Questions tagged [instruments]
For questions about generalities about instruments or groups of instruments.
382
questions
2
votes
2answers
74 views
Fun intruments to learn [closed]
I'm looking for some fun instruments to play. The criteria I have are that the instrument should be small, relatively cheap and have a discrete set of notes (not a continuous spectrum).
I currently ...
23
votes
4answers
4k views
How can horns, most of which have only three buttons, play all their notes?
I’m a big fan of the “horn” family but have trouble understanding how horns are able to play the same scales and modes that a piano is able to play, being that horns only have a few buttons. In some ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Chromatic harmonica slider becomes less smooth after playing for about 30min
I have a Suzuki Chromatix SCX64 16-hole chromatic harmonica. Recently I find that the slider becomes less smooth (or even gets stuck somehow) after I play for about 30 minutes. I tried disassembling ...
5
votes
5answers
152 views
Not confident enough to play guitar loudly because neighbours will hear it
I am playing guitar (mostly Acoustic Guitar) for like 2 years now so i wouldn't say that i completely suck. i can play numerous songs and strum chords fairly and easily. Although every day is a new ...
-2
votes
3answers
85 views
Why do I find vocals played by instruments so annoying? [closed]
Fist of all I know my question is subjected to preferences, I know many people that actually like this kind of music.
However, sometimes I've heard songs that had vocals originally and are played by ...
1
vote
1answer
40 views
I need help to identify the instruments of a composition (in a movie)
Probably this is very easy to answer for people who know the composition of an orchestra and which sound comes from which instrument. My question is, what is the instrument (or the composition of ...
2
votes
1answer
83 views
What string instrument is this? [closed]
I am "musically illiterate" and would like to know what instrument I hear in this video.
2
votes
1answer
54 views
Which string instruments/playing techniques were used for Nashville Sound country music?
I've been delving into the history of a particular style of country music called "Nashville Sound" recently, which involved a lot of string sections in songs. Some websites describe them as being "...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
What are “Parforce Horns” and “Fürst Pless Horns”?
I suddenly found on Thomann these types of horns: Parforce horn and Fürst Pless Horn.
I searched for them on Wikipedia and similar sites, Google, etc., but all I find is in German or other languages. ...
5
votes
1answer
508 views
Is it common for a 5 string bass to have a high B?
My school jazz band's bass player has a 5 string bass but it is tuned like a guitar with a broken 'E' string, but an octave lower. This means that the highest string is a 'B'. Is this common? I know ...
0
votes
1answer
32 views
Grand Piano Cracked Soft Pedal, Possible Missing Parts for Soft and Sustain Pedals
I have a 1912 Symphonic baby grand piano and I noticed two problems. This question is a two-parter:
I noticed at the top of the beam for the soft pedal, the wooden piece is cracked (link to image: ...
2
votes
1answer
47 views
Behringer Xenyx302USB (mixer) vs Behringer U-Phoria U2 (audio interface) [closed]
I am a bass player who is considering purchasing one of these. At a first sight, the Xenyx is just like a better U2, with more channels a controls. Is there any reason why it would be better to get ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Is there an instrument combination of a guitar and a harp?
I wonder whether there is guitar that is extended with strings like a harp - or otherwise a harp that has inbuilt a neck with frets with guitar strings. Does this instrument exist already and how ...
1
vote
2answers
51 views
Why are western double-reed instruments smoother than double-reed instruments outside Europe?
When one thinks of the timbre of double reed instruments, we tend to divide them as two groups:
Oboe, English horn, bassoon. (Western instruments.) The sound is very smooth and pure.
Other double-...
3
votes
1answer
79 views
How can you imitate a bagpipe sound with a guitar?
Imitating a violin sound is already known.
How can I get a violin sound from my electric guitar?
Also surprising is how the sound of a Bagpipe ( and other instruments) can be imitated on the Guitar....
4
votes
1answer
210 views
What is this natural trumpet?
On this picture of the London Gabrieli Brass Ensemble found here, one sees what I suppose are natural brass instruments.
