Foo - What's the perfect instrument?

...according to whatever metric you like (simplicity, ease to learn, sound, cost, etc)

For fun, let's not say the human voice.

Drums, but they are the most costly.

Not simple, nor easy to learn, nor cheap, but nothing sounds better.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Old_violin.jpg/428px-Old_violin.jpg

Costwise? Recorders and the ilk--they're cheap as dirt and easy to learn. Unfortunately, most are horrible sounding.

In terms of range and versatility, pianos are the best.

For expressiveness, bowed strings are the best. I personally love the violin, although I think the cello is the most emotive of the lot.

Not simple, nor easy to learn, nor cheap, but nothing sounds better.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Old_violin.jpg/428px-Old_violin.jpg

My favorite, of course. :love:

For waking people in the morning...


http://www.greenlandpipeco.com/bagpipes-rose.gif

My favorite, of course. :love:

heeeheee...violinists of Foo unite! :p

For waking people in the morning...

It sounds like you know from experience--were you the player or the sleeper?

Guitar!!!

Two turntables and a microphone.

Two turntables and a microphone.

that's where it's at. :D

Harmonica...

Fits in the pocket and is never out of key with itself!

heeeheee...violinists of Foo unite! :p

YES!!! (despite my broken bow)

....I also play viola, guitar, and drums.....

Martin HD-28

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Leon_Theremin_Playing_Theremin.jpg

:P

I'll second the piano, violin, and cello, but I speak from the perspective of a mere listener.

For waking people in the morning...


http://www.greenlandpipeco.com/bagpipes-rose.gif

Also for general stirring of the blood. I :love: bagpipes. I can't play any musical instrument though.:(
My favorite instruments to listen to in order are:
Bagpipes, particularly more than one at once
Violin
Oboe
guitar

A good pipe organ:

Not easy to learn, definitely not cheap, but can do a wide range of sounds, and it just looks awesome.

a mountain dulcimer,
get a McSpadden

simple (or as complex as you want), portable, versatile

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=harmonica



http://www.stoneojoband.com/images/harmonica.jpg

Harmonica...

Fits in the pocket and is never out of key with itself!

Beat me to it, by a mile.

trumpet harmonica!

Cello....I love the sound a good one makes.

The Scanlan blue titanium microvascular needle holder. Hey, we each have our art form. ;)

http://www.scanlaninternational.com/productimages/Inst%20-%20Titanium/3003_180.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Leon_Theremin_Playing_Theremin.jpg

:P

I'll second the piano, violin, and cello, but I speak from the perspective of a mere listener.

Another vote for the theramin!

With the glockenspiel a close second, of course.....

The Scanlan blue titanium microvascular needle holder. Hey, we each have our art form. ;)

http://www.scanlaninternational.com/productimages/Inst%20-%20Titanium/3003_180.jpg

...but, discounting the surgeon's favorite muzak, there's no sound so surely those are DQ'ed? Un-anaesthetized patients don't count.

A good pipe organ:

Not easy to learn, definitely not cheap, but can do a wide range of sounds, and it just looks awesome.

+1000000!

http://www.mandolindy.com/silverangels.jpg

Anyone who plays a violin should pick one up, same tuning, but with frets. :D

I'll have to say guitar. It's so fun to play, and its the best if you want to kick back at a campfire and sing some songs. Which, of course, is what I am all about. ;)

We're still working on our collection:

http://joe-and-heather.smugmug.com/photos/288338963_CrxLL-M.jpg

To be fair, the electric is a friend's.

1. Human voice because you can take it anywhere.
2. Trumpet, but only if you can play it like Wynton.
3. Guitar, but only if you can play it like me.
4. Armpit

http://www.mandolindy.com/silverangels.jpg

Anyone who plays a violin should pick one up, same tuning, but with frets. :D

Double-stringing too, but why quibble :lol:! There's a great blues band that plays here (Philly) every Sunday night- one of the guys plays the most incredible mandolin.

Here's my mandolin(e)- man, can I shred on this! (Sorry, just couldn't resist....)
http://us.st12.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/kkapers2_2009_38602814

Life! You can play it from the moment your born to the moment you die and not only will it always sound sweet, but it'll never sound the same way twice! ;) (and everyone has one! ;) )

The piano is the king of instruments, and I have always called a guitar a crappy piano. For me I would have to say guitar is the best instrument, or just about other stringed instrument. Followed by the wood winds.

If you are good at the drums it is the cheapest and easiest to transport. Any where you go there is always something to beat on that you can make music with

The piano is the king of instruments, and I have always called a guitar a crappy piano. For me I would have to say guitar is the best instrument, or just about other stringed instrument. Followed by the wood winds.

If you are good at the drums it is the cheapest and easiest to transport. Any where you go there is always something to beat on that you can make music with

well, I can't really play the drums at all, but I always have an instrument I can beat on.:D

Guitar!!!

