Least favorite musical instruments

jlupine · « **on:** 15 Jul 2004, 08:09 pm »

I've heard that whenever polls are taken, bagpipes win by a large margin. I happen to like bagpipes, but when I used to hear them played at 2 A.M. in the parking lot of the banquet hall across the alley from where I used to live, I became fairly empathic.

My least favorite, with some qualifications:

1) Accordion (although I understand the charm when played at the entrance to the Rue de la Huchette).

2) Harmonica (but pleasant enough in western films).

3) Ukulele.

4) Cornetto ('Zinc' to the Germans) My least favorite Renaissance instrument.

5) Panpipes.

6) Carillon.

7) Horn ("French horn").

8.) Clarinet.

9) Glass harmonica.

10) Zither.

Almost any instrument can be used effectively to add tonal color to a musical group: I'm talking about music in which these instruments are played solo or at least prominently featured.

Jan

MaxCast · « **Reply #1 on:** 15 Jul 2004, 08:17 pm »

The Xylophone. I really dislike the cute rings on some of the jazz cd's I have.

nathanm · « **Reply #2 on:** 15 Jul 2004, 09:06 pm »

Lap steel guitar or whatever it is, as played in country western music. Dreadful!

Bagpipes are okay, it's just the drone which wears on your nerves.

ABEX · « **Reply #3 on:** 15 Jul 2004, 11:10 pm »

Kazoo!

gitarretyp · « **Reply #4 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 01:08 am »

About the only instrument i really can't stand is the soprano sax. I just can't hear one without thinking of Kenny G

bob82274 · « **Reply #5 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 01:24 am »

Yea the Sax can get on my nerves... and to think I used to play it... might be part of the reason I stopped.

Mag · « **Reply #6 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 03:43 am »

Spoons

Tyson · « **Reply #7 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 03:59 am »

flute.

MaxCast · « **Reply #8 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 12:56 pm »

Quote from: Tyson

flute.

What? No TULL!

PhilNYC · « **Reply #9 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 01:06 pm »

For me, its Harpsicord. Am also not a fan of clarinet or oboe, although they can work in the right pieces of music (eg. Peter and the Wolf).

Slightly off-topic, one thing I absolutely couldn't stand back in the 80s was when bands would use a synthesizer to simulate a real instrument...lots of synthesized harmonica solos drove me nuts! The absolute worst was a Stanley Jordan Group performance I saw at the Blue Note in NYC...a stunning jazz performance completely marred by a keyboard player insisting to do synthesized saxophone solos on almost every song...

JohnR · « **Reply #10 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 01:36 pm »

Clarinet.

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #11 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 02:44 pm »

The TUBA !!!

Have yet to see any recordings titled "Greatest Hits of the Tuba"...

PhilNYC · « **Reply #12 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 02:53 pm »

Quote from: lonewolfny42

The TUBA !!! Have yet to see any recordings titled "Greatest Hits of the Tuba"...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000038J1/qid=1089989519

pjchappy · « **Reply #13 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 03:09 pm »

That is hilarious!

p

J North · « **Reply #14 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 03:26 pm »

banjo & kazoo!

JoshK · « **Reply #15 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 03:36 pm »

Keyboard! I really can't stand a lot of progressive because of hte keyboards, that and I hate blues with keyboards.

Synthesizer like Phil said.

Clarinet

Flute

Soprano sax, also makes me think Kenny G

I actually like the French Horn, the harmonica, some steel guitars, depending on how they are used and Bagpipes can sound cool.

dado5 · « **Reply #16 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 04:47 pm »

Wow!

I love the clarinet and the banjo and the accordion! When these are well played they can be magical.

I agree that cheesy synths (does anyone actually like them?) are awful.

I can't get into the harpsichord either....easy to see why the pianoforte replaced it.

I don't really care for the large hollow body acoustic-electric guitars like the Yamahas....they sound too thin and stringy.

Sitars and many other eastern stringed instruments are not exactly my cup of tea.

That's about it really....it is more a matter of bad music than bad instruments for me frankly. John Cage will mutilate any orchestra, Yngwie Malmstien makes me question why the electric guitar was invented and Kenny G. succeeds in making saxophones sound like fingernails on a blackborad...need I say more?

Thanks,
Rob

PhilNYC · « **Reply #17 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 04:52 pm »

I think synthesizers done right (eg. Jan Hammer w/the Jeff Beck Group, Switched-On Bach by Wendy/Walter Carlos) can be great. I even like synths from rock bands in the early 80s like The Cars. Its in the hands of Eddie Van Halen or that guy from Duran Duran that really gives synths a bad name...

JoshK · « **Reply #18 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 05:03 pm »

True the Cars were great! I totally disliked Van Halen in the synth/keyboard days.

Andrikos · « **Reply #19 on:** 16 Jul 2004, 06:33 pm »

Deep Purple's keyboard cheesy solos drove me up the wall!!!
Pure sucky stuff.

I also hate the steel sliding gee-tar in Country. Actually, everything in country sucks!

There's more but those two above are tops on my list.

BTW, I LOVE the bagpipes!!