# what other instruments are discriminated besides viola? (inside/outside of orch.)



## ethanjamesescano (Aug 29, 2012)

besides violas, I think guitar is also a discriminated instrument because of its volume.
Andres Segovia even told a joke about it, he said that the guitar sounds so soft, the whole orchestra should play on pppp.

so, what other discriminated instruments do you know?

note: sorry for my grammar


----------



## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

Well, outside of Vivaldi's I can't think of another Piccolo concerto. Can you?

Kevin


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

The triangle is discriminated against. Rarely gets to solo. It's bigotry, plain and simple.


----------



## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

Several keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and the clavichord.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl (Jul 21, 2013)

For me a very discriminate instrument is the recorder, for it association as an instrument for children. Also other instruments I think are discriminate are the idiophone instruments and some brass instruments like the trombone and the tuba.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Bassoon*

You have to ask a bassoon player that?

Outside of the classical music world most people have no idea what a bassoon is.

I used to have a picture of a bassoon in my office.

When a person would come into my office and ask, "I heard that you play in an orchestra. What do you play?"

I would answer, "The bassoon."

They would then ask, "What's that?"

I would then point to the picture and most of the time they would still have no idea what instrument I played. I would have to explain to them what a bassoon is.

I have lost track of how many times after a band concert a member of the audience would approach and asked me what my instrument was?

I seriously doubt that I would get the same reaction if I said I played the guitar. Most people know what a guitar is.


----------



## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Euphonium makes a big round sound and can be agile and expressive in the right hands. It's a king of the band world but doesn't blend overly well with other orchestral instruments. The European tenor horn in Bb blends slightly better - but I think both of them are neglected. 

I agree with those saying recorder - a real instrument (not just for kids!)


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Apart from use in brass/military bands, I never seem to hear the euphonium being mentioned in an orchestral set-up unless designated as a substitute for the Wagner tuba. Is it just a 'fringe' instrument that is surplus to basic requirements?

Edit: unaware of dgee's post when writing mine.


----------



## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

arpeggio said:


> I seriously doubt that I would get the same reaction if I said I played the guitar. Most people know what a guitar is.


Yes, but tell people you play a guitar, and they picture an electric guitar in their heads. Next thing they ask you is whether you play in a band, and if you can do any songs by Metallica.



dgee said:


> I agree with those saying recorder - a real instrument (not just for kids!)


And anyone who thinks otherwise should give a listen to recordings of Michala Petri playing Bach's flute sonatas on the recorder...


----------



## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Well the Eupho/Tenor Tuba does get meaty solos in Mahler 7, Mars from The Planets and Don Quixote and appears in some other works of the period. But given how common/available these instruments are and how effective as a solo voice, I'm surprised it hasn't been used a lot more

I'm deeply saddened that anyone has ever used anything other than wagner tubas to play wagner tuba parts :-(


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

OldFashionedGirl said:


> For me a very discriminate instrument is the recorder, for it association as an instrument for children. Also other instruments I think are discriminate are the idiophone instruments and some brass instruments like the trombone and the tuba.


Not the way Michala Petri plays recorder. Astonishing breath control and virtuosity!


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

The bassoon is discriminated against every I time I put it through the airport X-ray machine.


----------



## Guest (May 3, 2014)

The Arpeggione!


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

ethanjamesescano said:


> besides violas, I think guitar is also a discriminated instrument because of its volume.
> Andres Segovia even told a joke about it, he said that the guitar sounds so soft, the whole orchestra should play on pppp.
> 
> so, what other discriminated instruments do you know?
> ...


Segovia was a gut string guy; makes a difference. Looks like we know what you mean, even though "discriminated instrument" doesn't mean much of anything.


----------



## matsoljare (Jul 28, 2008)

In the orchestra, i would say the celesta - i've often seen celesta parts played on a synthesizer 

Also the harp is really surprisingly impopular today considered how common and important instrument it used to be, outside of the orchestra.


----------



## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

I do not care about what they think of VIOLAS they have a nice sound like at the the beggining of the SMETANA string quaret 1.I think xylophones & marimbas are judged wrongly.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

matsoljare said:


> In the orchestra, i would say the celesta - i've often seen celesta parts played on a synthesizer
> 
> Also the harp is really surprisingly impopular today considered how common and important instrument it used to be, outside of the orchestra.


It depends on where you live. I Washington, D. C. area we are blessed with many fine harp players in addition to those who play with the National Symphony and the military bands. All of the service bands, Marine, Army, Air Force and Navy have members who play the harp. I know of at least five harp teachers in Fairfax county. We normally have to hire them to play for our concerts. When we have the money, we have no problem securing a harp player to play a concert. Sometimes they will do it for free. On occasion the harp player with the Marine band has helped out our orchestra.

You may have a point with the celesta. Even around here they are hard to come by.


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

GreenMamba said:


> The triangle is discriminated against. Rarely gets to solo. It's bigotry, plain and simple.


Dvorak wrote several concertos for triangle. He just inexplicably called them symphonies.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The baryton is subject to absolutely unacceptable discrimination. Well, not by Haydn.


----------



## GodNickSatan (Feb 28, 2013)

The electric jug.


----------



## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

The saxophone is still sniffed at, though it seems to pop up more the later you get into the 20th Century.


----------



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

matsoljare said:


> In the orchestra, i would say the celesta - i've often seen celesta parts played on a synthesizer


Papageno's magic bells score has been replaced with Harold Faltermeyer's _Axel F_.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Kevin Pearson said:


> Well, outside of Vivaldi's I can't think of another Piccolo concerto. Can you?
> 
> Kevin


I can, cuz I'm a flute player.  Liebermann made a crazy one.

However, piccolo can be very problematic in all scenarios. Not just the shrill high register, but the fact that it's hard to be in TUNE in the high register. Fortunately I have a very good piccolo, and on a recent concert when I got back a recording of it, I was very well in tune. To play piccolo, you mustn't be afraid to have an extremely exposed part. But thanks to Shostakovich, the piccolo part can be very worthwhile. I think the piccolo's _glory _is to shriek up there in the high register, especially in 20th century music. It gives a really neat color.


----------

