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View Full Version : Is there a correlation between favored classes and favored musical instruments?



Pyra
2013-11-16, 04:19 PM
This is an inquiry to Playgrounders at large: Is there a link between the types of musical instruments you play, if any, and the types of classes you tend to play in RPGs, D&D, and so on? I've seen in high school and college marching band that there is a noticeable personality 'type' to each section. I'm not the only one; the jokes on the subject are all over the internet - the "Tales from Band Camp" web-comic for example. I would bet there's a similar link in what classes people like to play, but I don't know enough gamers to guess how it breaks out.

So, I am inviting people to reply with if they play an instrument(s) and if so, which one(s), and if they tend to gravitate to a specific class, or specific archetype, (fighter, cleric, wizard, rogue), through omnivorously playing anything. I'll edit this post periodically to tally the results, and we'll see what happens.

I play the piano, tuba and flute, though the latter was only a few years.
I almost always play a mage or wizard, no matter whether it's a computer game or tabletop. I've experimented with other classes sometimes, but even then, they're generally a blaster variant.

The friend I was talking with in the conversation that spawned this idea does not play an instrument, but likes the guitar, and tends to play monks, rogues or sorcerers.

My husband plays the piano, and switches between paladin and wizard, but tends to play casters more often.

So, what do you like to play:smallsmile:


Edit: First pass results after 15 replies. Explanation of methodology below.
----------------Melee/fighter---Ranged/Blaster---Support/Healing---Skills/Misc
Strings---------------4----------------9----------------9--------------9
Woodwind------------5----------------5----------------2--------------2
Brass----------------4-----------------3----------------0--------------1
Percussion-----------0-----------------0----------------0--------------4
Piano/Keyboard-------2----------------6----------------1--------------1

Edit 2: Second pass after 35 replies, added Singing.
----------------Melee/fighter--Ranged/Blaster--Support/Healing--Skills/Misc
Strings---------------13------------14---------------12-----------14
Woodwind-------------6-------------5----------------3------------2
Brass-----------------6--------------4----------------7-----------5
Percussion------------0--------------0----------------0------------2
Piano/Keyboard-------3-------------12----------------5------------5
Singing---------------9--------------5----------------2-----------10

Erock
2013-11-16, 04:49 PM
I play bass guitar and prefer martial classes.

Morithias
2013-11-16, 05:12 PM
I am going to completely destroy your math.

I play guitar. My favorite classes are the Master (read:Merchant), and the Healer.

TheThan
2013-11-16, 05:23 PM
I play the harmonica, I like warrior types and bards.

huttj509
2013-11-16, 05:24 PM
Clarinet, flute, viola, voice.

I like casters.

QuintonBeck
2013-11-16, 05:31 PM
I play guitar very poorly and I can't deny I love monks, clerics, and rogues. I especially like a monk/rogue combo (yes, I love me some Unarmed Swordsage)

TuggyNE
2013-11-16, 05:46 PM
I play violin and some viola and prefer builds that can keep enemies at a distance, usually psions, rangers, or wizards.

erikun
2013-11-16, 05:49 PM
I'm not much of a musical person. I do have an old clarinet, although I wouldn't say that I play it anymore than any other instrument. I'd probably pick the clarinet to play if I needed to, although for more sentimental reasons than anything else.

The glass harp (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdoTdG_VNV4) is neat, though.

I prefer to play Clerics, Paladins, and various "holy knight" characters.

Slipperychicken
2013-11-16, 06:59 PM
Bear in mind that the people who respond here are steeped in optimization culture.

I play cello (12 years, still practicing and playing in orchestra), and often find myself playing classes which can heal (otherwise, the game doesn't have anyone else to do it :smallsigh:). Usually classes like Cleric or Crusader (which heal via spells or class features) or Summoner (which can do it via UMD'd wands). I also enjoy laying down the pain in combat.

Before I got into healers, I did enjoy playing a Wizard and a Factotum until I got bored of curbstomping everything.

Dimers
2013-11-16, 07:08 PM
Voice and percussion; broadly-skilled characters.

hymer
2013-11-16, 07:09 PM
I play the recorder and used to sing in a choir. My favoured classes are fairly beefy and magical - clerics, druids and arcane gishes.

