Greetings, reader!
Well, music month continues, and today's list is a particularly goofy and arbitrary one. Any self-respecting musician (myself included) could tell you that ranking instruments is f**king dumb, because they all have their functions and are beautiful in their own way and really shouldn't be compared. That being said, I wanted to make this list because, well, fun. Obviously, everything in this ranking is extremely subjective at best and idiotically arbitrary at worst. The ranking is based on a combination of all sorts of elements, such as:
- How beautiful the instrument sounds to me
- How much I enjoy playing said instrument (or, for those that I haven't mastered, how much I respect those who play it)
- How important the instrument is for the type of music I enjoy
- How cool does the instrument look
- Anything else, really
Here are my honorable mentions: Banjo, Clarinet, Güiro, Hurdy-gurdy, Steel drum.
30. Mbira
This "finger piano" originating from the Shona people of Zimbabwe is very cool. The few times I've gotten to try playing the mbira, the challenge of mastering the instrument has been immediately clear, but once you start to get the hang of it, it's just so fun! The mbira looks cool, and sounds so peculiarly beautiful.
29. Flute
Ah, such a vital instrument for so many genres of great music. Whether it's being used as an extra nuance for a rock anthem, a building block in a classical piece or a melodic lead in a movie soundtrack, the sound of a well-played flute fits many a context and is a beautiful part of many great pieces.
28. Glockenspiel
As is the case with the marimba and xylophone (both of which barely missed out on the list), I love playing an instrument where I get to combine my skills and intuition as a drummer and a pianist! The glockenspiel is especially awesome because it sounds so magical, and requires a respectable amount of precision to play right.
27. Tuba
What would classical music or the world of movie scores be without this gargantuan vessel of bass tones? Whether it's adding low-pitch harmony to a massive whole or getting a solo moment in the spotlight, the tuba sounds divine at its best. Definitely one of those many, many instruments that I would've loved to master in another life (one where I had much better lung capacity).
26. Double bass
Also known as the upright bass, this legendary instrument is a majestic one, with its handsome and elegant sound. While it is often heard as a part of an orchestra's string section, the instrument really gains one's respect when you see it mastered live in a solo context. Hearing and seeing this instrument often causes a bittersweet feeling, because it was the main instrument of a high school friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. The guy was a real prodigy, and my fond memories of him will always go hand in hand with the beautiful sound of the double bass.
25. Gong
It's difficult to compare an instrument that basically just does one thing to more multi-functional instruments - but the thing that the gong does is just so special and magnificent! So many classical pieces, not to mention classics like Bohemian Rhapsody, have endings that are made all the more powerful by this brilliant Southeast Asian invention.
The few times I've gotten to play the gong (like recording it for the conclusion of our band's Kohti Parempaa Huomista) have felt cool to the degree of having shivers, because the instrument looks and sounds so mythical and epic in some larger-than-life fashion. The gong is the type of instrument that rarely gets dragged into jam sessions or practice spaces, but when someone pulls one out, you know shit is about to get real.
24. Cello
The main instrument of my dear mother-in-law, the cello is easy to appreciate - its role in string quartets, larger orchestral arrangements and string sections of rock ballads is understated and pretty at worst, and downright heavenly at best. The sound of the cello is a melancholically beautiful one, and the nuances with which it can be played make for boundless appreciation.
23. Sitar
One of India's many gifts to the musical world, the sitar is an instrument that looks cool as hell and sounds even cooler. I'm so glad that George Harrison got hyperfixated with traditional Indian music in the 60's and brought elements of it home after befriending Ravi Shankar, because the addition of the sitar into Beatles songs like Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) and Within You Without You is a magical, transcendental listening experience.
I haven't listened to as much Indian music as I should, but in the little that I have listened to (such as Shankar's remarkable score for the Gandhi movie), the sitar often plays a massive part and creates a unique, truly atmospheric soundscape.
