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 What is the hardest instrument to play in the (Page 2)
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David L. Donald Member From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand |
posted 21 January 2005 07:05 AM
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Scot I am a mandolin player, same scales and positions as fiddle, and a contra bass player, fretless and bowed In theory a violin would be ok for me. But I pick it up with a bow and send the cats screaching for the exit, no bow I can play it like a fretless mando. But you musdt be MUCH more precises with intonation. But a hammer dulcimer, I can create a part and play it in minutes and record something. It takes some time to tune the critters, but that's the worst of it. I have seen both bebop standards and Bach played very well on the instrument. [This message was edited by David L. Donald on 21 January 2005 at 07:06 AM.] |
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Klaus Caprani Member From: Copenhagen, Denmark |
posted 21 January 2005 07:06 AM
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quote: It surprises me that the harp is mentioned as difficult without considering the BLOCKING issue, which must be overwhelming. ------------------ MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4 |
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Mark Lind-Hanson Member From: San Francisco, California, USA |
posted 21 January 2005 10:19 AM
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not being a reed player I would say violin. To play well, you must start young and "grow into" the instrument- since a child's hands are smaller and so can make note changes just a little quicker than an adult taking it up- who had larger fingers & hands & probably less sensitivity to position changes. That being said, it takes years to develop technique and sensitivity to the repetoire, not to mention a good ear. Sitar gets a vote too- playing well demands not only a knowldege of Easern theory & raga but an ability to retune the instrument acc. to the demands of the piece involved. It isn't really an instrument that can be tuned once & then it's in tune for whenever- good players usually retune it for a specific key depending on, agin, the demands of the piece. |
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Michael Garnett Member From: Fort Worth, TX |
posted 21 January 2005 12:25 PM
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Well, out here at "Music College," there's lots of different instruments. I've played a Theramin, and I see why they've gone the way of the Dodo. It's just not a practical instrument, but very fun to screw around with. I see the evolution of the harp as such: Harp, Harpsichord, Piano. Left hand plays low notes, right hand plays high notes. The intonation is set on the latter two instruments, and variable with pedals in the first. A hammered dulcimer is a beautiful instrument to look at as well as listen to. However, I would almost group it into the Harp group, only you play it at a different angle. The strings look complex, but if you look at the tuning, it's simply an ascending chromatic scale, so from a music theory standpoint, not incredibly difficult to get the basics for. I would think any wind instrumet would be difficult to play. I've tried playing baritone sax, and I just didn't have what it takes to play anything remotely resembling a tune after an hour or so of doodling. I can't imagine how much more difficult two reeds would be. And finally, I'd say that ANY fretless instrument (steel, dobro, lap steel, fiddle, standup bass, etc.) would have to be the most difficult of all instruments to play, because not only does one have to master the intonation problem, one must also be able to shift the pitch around so as to sound sound "in tune" with the rest of the ensemble. -Garnett |
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Bill McCloskey Member From: |
posted 21 January 2005 01:37 PM
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I would agree with the person who said Uilleann pipes. I just sold my set after tring to play them for 6 months. The problem is not just learning to play them, which is hard enough, but managing the instrument itself. They need constant looking after as the joints shrink and swell based on humidity which means you need to constantly add or remove hemp to keep the joints air tight. And don't even get me started on the reeds. When I finally sold my set, I hadn't played it in about a month and the reed had completely shut down - I had to have it replaced before I could sell it. And of course you can't play it at all if the humidity drops below 40 percent. In order to play one you really need to be an expert on making your own reed which is a black art in of itself, and of course every chanter needs its own special reed, so its not like you can walk into Sam Ash and pick one up. It's not an instrument, its a marriage to a high maintenence pain in the butt. |
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W Franco Member From: silverdale,WA. USA |
posted 22 January 2005 09:49 AM
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There was a 14 string steel at the show in Mesa last week that looked prettty daunting. Hal Rugg said he couldn't even sit next to it because it made him nervous. |
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Jonathan Gregg Member From: New York City |
posted 23 January 2005 06:07 PM
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I always heard french horn was the beast. But I have come to share Pete Grant's opinion that guitar is harder than steel. Although the breaking in period is longer on steel, once you get the undercarriage action happening, it makes a lot more sense than those arbitrary six strings -- to me anyway, and I played guitar a long time. I could never play a chord solo worth anything on guitar, but with steel it's much more natural. |
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Chad Karnitz Member From: Wis. Rapids, WI USA |
posted 24 January 2005 10:42 AM
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I agree with Michael Barone about the Hammond console organ being the most difficult to play. I have an early 50s C-2 (with added percussion) and a Leslie in the living room right know. Try doing a walking bass line along with comping chords for a simple 12-bar blues and you get a great appreciation for the likes of Jimmy Smith and Groove Holmes. Not being a keyboard player, it takes quite a bit of thought to coordinate the right hand (chords and lead) with the left hand (bass). Don't forget about the foot pedals which are used to punctuate certain bass notes. How about playing "Indiana" at a million miles and hour improvising a bass line and soloing at the same time? |
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Tim Tweedale Member From: Vancouver, B.C., Canada |
posted 25 January 2005 10:48 AM
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Piano. |
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Henry Nagle Member From: Santa Rosa, California |
posted 25 January 2005 09:48 PM
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I've been trying to play ukelele for years. Impossible! |
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John Steele Member From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada |
posted 25 January 2005 10:03 PM
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A few summers ago I was asked to come play a steam calliope at a steam show. What a beast. All the notes are laid out in front of you in perfectly logical fashion. Problem is, on a regular keyboard, you don't have to worry about whether that particular pipe is warm enough to sound, or whether that big bass note is gonna cost you your head of steam ! -John |
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Henry Nagle Member From: Santa Rosa, California |
posted 25 January 2005 10:36 PM
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A calliope! That's pretty cool. I bet it's a lot like a ukelele!  |
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Chris Brooks Member From: Providence, Rhode Island |
posted 26 January 2005 07:55 AM
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The human voice? Chris |
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Rick McDuffie Member From: Smithfield, North Carolina, USA |
posted 27 January 2005 05:20 AM
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The swinette |
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