# Rate Insruments difficulty, by aspect of playing



## obwan

I'm getting tired of my recorder clogging after 5 minutes. I'm looking for another wind instrument that may suit me better. Are recorders the only winds that clog so g*d d*mn easily?

Please Rate instruments according the the following aspects: (1-10, 1 being easy, 10 being hardest)

Breath Support:
Clarinette
Saxophone
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Recorder
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Other instruments...

Breath Control:
Clarinette
Saxophone
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Recorder
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Other instruments...

Intonation:
Clarinette
Saxophone
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Recorder
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Other instruments...

Fingering:
Clarinette
Saxophone
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Recorder
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Other instruments...

Natural Resistance to making any sound at all... (i.e. clogging, embouchure technique etc...)
Clarinette
Saxophone
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
Recorder
Trumpet
Horn
Trombone
Tuba
Other instruments...


Other aspects... (add your own if you think fit...)

Thanks!


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## Ukko

Seems like you ought to be able to keep the spit out of a traverse flute. Other than that, I have no guesses.


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## Classical Saxophonist

Recorder is by far the easiest to get a good tone on. No matter who plays it or how they play it, the tone produced will be the same. Like a piano or guitar. Embouchure means nothing on recorder. 

As far as difficulty for the others, French horn, bassoon, and oboe are the most difficult. I would say the others are comparable in difficulty.


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## Jaws

All instruments are equally difficult to play in some way or other. Some people find one harder than another but this doesn't apply to everyone. I found the oboe extremely easy. Some people find the horn extremely easy. The way to choose an instrument is to pick one you like the sound of most. If you still can't decide then go for something that most people don't play because that way you will have a more interesting time.


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## Huilunsoittaja

I tried it out (it's not an end-all listing):

Breath Support: (I assume how much air it takes to make _any _sound)
1. Flute
2. Tuba
3. Trombone
4. Horn
5. Trumpet
6. Saxophone
7. Bassoon
8. Clarinet
9. Oboe

Breath Control: (I assume the ability to use air _over time_, which is the same scenario as the above)
1. Flute
2. Tuba
3. Trombone
4. Horn
5. Trumpet
6. Saxophone
7. Bassoon
8. Clarinet
9. Oboe

Intonation:
1. Flute
2. Trombone
3. Saxophone
4. Clarinet
5. Horn
6. Trumpet
7. Bassoon
8. Tuba
9. Oboe

Fingering:
Bassoon
Saxophone
Clarinette
Oboe
Flute
Horn
Trumpet
Tuba
Trombone  (But this is why they are higher up for intonation)

Natural Resistance to making any sound at all... (i.e. clogging, embouchure technique etc...)
Oboe
Bassoon
Flute
Trumpet
Clarinette
Saxophone
Horn
Trombone
Tuba

Natural Resistance was the hardest to determine, because each instrument has its difficulties. If you can make a sound from a flute, it comes easy to some, but is impossible to others. Same with all the rest. I'd say the brass hurt the lips more than all the other instruments, but that's not necessarily making them harder to play. I still think double reeds are the trickiest to actually make a sound on, though I have not personally tried.


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## Fagotterdammerung

I've tested out all the brass, though I can't call myself knowledgeable. Brass fingerings are an idiots delight compared to woodwinds - it's the embouchure that makes things difficult ( on the horn, any fingering can give up to sixteen possible notes depending on what your lips are doing; with the other brass, ten to twelve, typically ). They are mostly pretty hassle free compared to the more finicky reeds and strings, though you do need to empty water and do cleaning now and then.

I loved the sound of the bassoon but I hated the elaborate fingering position. Horn makes me much happier. They're about equally difficult in terms of playing, but I chose difficult embouchure over difficult fingerings.


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## MoonlightSonata

I believe I read an article somewhere that made a case for the oboe and horn being the most difficult orchestral instruments.
Beyond that, though, I cannot venture an opinion as I do not play any woodwind or brass instruments.


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## OboeKnight

I have only played woodwinds, so I can't really say anything about brass, except that the horn seems to be the most difficult. On breath support and intonation, I'd say that the oboe is definitely the most challenging instrument. Bassoon has the most complex fingerings. Saxophone and flute are generally easy to pick up and don't require an uncomfortable amount of breath support and the fingerings aren't difficult (in my opinion of course). The clarinet doesn't have terrible fingerings, but it seems to take a bit more effort to get a nice tone on it, more so than saxophone anyway.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I bet I could pick up the tuba now that I've read this thread!


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## Classicalophile

For brass, two things that are particularly difficult are double/triple tonguing and valve speed. There isn't any large amount of music that requires these techniques when changing notes (the hardest way to apply the technique), however. The lower the instrument, the harder it is and is also slightly harder on conically bored instruments in comparison to cylindrically bored instruments (conical=cornet, tuba, french horn or Euphonium/tenor tuba and tuba cylindrical=trumpet and trombone). While the valve combinations are easy on valved brass, making them sound smooth during fast passages is difficult. This is for two reasons, the first being that the travel time of the valve from open to closed is fairly high and the second being that no desirable sound can be made in the transitionary phase between open and closed position of the valve, requiring even faster fingers. The lower the instrument the more this problem is exacerbated.


