What is the prettiest instrument?

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I used to the pedal steel guitar was the most expressive, lovely thing I'd ever heard, but now I believe it's the celeste. So ethereal and fragile and.. well, celestial.

― andy --, Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:29 (twenty-one years ago)

glass harmonica or Ondes Martenot

― Melissa W (Melissa W), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

the vagina

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.pianomuseum.at/celesta.jpg

I've never seen the gut of the celeste... they sound prettier than they look.

― andy --, Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:36 (twenty-one years ago)

the harp

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i like the koto

― Vestigal Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

also the theremin and the singing saw are kool

― Vestigal Appendages, Esq. (King Kobra), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

i think bassoons are the coolest things ever. i'm not sure why.

http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/drake/photo/bassoon.jpg

― basquiat (disco stu), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

dammit

http://www.physics.uq.edu.au/people/drake/photo/bassoon.jpg

― basquiat (disco stu), Thursday, 24 March 2005 20:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Huge golden harps.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

The vibraphone. Oh my yes.

Also a fan of glass harmonica.

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:23 (twenty-one years ago)

Glass harmonicas and theremins are both good, the both have an otherworldly sort of feel that sounds lovely to me.

― Leon Bluth (Ex Leon), Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Harps sound girly.

― andy --, Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:46 (twenty-one years ago)

fugelhorn, or marimba.

― Anthony Easton, Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:48 (twenty-one years ago)

A lovely ensemble would be violin (aka fiddle), acoustic guitar, clarinet, and accordion.

Damn you young kids with your noise! That ain't REAL music

GET OFF MY LAWN!

― , Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, I think someone should build a clarinet with a slide, like a trombone or pennywhistle has. That would be

― It's austin, too lazy to log in, Thursday, 24 March 2005 21:55 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.buchla.com/200e/images/splash.jpg

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 24 March 2005 22:06 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the bassoon, too. That's the instrument that opens up "Rite of Spring," correct?

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Friday, 25 March 2005 01:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I think a Fender Rhodes can sound really pretty, especially that mellow tone that was used a bunch in the late 60s/early 70s recordings with either some chorus or ran through a Lesley rotating speaker cabinet.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Friday, 25 March 2005 01:58 (twenty-one years ago)

On the double reed front, the oboe. Search: Miles Davis' "In A Silent Way."

― Matt Chesnut, Friday, 25 March 2005 02:01 (twenty-one years ago)

the voice, by far

― Paul (scifisoul), Friday, 25 March 2005 02:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait a minute...are we talking pretty looking, or pretty sounding? If it has to be both, I'll go with the nyckelharpa.

http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp?pn=STR002

If anyone wants to pony up and buy me one, I won't mind. By the way, the "listen to this instrument" link doesn't do it justice, so don't bother.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Friday, 25 March 2005 02:38 (twenty-one years ago)

My cock.

― Ferlin Husky (noodle vague), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm not sure if the last post clarifies my looking/sounding diferentiation. If it's both, you should definitely release the most terrifying picture disc EVER.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:37 (twenty-one years ago)

What is the woodwind(?) instrument in The Roots' "Break You Off"?? I don't know much about THOSE kinds of instruments. Anywho I've always loved the sound of whatever that is.

― Johnny Badlees (crispssssss), Friday, 25 March 2005 03:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Most likely a Wurlie. The Rhodes is nice and much more playable but the Wurlie sounds more "pretty" and was used on more recordings.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Friday, 25 March 2005 04:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Not to be a smartass, but

http://www.kissasylum.com/photos/les_paul.jpg

― Jena (JenaP), Friday, 25 March 2005 06:16 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/fractals/collect/2001/harp.jpg

― Bimble... (Bimble...), Friday, 25 March 2005 06:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Wait a minute...are we talking pretty looking, or pretty sounding? If it has to be both, I'll go with the nyckelharpa.
http://larkinthemorning.com/product.asp?pn=STR002

If anyone wants to pony up and buy me one, I won't mind. By the way, the "listen to this instrument" link doesn't do it justice, so don't bother.

Do you have links or tracks that do it justice? I'd love to hear some nyckelharpa music.

― JC-L (JC-L), Friday, 25 March 2005 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/57/UkuleleZiegfeldGal.jpg

Let's hope that works,
and that if it does someone
out there will understand my ukelele fetish
and explain it to me

― Glading the Wanderer, Saturday, 26 March 2005 07:22 (twenty-one years ago)

TROMBONE

― seuss, Saturday, 26 March 2005 07:30 (twenty-one years ago)

All I can contribute to the request for Nyckelharpa MP3 link request is this:

http://www.skromta.com/Filer/Filehippa.mp3

and

http://www.skromta.com/Filer/Lekattn.mp3

As a recovering violinist, I cannot help but feel the love.

Watching Carla Kihlsted play it recently didn't hurt either. Spooky beautiful, and better than the above samples.

― John Justen (johnjusten), Saturday, 26 March 2005 09:26 (twenty-one years ago)

ihttp://www.gretschguitars.com/wallpaper/images/6136_1024x768.jpg

― Yngwie AlmsteenMay (sgertz), Saturday, 26 March 2005 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.mit.edu/~jasonm/cdpics/broth_b.jpg

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Saturday, 26 March 2005 22:39 (twenty-one years ago)

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