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What is your favorite musical instrument?


Luke Skywalker

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Oh yes...the following is from an article on horn history...

It wasn't until Anton Hampel encouraged a Dresden instrument maker, Johann Werner, to construct a horn with detachable crooks for BOTH the mouthpipe and the middle of the horn that a full range of transpositions was possible on one instrument. The Orchestra horn, as it was called, was honed and perfected between 1750 and 1755.

Late in the 19 century, a German horn maker, Fritz Kruspe, was one of the first to manufacture both "single" and "double horns" with rotary valves. With the double horn, he crafted an instrument having a fourth valve that routed the air through shorter tubing that changed the entire pitch of the horn from F to Bb.  Today, the double horn is the most commonly used horn worldwide.

Around 1900, smaller single horns pitched one octave above the standard F horn began to appear in Germany.  These small-belled horns with small bores were pitched in High F (also called F alto) to help hornists tackle the high-register demands of Baroque repertoire.

There is much more to the article...actually a very interesting read. But as you can see, the "French" Horn is actually quite German.

The full article is here...http://www.hornplanet.com/hornpage/museum/...n_history1.html

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Pity the poor English Horn. Not only is it not Engish, but also it isn't even a horn!

My fave instrument is probably the vioin. You'll never get tired of a string orchestra. A wind ensemble gets tiresome after about 45 minutes.

Bassoon ensembes are an abomination. They should be stamped out.

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Mines is the Tuba, hopefully most of you are familiar, Mr. Williams tends to hire Jim Self, a Los Angeles local who has several CD's and most notably is the mothership in CE3k, raptor theme in JP and has the memorable solos in feast scene in Hook. Check out his website www.jimself.com, he also runs Tubachristmas in LA. This guy makes a tuba sound as heartwrenching as a french horn. His CD changing colors is truly remarkable.

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Mines is the Tuba, hopefully most of you are familiar, Mr. Williams tends to hire Jim Self, a Los Angeles local who has several CD's and most notably is the mothership in CE3k, raptor theme in JP and has the memorable solos in feast scene in Hook.  Check out his website www.jimself.com, he also runs Tubachristmas in LA.  This guy makes a tuba sound as heartwrenching as a french horn. His CD changing colors is truly remarkable.

Chester Schmitz does great solo in Jabba the Hutt.

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To anybody whose favorite instrument is the French Horn: would it still be your favorite if it wasn't the solo instrument in the Force theme?

Be honest, boys and girls.

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Yes. I don't get off on the Force theme like everyone else. The horn is the most amazing instrument to me for its great emotional range. It can be beautiful, soaring, powerful, threatening, etc, so easily. I need to hear JW's concerto!!!

Ray Barnsbury - who plays the French horn, but felt the same way about it before ever picking one up

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Is it really in dutch "Hoorn",the french horn I mean?

And there is also a city called Hoorn in Netherlands?

Yes there is.

Though it's name has nothing to do with the instrument I think.

hoorn.gif

"Van zilver beladen met een hoorn van keel, geringd van goud, geband van lazuur met goude kwasten; het schild van achteren vastgehouden door een zittenden eenhoorn van keel, gehoornd, gemaand, gebaad, gevlokt en gestaart van goud."

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A large orchestra.

Seriously, I could not possibly choose a single favorite instrument. My initial reaction would be the (French (but actually German) or Viennese) horn--these instruments have a knack for sounding heroic, tender, passionate, and strong all at once. But then again, I love all the instruments of the orchestra. All the string instruments share similar timbres and yet they can produce such a wide range of effects and emotions. The oboe and English Horn are so acoustically and emotionally pleasing when played well. Trombones have a wonderful unabashed boldness; tuba is rather like a well-loved grandfather. Trumpets are the rock stars of the orchestra, but they really are capable of a nice variety of expression. Flutes can produce both shrill and gentle music; clarinets have a warm, soothing quality that feels rather like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold day. Bassoons are not always as comical as they are stereotyped--the wonderfully somber bassoon solo near the end of Stravinsky's "The Firebird" proves that. Piano is great in its own ways, especially for the person playing it--this instrument offers the unique opportunity to play all the notes in the chords, which is the reason I enjoy playing it so much. Harp, despite the cliches that surround it, is an incredible instrument with such a delicate timbre.

And then there's percussion. Most people don't typically think of percussion instruments as being terribly "musical," but I as a percussionist know that's baloney. I enjoy playing percussion and playing piano for very, very different reasons. But both can be musical in their own respects.

Okay, so piano's technically percussion, too. Sorry. :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Bassoon, bassoon bassoon bassoon! Bassoon I say! You won't admit it, but it's your favorite too. The bassoon can cry out, it can whisper, laugh (You doubt me? you've never heard me make a bassoon laugh!), roar, moan (that would be a beginning student or a player using a dying reed but nonetheless the instrument makes that sound). It is perhaps only underrated for its lack of solo works and not so often public attention. However, the instrument will always have a place in my heart, and ithas become a part of my life.

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Well, actually no, I've not been able to find a recording. If you know somewhere I could get one, that would be awesome. I believe it's called Five Sacred Trees or something of the sort, correct?

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Yes, it's called "The Five Sacred Trees", but it should be available on any online store. It's a more recent release and it's selling well, so you really shouldn't have that much trouble finding the CD. Then again, that kinda depends on where you live...

Tim

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Thank you, I will have to look into that.

I must say, I'm a large fan of double reeds in general, call me crazy for saying it but when I hear a beginning oboist, eng. hornist (the first time an oboist doubles is not very pretty...) and bassoonist (...ouch...) play or preform, it just makes me want to jump for joy. This isn't because they sound good now (because they DO NOT, no offense to all you guys out there, I was there too once), but I know if they keep up with their studies they will achieve some of the most beautiful and cultured, as well as distinct, tones tht the musical word can offer an individual.

I'm also a huge fan of saxophone, be it classical or jazz. Alto sax is my instrument of origen and I still march with sax and play in my school jazz band. I wish that orchestras were more supportive of the instrument, classical sax is a beautiful thing when played PROPERLY (sadly there are not many prefessional legit players and so this aspect of the instrument is often overlooked).

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I think we all need to remember that the true sound and characterstics of a musical instrument can

only be fully realized at the hands of a great musician. The instrument means very little in

brass and wind playing. Great stringed instrument are great and costly...at the hands of a

beginner, they sound no better than they would be sitting on a chair.

I am obviously a horn player, so I am biased. It was the king of the romantic period in

music. Wagner, Mahler,Strauss, Bruckner and Brahms all knew how to write for it. Brahms

and Rossini actually played it. There are many composers who couldn't write for it..they

wrote notes, but didn't know anything past that.

An instrument that hasn't been mentinoed yet is perhaps the most know and that is the

piano. You may think that the piano is limited in its sounds, but at the hands of a master

it can sound like an entire orchestra. I recently heard Emmanul Ax in a concert. He

is a master, the piano is more than just a piano when he sits in front of it.

Never take lightly the musicians behind the instruments!

DHP

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  • 13 years later...
23 hours ago, Fabulin said:

That being said, I would like to mention the vibraphone, organ, euphonium, alto sax, bass harmonica, cello and an orchestra as a whole in terms of a listening experience.

Thank you!

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I'd say the synthesizer is my favourite instrument (although it comes in many forms and shapes, so it's a really broad term).

 

In terms of acoustical instruments, I'd say piano and woodwinds (especially oboe or bassoon).

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  • 3 weeks later...

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