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## arpeggio

I concur with the comments of 'Classical Saxophonist', 'Huilunsoittaja', 'Fagotterdammerung', 'OboeKnight' and 'Classicalphile'.

My guess is if you can get a decent sound on a flute that may be the way to go for you. The fingerings are similar to the recorder.

All wind instruments have problems with spit. I am a bassoonist and I am constantly struggling with my reed and blowing the spit out of my bocal. Sometimes the moisture gets so bad I will have to blow it out of the e and d holes during a performance. It looks silly when I pick up my horn and put my mouth over the e hole to blow away the moisture. I once had person who came up to me after a performance and ask me what note I was trying to play.


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## hpowders

I played clarinet and it was no walk in the park. You are completely at the mercy of that little thin piece of cane wood.


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## The nose

^^^That's exactly why Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone.


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## Ali Ben Sawali

The fingering positions of the flute repeat at the octave, the clarinet doesn't. 1-0 to the flute.


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## Guest

Jewish Harp, without any doubt.


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## hpowders

TalkingHead said:


> Jewish Harp, without any doubt.


My favorite part of Ives' Washington's Birthday is when the twangy Jews' Harp (usually one or two) makes its entrance.


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## Medtnaculus

Having three valves does not make brass easy to attempt. Tone quality is very difficult to perfect, and pitching poses a huge challenge. I'd say having fewer valves is actually harder as you can't play fast runs without very fast fingers. Having many keys makes playing fast much easier than on a brass instrument. Articulation also poses a challenge in more advanced pieces, as you have to focus on triple/double tounging which is difficult to have a good clear sound on.


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## Lukecash12

Reading and fingering: the organ.
That is all.


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## Lukecash12

Medtnaculus said:


> Having three valves does not make brass easy to attempt. Tone quality is very difficult to perfect, and pitching poses a huge challenge. I'd say having fewer valves is actually harder as you can't play fast runs without very fast fingers. Having many keys makes playing fast much easier than on a brass instrument. Articulation also poses a challenge in more advanced pieces, as you have to focus on triple/double tounging which is difficult to have a good clear sound on.


Your last sentence was my nightmare learning to play the tuba, primarily for Wagner's music, in college. "Duh", "tuh", "guh" rolling off three parts of your tongue... Never realized how hard that was until I tried it. Pitch and embouchure were bad enough, although clearly the latter wasn't as bad as some woodwinds, but add the tongue techniques and the inordinate requirements on your lungs, then you are just starting to grasp the difficulty of the tuba. Other brass instruments are hard, but add all of the required techniques to the added trouble of needing the lungs of an elephant, and you've got the hardest brass instrument.


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## Ilarion

Lukecash12 said:


> Your last sentence was my nightmare learning to play the tuba, primarily for Wagner's music, in college. "Duh", "tuh", "guh" rolling off three parts of your tongue... Never realized how hard that was until I tried it. Pitch and embouchure were bad enough, although clearly the latter wasn't as bad as some woodwinds, but add the tongue techniques and the inordinate requirements on your lungs, then you are just starting to grasp the difficulty of the tuba. Other brass instruments are hard, but add all of the required techniques to the added trouble of needing the lungs of an elephant, and you've got the hardest brass instrument.


Hi Lukecash12,

Did you know that Arnold Jacobs played the Tuba for many years with only one lung? That is what impresses me greatly. Of course, the windhogs are the Bass Trombone/Contrabass Trombone and the Orchestral Flute. I still play the Contrabass Trombone although not as often as I want to.


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## Lukecash12

Ilarion said:


> Hi Lukecash12,
> 
> Did you know that Arnold Jacobs played the Tuba for many years with only one lung? That is what impresses me greatly. Of course, the windhogs are the Bass Trombone/Contrabass Trombone and the Orchestral Flute. I still play the Contrabass Trombone although not as often as I want to.


Very true. I've some limited experience with that and from what I call tell, as fallible as I am, the tuba and Wagner tuba are particularly sadistic instruments.


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## Ilarion

Lukecash12 said:


> Very true. I've some limited experience with that and from what I call tell, as fallible as I am, the tuba and Wagner tuba are particularly sadistic instruments.


"Sadistic instruments" - never heard that one but I'll agree with it wholeheartedly. Why? having played the Wagner Tuba I can attest to it being extremely demanding...I respect those who play it and their willingness to struggle with it in order to produce the "noble" tones that Wagner and Bruckner demanded. But after 10 years with the Wagner Tuba I felt that the Contrabass Trombone helped me express myself more as a solo line instrumentalist.


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## brianvds

Ukko said:


> Seems like you ought to be able to keep the spit out of a traverse flute. Other than that, I have no guesses.


At least with recorder, my impression is that it is not so much spit building up as simply condensation. I find the thing tends to clog up much faster in winter than on warm summer days.


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## Joe 85

Open hole model woodwinds are more difficult, but allow for half-holing (etc.) that the easier-to-play models don't which in turn makes for more flexible intonation.


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## Joe 85

Open hole model wood-winds are more difficult to finger than the non-open hole models, but not being able to use half-holes means that the intonation isn't as flexible.


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