Musician Archive

Two things:

I do think every person should have access to every instrument. Just because you have access to it does not mean you can play it well. I can go down to the store right now and buy a guitar, that doesn't mean I'll be any good.

On the flip side of that, I do not think a master musician should be able to play every instrument well. Let's take for example a few great jazz musicians like Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, and Roland Kirk. All three were amazing on their instrument (trumpet, bass, sax). They also could play piano. The difference being is that they knew a piano's role in music and what it could do and used it to put write their music, but they could not truly *play* it like Thelonious Monk and Bill Evans.

Some modern pop examples: A lot musicians who have a really great voice also know how to play piano, but once again they use it as a tool and know its role (I can think of maybe 5 people tops of acceptions to this). They rarely can truly *play* it.

How about some great guitarists of the modern world? While a few of them can play other instruments of the same family incredibly well (say any kind of bass and guitar), if you were to give them a trombone they wouldn't know what to do with it, only it's role.

I cannot think of one modern musician who excels in every instrument that is made. I can't even think of one who really masters in more than 2, and rarely of the same family (string, woodwind, brass, guitar, percussion, etc).

I do think every great musician understands every instrument's role in a group and how it is used and how to put them together.

so what would this all mean? A separate skill branch with every instrument and you can dabble in others? As you play longer you gain more expertise on how to put groups together? Each instrument gets its own flourishes and such?

I don't know the answers to these, but there's some suggestions.

-- w0b

Thanks for an interesting post. I do hope the devs consider adding post-Master skills, and I'd welcome post-Master specialties. E.g., one could imagine a new Grandmaster Musician skill tree in which one could pursue specialties in a couple instruments (say, nalargon and ommni) but not all. Likewise, I could envision Grandmaster Bounty Hunters who must choose a weapon specialty, etc. OTOH, the devs may avoid the "Grandmaster" label altogether; I'm not sure it's consistent with Star Wars lore. It was always "Master" Yoda, I guess. So maybe the GM label wouldn't work, but I do hope we'll see more post-Master content in some form another, sooner rather than later.

Less we forget that this is Star Wars..

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away?

Did we miss that part, too?

Idealizing all Terran concepts to the 'sounds and concepts' of music do not always have to apply. It is supposed to be partially alien.

And as for the 'Fix All', I am strongly on the negative side of it.

- Weibacca

it would be intresting if they did musicians skills an entirely diffrent way

like the languages worked in beta each instument would cost points to learn

then each song could also cost points to learn

the skill tree would only be fatuge healing and mind healing and all songs could be bought paid for incharacter points as well as instruments

would be neat you can dabble in a song or two or spend all your skill points to play every instrument and song

people might be able to play a song but unless they took the new "msuic healing" profession they would not heal jsut play

easer songs less points easer instruments less points and harder more points

kinda neat but a lot of scrapping of old and input of new adn the sytem they haev now works so why scrap it

but its an idea

Right, ala carte specialty experience points for instruments and songs.

Welcome to the Star Wars Galaxies Everquest Alternative Abilities system. =P

If they want to start letting you pick different songs and instruments, and buy them with
ability level points, then it should happen in Elite classes AFTER master musician and dancer.

Yes, I finished master musician and entertainer. I do not consider the current system 'broken', just at a good point where the can add to it.

- Weibacca

Exactly my thoughts, only I'VE implementeda solution. See my thread, a fix-all solution, for it in detail. But yeah, Master shouldn't mean master of every instrument or style, just perfect playing and healing.

OH!, and another thing. Being an avid brass player in real life, i'm more than a little disappointed at the amazing lack of anything resembling a brass instrument. Ok, granted, fizz types in SW1 is a brass section. BUT i'm in need of an instrument that makes a remotely brassy sound, is held in a remotely brassy way (note to devs, all wind instruments aren't playedvertically), and yeah. THAT! fix. mmm. brass. need.

Wiggin Justwiggin - Ahazi