Does the trumpet right below have a specific name? It has a different form ...
21
votes
11answers
5k views
Does an instrument like this exist?
A guitar-like fretted, stringed instrument that you play on your lap. And not a lap steel, but something that takes full advantage of the way it is held. The orientation of the instrument would allow ...
14
votes
2answers
980 views
Trumpet type or technique?
In Wagner’s “Rule, Britannia”, the orchestration calls for two trumpets.
I’ve had no luck searching for what “vent.” and “ord.” mean. “Open” and “muted”, or ...?
1
vote
0answers
16 views
re a 2 row treble diatonic button accordion
I am used to playing a 2 row treble BC button accordion with the B row on the inside & the C row on the outside. I now have a new Castagnari similar one, but the 2 treble rows are the opposite to ...
0
votes
2answers
116 views
Why are the many instruments notes are not in order?
For example, the harmonica notes are made as follows (based on 16H):
E A G B C D E F G A C B E D G F
Why not make it like this?
F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G
The same goes for violin strings:
G ...
6
votes
3answers
544 views
Trombone C Vs Bb : Fundamental Vs transposing
I'm an amateur tenor trombone player. I learnt to play by playing with other, never learnt much music theory.
I have a question regarding the "name" of the trombone. The traditional tenor trombone ...
43
votes
8answers
2k views
Does the difference in harmonic series between instruments have a significant effect on the consonance of the sound?
We all know that an instrument's timbre is uniquely determined by its harmonic series. Harmonic series are also very effective in describing whether an interval is consonant or not. For example, the ...
37
votes
5answers
5k views
Why do pianos not need to be tuned every time you play?
I usually tune my guitar and violin whenever I play them. I assume most people do too. But what makes piano strings different?
I know it is a lot of work to tune a piano, but I'm under the assumption ...
3
votes
1answer
93 views
Isan musical instruments used in songs of Yard Napalai
Isan is a culturally-diverse north-eastern region of Thailand where the common language is a combination of Thai and Lao and with "touches" of Cambodian (especially in south Isan near the border with ...
2
votes
2answers
424 views
Can I use a D bamboo flute to play a C key
I actually want to buy a D bamboos flute but I would like to know whether I can use it to play other keys as well
3
votes
10answers
266 views
Am I in a rough patch or have I lost my love for piano?
my name is Emma and I have been playing the piano for just under eight years.
I started playing the piano when I was nine and was put into the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) system a year later. ...
31
votes
15answers
11k views
Why aren't there attempts to evolve classical musical instruments so that they're easier to play?
Roughly speaking, it takes anywhere between 5 and 15 years to become proficient in one of the classical music instruments, making it a very difficult skill for most of us.
But why not try and make ...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Washboard as Instrument
I know that some washboards are fabricated from the outset to be musical instruments.
Are they significantly better than using just any old antique washboard I might happen to find around?
I'm ...
1
vote
0answers
18 views
10-hole harmonica types [duplicate]
Of the many 10-hole harmonicas I have, only one enables me to play almost all of the true notes in a song: It is a hohner I have misplaced which I have had for 40 years. It is one of the few I have ...
1
vote
1answer
61 views
A mixer or an audio interface? [closed]
So I wanna jam live and record, I first wanted to buy a normal Behringer mixer with a built-in USB but I've been told the recording quality is not that good compared to audio interfaces, so I have two ...
8
votes
13answers
7k views
The quietest classical orchestra instrument to play at home [closed]
I want to learn to play a new instrument to some extent (which is a part of a classical/romantic orchestra) in order to understand what is possible with this type of instruments and what not, which ...
4
votes
1answer
54 views
Protection of violins when moving to a new climate
I am about to move from a hot, dry climate (Johannesburg) to a very humid, cool climate (Overberg, South Africa). Is there anything I can do to protect my violins from the impact of the climate change?...
4
votes
1answer
74 views
What kind of whistle is it that raises in pitch? [closed]
What kind of whistle sounding instrument is it that for example can be heard throughout this song (first time at 0:47)?
It also serves as the whistle of Mysterious ...
