Favourite Musical Instrument

[EloquentBohemian]

What is your favourite musical instrument to play?
(...voice is an instrument)

What is your favourite musical instrument to listen to?

Though I can play guitar and bass, my drums (link here) are what puts me into a 'space'. The world dissolves away when I am solo drumming and when drumming with others, there is a different unexplainable space which happens when several drummers are in the groove.

Besides the drums, solo violin and shakuhachi flute affect me deeply.

 

[Waterstiller]

I'm in love with my djembe. I think I know the space you're talking about.

As for what I like to play most: 12 string guitar. I play quite a few instruments but this is my favorite by far. Fingerstyle.

I love most instruments, but mainly these: Piano, cello, harp, classical guitar, 12 string guitar, gender, gongs. And some vocalists.

 

[EloquentBohemian]

My first djembe was African, but it was poorly made and second-hand. It couldn't withstand the changes in temperature and humidity from afternoon to night (w/ bonfire) when I would play with other drummers.
I bought the 14" Remo with the raised head. It may not have the subtleties of tone, but I can take it almost anywhere.
My personal drum, and the one I prefer to play solitary and rarely take it outside of home is the 12 sided frame drum. Skin is one piece deer-hide and I play it mostly horizontal with finger-tips. This is the one which 'spaces' me most.

 

[FusionKnight]

I play violin, piano, and a little mandolin. Playing the piano is probably the most captivating for me for a couple of reasons:

1. I don't get tired playing it because I'm sitting down, and not waggling my arms all over the place.
2. The tone is always nice; on the violin it takes effort and concentration to produce a pleasant tone. I prefer to put my energy into creating music rather than perfecting technique.

It's strange, but sometimes I'll sit at the piano and just hit the same key over and over and over and over... somehow I'm able to find music there. I guess it makes sense that I'd be a fan of the minimalists (John Adams, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich).

As for listening, some of my favorite sounds are:

1. Chinese violin (I have no idea what it's really called). There is no sound more haunting, wistful, and sorrowful.
2. Gongs. Man, I want one so bad. I would just bang on it all day long, and probably drive my wife over the edge.
3. Bells, any sort, especially BIG ones. Like the gong. I would just bang on it all day.
4. Bagpipes... I was at a wedding recently where the prelude, etc was played by a bagpiper. Seriously, that sound could get me to put on war paint and charge in to battle without thinking twice!

 

[Waterstiller]

I've got the 12" Remo with one of the older skins. The newer ones are weird.

Fusionknight: Try to find a Javanese Gamelan ensemble near you and go play. Lots of gongs. It was the best part about college.

 

[FusionKnight]

Yeah, heh, gamelans are sweet!

 

[Raku]

This reminds me of a question I asked a few classmates a few weeks ago. I asked what instrument they would be playing if they weren't limited by technique/money/training. It seems to be the same question as here, but I can't quite put my finger on the difference right now.

Anyways I'd love to play the violin. In fact I think its my favorite instrument to listen to as well. I also like electric guitar and the piano, but they aren't that great by themself compared to the violin. I even considered buying one and starting to play a few times, but I know in advance I'd be quitting it within the week.

 

[FusionKnight]

The violin is a hard instrument to make nice sounds "out of the box". I've been playing for... uhh... almost 20 years, and I'm still capable of making some wretched sounds, even when I'm not trying! :P

 

[Ermine]

I can play guitar and piano, currently like the piano best.

My favorite instruments to listen to are the cello, electric bass, piano, electric guitar, sitar, and samisen. I'm a string person.

 

[Aphasia]

I play the piano and a little harmonica.

I care for any instrument played well, but right now my favorite is the theremin, just because. If I list down other instruments I like (it was hard for me to decide which one I liked the most), the list will extend quite a bit. Special mention to the harp. And to the piano. And to the guqin.... gaaah. I'm going to stop.

1. Chinese violin (I have no idea what it's really called). There is no sound more haunting, wistful, and sorrowful.

It's called the erhu. I've seen one being played before. I'd mention it but for the reasons above.

@Raku: Heresy! Haven't you heard the saying that the piano is a one man orchestra?

 

[kaririloto]

I have no musical talents.

However there are several instruments I adore:

[1] Harp (Most beautiful instrument, in my opinion.)

[2] Erhu

[3] Piano (Reminds me of my childhood.)

[4] Cello (Sweet, low, and beautiful.)

[5] Violin (Can make a joyful or sad sound.)

[6] Clarinet

[7] Trumpet (Energetic. I love trumpets!)

I love those.

The anime "La Corda d'Oro" focuses on seven people with musical talents, each having their own instrument.

It's ear candy.

