What do you think the best instrument is?

[Terzo]

Or your favorite, I don't really care.

I think the piano is the best. Seven full octaves along with the ability to play a bass and melody at the same time. Due to this I feel practically anything can be transcribed to piano and sound great as often as not. The fact that you can sing while playing is certainly a bonus. Although I prefer listening to just the piano; I love the sound that acoustics make.
The big drawbacks that come to mind are cost and portability. Getting a piano doesn't seem cheap; buying new will carry a hefty price and buying used generally incurs a moving cost and potentially retuning.

If mobility is more of a concern, I'd probably say guitar. While not as compact as some other instruments, it's still easy enough to transport. And though I'm no guitar expert, I'd think a skilled player could weave a bass line and melody together. Barring that, singing along is always an option. It's certainly a versatile instrument, considering the ranger of genres it can play. I especially like that "western style" slide guitar.

 

[Rubycon]

Pipe organ

 

[Anubis]

Pipe organ

I agree with this

 

[Rubycon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewh2UsZ5zFk&

:awe:

 

[Anubis]

yea ruby that thing is impressive, ive been there around the holidays its great

last time i was at the Eastman house in Rochester they were playing the pipe organ there they had just had it restored and it sounds amazing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FXoyr_FyFw

 

[gorcorps]

Guitar... it crosses into almost every single genre imaginable so is quite versatile. With electronics you can achieve anything from a bluesy jam to the cruchiest metal you could ask for. You can also just go full acoustic if you wanted.

 

[Terzo]

Pipe organ

I agree with this

Makes me think of a piano on steroids. But not in a good way.

 

[Terzo]

Guitar... it crosses into almost every single genre imaginable so is quite versatile. With electronics you can achieve anything from a bluesy jam to the cruchiest metal you could ask for. You can also just go full acoustic if you wanted.

Electronic keyboards can do a lot as well. I'd say that all could apply to piano/keyboard as well...if you count them as the same.

 

[Rubycon]

Electronic keyboards can do a lot as well. I'd say that all could apply to piano/keyboard as well...if you count them as the same.

Of course the synclavier is one example. The mass and mechanics behind the pneumatic synth (aka pipe organ) is just plain fascination! If you've had the joy to actually stand next to the 32' pipes and FEEL them resonate you'd know what I mean!

 

[Terzo]

Of course the synclavier is one example. The mass and mechanics behind the pneumatic synth (aka pipe organ) is just plain fascination! If you've had the joy to actually stand next to the 32' pipes and FEEL them resonate you'd know what I mean!

I'll be the first to admit I haven't really sought out pipe organ music, but I can't recall hearing any that tickled my fancy. The technical aspects behind them do sound impressive, but really I'm too stupid to understand, much less appreciate, most of that.

 

[shortylickens]

Anything that works the g-spot.

 

[Terzo]

Anything that works the g-spot.

So stereotypical sensitive college guy playing acoustic guitar and singing?

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Piano...most beautiful sounding instrument by itself.

 

[Perknose]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewh2UsZ5zFk&

:awe:

Got to hear this every Christmas growing up going into Philly with my Mom, to then Wanamakers for Christmas shopping.

It was awe inspiring to adults and kids alike to walk in the main entrance and see that organ being played, two HUGE stories up, flanked by an elaborate and gorgeous Christmas display.

In the toy department, they had an actual monorail you could ride in that they erected every Christmas, along with an elaborate Christmas Village maze for the kids to go through.

Wanamakers. One of the last of the true old school shopping emporiums.

Even then, they had a number of entire HUGE floors above the 6th or 7th or so, that had once hosted entire departments in this department store but were no longer active. You could still get to them by the elevator, and I did, wandering around them like some sort of junior archaeologist.

For some reason, my normally cautious Mom let me roam the store for hours while she did her copious Christmas shopping.

Good times at age 10 or so, good times.

B&W period pic of the Wanamaker monorail, and a short color vid of the remains:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWzYDO3vDY

 

[MJinZ]

Or

 

[Terzo]

Or

 

[caddlad]

Topcon 3B

 

[IronWing]

morin huur (morin khuur and a half dozen more spellings)
conga
guitar
oud
pan flute

The piano is an excellent percussion instrument but is plain awful for playing melody.

 

[Malak]

The piano is the greatest instrument and anyone that says otherwise knows nothing. Everyone knows this.

 

[IronWing]

The piano is the greatest instrument and anyone that says otherwise knows nothing. Everyone knows this.

In the right hands (Professor Longhair's to be specific) the piano is indeed awesome. Otherwise it is kind of annoying and other instruments do the job better.

 

[lxskllr]

 

[IronWing]

That's quite the thong you have there with your bagpipe.

 

[Perknose]

I don't know if any one of these would ever be considered even close to "the best instrument" but, in concert, they produce some amazing natural space music.

http://www.google.com/images?q=game...tle&resnum=4&ved=0CDAQsAQwAw&biw=1280&bih=602

When it gets cooking on the right riff, Gamelan music can really take you away to the point you'll no doubt think, "So THIS is what it's like to be inside of spaceman's head."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUw15DKpgjo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_gzLSB0N5E&feature=related

 

[IronWing]

I don't know if any one of these would ever be considered even close to "the best instrument" but, in concert, they produce some amazing natural space music.

http://www.google.com/images?q=game...tle&resnum=4&ved=0CDAQsAQwAw&biw=1280&bih=602

When it gets cooking on the right riff, Gamelan music can really take you away to the point you'll no doubt think, "So THIS is what it's like to be inside of spaceman's head."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUw15DKpgjo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_gzLSB0N5E&feature=related

God already weighed in on the gamelon and sent the tsunami.

 

[lxskllr]

I don't know if any one of these would ever be considered even close to "the best instrument" but, in concert, they produce some amazing natural space music.

http://www.google.com/images?q=game...tle&resnum=4&ved=0CDAQsAQwAw&biw=1280&bih=602

When it gets cooking on the right riff, Gamelan music can really take you away to the point you'll no doubt think, "So THIS is what it's like to be inside of spaceman's head."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUw15DKpgjo&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_gzLSB0N5E&feature=related

Some unusual changes there. It's almost Zappa-like :^D