22. Saxophone
I know that many music enthusiasts would rank this even higher, as the saxophone seems to be one of the most universally beloved instrument sounds - and for good reason. The only reason that it's not higher yet is that there are 21 instruments that I love even more, but that is not to take anything away from this fan favorite - in genres ranging from jazz and big bands to pop and rock, there's nothing quite like the "AWW YISS" feeling when the sax solo hits.
It's a smooth and vibrant sound, with some psychological factor making it more pleasing to the average human ear than hardly any other instrument for whatever reason. And what would the history of popular music even look like without John Coltrane's sax melodies, Clarence Clemmons' Born to Run solo or the Careless Whisper intro?
21. Harmonica
I got a set of harmonicas as a graduation present from my in-laws last year, and oh boy, how fun it has been to slowly but surely practice that craft! The harmonica is one of the most expressive instruments out there, with the nuance of how each player plays it really bringing out a wide range of styles and emotions conveyed from a relatively simple format.
As a big fan of folk music and Bob Dylan in particular, I have an obvious appreciation for this instrument's role in that culture, with the back-and-forths between sung verses and harmonica interludes being such an integral building block for Dylan's whole thing.
20. Bagpipe
One of the most harmonically interesting instruments out there, the bagpipe and its drone system makes for a uniquely harmonizing sound - one that doesn't fit just any type of music, but when it does fit, it's divine.
While various kinds of bagpipes have been developed and played all over the world, the Great Highland Bagpipe is more or less synonymous with the instrument in popular culture. Its role in traditional Celtic music cannot be overstated, and its rare ventures into contemporary popular music (such as the bagpipe solo in AC/DC's It's a Long Way to the Top) are always a treat.
19. Mandolin
Anyone who has studied music education in the University of Jyväskylä in the last several decades is bound to have somewhat of a soft spot for this instrument, thanks to the legendary professor Jouni Koskimäki and his delightful hyperfixation on this instrument. The man may be retired, but his mandolin orchestra Mandolin Mountain is still going strong, and their concerts are always such a treat - it's a truly beautiful-sounding instrument.
With an interval structure that makes the playing experience into a bizarre combination of guitar-type instruments and the violin, the mandolin isn't the easiest instrument to master but it sounds so good when played right. It also has an impressive range of eras and genres where its usage has been plentiful: not many instruments are as commonplace in 17th century Italian baroque pieces as they are in American bluegrass sessions.
18. Conga
It should be no surprise that today's list features plenty of percussion instruments - I'm passionate about all things rhythm, and in addition to the drum kit being my main instrument, I've always loved playing various percussion instruments and have gotten quite good at it in the past few years after playing that role in various projects.
The conga is one of the many legendary drums to originate from the African continent, and boy, what a jam it is! The touch of the drum is quite nice for the player, the sound is a total vibe, and the differences between hand-playing and stick-playing make it into quite a multi-purpose rhythmic instrument.
17. Goblet drum
One of the challenges in making this list was deciding what constitutes one individual instrument - there are large instrument families, that are divided into more specific instruments, all of which have their own offshoots and subgenres. A consistent ruling would be an endless rabbit hole - does distinguishing the bass guitar from the double bass imply that acoustic and electric guitars should be counted separately, and what does that mean for the keyboard family, not to mention different types of saxophones or separating the mandolin from the mandola et cetera?
So, I decided to be a bit arbitrary and follow my gut concerning what feels like an individual instrument. For example, I originally had the tabla and the darabuka counted separately, but they were ranked very close to each other with largely the same pluses and minuses, and reading up on their history confirmed that they're often lumped together as different offshoots of the goblet drum, so I decided to count this type of drum as one.
These handheld drums are prominent in traditional Middle Eastern music, and I got to play my share of both darabuka and tabla during my university studies. Let me tell you - for the kind of percussion enthusiast that I am, the goblet drum is one of the absolutely most enjoyable instruments to play out there! The feel is downright addictive, the sound pure fun, and it's just a blast (not to mention that goblet drums are often decorated to look extremely cool). I got to record a darabuka groove for my band's song Naapurit Poraa Kovaa on our second album, and that's definitely among the coolest things I've gotten to record.
