Play Piano or Play the Piano? Articles & Musical Instruments

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with  Jennifer. Do you consider yourself a musician?  

Do you play an instrument? I can't claim to  be a really skilled musician, but I do enjoy  

playing the piano, and every once in a while  I'll pick up my accordion and play a little.  

Recently, I was talking with my friend and  colleague Linda from Linda teaches English, and I  

asked her, "Do you play an instrument?" Because I  didn't know. I never asked. Listen to her answer.  

Sadly, no. I don't play an instrument  unless you count the recorder in the  

fifth grade. My husband, however, is a  musician. He plays guitar and mandolin.  

So, does Linda play an instrument? No, but she did  play the recorder back in her school days. A lot  

of American school children learn to play the  recorder for one or two years as part of their  

music classes. Do you know what a recorder is?  It's a woodwind instrument similar to a flute,  

but you hold it downward. American school children  learn to play on plastic recorders like this one.  

Did you hear Linda talk about a family member?  What does he play? I'm going to let you listen  

again, but this time, I want you to pay  attention to the names of the instruments.  

Does Linda use the definite article like I did  when I told you I enjoy playing the piano ?  

Sadly, no. I don't play an instrument unless you  count the recorder in the fifth grade. My husband,  

however, is a musician. He plays guitar and  mandolin. Who's the musician in Linda's family?  

Her husband. What instrument does he play?  

Actually, two. Guitar and mandolin. Something  interesting happened in Linda's speech. She talked  

about the recorder and then said her husband  played guitar and mandolin. Hmm. This reflects a  

pattern that seems to be increasing more and more  in American English. Twelve years ago I made a  

grammar video about generic nouns. I talked about  three ways we can refer to all members of a group.  

A recorder is a woodwind instrument with seven  finger holes in the front and one in the back.  

A recorder. That's a generic noun. It uses  the indefinite article plus a singular noun.  

I'm talking about all standard recorders.  This sounds like a definition or an  

explanation that I'm giving to someone  who doesn't know what a recorder is.  

Pianos require professional movers,  so don't try to move one by yourself.  

Here I'm using the zero article plus a plural  noun, and I'm referring to any and all pianos.  

I play the accordion but not very  well. With musical instruments,  

we can use the definite article before a singular  noun to talk about all instruments of that type.  

Okay. So we have three ways to make  a generic reference. Here's another.  

Remember how Linda said that her  husband played the guitar in mandolin?  

I started to notice this pattern only  recently with musical instruments. The  

change has been gradual. The zero article plus  a singular noun has really gained popularity  

in American English. It's not the pattern I  remember growing up with. However, language  

is always changing. When people start to use a  new pattern, they change the so-called rules.  

I think this new pattern is becoming more  and more standard: play guitar, play piano.  

Looking into this and talking about the  grammar with a couple of colleagues,  

I've come to the conclusion that the zero  article plus a singular noun to talk about  

musical instruments is a pattern that we  hear mostly in spoken American English,  

and it's likely not as common in other  varieties of English, at least not yet.  

I also think if you're reading about  musical instruments, you're likely to  

see one of the other three patterns, namely  the definite article plus a singular noun.  

For example, Mozart was a skilled musician, and  he learned to play chords on the harpsichord  

around the age of three. He composed on other  instruments as well, including the violin.  

Do you know who Andrea Bocelli is? Google him  and you'll find out some interesting facts,  

and I bet you'll see his favorite  instruments listed with the definite article.  

As a child, he learned to play the piano, flute,  saxophone, and other instruments. Remember with a  

list we can use the definite article only once,  and then it applies to the other nouns in that  

list. We understand that Andrea Bocelli learned  to play the piano, the flute, the saxophone,  

and other instruments, but I only need to use the  definite article once at the beginning of my list.  

The point is that a biography is written, and it's  usually rather formal writing. I suspect that the  

pattern with the zero article plus a singular noun  to talk about instruments is already making its  

way into written English, but again I'll tell  you that it's a pattern I've mostly heard and  

not read. Yet another factor might be the type of  instrument. I've noticed that the definite article  

remains common with instruments for classical  music, meaning instruments in an orchestra:  

the violin, the harp, the French horn.  

In contrast, instruments we associate more  with jazz, rock, and contemporary music are  

more likely to be found in this new pattern  with a zero article: keyboard, bass guitar.

We might also consider who the speaker is and  if the person in question is a serious musician.  

