Fusion of Western musical instruments

[akerkarprashant]

Western musical instruments

Western musical instruments images

Trumpet and Saxophone.

Is it possible to design and construct western musical instruments as a fusion of two or more functions and features?

I mean to say Guitar, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano etc integrated into a single instrument as a example for the following permutations and combinations given below.

Guitar + Trumpet
Violin + Trumpet
Guitar + Violin + Trumpet
Guitar + Violin
Trumpet + Saxophone
Guitar + Saxophone
etc

If no, what are the limitations and bottlenecks in designing and construction fusion of western musical instruments?

 

[jedishrfu]

Why are you asking these off the wall questions?

Are you thinking of designing such an instrument?

I've seen some instruments that combine string capability as in a harpeji which is harp-like and guitar like:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpejji

 

[pinball1970]

Western musical instruments

Western musical instruments images

Trumpet and Saxophone.

Is it possible to design and construct western musical instruments as a fusion of two or more functions and features?

I mean to say Guitar, Violin, Trumpet, Saxophone, Piano etc integrated into a single instrument as a example for the following permutations and combinations given below.

Guitar + Trumpet
Violin + Trumpet
Guitar + Violin + Trumpet
Guitar + Violin
Trumpet + Saxophone
Guitar + Saxophone
etc

If no, what are the limitations and bottlenecks in designing and construction fusion of western musical instruments?

You can get different sounds altogether on a decent keyboard using the split sounds function.

I am not sure why you would want to combine some of those instruments into a single instrument.
Firstly something like a trumpet and a sax use very different techniques, you cannot simply play one and then expect to play the other just because they both use your mouth.

IF you could play wind and brass well a hybrid would look odd, feel odd and also be very cumbersome. Plus I do not think the sound would work.
Obviously this becomes more extreme combining something like a guitar and trumpet into one instrument.

Where would you even start?
Neil young and Bob Dylan combine mouth organ and guitar but this makes playing difficult, you cannot bend/Vibrato notes or muff notes easily without using your hands.

 

[jedishrfu]

@akerkarprashant please respond to my question:

Why are you asking these off-the-wall questions?

Your posts are constantly frustrating us as we just don't know how best to answer.

When that frustration builds other posters will simply stop answering and mentors will start flagging your posts as substandard which can lead to a ban from the site.

Posting is a two-way street, you ask we respond and then you respond so we know what's going on.

 

[jedishrfu]

Here's a list of unusual instruments from around the world:

https://artsandculture.google.com/s...ts-from-around-the-world/ZAVhyqdl_D_BIQ?hl=en

and some bizarre modern day instruments:

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/latest/weirdest-musical-instruments/hyperbass-flute/

and these weird ones that try to fuse two instruments together:

https://www.cultureowl.com/miami/blogs/music/ten-unusual-musical-instruments-to-make-you-go-hmmm

and lastly this list of weird but hauntingly beautiful instruments with video samples:

https://hellomusictheory.com/learn/weird-instruments/

 

[Klystron]

I learned to play a magnificent pipe organ constructed in 19th C. that included stops and voices for more instruments than you list. Electronic reproduction extends the field ever further.

Many hybrid and automechanical instruments abound throughout musical history. Look at modern drum sets as example of integrated percussion systems.

 

[hutchphd]

Is it possible to design and construct western musical instruments as a fusion of two or more functions and features?

You need to acquaint yourself with P.D.Q. Bach who is purported to be youngest son of Johann (by musical satirist Peter Schickele )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._D._Q._Bach

Among his major contributions are pieces written for tromboon ("a cross between a trombone and a bassoon, having all the disadvantages of both").

 

[pinball1970]

I learned to play a magnificent pipe organ constructed in 19th C. that included stops and voices for more instruments than you list. Electronic reproduction extends the field ever further.

Many hybrid and automechanical instruments abound throughout musical history. Look at modern drum sets as example of integrated percussion systems.

I play drums.
It's easy for musicians to think about the drum set was always so. Perhaps smaller back in the day? No. It was an evolution and so simple!

 

[Hornbein]

I play drums.
It's easy for musicians to think about the drum set was always so. Perhaps smaller back in the day? No. It was an evolution and so simple!

Tell us more. I figure nothing much has changed since the 1930's. And Terry Bozio sure has a huge set. He hope he has roadies to deal with it.

As far as 21st century innovation in technique I'd go with Travis Orbin.

 

[pinball1970]

Tell us more. I figure nothing much has changed since the 1930's. And Terry Bozio sure has a huge set. He hope he has roadies to deal with it.

As far as 21st century innovation in technique I'd go with Travis Orbin.

That's not me. Totally appreciate the techniques of these guys but that is not me. I don't hate it but it is not in my repertoire.
The set up is weird, sound and the construction of the tracks are very out there.
"Teen town" is cool, as is Focus, Yes and Genesis.
Not as keen on Rush.
Ok thats Prog not Jazz but that is where I am comfortable musically with rock jazz funk.
I think Jo Jo Mayer is absolutely amazing technically but I would still chose to pinch the technique of Buddy Rich than any of the newer guys.

 

[Hornbein]

That's not me. Totally appreciate the techniques of these guys but that is not me. I don't hate it but it is not in my repertoire.
The set up is weird, sound and the construction of the tracks are very out there.
"Teen town" is cool, as is Focus, Yes and Genesis.
Not as keen on Rush.
Ok thats Prog not Jazz but that is where I am comfortable musically with rock jazz funk.
I think Jo Jo Mayer is absolutely amazing technically but I would still chose to pinch the technique of Buddy Rich than any of the newer guys.

Travis is the only drummer where I thought "how in the ^%I* does he do that." Videos show a very compact set up, so much so he can hit en passant. He hardly moves his elbows. This seems to me like a good idea. The other thing is he's given a recording over the Internet then composes a part to go with that. Then he can support a recording of an improviser as though he had precognition or telepathy. I don't know that anyone else is doing this. Too much effort, not enough demand.

But fusion is too hot for maybe 97% of people. As far as I know Tokyo is the only place you might be able to make a living doing it, if you're the top. A very fiery country. Even popular TV theme songs often burn it up.

I like music that's packed as densely as possible while still maintaining clarity. And I'm willing to compromise on the clarity. USA people generally go for simple to very simple music. There can be strength and power in simplicity but it ain't my main thang.

Yes were like a freak of nature. Such a concentration of musical ability. Jon Anderson can still sing like that, which is hard to believe. Too bad his lyrics have turned away from poetry to didacticism. There's a lot of that going around.

 

[Svein]

How about this? It is an ophicleide, a sort of marriage between an early saxophone and a tuba.