# Saving a musical instrument **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 6, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899 "2012-03-06T04:59:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/1 "2012-03-06T04:59:23Z")
With the popularity of the “deleting a musical instrument” thread, I decided to do the opposite. If you had to save one (and only one) musical instrument, what would it be? To avoid repetition, I’ll say piano/guitar/drums have already been saved from extinction. I’d pick the tenor saxophone. I don’t know of any instrument that has the emotional range of the saxaphone, from the most romantic ballad to avant-garde squealing. I picked tenor rather than alto because it’s a lot better at a “gutbucket” sound than the alto. What’s your choice? ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/2 "2012-03-06T05:26:50Z")
I’ll have to chime in for the violin. \*Uh-uh, you said chime first. \* What? That was just a turn of phrase. I want to save the violin. \* Tough. You get a chime.\* You mean chimes? _No. Just the one. E flat specifically._ ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/3 "2012-03-06T06:39:16Z")
Bass. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/4 "2012-03-06T06:44:24Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Bass. The gods have conveniently misinterpreted you, so you are stuck with a fish. And you can’t tuna fish. (Hey, I get to quote 34 yo album covers in a music thread. Back off.) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/5 "2012-03-06T07:21:35Z")
Violin. ---
**Author:** ![AnalogSignal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/analogsignal/32/1085_2.png) [@AnalogSignal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnalogSignal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/6 "2012-03-06T07:31:18Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Bass. Your wish is granted as long as Victor Wooten solos on this instrument are considered a crime punishable by death. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/7 "2012-03-06T07:33:18Z")
Celeste. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/8 "2012-03-06T07:50:57Z")
Organ. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/9 "2012-03-06T09:47:45Z")
Roland 808 ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/10 "2012-03-06T12:11:09Z")
Trumpet. Because: Miles Davis. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/11 "2012-03-06T12:47:46Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Roland 808 I should specify that I mean the TR-808 drum machine, not the newer musicbox or whatever they call it. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/12 "2012-03-06T15:23:30Z")
I actually kinda like the hurdy gurdy. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/13 "2012-03-06T15:35:47Z")
> [@AnalogSignal](#): > > Your wish is granted as long as Victor Wooten solos on this instrument are considered a crime punishable by death. 🙂 No deal. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-a-musical-instrument/614899/14 "2012-03-06T23:27:07Z")
sitar