Are there any instruments that don't go together well ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter grimtraveller
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grimtraveller said:
To be honest, I don't really view instruments like that. I think anything can go together instrumentally. But in the right context, because sometimes, even two electric guitars might not fit together.
Strangely though, I do find that certain voices just don't sit well together while some are like they are part of the same voice, they go together so well.
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Grim, you're quoting yourself... just sayin'... :D
 
Bagpipes and lute.

I've never heard that combination, but I daresay no-one else has either. Just having the bagpipes in the same room as the lute would be enough to render the lute inaudible. (This too comes originally from PDQ Bach)
 
I think most instruments can go together in some way - what I'm not keen on is multiples of the same... massed fiddles, recorders or any arrangement by a school music teacher :)
 
What's a stylophone?

There's this instrument called a xylophone that is awesome in marching band and winter percussion.
 
B b b

You would think that if they don't go well together they wouldn't be recorded together...

Bagpipes Banjo Bassoon (and maybe a Bazooka to destroy the recording at the end?)

In reality it depends on if they cut the mix or walk over each other.
I've heard a person singing with one guitar... wonderful melody and harmony of frequencies..
he switched guitars and sang the same song and the tone of the guitar (alone) was fine but with his voice there was a clash and the guitar tones walked over his vocals. I doubt a good recording engineer would let that through.

Finding examples that don't work in common music... hmm...

grimtraveller said:
Do you feel there are any instrumental combinations that just don't sit well together ?
If so, can you give examples of the songs they're in ?
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lipservice said:
You would think that if they don't go well together they wouldn't be recorded together...


Finding examples that don't work in common music... hmm...
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The idea behind the question isn't a "what, theoretically, do you think wouldn't sit well together ?", rather, it's literally "What have you heard that you feel don't go well together [ever]" ?

Seafroggys said:
What's a stylophone?
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Observe.......To say it's application is limited is like saying there was a friday last week......
 
That is kinda cool. Run it through a fuzz and a wah wah and I would be all over that.
 
Steel guitar and every other instrument in the world but, to be fair I hate the drippy, whiny, drunken sound of steel guitar. Just grates on my nerves.
 
Piccolo and tympani. You have to draw the line somewhere.
 
I've listened to almost all the Gentle Giant albums, the only thing I noticed they didn't play was harmonica. I have a love/hate feeling about bassoon, reminds me of a sick cow back on the farm--that was always trouble.
 

The flute and whatever else is playing @ 2:40 :( I think the whatever are muted trumpets or early wah wah pedals.
 
I suspect many have heard the joke:

What is perfect pitch? Throwing a banjo in a dumpter without hitting the sides

Banjo can be replaced with whatever instrument you don't care for
 
I think it's all about how good the composer is/how good the arrangement is. Symphonic bass drum right next to a flute playing at the low end of its register might not be a good idea for instance, unless you don't really feel like hearing the flute. That said, it can all boil down to the performers. For instance, if you're working on something that has a passage, say for French Horn, and the horn player never practiced, then uh oh....

I recently wrote a piece for flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, French horn, violin, and three sopranos. We rehearsed the piece as I was composing it, so it was written for that particular ensemble (and their level of difficulty), but I think they had a bit too much on their plate and weren't as serious about practicing as they needed to be. We only performed two movements and, well...it's almost unlistenable. So in that context, almost NOTHING goes together well!
 
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