 

[Decaf]

Not very exciting, but I'm all about the classical guitar. I've put myself to sleep playing it a couple times. Once I have one in my hands I just feel at home picking at nothing, or whatever comes into my head. I'm not at a level I could make a living with it, but I've enjoyed a couple open mic nights. Well, aside from when I blanked on the bridge of "Mean To Me" which was quickly followed by my muscles temporarily forgetting how to play the guitar. That was an unpleasant experience.

I used to fancy myself a harmonica player, but I never could get it sounding interesting. I only ever got far enough to follow the melody.

 

[Waterstiller]

I've fallen asleep numerous times with classical guitar in hand. It has such a naturally soft sound that it tends to walk along with me into dream land.

I'm all about aimless playing. That's all I really like to do. I play my best when fully trusting intuition and stilling my mind.

 

[EloquentBohemian]

Stringed instruments (guitar, harp, violin, cello,etc) seem to the most favourite among people so far. I wonder if there is a study somewhere concerning the correlation between INTP's and stringed instruments?

 

[loveofreason]

So much musical talent here! (And none of it rests with me, of that I'm sure.)

When it comes to listening I love love love the panpipes.

But with the exception of the bagpipes and piano accordion there's probably not an instrument I don't like.

 

[Anling]

I like a lot of instruments. Harp, piano, chello, bagpipes, and voice. I love choirs.

 

[Agent Intellect]

guitar in the right hands. i could listen to the strange sounds made on guitars by Pink Floyd or Rage Against the Machine all day (strange duo of bands to put down, but they both do magic with a guitar in their own ways).

also a fan of voice. i like hip hop music, but i like listening to someone who can rap really poetic or conceptual things.

 

[EloquentBohemian]

@Agent Intellect: Have you heard Adrian Belew? He was part of King Crimson for four albums with Robert Fripp, Tony Levine and Bill Bruford. Probably one of the most experimental heavy guitarists around. Try his CD Side One.

 

[Waterstiller]

also a fan of voice. i like hip hop music, but i like listening to someone who can rap really poetic or conceptual things.

Saul Williams has been doing hip hop.

 

[Agent Intellect]

Saul Williams has been doing hip hop.

nice poem, i don't know if it was really hip hop though. although, he did seem to have a pretty high opinion of himself.

 

[Waterstiller]

He's worth checking out, I swear. This one's hip hop.

 

[Jordan~]

<Predictable response>

Voice to play, and to listen to...

Harp!

 

[Agent Intellect]

He's worth checking out, I swear. This one's hip hop.

interesting. he has a very unique delivery (sounds like he's shouting) but the lyrics are nice.

a couple songs i like:

YouTube- Aesop Rock "Panorama 6b"
YouTube- Brother Ali - Uncle Sam Goddamn

edit- this one people here might actually like. its just a simple guitar riff and a guy (Atmosphere) rapping over it, but its an awesome song.

 

[stercusaccidit]

To play: harmonica. Fun, portable and cheap. Bluesy. Good.

To listen to: I don't know... Fiddle is pretty cool. So is accordion, done right... Voice and vocal percussion... Nice bass lines are always fun. And, again, I like harmonica (mostly blues).

 

[Thread Killer]

Harmonicas are awesome. So are french horns, violins, and organs and a bunch of ethnic instruments.

However, synthesizer (good ones) takes the win.

=P

 

[NoID10ts]

Any music that includes these two instuments, rocks!​

"Squeal like a pig, Boy!"​

​

 

[EloquentBohemian]

Waitaminit.... do I hear the music from Deliverance?

 

[NoID10ts]

YouTube- Deliverance - Banjo Duel

 

[EloquentBohemian]

...been awhile since I've seen that. Thanks.

 

[Chronomar]

I play the piano, so it = #1.
My sister plays the cello, so it's #2.
My best friend plays the violin, and I've always wanted to play the violin, but I could never grasp the consept of the notes being "hidden", whereas in piano the notes are always just, there with no fuzzy guessing. It also doesn't help that I have a horrible memory and so can't remember where the notes are. So, violin gets #3.

Also, one time I went to a concert of the Aztec music (I love studying pre-European Latin American culture, and compairing it to greek culture, which is what my sister likes to study in her spare time.) I love those insturments, but more as a group, not so much separated.

 

[Chronomar]

Oh, yeah, and my mom is from Kentucky (home of the bluegrass music!), so I like the banjo. I even played it for a while, but don't own one, which makes my practice at it pretty sparce.