16. Lute
Now we're among the holiest of classics! The undisputed GOAT of the medieval and renaissance periods in music, this predecessor of the guitar has an elegance to its sound that is hard to put to words. The lute is a magical instrument, and I'm glad that there are still people who make, restore and play lutes to keep up the tradition. Every instrument sounds beautiful in its own way, but if I were to compare them based on my subjective ear, a well-played lute is in the very highest tier of satisfying instrument sounds.
15. Violin
This absolute classic has one of the most distinctively beautiful sounds to be found in music! Furthermore, it's one of my fiancée Martta's main instruments, so the art of the violin is easy and natural to appreciate for me. My few brushes of trying to play a violin have really proved what a difficult instrument it is to master (or, even, get the very basics rolling), and that really makes my respect for violinists go through the roof - this one requires some serious discipline.
14. Bongo drum
I love all things percussion, but even within that prestigious category, this Afro-Cuban invention stands tall. The hand feel of playing a set of bongos will never not give me joy, and the grooves one can get to when adding a bongo part to a song are just a boundless rhythmic treasure trove. It's also one of my favorite instruments to utilize as a music teacher, whenever possible - it's easy enough for even the youngest students to grasp, but the stuff you get to do with it escalates into the realm of coolness very quickly.
13. Harp
A big part of me completely subscribes to the tenet that comparing instruments based on how hard they are to play is just really f**king dumb on so many levels. Such comparisons (especially when made in a competitive spirit) are rarely constructive, and furthermore, every instrument has its challenges and it really depends on the individual (not to mention the differences in level - it might be easier to become okay on one instrument than another, but harder to become great at it).
That being said, there are some instruments where the skill it appears to take just blows me away, and the harp is chief among them.
The precision that one needs in their fingers in order to gracefully play the harp is something that just blows my mind every time I see (or even just hear) a true virtuoso going at it. Of course, the harp's high placement isn't only about that - I love the magical fairytale sound, and the many brilliant uses that it has had from medieval bard songs all the way to zany video game soundtracks.
12. French horn
It's a big exception that an instrument that I haven't played, that none of the closest people in my life have played, that hasn't featured into the music classes I've taught (except as music comprehension) and that hasn't figured into the various lineups that I've played in would rank this highly on today's list. With pretty much any other instrument, you'd need some subjective bias in order to rank this high. But, with the french horn, it's all about the sound - it's really that beautiful.
I hate to compare brass instruments this crudely, because they all have their virtues and all sound great in ways that complement each other - but, for whatever reason, the french horn has always spoken to me on just a different level. This is evident in many of my favorite classical pieces, but even more so when analyzing my love for movie soundtracks - in so many of the works by maestros such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer or the aptly named James Horner, the french horn often has the very best melodies and solos, because its sound is such a vibe of its own. There's something epic and untouchable about that sound, especially when utilized by the right composer.
11. Bass guitar
Band music, and more specifically rock, is the #1 type of music that I grew up with, so you know that the conventional band instruments are going to be high up on this list. It breaks my heart to put the bass this low - every musician knows how severely underrated the instrument is, with its role not being as obvious to non-musicians as the instruments it's often surrounded by, so a big part of me would like to put it even higher just to make a statement. But, this high up on the list, it really comes down to quite niche subjective preferences, and there are a few that I love even more than the bass, so #11 it is.
But, yeah - anyone who has ever played in a band (especially a good one) will know how the importance of a good bass player cannot be overstated. It's the basis of it all, the heart of the groove, and the glue that ties the different elements of music together to make the band work in harmony. And while it barely lost out to the guitar on today's list (I'm sorry, bass players - I really wanted to give you guys this one), I gotta say that out of the two, I personally would choose to play the bass 10 times out of 10. Such a fun instrument to get around, and much more merciful for my fingers than its six-stringed cousin.
