So far it seems as if the glockenspiel is safe!
Without the recorder outro, Dido’s Grafton Street wouldn’t be nearly as powerfully evocative and mournful, so it has to stay.
Of modern, easily recognized instruments? Kill the alto sax. Kill it now.
In all of history there has been only one worthwhile use of the recorder – in a Saturday Night Live skit – “And now, for your entertainment, my daughter will play for you – the recorder!” I think it was Lorraine Newman playing it, but maybe it was Gilda.
My other contribution: the slide whistle.
Not an instrument, but a style. Something about the sound the damn steel makes on a guitar makes me all stabby. I can’t stand country music because of it, nor crossover stuff that I would normally like, except for that damn slide sound! I really think there’s a lot of country I would kinda like these days, if they JUST STOPPED DOING THAT!
So yeah, get rid of the steel and I’d be happy.
Never enjoyed the sound of the steel guitar.
And I have a weird dislike of the French horn.
Laraine Newman, in that weird home restaurant sketch. But it wasn’t even a proper recorder–it was one of those toy keyed thingies. It just barely qualifies as an instrument.
Gotta agree with you here.
I’ll go full Patriot Act on anyone talking about Béla wihthout the utmost respect. Banjo is OK if only for him.
Thus demonstrating why these instruments must stay.
Absolutely. What an incredible collection of musicians that is. I was fortunate enough to get to know Howard (the harmonica player) as he was a regular at the coffeeshop I worked at in college, and he just gave me a whole new appreciation as to what was possible from such a simple instrument (which I already loved, but only really knew in a blues and rock context.) And that dude can wail on almost any folk wind instrument (as well as piano and who knows what else.) He once brought in an ocarina and was totally jazzing out on it. I had never thought the ocarina could actually sound cool and sophisticated, but he made it so.
Thanks for the samples. I think we can eliminate the harmonica. I think Blues Travellor completely ruined that instrument for me. I just wanted that damned concert to end, but he went on and on and on …
I’ll second the accordion, if only because you can’t take a subway ride in Paris without some motherfucker with an accordion boarding the train and playing that shit at people, without any provocation mind you.
I have no idea why they do this. Well, I know why, but why they choose the accordion to beg with. The guitar sounds much better and is, like, a hundred times easier to play. But nope. Gotta be the accordion. And the same fucking three songs. I swear, there’s a shadowy cabal at work. Something Cthulhian.
Anyway, fuck accordions. Concertinas can burn along.
There will be blood.
Well, you sat there and listened to it. So a scar-inducing self-inflicted wound is sufficient reason to ban something?
Is that a recorder? I assumed it was a pennywhistle, given the subject matter (her late Irish dad) and locale (Grafton Street being famous for its buskers).But I see where Dido actually played the recorder on it.
There’s nothing weird about a dislike of the French horn.
Definition of a Gentleman:
One who can play the saxophone, but doesn’t.
Watch this kazoo virtuoso, and ask yourself if you’re willing to eliminate such sexiness from the world.
How cool is that? You still in touch? I love his work.