 

[lemonsunite]

am I the only one who likes bass guitar? such a nice sound~

to listen- probably the guitar parts of songs by rise against

 

[Titania]

I started to play oboe couple months ago and I've kinda fallen in love with that instrument. It's so wonderfully complicated and the voice is beautyful, a bit sad and haunting ( I actually used to hate that sound 'cause I had heard only some horrible baroque pieces). Well, I'm not sure is it my favorite instrument to play, since it's quite painful at times ... Harmonica is more relaxing. I also like all kinds of bass instruments and violin, it's so dynamic. English horn is pretty pleasant to listen, too.

I just can't understand brass instruments, they sound like... farting.

 

[Chimera]

_________
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To play: piano. I'm good at picking up instruments and learning to play them very quickly, but I haven't had very much exposure to other instruments. . .I played a violin and a cello once; that was exciting. Piano is the only thing I've taken lessons for. I'm in a local chorus, but it's nearly impossible for me to sing alone, even though personally I think I have a wonderful voice. ​

To listen to: Most instruments are beautiful to me in their own way, and there are few that I truly don't like (I'm sure I could think of one if I tried really hard. . .) My favorites are piano, solo violin, cello, classic guitar, and harp. The hammer dulcimer is also very nice to listen to. I like a lot of different flute-type things as well, though I don't know their proper names.
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[Perseus]

To play, a piano.

Guitar, I dislike to play.

Not very dexterous rather than not very musical. I have been described as tone deaf. Definitely, not a musician.

 

[NoID10ts]

To play, a piano.

Guitar, I dislike to play.

Not very dexterous rather than not very musical. I have been described as tone deaf. Definitely, not a musician.

What about drums? Although I guess you need some dexterity for that as well.

 

[zxc]

Keyboard... since then I can play a variety of different instruments and think that I'm pretty good at all of them! Hah, if only..

Not very dexterous rather than not very musical. I have been described as tone deaf. Definitely, not a musician.

From the little that I know about absolute pitch... you can't be tone deaf and yet find some enjoyment in music. You can't be musical and tone deaf at the same time!

 

[Dutch Pirate]

I play acoustic (6 string) guitar and absolutely love it. I'm a fan of strings in general, but a nice acoustic guitar with complex harmonics tops it for me. If I had the money and skills I would play harp guitar which is essentially a bass+acoustic guitar. The greater range makes for nice solo pieces. If you like solo guitar stuff I advise you check out Michael Hedges and Andy McKee ~ pure excellence
YouTube- Michael Hedges - Because It's There
YouTube- Andy McKee - Into the Ocean - www.candyrat.com

 

[lemonsunite]

Ikmonogakari's song "Blue Bird" has a nice guitar and harmonica sound to it

 

[Snail]

I play the backpacker guitar, sitar, flute, clarinet, alto sax, Native American style wooden flutes, various bamboo flutes, some piano, some harmonica, and some drums.

The nicest sounding instrument that I own is the sitar, although the guitar is like a security blanket that I carry with me wherever I go. If I could choose any instrument to suddenly own and automatically know how to play, I would select the harp, because it has the prettiest sound.

 

[NoID10ts]

@snail

If someday we all get together in real life, you can lead our INTP choir. Of course, all that really amounts to, is an INFP singing a solo with a bunch of annoyed INTP's staring at her.

 

[Snail]

@snail

If someday we all get together in real life, you can lead our INTP choir. Of course, all that really amounts to, is an INFP singing a solo with a bunch of annoyed INTP's staring at her.

Screw that! I hate being stared at, especially by critical sorts.

 

[NoID10ts]

Screw that! I hate being stared at, especially by critical sorts.

We're not critical. We just don't like synchronized bouts of singing.

 

[Snail]

So, you don't buy into Bjork's theory that "Life is a Musical?" ...Oh well. *sigh* I guess I'll go back to singing privately. I still want a harp, though.

 

[Titania]

Here you are

Edit: Well, it supposed to be a christmas present but I didn't have enough wrapping paper...

 

[Snail]

Awwww! Now if only a virtual harp were something I could really play. This is the closest I have found.

Play A Harp Online.

 

[aahzombies]

Trombone has to be my favorite instrument to play. I played it for 5 years, up until I entered High School. I quit because I hated marching band and to be in the concert band you had to be in marching band.

My favorite instrument to listen to has to be the cello. Not so much as a solo instrument, but as a part of a string ensemble. I have always had a strong bias towards lower toned instruments.

 

[Architectonic]

Flute (all variations)

I have a few keyboards, but more as a means to an end.
I'd like to get an EWI.

 

[boomkablamo]

Your pictures are a showcase of death.

 

[zxc]

Keyboards/synths are my favourite, but if I had to strictly pick one 'sound'/instrument, it would be a piano (with sustainer pedal of course!).