Trip Playing An Instrument

[WarpGirl]

Well it's funny but to an origional Yankee like myself, (who spent a time in the Northern northern part of NY) the harmonica and the banjo were not instruments I thought of as Southern good 'ol boy instruments. They were country instruments to be sure, but it had very little regional association for me. A lot of people associate country with the American south and southwest but believe it or not their are a lot of "backwoods" places up in the northern part of the country, where very simular music is played.

Honestly TPTB should not have made Trip from FLA if they wanted to portray a backwoods southern hick unless he was born near the Georgia state line. And I don't know if the map of FLA they had showing the Xindi attack was anywhere near accurate, but from what I saw Trip would not have been in an area of the state where "hicks" were previlant.

Now in defense of "southern hicks" (out of respect for my family) I will say that the stereotype can be grossly inaccurate. There is a BIG difference between being uneducated and being a southern good 'ol boy "hick." Some of them are actually some of the most atriculate and intelligent people of my aquaintence, and since I have known some smart people in my life, that's saying something.

That said... TPTB were not very dilligent in research, and *the_abomination* and anything stated in it does not exist.

[EntAllat]

Having picked up a harmonica recently to figure out how to play it, I can attest to it being a full fledged musical instrument. There are even famous players who do the back up for bands ranging from Blues Traveler to Aerosmith. We're just so used to the sound that most people don't realize how ubiquitous it is in a lot of blues and rock music, not to mention country music.

But to answer the original question, IMO, I don't think it's too OOC to have Trip play a musical instrument other than the harmonica. In the Twitter-based stories that skill's been expanded to an ocarina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina) he was given by an alien species and a simple guitar. I'd say it fits his personality and his curiosity on how things work. Most real-life engineers I know can play a musical instrument or two.

[WarpGirl]

That instrument looks like a beautiful sculpture. I want one for my living room!

[Alelou]

Now in defense of "southern hicks" (out of respect for my family) I will say that the stereotype can be grossly inaccurate.

The Southerners on the board thank you.

And yes, harmonicas are not a distinctively Southern instrument. It is a blues and folk instrument, and you can find those styles of music, or their influence, just about everywhere.

Maybe he played bass. Too big to take on a starship.

[honeybee]

Although we know the show is not "realistic", it did allude to the crew going a lot of time with nothing happening out in space. My guess is the whole crew had to find ways of entertaining themselves - and learning an instrument or a language would be a good way to pass the time. Trip has canonically expressed an interest in music, so it makes sense to me that he would learn to play an instrument.

[EntAllat]

That instrument looks like a beautiful sculpture. I want one for my living room!

You can find a bunch of them on eBay. I've also got the iPhones version.

[WarpGirl]

Alelou you're welcome.

EntAllat not going to happen I'm so broke and I've got bills. And I realize that the harmonica is a real instrument, I never meant to imply it wasn't, but I'm bad at avoiding implications using this form of communication.

[Silverbullet]

Back in the 50's there wre Harmonica groups. some had hit records. One i particular was "Peg O' My Heart." Other songs were well received. There were different types of harmonicas. One had two Harmonicas stacked one on another which was more or less the Bass one. Surprising what four or five Harmonicas can do played in a group.BTW one group ws called the "Harmonicats"

[EntAllat]

Having picked up a harmonica recently to figure out how to play it, I can attest to it being a full fledged musical instrument. There are even famous players who do the back up for bands ranging from Blues Traveler to Aerosmith. We're just so used to the sound that most people don't realize how ubiquitous it is in a lot of blues and rock music, not to mention country music.

But to answer the original question, IMO, I don't think it's too OOC to have Trip play a musical instrument other than the harmonica. In the Twitter-based stories that skill's been expanded to an ocarina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocarina) he was given by an alien species and a simple guitar. I'd say it fits his personality and his curiosity on how things work. Most real-life engineers I know can play a musical instrument or two.

Yes, replying to my own message.

I should add that, in our Mirror Universe, Tucker wants to learn to play an electric violin, rather than a guitar mostly because they're just seriously bad-ass looking.

[honeybee]

Electric violins sound really cool, too. Very MU.

[WarpGirl]

IDK can you use an electronic violin to kill someone?

[Aquarius]

I think I read somewhere CT plays guitar... I love musical guys myself but that's not why I brought it up. It's funny Rigil should mention Trip's mother being the catalyst for Trip's musicality (is that a word). In my head she was a concert pianist who teaches music theory and composition at Juliard. (Yeah spelled that wrong) But I just don't think of playing an instrument as making one civilized, Tommy Lee anyone? He puts out cancer sticks on his tuonge! (yeah spelled that wrong too) But there is evidence Trip likes the piano in Cogenitor Brandyjane.

At the meet-and-greet in Vegas, CT said he's learning guitar, but I didn't get the impression that he thinks he's very good yet.

[Aquarius]

Now in defense of "southern hicks" (out of respect for my family) I will say that the stereotype can be grossly inaccurate.

The Southerners on the board thank you.

And yes, harmonicas are not a distinctively Southern instrument. It is a blues and folk instrument, and you can find those styles of music, or their influence, just about everywhere.

Maybe he played bass. Too big to take on a starship.

I always saw Trip being more of a blues musician with that harmonica, vs country.

Also, harmonica figured quite prominently in the music of punk/alternative band the Zulus, and they rocked, nothing hickish about them.

[honeybee]

Let's not forget Bob Dylan, either. I can picture Trip listening to Blood on the Tracks!

[Distracted]

You could always have Trip play the bodhran. It's a big flat booming drum that they play in Highland Pipe and Drum Corps. Sounds like thunder. Used to scare the piss out of the enemy in battle. Doesn't he have a brother in Scotland? Ireland? I forget which. The brother can play the bagpipes.

CT in a kilt. Yum.