10. Trumpet
Ah, the instrument my Dad used to play! I can only imagine how satisfied the guy who developed the trumpet was when they first tested that sound - it's one of the most epic sounds out there. There's nothing else in all of music that can accomplish quite that feel that you get from a trumpet section blasting out a key melody, regardless of genre. I love the use of the trumpet in jazz, in its rare-but-gold ventures into rock and its prominent role in old-timey fanfares, but I'm especially singling out large orchestral arrangements - the trumpet is often the one thing that can, even on top of a million other sounds and moving parts, set itself apart and produce an ultimate highlight for a grand musical piece.
9. Bouzouki
I've only gotten to play the bouzouki once, but man, was it memorable! We had a special lesson in our university studies devoted to stringed instruments less common than the guitar and bass - we got to try all sorts of contraptions, from mandolin and banjo to balalaika and domra. But the big highlight for me was the mythical bouzouki - from the feel of playing it to its enchanting sound, I was enthralled.
You rarely hear the bouzouki in anything - but that makes it all the more special when you do, whether it be in traditional Greek music, certain subgroups of Irish folk, or Haken's Pareidolia. There will always be a soft spot in my heart for this unique instrument.
8. Guitar
Rock was the music I grew up with, and still my #1 genre - so I owe it to myself to rank the guitar pretty damn high. Mind you, the instrument (especially in acoustic form) has plenty of cool mileage in a myriad of other genres as well - but yeah, it's the role of the electric guitar in rock and its subgenres that carries it all the way here. Behind so many of my all-time favorite songs, there's a kick-ass riff, further complimented by clever licks, multi-guitar harmonies, neat sounds and earth-scorching solos.
I was never the best at playing the guitar, although I eventually fought my way to be good enough for what is required of a music teacher - but that, if anything, makes me appreciate the hell out of guitarists. Nothing is quite as impressive as when you really suck at something, and then watch someone do it in an effortless-seeming manner. Yeah, this instrument rules now and forever.
7. Djembe
Here, on the other hand, we have the complete opposite of the guitar - an instrument that hasn't played a huge role in the music I listen to and one where I haven't spent time studying the virtuosos and their techniques, but one that I absolutely love to play and fancy myself quite good at it!
Like I said earlier, many percussion instruments were hard to compare to each other for this list - but for whatever reason, the djembe stands tall even next to the bongos, which already stood tall next to the conga and such. In the category of hand-played drums, the djembe is quite simply GOATed - the sound and the playing feel make for an unmatched combo, and I'll never be sick of playing the hell out of this instrument whenever I get the chance. It's also one of the most fun instruments to utilize as a music teacher, and one that often gets the kids all riled up and excited about playing music together. What a jam!
6. Piano
The piano was my main instrument at an early age, before the drums sort of took over - but it will always have a special place in my heart. Depending on what factors I'm emphasizing, the piano could be ranked a lot higher and even argued for the #1 spot - especially since it's the instrument that I visualize music through. When I compose, it's on the piano, and when I imagine what a melody or chord pattern looks like in my head, it's via the keys of the piano. This instrument was my gateway to music.
Sure, there's some negative baggage as well - classical piano lessons weren't quite my thing after all, learning to play from sheet music felt heavy for my learn-by-ear soul, and motivation to practice was sometimes hard to find. But all of that was a part of my journey to becoming the musician I am today, so I can't give that too much emphasis. Especially since I later found such a fun relationship to the instrument - I'm in my comfort zone when accompanying a singer with chords, adding a piano part to a jam-based lineup, or especially using my imagination to improvise a solo. It's a great instrument.
5. Vocals
Yes, I am (a tad controversially, perhaps) counting the human voice as an instrument for the purposes of this list, and yes, it's one of the best ones! My favorite singing teacher always likened a singer's voice to any other instrument, in the sense that you have to take care of the instrument so that you learn to use it better and better, and doing it well on its own isn't enough as you have to know how to play it smoothly together with other instruments for proper harmony.
A part of me didn't want to rank the vocals quite this high, simply because a part of me has always felt that they're a bit overrated culturally - not to take anything away from singers, but I never liked how they get like 97% of the attention (especially from non-musicians). I'm the guy who always gets pissed off when people don't recognize an iconic song from its instrumental intro, but rather only when the vocals kick in, as that's the only thing they pay attention to.