Mozart was a trained professional. As an  alternative to saying he played the violin,  

we could say he was a skilled violinist. So,  we'll now turn to people who are serious about  

music. Let's hear from my friend and colleague  Jase, also known as FluencyMC. Listen to Jase's  

background in music. Hey everyone. My name  is Jason Levine. I'm also known as FluencyMC,  

and I play drums. I've been playing since I was  nine years old. I got started on the snare drum,  

took lessons, played in the elementary school  band, uh, then middle school and high school,  

I played drum set and also percussion,  conga drums. When I went to college,  

I joined...actually, I was in a punk band in high  school, and then got serious in bands in college.  

I was in a band that played in New York City quite  a bit. We played at different universities. I was  

on a record. I played in the funk band after that.  These days I play for fun at open mic night, uh,  

here in Paris, France. What instrument does Jase  play? The drums. Did you hear how he got started?  

I want you to listen just to that beginning part  again and pay attention to his use of articles.  

Hey everyone. My name is Jason  Levine. I'm also known as FluencyMC,  

and I play drums. I've been playing since I was  nine years old. I got started on the snare drum,  

took lessons. As with Linda, there was a mix  of two patterns. Jase said he plays drums,  

but he got started on the snare drum, a  type of drum. That, too, was a generic noun.  

He could play any and all snare drums, just  like Linda's husband plays guitar -- any and  

all guitars . Now he may have a preference  for acoustic guitars over electric guitars,  

but he plays guitar. He's a musician.  He's a guitarist. He plays guitar.  

Please note that it's still okay to say he plays  the guitar and Jase plays the drums. I simply want  

you to be aware that another pattern exists, and  it seems like this pattern with the zero article  

is being used more and more. Do you remember what  kind of music Jase has performed? Uh, then middle  

school and high school I played drum set and also  percussion, conga drums. When I went to college,  

I joined...actually, I was in a punk band in high  school and then got serious in bands in college.  

I was in a band that played in New York City  quite a bit. We played at different universities.  

I was on a record. I played in a funk band  after that. He's not a classical musician.  

He's played punk and funk. Note how he said he  played drum set and conga drums. No article.  

So, why is this pattern with the zero article  in use? Here's a thought. I see a similarity  

between playing guitar, playing drums and other  activities that people enjoy doing and activities  

that they've gained skill in, like playing  tennis, playing golf. Do you see what I mean?  

Perhaps we can think of all of these things as  activities that people devote time and effort to.  

It's just a theory. The goal now is to train your  ears and mind to accept this fourth pattern for  

generic nouns, and you need to accept that article  usage varies not only from speaker to speaker,  

but even one American English speaker  can go back and forth between patterns,  

between the zero article and the definite  article, when talking about musical instruments.  

Let me introduce you to one more musician who not  only performs but also teaches and conducts. He  

has dedicated his career to music, and he brings  the joy of music to others. This is a friend and  

former neighbor George Furlow. Good morning. My  name is George, and I'm here to share with you  

today about a musical instrument that I fell  in love with when I was about 10 years old.  

And they offered it in the school that I  was going to, and I had listened to a lot of  

music from a much, much older time, and I just  fell in love with the sound of the saxophone.  

What instrument does George play? The saxophone.  He fell in love with the sound of the saxophone.  

Here he used the definite article. What did  he get a degree in after high school? Listen.

So, I started playing it at 10 years old and went  all the way through junior high school and high  

school. And then decided at high school that I  wanted to go to college for music, and I went and  

got a degree in teaching and also on saxophone.  So, I taught school and while I was teaching  

school I went on to my master's degree and decided  I wanted to become a professional musician.  

George got a degree in teaching and on saxophone.  No article. He shifted to the zero article.  

In this next clip, you'll learn what kinds of  music George has played. Listen for the genres.

And I started playing out when I was about 17  years old and, uh, played all kinds of bands,  

and I've played all kinds of music since that  time. Some of it's jazz. Some of its pop music.  

Some of its R&B music. I've played in the symphony  with saxophone. Uh, I've played in sax quartets,  

in big bands, where there's eighteen  of us playing at once -- five saxes.  

Um, and it's been a lot of fun for me over  the years. George has played jazz, pop,  

and R&B (rhythm and blues). We don't  need articles before genres of music.  

George has also played in the symphony. This is  an interesting pattern. It's also a generic noun:  

in the symphony. I don't know specifically  which symphonies George has performed in,  

and at this point, it's not important. He's  simply listing the types of music he can play.  

"The symphony" uses the definite article. George  has played in the symphony with saxophone.  

He used a mix of patterns for generic nouns.  Now listen as George gives some background  

information on the instrument. He's going to  give some historical facts. Can you predict  

which pattern you're going to hear? The saxophone  was created at around 1850. Adolphe Sax, uh,  

decided that the military bans of that day...they  had brass players and they had woodwind players.  

