really my thing. Now, the drums are what I really want to learn and play. Maybe once college is all over, I'll take it up.

@Terra: Nice drum set man!

[msmush]

i played the piano up to year four too. wait im still playing it. unlike lisaa i kept playing... i dont know why...
terra makes me want to play drums....they look hot ! XD

[Lefty]

I just got a new Fender Telecaster Delux 72 reissue :D . It's fucking sweet. Granted it looks like some bizzare love child between a gibson SG and a Tele. This things got a strong bite to it and it responds too well I have to only touch the the string and it sounds the note. Happy am I.

[zibo]

Back when I was still in poland it was requirement to take music every year (since 1st grade) and later in school (since grade 4) we had to play flute. So I guess I could say I played something, although I sucked horribly at it and stoped playing when I came to usa because here I don't have to take music, :D

[drims]

I play my piano. Its nothing of a dedication or hobby, but I have learned such songs as happy b-day, mission impossible theme, and a salsa song ( or at least a part of it). I only memorize the keys I dont really know how to read a song or from music notes :( .

p.s i was gona say "i play my wood" to mess around.

[el_boss]

I've decided to learn the guitar. And I mean really learn not just some chords and some songs. I've only played for two weeks or something on my crappy acoustic, I'll be getting an electric one for my birthday :)

Anyway I have a good sense of music and beat and such but I am extremely lacking in the theory department. I suck at placing notes and such.

Does anyone have some good newbie tips? It would be great with some basic theory on scales and intervals. All the stuff I've found on my own are too advanced.

[XanBcoo]

I've decided to learn the guitar. And I mean really learn not just some chords and some songs. I've only played for two weeks or something on my crappy acoustic, I'll be getting an electric one for my birthday :)

Anyway I have a good sense of music and beat and such but I am extremely lacking in the theory department. I suck at placing notes and such.

Does anyone have some good newbie tips? It would be great with some basic theory on scales and intervals. All the stuff I've found on my own are too advanced.
I had the same problem when I started playing earlier this year. I was directed towards http://www.musictheory.net/ when I asked about this on another forum. I don't know how useful it is since I never actually looked at it myself, but apparently it's a pretty good site.

Here is a topic from a Bass player forum explaining scales and chords and such. I've read through it and it's pretty useful and written for beginners: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=125519. There's a little bit in there that's specific for Bass guitars, but 95% of it is general information. Good luck.

Edit: Just realized I never posted a picture of my Bass:
My Ibanez SDGR (http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/5707/1000040wv3.jpg). It's a pretty good guitar for a beginner like me. From what I can tell, it's got good sound on the mid to high-range notes, but all my low notes sound kinda fuzzy (and those are the ones I really care about). I'm thinking of switching the types of strings I use. That's my brother's Squire Strat on the left, which I also tinker with sometimes. I figure if I ever get a six-string of my own one day, I'd prefer a Les Paul. Those things are classy.

[Spiegel]

I have been meaning to learn to play a guitar, but the closest I have come so far is playing a Plastic Guitar (Guitar Hero). I might take some of the graduation money I recieved and put it into getting a guitar.

Also, this thread makes me sad as it was started by IFHTT... I miss him.

[Terracosmo]

Wow it's been more than a year since I posted here. I've gotten so much better since then that it's ridiculous. Still have my ambitions though, stronger than ever!

El_boss, you abandoned your drummer dreams?

[el_boss]

Wow it's been more than a year since I posted here. I've gotten so much better since then that it's ridiculous. Still have my ambitions though, stronger than ever!

El_boss, you abandoned your drummer dreams?Well I still dabble, but it's easier to play a guitar at home. Look at it this way, now we can start a gotwoot band :P

@XanBcoo: Thanks for the talkbass article. I'm trying to make as much sense as possible out of it now. Even if I don't understand it all I think it's good to have it in the back of my mind and know what theory exists and such.

@Spiegel: Guitar Hero is the best game ever made and it's the reason I finally decided to start playing.