Then why are the vocals ranked so highly? Well, I thought about it, and the phenomenon that I just ranted about is society's fault and not the instrument's. Hate the game, not the player. And, well, as long as you consider the vocals to be one instrument among the rest of them, it's pretty obvious why it's one of the best ones - the utilization of the human voice to make music is conceptually cool as hell, and centuries of evolving singing traditions have made it into an instrument with so much range in what all you can do with it. It's pretty crazy how Bocelli's operatic tenor, Adele's heart-scorching emotional expressions, Kendrick's rapid-fire rap verses, Freddie's arena-rock screams and Mariah's wild feats of range and technique all are variants of the same instrument. Not to mention choirs, a capella and other instances of vocal harmony.
It may be the cheapest instrument to own, and one that we all know how to play to some degree, but one that takes immense drive and dedication to become truly great at, not to mention the inherent bravery that it takes when compared to other instruments due to its personal nature. Hats off to all the singers out there - particularly my fiancée Martta, whose beautiful voice and remarkable talent always have a mesmerizing power that I can't quite put to words.
4. Synthesizer
I really had to go back and forth on how to rank the piano and the synth, not to mention how to classify the instruments for this dumb and arbitrary list in the first place (I ended up not counting the keyboard separately, but still making a distinction between these two). In the end, I had to give a slight edge to this marvel of the digital world. A part of me feels like a sell-out for doing so - I mean, the piano is such an authentic classic - but a slightly bigger part of me really wanted to emphasize how special the synth is. There are many good arguments for ranking it this high, chief among them the fact that it can more or less be any of the 29 other instruments on this list when needed.
Modern popular music wouldn't be recognizable if it wasn't for the monstrous influence of this instrument and its variants, with its unique structure allowing some of the most peculiar and colorful soundscapes ever heard. The very premise of the synth allows room for limitless imagination in those who can engineer specific synth sounds, and this continues to make for enjoyable strokes of genius across genres, from rap beats and solo leads to atmospheric rock anthem intros and psychedelic soundscapes in movie scores.
3. Timbales
When in percussionist mode, nothing and I mean nothing is as fun to play as this one. This crown jewel of Caribbean music culture (at least if you ask me, a heavily biased percussion enthusiast and wannabe timbalero) has one of the most captivating sounds ever produced by a rhythmic instrument, and the feel of playing the timbales just gets me on cloud nine every time. Especially in reggae, ska or various types of Latin music, but also when used right in a pop context, an ongoing timbales groove or especially a well-timed timbales fill can make for a massive highlight - there's just something so special about its sound.
I also love the instrument's versatility, with both the heads and the shells having such a distinctive sound that their combination can be used in any number of ways to ensure rhythmic madness. I'm still a bit pissed that I was supposed to record a timbales part for Säätövara's first album, but I forgot to lend the instrument from our campus on time so I ended up subbing in with literally a kettle. That's like noticing you're out of oregano when cooking and replacing it with grass.
2. Drum kit
It's pretty f**king funny that this isn't in first place - in many ways of thinking it should be, as it is my #1 instrument of choice, the one I'm the best at, and more or less my best friend and/or one true love when it comes to instruments. The reason for it barely not being at 1st place is that there is an instrument (we'll get to it in a moment) that, in a manner that is hard to describe, causes a sense of "oh shit, this has to be my favorite instrument in the world" every damn time I get to play it (and most of the times that I merely hear and/or see it being played). But, before we get to that, here's why I fell in love with the drum kit.
First of all, it's such a cool contraption. Centuries of rhythmic instrument development, with many music cultures clashing and combining their best bits, lead to this unlikely yet ultimately sense-making combination. You have the bass drum, the snare and the hi-hat at the core, and various assortments of tom-toms, cymbals and other parts giving each kit its own individual personality, yet it still absolutely counts as one instrument. Drum kits look cool, sound even cooler, and feel the absolute coolest to play.