Edit: Victor Borge used to tell us about his father's old viola, and how his father played in a big orcestra, and how the difference between the violin and the viola is that the viola burns longer.
Anyway, I hope you'll look through the answers and see how your theory is doing and let us all know. :smallsmile:

Stasgard
2013-11-16, 07:56 PM
Relevant to my interests, leaving my lurk for this one.

Primarily I play Bass, although I play a fair bit of acoustic guitar. My preference in any game is to play a Buffer/Healer/Support role.

Slipperychicken
2013-11-16, 08:02 PM
Edit: Victor Borge used to tell us about his father's old viola, and how his father played in a big orcestra, and how the difference between the violin and the viola is that the viola burns longer.


Ah yes, the viola's defining feature :smalltongue:

And while we're on the viola jokes: Why do violists stand for long periods outside people's houses? Because they can't find the key and don't know when to come in.

Temotei
2013-11-16, 08:04 PM
I play guitar poorly and trombone. I like casters and martial adepts.

Xefas
2013-11-16, 08:38 PM
I haven't played in years, but I did play the trombone all throughout middle and high school. I like big stompy tanky smashy dudes (and whacking other brass players in the back of the head with an errant slide from time to time).

Gavran
2013-11-16, 09:29 PM
I "play" (rock) guitar and (classical) piano. I play any kind of character.

Pyra
2013-11-17, 01:53 PM
Okay, tallied results to this point. Doing a very coarse grouping until more data is acquired. Split classes into the rough archetypes of Melee, Caster/Ranged, Support/Healing, and Skills/Misc, and the instruments into Strings, Woodwind, Percussion, Brass, and Piano/keyboard. Every response gets 4 points, split out if more than one category of instrument or classes are played. Edited the resulting chart into the top post too.

----------------Melee/fighter---Ranged/Blaster---Support/Healing---Skills/Misc
Strings---------------4----------------9----------------9--------------9
Woodwind------------5----------------5----------------2--------------2
Brass----------------4-----------------3----------------0--------------1
Percussion-----------0-----------------0----------------0--------------4
Piano/Keyboard-------2----------------6----------------1--------------1

Ravens_cry
2013-11-17, 01:58 PM
Where does Karaoke fit into this spectrum?
I like noble warriors of good and uncanny little weirdos that defy the norms.

Subaru Kujo
2013-11-17, 02:12 PM
Strings and I usually play skill monkeys.

NichG
2013-11-17, 02:39 PM
Piano, and I'm a sucker for versatility-based characters - that often means casters (e.g. illusions, teleportation, summoning, divination), but I don't tend to favor blasting. So I guess you could call that Skills or Support?

Subaru Kujo
2013-11-17, 03:28 PM
Piano, and I'm a sucker for versatility-based characters - that often means casters (e.g. illusions, teleportation, summoning, divination), but I don't tend to favor blasting. So I guess you could call that Skills or Support?

I'd call that support, to be quite honest. Skills I'd think would be stuff like opening locks, disabling traps, that sort of thing.

Lorsa
2013-11-18, 06:04 AM
First a bit of nit-picking... isn't piano actually a string instrument?

In any case, I play the piano, some guitar (although worse than my brother), could play some basic electric bass too and I have played some basic percussions although it was a while ago... and even longer since I played wooden flute but I could probably get into it in a month if I had to. I also sing in a choir.

As for what sort of classes I play it varies a lot. I have made clerics and barbarians and rogues and arcane spellcasters and rangers and... well I like variation.

But if we have to narrow it down, my best intrsument is the piano and my favorite class is sorcerer.

hymer
2013-11-18, 06:30 AM
First a bit of nit-picking... isn't piano actually a string instrument?

A wise man once said:


I have a song here which, I realize, should be accompanied on a folk instrument, in which category the piano does not, alas, qualify. So imagine, if you will, that I am playing an 88-string guitar!

But I think it's fair to categorize it either way. Certainly the playing of a piano and the violin bear sufficiently little resemblance, which bears it out insofar as this bit of research is concerned.

Mastikator
2013-11-18, 06:51 AM
I've played some guitar in school (though it was a long long time ago) and I prefer warrior types.

TuggyNE
2013-11-18, 07:11 AM
First a bit of nit-picking... isn't piano actually a string instrument?

Pianos do use strings, but they aren't "string instruments", per se. (In particular, string instruments can all be played with fingering and in pizzicato, and even with considerable similarities in basic technique, but a piano cannot be played with either.)

