[Dixielandjazz] hardest Instrument To Play

[Don Ingle]

rorel at aol.com wrote:
>  Exactly true, Bob. I spent a good part of my early life as a public school band teacher and I had to develop enough proficiency on all the instruments to impress a 5th grader. Each one had its own special set of difficulties. Being a pianist/brass major, I found flute difficult because the embouchure required used the muscles differently than the trombone embouchure did. But that has nothing to do with the difficulties inherent in the instrument itself. That was my own personal shortcomings.
>  
>  I had a hard time mastering harmonica sor some reason. Perhaps that was once again my own shortcomings. All other band instruments you only blow INTO to. The in/out breathing of the harmonica was a whole different concept. Then there's bagpipes where your breathing has nothing to do with what comes out of the instrument. That was also rather disconcerting.
>  
>  But if I were pressed to name the instrument with the greatest number of difficulties to overcome it would be the harp. But I suspect someday we will all become proficient at it. Well, some of us, anyways. :-)
>  
>  Ray Osnato
>     
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: robert at ringwald.com
>  To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>  Sent: Sat, 3 Feb 2007 2:31 AM
>  Subject: [Dixielandjazz] hardest Instrument To Play
>  
>   I have played many instruments over the years.  As far as I am concerned, 
> each different instrument is hard to play *well in its own way.  Some 
> instruments are a little easier to pick up and get a few notes out of but in 
> order to play any instrument well, they are pretty much equal.
>
>
> --Bob Ringwald K6YBV
> 916/806-9551
> www.ringwald.com
> --
> Leader, The Fulton Street Jazz Band
> www.fultonstreetjazz.com
> --
> The Boondockers (jazz and Comedy)
> www.theboondockers.com
>
> In a perfect world, O.J. Simpson would have married Lorena Bobbitt.
>
>
>
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> To add my two-cent opinion. The TWO hardest instruments t master are one, the French horn. It is a unforgiving brass, and demands the most disiplined Chops of all brass. It is a young man's game for most - though the master last rather well by applying relentless practive, health, and lack of too many batenders friends.
>   
The second is the harp - here is an instrument that requires use of both 
feet, fingers, and clarity of mind. I has the pleasure to work woith Joe 
Marsala and his wife, harpist Adele Marsala, and I marveled at the 
coorindation and agility Adele has to being to her playing. I likewise  
heard Bobby Maxwell in person many eons ago, and was equally bug-eyed at 
what the harpist had to do.
All instruments, if played wll, are only"easy" is you are willing to put 
inthe study, discipline, and practice needed to play it well - in that 
regard there are no easy instruments if the player is basically a lazy SOB.
Don (I never forgot my longtones) Ingle