I guess according to Idle Thoughts, the title goes to the trombone…
Cajun bands. Ranchero bands.
Which is technically more correct then “Dueling Banjos” which as originally presented had one banjo and one guitar.
It’s too bad that so many people are unaware of the banjo’s history and importance to North American music, well into the 20th Century. It wasn’t always treated with such scorn. (No, I don’t play it, but I would if I could.)
As I said, that WASN’T the stereotype until Deliverance. I’m old enough to remember when most banjo players seemed to be earnest, liberal folkies like Pete Seeger. Not genuine country boys but educated elites who felt some kind of kinship with the working folks of Appalachia.
Bagpipe, accordion, viola, & banjo pretty much are the go-to musical joke instruments. Of course, there are jokes about any instrument, but this quartet of musical oddities are the biggies.
Bagpipe: A guy bet that his octopus could play any instrument, and to prove it, gave the octopus a piano, cymbals, a French horn, and a violin, each of which it played admirably. However, when given a bagpipe, the octopus seemed totally confused. “Give him a minute,” said the owner, “As soon as he figures out he can’t fuck it, he’ll play it!”
Accordion: An accordion player on his way home from a gig, stopped by a diner for a bite to eat. Halfway through his meal, he realized he had left his car unlocked. He rushed outside, but it was too late. Someone had broken into the car and left a second accordion.
Viola: What is the difference between a trampoline and a viola? People take their shoes off before jumping on a trampoline.
Banjo: What is the definition of a gentleman? Someone who can play the banjo, but doesn’t.
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Without looking at the thread, I’d say triangle.
Accordion may be in the running.
I would say bagpipes, but I don’t think they qualify.
No recorder? Ukulele?
Viola, probably. As a musician, I have heard 99 percent of all the music jokes out there, and the viola seems to get the most jokes. The impression is that it’s an “easy”* instrument to play, so people who play it aren’t all that smart. In fact, I have seen some of the same jokes told about both violists and dumb blondes (or certain ethnicities/nationalities or any other group you want to portray as unintelligent.)
*Not true - it is quite challenging.
Definitely the viola (yes, I play it) . . . unless it’s a misspelling of “Voilà!”
And much more. There’s also the harmonium, the concertina and other types.
“Weclome to Hell, here’s your accordion.”
Game, set and match.
Tuba.
(Sure, there are more bagpipe jokes, but that’s not a musical instrument.)
But they play it ironically.
I was going to say the Sackbut.
I think the banjo gets the least respect, perhaps due to it’s performance in Deliverance. There is a humorous paddler’s bumper sticker that reads “I hear banjos, paddle faster!”. On the train to the SF Bay Area the tracks go thru a mostly road-less area thru the Suisun marsh, and one of the hunting “homes” there has a big piece of plywood with spray-painted “Banjo lessons here” attached to their patio.
The accordion and bagpipes are also good choices.
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[Quote=Bob and Ray]
It’s not an Oboe, it’s a Bassoon.
[/quote]
Yeah, I’d have guessed ukulele or banjo. The uke looks like a kids toy and has been used for non-serious purposes - such as by frat boys with raccoon coats in the twenties.
How do you know a drummer is knocking on your door?
He speeds up.
Isn’t the viola just a bigger, more bass-y violin?
Is there the same reputational relationship between cello and double bass?
OP:
Bagpipes and accordion, both instruments which are large and have sizable air reservoir which is squeezed through pipes to produce a high-pitched sound.
Perhaps the bagpipes more because it’s larger, more air-reservoir-y and higher pitched. It seems to have very little flexibility in what it can play. When it’s heard, it’s nearly always that corny “Let us be somber for this person who died in the course of his macho occupation.”
Among my musician friends, I’d say it’s fairly even between banjo, electric bass, and drums.
I first heard one of the jokes above as “What’s the difference between a banjo and a trampoline?” and it came with two punchlines: a)“People take their shoes off before jumping on a trampoline,” or, if the person you’re telling it to is actually holding a banjo, b) “Here, let me show you.”
How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb? None, the keyboardist does it with his left hand.