[neil]

I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR the other day and guess who was on? Robert Moog -- the inventor of the Moog synthesizer. It was a pretty fun interview to hear about the history of the Moog right from the horse's mouth.

Listen to the show in Real Audio format. You may have to fast forward past the interview with Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway.

 

[wChen]

fiddler,
I'm a violinist, but I almost prefer viola, especially in chamber music. There's nothing quite like playing viola in a string quartet.

Walther

 

[mbriant]

For me, electric guitar solos are the only thing that can create goosebumps. A few times, saxophone has come close. And vocals can be quite moving.

But if I could only hear one instrument for the rest of my life ... it would be acoustic guitar.

 

[aeberbach]

I'm also a violinist, and I love to listen to it as long as there's no excessive vibrato. (Or maybe that's an acquired taste. I couldn't stand Elvis Costello for a while, now I own every CD he has made) That's an amateur violinist. People only pay me to write software

Other favorite instruments are acoustic guitar, clarinet and oboe (esp. on Tom Waits tracks), piano and french horn.

It's a fiddle when you want to buy it and a violin when you want to sell it.

 

[Nattapong]

To play: Classical guitar, Trumpet...
Live Concert: Classical guitar, Violin ... almost any acoustic jazz
Listening on CD... Classical guitar, Piano, Violin, Cello, trumpet, Saxophone

Though... electric bass by Dean Peer is amazing stuff. Right Pigmode... I have his UCROSS album... only though.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Braver - Greg Howard, Water on the Moon -- buy it. Immediately.

Pigmode - a very convincing argument you convey, that was a real low blow to mention one of my favourite composers.

BenG, I disagree, but you're entitled your opinion. I like a nice raw synthesizer signal, possibly run through a spring reverb and not much more. But that's me.

neil - Thanks for the link! I'll have to listen to that someday, Moog is like...a godfather to me...

Fiddler -

 

[stuartr]

Cello is my favorite instrument by far. I just like its range. Listen to Benjamin Britten's cello suites, and you will hear the true breadth of this instrument. When Brahms heard Dvorak's cello concerto he said something to the effect of: If I had known that the cello could do that much, I would have written a lot more music for it.
Personally, I think Bach's Cello suites are the best things ever written.
Violins in my opinion are lethal weapons in the wrong hands -- it takes real skill to keep them from sounding screechy. There is a lot of good music for them though.
Guitars are also wonderfully versatile and great for polyphony.

 

[reynman]

Woodwinds...of course it has nothing to do with my wife and father-in-law being oboists and english horn players.

Long live the right of A!

Regards - reynman

 

[drob]

Mainly the piano - 'the miniature orchestra'
Also strings - violin in expert hands is amazing...
Nylon guitar -

I've been listening to Schubert's "Trout" quintent in A Maj and I would recommend the version with Rudolph Serkin on piano. One of the most 'fun' and nicley recorded versions. Piano + Strings

 

[NathanJM]

From an earlier Fiddler post:
Quote:

. . . Now, I reeeeeally hope there aren't any violists here....

ahem....i guess that would make me your nightmare

being a violist, im gonna have to disagree w/ your 'jokes', thank you very much. Fortunately for you, im in a good mood, so i will just let that comment slide -- this time

so back to the topic of this thread:

i would have to say my favorite (non-viola) instrument to listen to would be jazz piano. Although the deep, sad sounds the cello can emit can also sound outstanding (in classical, etc.) and be quite moving at times.
Oh, and the guitar (rock or jazz), when played well, can also sound quite beautiful.

It's just so hard to decide on just one favorite....

 

[fiddler]

Oh, hi there! Heheh.. heh.. heh.... heh.......

*runs and hides*

 

[Possum]

I like the unique sound of the percussion set used by the drummer of Guster. No sticks involved, it looked like everything was a hand, finger, or knuckle hit.

 

[coolvij]

Percussion: Tabla, far and away.

Winds: Tenor sax/Muted Trumpet (Jazz); Clarinet/French Horn(classical)

Strings: Acoustic Guitar, Viola, Cello, BASS!

 

[Audio-Me]

Oh god I wish I could experience a live muted trumpet and clarinet duet. Is that even heard of in Chicago, or anywhere else for that matter?

I played the French Horn for six months back in seventh grade, it was neat.

 

[coolvij]

Well, the closest thing I've heard to that is right in my 8th grade band.

We have an arrangement of the Olympic Fanfare that has a clarinet solo with a trumpet solo (a pianissimo clarinet background just sorta moves with the key changes)....very nice....