Forrestfire
2013-11-18, 07:51 AM
I don't play an instrument, but I do sing, if that qualifies me for this.

I generally play gish types or hybrid caster/role classes. I like being able to do a little of both.

Krazzman
2013-11-18, 09:07 AM
My wife used to play flute (forced in elementary school) and the accordion.
She likes to play Barbarians and druids and Archers (most likely ranger).

I tried my luck with an e-guitar but due to time constraints never really learned it. I prefer gishing, martial and easy-bake(spontaneous or fixed/small list[I have analysis paralysis most of the times with my cleric]) casters. (Dislike prepared casting but I am really fond of druid and cleric).

M0rdain
2013-11-18, 09:14 AM
I don't play an instrument (but i used to sing) and i prefer cleric/paladin

Lorsa
2013-11-18, 09:33 AM
Pianos do use strings, but they aren't "string instruments", per se. (In particular, string instruments can all be played with fingering and in pizzicato, and even with considerable similarities in basic technique, but a piano cannot be played with either.)

I guess what bothers me is when people assume that organ and piano is basically the same instrument and if you can play one you can play the other just beucase the keyboard is similar. While the keyboard is the same, the way they produce sound is vastly different and this has a much larger impact on the instrument than what some people realize.

So I guess it all depends how you like to categorize your instruments. There are some ackordions that uses a keyboard similar to that of a piano but that doesn't make them the same type of instrument.

But yes, I know that pianos usually don't count among string instruments. I do believe it should though! How it produce sound is more important to me than how they are played.

Telonius
2013-11-18, 09:39 AM
Piano. I gravitate to charismatic characters generally (social Rogue, Warlock, Bard).

My wife is a trained vocalist (majored in voice, in undergrad), with a heavy emphasis on music theory. She's playing for the first time as an Artificer.

EDIT: Also, you might want to include people who don't play musical instruments at all. Including the control would help figure out any general biases.

Joe the Rat
2013-11-18, 11:15 AM
Mrs. the Rat is a trumpeter, and illusionist par excellence.

Mr. the Rat used to play tuba, and prefers the trickster archetype. Any class, any game, I want to be clever. And annoying.

Zeb
2013-11-18, 11:26 AM
Brass instruments, primarily the trumpet.

Casters and primarily given the choice a Gnome Illusionist.

Talyn
2013-11-18, 12:43 PM
I sing, and generally play warrior-types: Fighters, Paladins, Battle Clerics, and (in 4e) Warlords.

FabulousFizban
2013-11-18, 01:58 PM
I play guitar. I always find myself designing skill monkeys/random nonsense(like the wtf in my tag). I always find myself playing Paladins, whether I really want to or not.

Amaril
2013-11-18, 02:47 PM
I play the cello, and I very much prefer wizards or other mage classes in pretty much all my games. If not a mage, I usually play some type of melee warrior.

Icewraith
2013-11-18, 04:13 PM
Technically, piano is a percussion instrument (look inside, see the tiny hammers!). However, it's so different from the other percussion instruments it deserves its own classification.

I play some piano and bass, with a smidgen of guitar. I also sing decently, I don't know if there are choir or operatic types in here.

I find myself gravitating towards arcane casters (wizards, sorcerers, and bards) and melee characters (including arcane gishes).

Djinn_in_Tonic
2013-11-18, 07:36 PM
I play the Tuba, Piano, and Trombone. I also sing.

I play every sort of character, with a preference for Martial Initiators, the Artificer, and the Beguiler.

Pyra
2013-11-19, 02:13 PM
Compiling results to date. I added Singing as a category, which changed a few numbers. I may need to change my ranking system because 4 points doesn't cover it when there are 6 combos, but I will think about how to represent that better first. Keeping it at 4 points and split out between what looks like the persons more favored combos for the nonce.

Not a lot of love for the percussionists so far.

----------------Melee/fighter--Ranged/Blaster--Support/Healing--Skills/Misc
Strings---------------13------------14---------------12-----------14
Woodwind-------------6-------------5----------------3------------2
Brass-----------------6--------------4----------------7-----------5
Percussion------------0--------------0----------------0------------2
Piano/Keyboard-------3-------------12----------------5------------5
Singing---------------9--------------5----------------2-----------10

erikun
2013-11-19, 03:01 PM
Here. You might want to use this as a formatted table. (Just quote and copy/change as needed.)