I first learned to play the drums when I was in the Jyväskylä conservatory's two-year band school program as a little kid. Basically, participants spent two years going to weekly band practice, as well as having their separate weekly time for instrument lessons (six months of guitar, six of bass, six of keyboards and six of drums). By the way, whoever came up with that premise is a pedagogical genius, as it was such a perfect way to introduce band music to young and eager children and help each one find their instrument of preference while ensuring that they get the basics down with all four. I enjoyed all of the half-year shifts in the program, but the drum classes are where the kit stole my heart.
Choosing your "main instrument" as a young musician is somewhat similar to how football fans pick which team to support - it often happens for a weird, arbitrary and spontaneous reason, but the choice is powerful enough for you to stick with it for the rest of your life with no regrets. I still can't quite put to words what it was about the drums that swooped me away so powerfully - the very logic of the instrument just caused endless fascination and honestly still does.
It's extra funny how naturally the instrument came to me - my undiagnosed autism colored my childhood in such a way that my motor skills were overall pretty terrible, with stuff like learning to tie my shoes or pretty much anything done in gym class causing an above-average level of hardship before I mastered them. But then, for some reason that no scientist will ever be able to fully explain, THE GODDAMN DRUM KIT felt all easy and natural to me. Y'know, the instrument that most pro musicians agree to be difficult due to the amount of hand-eye coordination, multitasking and constant concentration on various moving parts it takes. If you've ever seen me cooking, using tools or doing pretty much any basic life skill with a clumsy touch, you wouldn't guess that I'd be a natural drummer. But somehow, I am.
I've always felt safe and thoroughly like myself behind the kit. This means a lot, especially since I've always been generally awkward and stiff in my bodily habitus (I never liked being like that, because I'd like to think myself as somewhat of a chill dude but that's never the first impression that people get because I look a bit tense at most times). I remember how moving it was in high school when a friend of mine made an observation that "Veikko never really looks relaxed, except when he's behind the drums" - another almost magical-feeling example of how important and natural the instrument is to me.
I love everything about playing the drums, from genre to genre, and across all the different functions the instrument can have. I love keeping the beat and doing nothing extra in a song that requires that, and I love getting creative with groovy beats, imaginative fills and all sorts of nuances whenever there's room in a song for that. It's a magnificent instrument, and I wouldn't be the person I am without it.
1. Timpani
After pouring my heart out in the schpiel you just read, it feels particularly silly to claim any instrument to be better - yet here we are. Obviously, my relationship to the timpani isn't as close and fleshed-out as the one I have with the drums (who am I kidding, there are maybe four people who I have a closer relationship with than I do with the drums). But, as much as I want this list to be subjective and no matter how much I think that comparing musical instruments 'objectively' is dumb, there's still a part of me that screams "OBJECTIVELY, the timpani is the greatest instrument of all time". Obviously, that's not real objectivity, but just a level of subjectivity that feels so real that I'd have beef with myself if I didn't put the timpani at #1.
I mean, just take a f**king look at the instrument. It looks more majestic than most instruments sound. And oh, don't get me started on the sound - goosebumps. The use of the timpani in classical music is prominent and the highlight of many a composition (Beethoven's 9th, pretty much any Mahler symphony but especially the finale of his 2nd and multiple instances in his 9th), and the rare times we get to hear it in popular music - Carry That Weight by The Beatles, Homecoming by Green Day, Viva La Vida by Coldplay et cetera - are always a treat. But no recording does justice to hearing the timpani live, in a venue with good acoustics.
And then there's my experience playing it - I never took lessons, I never owned a timpani, and the times I've gotten to play it are rare but among the very highlights of my musical life. Playing the timpani part to Händel's Messiah: Hallelujah in the Taulumäki church with my high school's orchestra in the music line's Christmas concert, my half-year stint as the timpanist for wind orchestra Puhkupillit some years ago, and recording a few dramatic timpani rolls for Säätövara's Särkylääkettä ja Kahvia on our 2nd album...oh man. The high I get from playing that instrument with its majestic sound is unmatched.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I continue Music Month III with a ranking of all 63 songs by my favorite current Finnish band, Ursus Factory.
No comments:
Post a Comment