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In Reply to: How To Get Off The Merry-Go-Round posted by bobthehack on August 03, 2002 at 16:28:22:
Follow Ups:
KP
nt
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Just listen to a decent tambourine player and be prepared to be staggered.Glen Velez is a professional percussionist specialising in the tambourine and a number of related frame drum instruments which are similar but lack the jingles or bells. Listen to his playing on any recording and you will be amazed. He actually plays tambourine accompaniment to Larry Karush's piano on a track called "A La Fatha", a tribute to the pianist Earl Hines which you can find on Mokave Volume 1 on Audioquest records. The tambourine accompaniment is more than staggering, especially since it is the only accompaniment to the piano. I can't imagine a drummer doing a more fitting backup with a full trap set.
Moral: don't let sub-standard use of an instrument by people who have no idea of it's potential fool you into thinking that it's an easy instrument. There's a lot more to the tambourine than the occasional shake and bang against the leg.
David Aiken
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To play any instrument badly is easy. To play any instrument really well is a lot of work, though it's very enjoyable work.
nt
While I understand where you are coming from, I would like to suggest that your question would be more worthwhile if it were re-phrased slightly.For example, it is comparatively easy to gain adequate proficiency on the instruments of the recorder family to the point that you can play a recognizable tune and join in an ensemble. Compared to, that is, single reeds such as clarinet, and double reeds such as bassoon, which operate in essentially the same way. However, spend five minutes listening to Michala Petri playing Baroque virtuoso music on the recorder and you will say, I expect, I will never gain that degree of mastery.
For most instruments no matter how simple, composers or traditions have risen to the occasion and written or passed on some really tough things. So let's forget mastery and focus on proficiency. What follows is my understanding of a general consensus among elementary music educators.
Leaving aside purely rhythmic instruments such as shakers, the easiest "instrument" is the "Autoharp." But it is limited to harmony and rhythm, and only plays pre-set chords.
Tin whistle and recorder are next most easy to grasp. The easiest recorder is the Pentatonic recorder; the hardest is the baritone with extra key.
Ukelele is easier than guitar, but limited.
Mandolin is one step more difficult but has much wider repertory.
Celtic harp is next.
Guitar ties with concertina for the next most demanding.
Piano is more demanding still.
Bowed strings are next.
On about that same level are winds and brass.
Concert harp is at about this degree of difficulty.
Double reeds such as oboe, cor anglais, and bassoon are generally regarded as the most challenging instruments to get going on. Bagpipes and Irish pipes are also quite difficult.
Any questions, email me.
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