{table] | Melee/fighter | Ranged/Blaster | Support/Healing | Skills/Misc
Strings | 13 | 14 | 12 | 14
Woodwind | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2
Brass | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5
Percussion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2
Piano/Keyboard | 3 | 12 | 5 | 5
Singing | 9 | 5 | 2 | 10 [/table]

Slipperychicken
2013-11-19, 03:42 PM
Here. You might want to use this as a formatted table. (Just quote and copy/change as needed.)


I also suggest using totals and percents. So you can say something like "10% of respondent cellists like playing healers", which is often more useful than raw numbers.

Pyra
2013-11-19, 04:44 PM
That is a valid point. I've seen that method used in a few surveys that note that the %'s don't add up to 100 because respondents could chose more than one category. I will probably do that next time; thank you for the suggestion.

NichG
2013-11-19, 07:36 PM
Actually, I'd normalize by the total number of people across instruments who actually play that class. It may be that more people play e.g. melee than support, and you want to take that into account.

For example, in your table right now the 'least' favored class for Strings is Support. But if we divide by the total number of people who play each class it becomes:

Melee: 13/37 ~ 0.35
Ranged: 14/40 ~ 0.35
Support: 12/29 ~ 0.41
Skills: 14/38 ~ 0.37

Now we see that Strings has proportionately more people who play support out of the whole than it does the other categories.

Sir Chuckles
2013-11-20, 03:27 AM
Does my ability to compose MML but not actually physically play an instrument count?
If it doesn't, you can mark me down as Skills/Misc and Bagpipes.
I like bagpipes.

Deaxsa
2013-11-20, 03:22 PM
i play(ed) the violin, and i like to play people who get along in the natural world. (druids, rangers, scouts)
i also sing. but yea, utility/out of combat usefulness (not necessarily being a party face) is rather important to me

hymer
2013-12-10, 05:10 AM
How are we doing? Have you reached any conclusions?

TheDarkSaint
2013-12-10, 02:49 PM
I may skew some numbers.

I teach orchestra, choir and band. I can play most western instruments besides piano.

I prefer arcane spell casters.

MonochromeTiger
2013-12-10, 02:58 PM
wildshape heavy low casting druids, and I play piano. wife prefers barbarian, sorcerer, or bard and plays electric guitar.

TheThan
2013-12-10, 03:11 PM
i posted earlier.
So I’m curious as to where harmonicas fit into your research, is it being classified as a woodwind (it uses reeds, although they’re made of brass), or is it classified as brass because well, the reeds are made of brass?

edit
According to wikipedia they fall into woodwind territory.

Bakeru
2013-12-10, 03:21 PM
I don't really play any instrument, but I'm a sucker for anything from the violin family.

I prefer versatile characters, both in abilities and in fluff. So, my preferences are casters with skills, or skilled characters with casting. Especially social skills and other "let others fight for me" skills are preferred.


And while we're on the viola jokes: Why do violists stand for long periods outside people's houses? Because they can't find the key and don't know when to come in.In Germany, the viola is (also) called Bratsche. Our music teacher explained that it's named after the sound it makes when stepped upon.
Also, he explained why you can't hear viola on CD recordings: Background noises get filtered out.

CarpeGuitarrem
2013-12-10, 04:10 PM
I play the guitar (and sing), and my preferred classes waver between rogue and ranger. I guess that'd be Melee and Ranged, respectively.

Roak Star
2013-12-10, 04:37 PM
I have dabbled in a wide variety of both musical instruments and classes in RPGs.

I took piano lessons, primarily played trumpet and tenor saxophone, but also added Euphonium and marching Baritone in my later high school years (which i enjoyed much more than trumpet because of the other people in my section).

My favorite classes from 3.5 are bard, warlock and Monk, but my roots are in rogues and more recently i've begun playing more martial-combat oriented characters.

tl;dr - brass and saxophone; skillful non-full caster classes

RPGaddict28
2013-12-11, 09:51 PM
I play percussion and I sing. I'ma wizard kinda guy.

Adoendithas
2013-12-11, 09:59 PM
Piano, violin, and voice.
Control and tactical characters (druids, wizards, and warlocks in 4e)