That doesn't just happen with pianists. I walk by them wishing I could play. 1 day.

lol, I tried the piano technically keyboard), and let's just say I'm more of a bassoon person!

People walk by pianos and want to play them because we are entertained my the simplest things. Well, for me, I walk by a piano and want to play it, simply because it involves pressing something. Me, I love buttons; I am obsessed with bushing buttons. (Maybe that's why my parents won't let me drive the boat...) o.O Pushing keys on a piano is like pushing a button..... and I love buttons. =D

Also, you don't see people walking by a tuba and wanting to play it, simply because it's not common knowledge to know HOW to play a tuba. Piano is simple. Press key, get noise.

When you walk by a piano, you want to play it, walk by an english horn, and the reaction is usually similar to "That is that thing???

Correction:

"What isthat thing???"

to all the other pianists out there: have you guys ever noticed how its impossible to walk by a piano without wanting to play it?

thats way too true!

it is rather rare that you walk by a piano though

i chose to play the piano because my mom got me lessons when i was five. She introduced me to it and i guess i decided i liked it. I've been playing on and off since then.

Well, my story:

I joined band and orchestra in my middle school. We got to choose orchestra instruments about a week before band. I had chose the cello, because I didn't like the high pitched queaking of the violin, and the bass was just too big.
When we chose band instruments, I wanted to play a woodwind, because I'm not made for brass. My mouth just can't do that. I wanted something somewha uncommon, not like the flute, clarinet or saxaphone. I also wanted something that I could rent from the school, because it was cheaper. It was between the oboe and the bassoon.
I didn't know what either of the instruments were at the time, because I had little experience with music. I just chose the smaller case because I didn't want to have to carry around two huge instruments (remember, cello).

So, the whole thing was pretty much a fluke, but I'm glad it happened, because I'm addicted.

<Added>

I dropped the cello when I changed schools, because my new school didn't have an orchestra.
I'm really interested in double reed instruments, and I'm learning how to play the english horn.
I also want to be in marching band in high school, so I'm learning to play the trumpet (despite my stinkish brass mouth). If that doesn't go over well, I'll probably do either alto sax or pit.

i love the english horn, it sounds so nice in tone!

Aww, it's sad that you had to drop cello just because of switching schools =(

Be prepared for a novel....

Violin: In third grade they had the recruitment concert, and I was like THAT IS SO COOLISHLY AWESOME!
Then it was between violin and viola, and I chose violin because I actually got to try a viola and I was hoping violin would somehow be easier (silly me)
So I played in a university program from then on, until last year when the schools in our district got an orchestra.

Trombone: At the beggining of sixth grade, we had to decide between Band, Choir, and Art. I got a tip off from a sevvy that band was awesome, and I like to try new things, so I did band. We were asked which instrument we would like to play and then tested to see if we actually could play them, and my choices were french horn, tuba, bassoon, or trombone (you could tell I wanted to counterract the negative soprano energy coming from my squeaky violin). I tried trombone and clarinet- trombone was way better, and I could actUALLY MAKE A NOISE. I had found my medium! I also joined jazz band.

Tuba: At the begginning of seventh grade, I decided that our band needed more bass. All we had was a string bassist amidst 40 flutes clarinets and zylophones. Now I have to march. Silly me once again.

Flute: I bought a really cheap flute today! Can't even play a scale yet- all those wierd keys are SO confusing. give me a slide, please.

And that's my history! LOL- my dad plays the radio with mere mediocre talent and my mom is tone deaf, so I'll say it's quite an achievement!

I've always played guitar a little because my father does, but when I saw the movie called "The Benny Goodman Story" I wanted a clarinet real bad. But the prices were way out of my reach and I realized horn blowers were the upper class of elite rich folks from up town.

Around the same time I saw movies with Louis Armstrong in them as well as a few other jazz and swing type movies. And then of course I went to youtube and saw lots of their clips their.

There was no way I could afford a horn of any type until I stumbled onto a discount store online in Australia where I live and they had the abs clarinet for a hundred bucks so I ordered one. I was expecting a piece of junk at that price but I was wrong and now my elder brother has one also.

Then I realized that if I could play clarinet I could probably play sax as well, and as I needed a few lower notes than the clarinet had I decided to get a sax also. I wanted a tenor because they had the low sound I needed, but they looked far too big for me so I decided to get an alto instead. I bought it at the same discount store for 1/5 of what the music stores wanted and it is a first class instrument with a huge sound that the whole town must be able to hear. But it was still not deep enough for the type of jazz and swing I was improvising. Then the discount store had the tenor for sale a couple of weeks later and I thought I would get one of them as well, and sure enough it turned out to be just the instrument I needed.

I seem to be able to play jazz naturally and really put feeling into it, and I have the projection and volume the pros have, so I'm going to start busking. At the moment I stand out in the garden under the palm trees next to the main road and play while all the traffic and pedestrians go past.

The clarinet is very smooth, the alto sax is extremely projecting, and the tenor is just pure heaven with its rich deep sound.

So for now those are the main instruments I am playing. But it was mainly Benny Goodman and Louis Armstrong, and musicians from that time period in America that awoke something inside of me. I want to get a trumpet as well and the discount store has them for a hundred bucks, but I think they would be too loud and shatter the windows or something in the units I live in?

Heehee, my family actually chose for me piano. I started when I was 5. But I love it because it produces beautiful sound and it is a well-known musical instrument. That's all.

Oh yeah, besides trombone I played the piano because my mom made me. (Much to my dismay) However, that has really boosted my playing with all my other instruments. Oh, and I learned some ukelele in gradeschool because it was required. I started recorder for that reason, but didn't get very far because the music teacher was getting headaches. I taught myself later, and now enjoy playing soprano and tenor.

(Oh yeah, and I play a bit of soprano trombone/slide trumpet on the side.)

Well, when we all got to pick instruments in the 5th grade, I first thought I wanted to play the clarinet because my mom plays it. Then I heard a recording of some oboe music and fell in love with the sound of the oboe. I talked to my band teacher to see if she would let me start on it instead of switching to it from another instrument later, and she said I could because I already knew how to read music fairly well ( I had been taking piano since kindergarten).

When the beginner band night finally came, I was so excited I could barely stand it when they handed me an old used student selmer. After the meeting I went home and put it together. I then put in the reed and played my first note. I could make sound right away! I am soooooooooo glad that I decided to play the oboe because I couldn't imagine my life without it!