#tune in for more really in character posts from second later about poker strategies—

[enterprise-bee]

thinking about the two instruments I’ve seen people on the enterprise-d playing on my watch through so far and what they say about them, right, so.

first, riker’s infamous trombone. I think the thing about the trombone is that it is a nerd instrument. like yeah you can play jazz trombone and that’s very sexy, but also I know no one who still plays trombone as an adult and just plays trombone. every trombonist I know also can play trumpet, or tuba, or french horn, and also they probably can play sax too even though that one’s a woodwind. because they’re music nerds! and it makes sense! trombone is such a music nerds instrument! and I think it’s interesting because that fits him. he’s the kind of guy who cooks even though replicators exist. he’s the kind of guy who works hard at everything he does. and he’s the kind of guy who would be the trombonist in a band but could pick up any of the other instruments in a pinch, is what I’m saying.

but I also think it’s really interesting that the other musician I’ve seen so far is data learning the violin. notably, I don’t know if I’ve seen him trying to play it solo much—he seems to be a part of a string quartet, which is interesting given that a violin very much can be a soloist’s instrument! it’s also normally the melody of a string quartet. I think the most interesting detail here is that he seems to largely play classical pieces, and mentions that he feels he “lacks soul” and is merely combining other classical artists, because… classical music is ALL ABOUT building and iterating on the artists before you. it’s an interesting subtle way to say “hey data is more human than he thinks” that’s then made less subtle by picard just saying this that’s fun to think about. also interesting is… so violin is famously technically tricky for beginners, which fits data, but a violin is often a beginner’s instrument! this is because you can buy a beginner’s violin for like thirty dollars, and because learning violin teaches you the principles for a lot of other string instruments. it’s just being actually GOOD at it is very hard. which makes it as an instrument for data to try very interesting to me; why violin of the typical beginner instruments? why not, say, piano or guitar? and I think the answer to that is both “I think data likes classical music” and “violin is a very emotional instrument that can do a WIDE range of things, which is why data picked it over other options”.

this is of course complete over-analysis but I LOVE when characters play instruments and do music together. anyway the style of music that would incorporate both trombone and violin that I picture is in the corner of music that’s where jazz and bluegrass and blues sort of intersect, so that’d be fun. I think data should learn some fiddle playing,