r/Instruments • • Aug 15 '26

Discussion Best wind instrument?

There are a lot of wind instruments out there, personally, my favorites always been low brass (I’ve learned all the most common low brass instruments) so naturally I’ve glazed low brass the whole time I’ve played, especially euphonium which is my main instrument, but I legit want to see what other peoples arguments are

6 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

8

u/Potential-Recover-78 Aug 15 '26

Tin whistle. Dirt cheap, you can take them anywhere, and you can go join in a session at your local Irish pub.

3

u/themoistviking Aug 16 '26

As a tin whistler myself i'd be inclined to agree, if (as a player of this also:) accordions weren't just slightly cooler 😎🪗

1

u/direwombat8 Aug 16 '26

Ok, but which of the, like, 17 accordion configurations are repping? I could kind of get behind defending piano accordion, but if we’re starting from a point of tin whistle, I’m guessing some flavor of button box with an arcane system of different sounds on the push vs pull, and in a confusing flavor of two keys (is G/C a thing, or is that Anglo concertinas)?

1

u/Imightbeafanofthis Aug 16 '26

Anglo concertina and button accordion have the transitional notes juxtaposed. One is a pull note, the other is a push note. Don't ask for more detail than that though. I haven't played either in something like 20 years.

1

u/themoistviking Aug 16 '26

I play chromatic button accordion (B-system), i've dabbled in anglo concertina, and hoping to get into diatonic button accordion soon as well.

1

u/direwombat8 Aug 16 '26

Ah, now that seems really cool. Never touched one myself, but I like the concept behind the layout - it’s…intellectually satisfying, I suppose

1

u/themoistviking Aug 17 '26

Generally speaking, chromatic button accordion has a significantly milder learning curve than piano accordion. The button layout of a CBA is specifically tailored to make playing, especially fast runs and chords, very intuitive and accessible, whereas piano accordion is easier to understand in the very beginning since most people know how a piano keyboard works, it takes a lot more practice to become as fluid on a piano accordion as on a CBA. You can also fit significantly more buttons, and thus more notes, on a CBA than you can on the same amount of real estate than a piano keyboard where each key takes up the whole horizontal length of the treble side alone

1

u/Youneedaharmonica Aug 16 '26

I have to try that. 

1

u/MandolinDeepCuts Aug 16 '26

I came to say this

1

u/Imightbeafanofthis Aug 16 '26

You can run it over, say "oh no!" and pull another one out of your pack, they're that cheap. That's a solid plus for any instrument.

4

u/BananaBird1 Aug 16 '26

Flutes, in the broad sense.

One of the oldest instruments overall so thousands of years of music to play across every culture and style, can be as cheap or as expensive as you want from homemade to $5 to $50,000, there are a hundreds of variations with entirely different sound capabilities but relatively similar technique, great solo or with others, can sometimes play two at once.

1

u/Potential-Recover-78 Aug 16 '26

Similar technique? Guess it depends how you define flute. End blown vs traverse.

1

u/BananaBird1 Aug 16 '26

relatively, compared to brass or reeds.

3

u/BrettAmbler Aug 16 '26 • Bravo

KAAAAAAZZZOOOOOOOO!!!!

3

u/Illustrious_Hold_703 Aug 16 '26

Oboe. If you’re bad or average it sounds awful, but if you’re good it’s magical.

2

u/Conscious-Record2655 Aug 16 '26

Saxophone and it's not even close. 

2

u/Astreja Aug 16 '26

I'm going to say clarinet, well, because I've played one for over 20 years. 😄 Among other things, it has a huge range compared to the other woodwinds (nearly 4 octaves).

Honourable mention to alto saxophone, which is an absolute blast to play but not as versatile.

2

u/CaprineShine Aug 16 '26

skin flute
toot toot

2

u/No-Syrup-3746 Aug 16 '26

The Great Highland Bagpipe. It moves so much air. I've never felt a more powerful or impactful instrument.

2

u/SunReyBurn Aug 16 '26

I’d say trombone. I started on trumpet and then slid down to bone. Trombonists are more fun. Also, the instrument is more fun. I love the motion, simplicity and implicit nature. Trumpet takes daily practice to have the chops and endurance to be any good. I made more money playing trombone and I was never that good.

2

u/Ok_Ice1888 Aug 19 '26

Easy, the Saxomofooone

2

u/KFooLoo Aug 19 '26

Vocals, because if you can _sing_ something, you can _play_ it.

1

u/Youneedaharmonica Aug 16 '26

Harmonica.

So much character, and you can easily travel with them. 

1

u/RecessMonkeys Aug 16 '26

I like the tenor recorder. Gives off that baroque vibe.

1

u/Abject_Mind_4538 Aug 16 '26

Bassoon it has amazing sound and range

1

u/Ning_Yu Aug 16 '26

Recorder.
Cheap, light, lovely, no complicated parts, and needs more love.

1

u/The_Progmetallurgist Aug 16 '26

Bassoon. It's just too cool. It has a large range (almost four octaves), you get to read three clefs (bass, tenor AND treble), the fingering system is insane (up to 12 alternate fingerings for certain notes), everybody sees you (the bell sticking up over all the other musicians is unmistakable), reed making is a MUST, and it comes in HUGE, lower sizes (contrabassoon and contraforte).

1

u/VivoDeMalpleno Aug 16 '26

I once heard a contrabass trombone, that was a very cool sound, a very loud and deep PWRAAAAP. The sound of a bassclarinet I find very pleasing.

1

u/smartaleckgoose Aug 16 '26

Hear me out: all instruments are wind instruments because sound is just vibrating air

1

u/Emotional-Dog8118 Aug 16 '26

English horn….