12
votes
4answers
2k views
What is this sound, instrument? (Rheingold, Wagner)
I am currently composing something and I really want to have this sound in my piece. It sounds like a small hammer hammering on metal.
It starts at 1:08:07 (...
2
votes
1answer
114 views
How did musicians know what were the notes frequencies if they had no measuring tools? [duplicate]
Today we have devices that with the aid of a microphone can detect the frequency of a note. We can therefore calibrate all instruments and voices to a same pattern. But, how did people know how the ...
1
vote
1answer
72 views
What are the common instrument blends in classical/romantic symphonies? [closed]
The motivation of my question "What are the common instrument blends in classical/romantic symphonies?" is to learn which instrument combinations (e.g. clarinet + violin, horn + oboe + bassoon etc..), ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
What instruments are playing in this Frank Sinatra cover? [closed]
Writing an essay on this song and I can't seem to figure out the instruments playing on this youtube video and want to make sure I get it correct.
Beginning at 0:00 - 0:04. Before Sinatra sings.
0:17 ...
2
votes
3answers
214 views
How do different time signatures change how a song sounds?
I know that time signatures change how a song sound, but I don't know the rule, or how it does that. If a song is in 4/4 and it got changed into 6/8, I don't know how it would sound, or how much it ...
0
votes
1answer
176 views
Is it harder to play instruments in the morning? [closed]
Does anyone find it harder to play instruments in the morning? When I play piano at 8 9 10 am, fingers just feel so weird and brain is slow. Playing violin is much tougher because all my muscles are ...
4
votes
1answer
180 views
Is it normal for oud strings to touch other pegs on the head?
Recently I bought a cheap old oud without strings. I am an irish bouzouki player, so the wooden tuning pegs and the curved, angled head of the instrument is all new to me. The is noone near my place ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Duplicate instruments in unison in an orchestra
Theoretically, each addition of a sound identical to the previous one results in a 6db increase in the final sound result.
I ask: is that why in some orchestrations we see, for example, 6 clarinets ...
0
votes
1answer
90 views
Software needed to change a church hymn for organ to a string. Can it be done?
I am looking for software that can convert a MIDI file in organ to a string or trumpet etc. automatically. Is there such a program?
Any help is appreciated.
-1
votes
1answer
94 views
Why can human voices sound like musicians' instruments? [closed]
We could represent any classical music using human voice. Why?
-3
votes
1answer
48 views
Bach 3G or Denis Wick 4.5AL for baritone? [closed]
I’ve got a Bb baritone that takes large shank mouthpieces. Should I get a 3g or 4.5al?
0
votes
1answer
154 views
Do I need an audio interface for recording if I have a mixer with a built-in USB?
I have Volca series synths and Behringer xenyx 802. I can record each Volca separately with an audio interface to my computer but If I want to play them and record them together (which is better for ...
0
votes
5answers
206 views
Choosing an instrument to double on
I am a saxophonist who has been contemplating the idea of doubling on another wind instrument for a long time. My teacher recommends doubling on flute (closed tone holes), but professional-level ...
3
votes
1answer
245 views
What are the mechanics behind flute keys used to play chromatic notes?
I recently listened to recordings of the bansuri, a bamboo flute used in Indian (Hindu) music, and I thought about trying to make one myself from scratch. A tutorial I found on wikiHow makes the ...
15
votes
6answers
3k views
Genetic limitations to learn certain instruments
This is something that has bothered me for quite a while.
I frequently participate in instrument demonstrations for children. My focus is on wind instruments but I'm also curious about others.
What I ...
24
votes
10answers
6k views
Are there any instruments that don't produce overtones?
Essentially all instruments produce overtones, which are frequencies
other than the dominant frequency of the note.
-- How do harmonics work?
The use of "essentially" there got me thinking. Are ...
6
votes
4answers
525 views
Pitch and Volume Compensations for Different Instruments
I'm curious if various instruments require that the player compensate in any way (in terms of technique, e.g., force used to bow, force used to blow, or embouchure alterations) when playing low vs. ...