He needed something in the middle, he thought, for  these bands to really sound better. George taught  

us that Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone around  1850. He used "the sax" because in this context  

it's a little bit more formal and he's talking  about the musical instrument as an invention.  

Now listen to how George compares the  saxophone to other instruments in the band.  

So, he created the saxophone, and it's it's  very unique because it's brass like a trumpet  

or a trombone or a tuba, French horn, baritone  horn, and yet it's a woodwind instrument like a  

clarinet, a bassoon, or an oboe. It has a reed and  that reed when you blow on it vibrates like that,  

and that's what makes the sound  of the saxophone. And so it's  

a combination of a reedy sound and  then that brass sound. Listen to it.

The key in listening to someone speak like this  is to understand when they're talking generally  

and when they're making a specific reference.  George is making generic reference after generic  

reference, and he's using a mix of the patterns  we've studied -- patterns for generic nouns.  

In this last clip, don't focus on the grammar.  Focus on the meaning. George is going to give an  

important message about learning an instrument.  Your goal is to understand his advice.  

Okay? It's a very unique sound. If you want to  play the saxophone, it's easy to get started on;  

like any instrument, it's difficult to master.  I also play the flute. Here's a flute here,  

and I play the clarinet, and, uh, I play piano as  well. So, if you have a music gift in you that's  

been endowed to you, you can play just about  any instrument you want to play because that  

gift comes out in whatever instrument. But go  to the instrument that you... when you hear it,  

you just go, "Oh yeah. I like this." Maybe it's  the piano. Maybe it's the French horn. Maybe it's  

violin. Maybe it's cello, string bass. Maybe it's  the drums. But it's important for you to know what  

you'll like inside. Hey, it's really good talking  to you all today. Thank you so much. Bye-bye.  

Maybe George's words will inspire some  of you to learn an instrument or return  

to playing an instrument. He's worked with  musicians of all ages. He currently works  

at the Pittsburgh Youth Concert Orchestra.  He conducts the Adult and Youth Jazz Bands.  

George Furlow's music is available online. He's  produced more than one album. I'll put his Spotify  

and iTunes links in the video description. One  of the many musicians George has worked with is a  

talented young man his name is RJ Williams. George  has known RJ since he was six years old. Well,  

RJ is all grown up now and he's become a very  skilled musician. I'd like to introduce RJ to you,  

and as you listen, listen for a mix of patterns  with the articles. Focus on the message. Focus  

on the meaning. What instrument does RJ play?  What's his background in music? Hey. My name is  

RJ Williams. Um, I play drums, keys, a little bit  of bass. I also produce, arrange, and I program.

I got started around the age of two with  drums, which is crazy to think, but yes,  

I got started around that age, and I started  taking lessons professionally around age six.  

And I play Christian music, um, mainly. I  used to play secular music and R&B. Right now,  

it's mainly like more Christian music,  gospel music. I also play in church.  

I played with a couple artists named, um, Tye  Tribbett, Jonathan Traylor, Blanca. And I also  

like arrange and produce for a bunch of other  artists, um, and yeah...that's part of my story.

If you'd like to hear more of RJ's work,  

you can visit his YouTube channel. I'll  put the link in the video description.  

To pull everything together, I'd like to invite  you to take a final listening test. The goal is  

to understand the grammar in context. There's  one more guest in this video: my very own piano  

teacher. I've had two piano teachers in my life.  The first was a wonderful woman who taught me  

from the time I was about seven to the time I  graduated from high school. My current teacher,  

Tom, is a wonderful person and a wonderful  pianist. I'll let you hear more about him,  

and I've been taking lessons from him for the  past few years like many others in my town.

I play the piano, the organ, and the trumpet.

Many, many times. At one  time, I ran a nine-piece band,  

uh, and I played trumpet in that  band and wrote all the arrangements.  

We had two trumpets, an alto sax, a tenor  sax, and a trombonist. The alto sax player  

and the tenor sax player all could double on  other instruments: flutes, clarinets. And then  

the rhythm section, traditional rhythm section:  drums, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and pianist.

I've been teaching since 1968,  so that's well over 50 years.

My favorite kind of music, uh, would be ballads,  sentimental ballads, uh, but that's what I like  

to play. What I like to listen to is jazz  and rather contemporary, modern music.

It is never too late, and the piano  is actually the best instrument that  

anybody young or old can learn because the  keyboard is right there in front of you and  

everything is linear, and it doesn't  take long for people to learn to play  

with the understanding that they're  doing it for their own enjoyment.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed  this special grammar lesson. Thank you to all  

the generous teachers and talented musicians  for their contributions. You'll find all the  

links in the video description. Please  remember to like and share this video if  

you found the lesson useful and interesting. As  always, thanks for watching and happy studies!  

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