"Musically I'm a house pig."
Jürg has been taking lessons since 2013. He played in front of an audience for the first time at the age of 68.
Jürg's story with music begins the way all stories with music in Switzerland begin: with recorder lessons. Later he plays the guitar as a child, but then stops. At some point he even gives his instrument away.
It was not until he was about 37 that the subject began to interest him again. This time for real. He buys a guitar again and takes lessons. At the same time, he often plays in a group with friends. Since they are all guitarists, he first switches to the bass guitar and later to the Slavic instrument Berda, a kind of double bass with frets.
Luckily, his son wants to play the drums.
When Jürg talks about music, his eyes sparkle. He also infects his son with this joy, who starts playing the cembe at an early age and later gets a drum set. Similar to himself, however, his son stops playing music as a teenager. Since then, the drums have been standing around in the flat collecting dust.
Until one day, when Jürg is about 60 years old, he finds this a pity. And so he got in touch with Maxime via Instrumentor. He learns the technical basics from him. "Maxime is a great teacher and a very motivating mentor", says Jürg. The fact that the two got along very well right from the start was important for the rapid progress and Jürg's continuing enjoyment of the drums.
This later brings him to an "open day" at Instrumentor. There he plays in an ad hoc band for the first time as a drummer and notices how much he likes it. He signs up for the band workshop and becomes more and more confident by playing with others.
Shortly after the first performance, the second band comes along.
At an age when many musicians have already ended their careers, Jürg's first performance follows. He has joined seven wind players who play everything from old German hits to Dixieland.
Soon after, he looks for a second band that plays jazz. He finds one, which is why he leaves the band workshop after three years. Two bands are enough, but he continues the individual lessons with Maxime. "I need an echo, it helps me to move forward", he says, explaining why he has been taking lessons via Instrumentor for almost 10 years now.
For Jürg, the fun of playing and the joy of music come first. "I've been the worst musician in every band so far", he laughs mischievously.
The omnivore comes to the dance.
It is not surprising that someone with such a broad repertoire as Jürg likes many styles of music. He describes himself as an "omnivore" or "domestic pig". Whether rock, pop or jazz: Jürg likes music in all its facets and also enjoys listening to the radio.
It also fits that Jürg joined another band in 2021. Of course, again with a new orientation. This time it's all about dance (from swing to waltz to Latin). There are a few gigs coming up this year, one of them at the Volkshaus in Zurich.
In the meantime, Jürg enjoys playing in front of an audience, but this is not the most important thing for him. "I want to have a good time and keep my joy - without pressure and without stress", says the all around satisfied Jürg in conclusion.