+1

easy to learn to play.

incredibly hard to play really well...

I like its size and shape and the pitch range is closely related to the typical human vocal range. But something about the sound it makes still thrills me after four decades...

http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii132/pgoat/DanDjang300dpi.jpg

Pfft, everyone should know the saxophone is the only instrument worth playing.

Especially with a good brisk piece of music available.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc53/JavaWolf79/Faeriesaireanddeathwaltzpage66.jpg

If you can actually play that on the sax, I know quite a few ladies that would probably like to meet you.:innocent:

Go for an Armonica. No, not a harmonica. Invented by Ben Franklin. Music of the crystal (hemi)spheres.

If you can actually play that on the sax, I know quite a few ladies that would probably like to meet you.:innocent:

Considering the fact that I'm female, I prefer to stick with the guys. ;)

Considering the fact that I'm female, I prefer to stick with the guys. ;)

Well then.
How YOU doin?

Dumb premise, that there is such thing as a perfect instrument.

Harmonica for ultimate portability.

Acoustic guitar for ultimate versatility. (Martin OMC ftw)

Piano for the ultimate versatility minus portability.

Nothing will bring you to tears like a violin, or voice.

Nothing is as cool as a sax.

Nothing is as good for expressing your aggression as drums or other percussion instrument.

I'm glad all these instruments are around for me to listen to.

But I hate those über talented people who can play like 10 different instruments. :p

.

Pfft, everyone should know the saxophone is the only instrument worth playing.

Especially with a good brisk piece of music available.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc53/JavaWolf79/Faeriesaireanddeathwaltzpage66.jpg

Yeesh, for me to play that, I definitely need to take good sax education classes.

In terms of range and versatility, pianos are the best.

For expressiveness, bowed strings are the best. I personally love the violin, although I think the cello is the most emotive of the lot.

Absolutely agreed. But for overall versatility, because they're more portable than a piano and more adaptable to different situations than a violin, I'd say guitars ought to rank pretty high.

However, I once had a minor crush on a girl almost entirely because she was an amazing cellist.

I'll have to say guitar. It's so fun to play, and its the best if you want to kick back at a campfire and sing some songs. Which, of course, is what I am all about. ;)

We're still working on our collection:

http://joe-and-heather.smugmug.com/photos/288338963_CrxLL-M.jpg

To be fair, the electric is a friend's.

*squints*

Is that a Yamaha EV-whatever number it is? I'm lusting after the red version, even if I have a perfectly sexy Stagg electric violin... :p

Oh, and versatility=5 string electric violin with octave + other effects pedals. Doubles as a viola and cello, and makes wicked shredding sounds too, if you fiddle with your settings right.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j205/nekohime1378/menagerie/CIMG3120.jpg

Very partial to wind instruments here having played clarinet, sax and oboe (main instrument).

Love the sound of a french horn tho.

Drums, but they are the most costly.

I'm a drummer, and also a violin dealer, and I can assure you drums has nothing over the cost of most orchestral instruments. Once you're pro, you need to drop around 20k on a violin, viola, cello or bass just to get an instrument good enough to get a good job. It's hard to spend more than 20k on a drumset, but you can easily spend $100k on a flute, for instance.

Drums speak to me, I have to play them, so they are right for me. But the most perfected sound really has to be the violin.

It sounds like you know from experience--were you the player or the sleeper?

Surprisingly enough, the sleeper. I am not a morning person, but someone used to bring his bagpipes to wake people in the morning at a camp I went to as a kid. It's kind of weird, since I don't really remember being woken by them. I do like the sound in general, however.


Also for general stirring of the blood. I :love: bagpipes. I can't play any musical instrument though.:(

I love the sound of the pipes, I think it's something intrinsic. I can't play them, but I'd like to learn. I like the music of the Glengarry Bhoys (http://www.glengarrybhoys.com/), which is best described as Celtic rock, but I also like the traditional pipe and drum bands.

Drums! Drums! Drums!

Drums, strings, woodwinds (gack), dulcimers, gamelan, etc etc...

Well, as far as brasswinds go, I'll say the trombone. Trumpet needs embochure strength, French horn needs total accuracy or it sounds like crap, tuba needs smooth control of large quantities of wind, baritone/euph still has button combinations to learn, but the trombone -- the oldest of the chromatic brasses, btw -- falls right in the middle.

Coolest instrument ever? Contrabass bugle. As long as it's in the right hands, anyway. And in the key of G, the way God, Buddha, Mohammed, and Q intended. :D

My man, Mike, showing off his contra at the bottom of the page:
http://www.gulfcoastsound.org/bugles.html

trombone

From my 14ish years of experience, I would say NOT Trumpet. :D I'm now trying to pick up Guitar for the 2nd or third time, I recommend you do the same.