IF you could start again...which orchestral instrument would you learn?

[MrGongGong]

The Violin WILL make your neck and shoulders ache
endless amounts of Yoga and Alexander Technique might mitigate it somewhat
BUT
it's not ergonomically designed for people
neither is the piano unless it's one of these



or this





Human arms move in curves NOT straight lines

[MickyD]

Wow, MrGongGong, I am an avid enthusiast for early pianos, but I have never seen these strange beasts! Do you have any idea where they are?

[MrGongGong]

The Curved one is in the Instrument Museum in Brussels
GO now it's wonderful has a great cafe on the roof
the second is a Janko keyboard ..... not sure where that one is ?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I've always wanted a Janko piano, though a Moore would do fine also.

[EdgeleyRob]

Re post # 31,wonderful pictures,thanks Mr GG.
I'd love to have a go at chopsticks (the only piece I can play ) on those.

[amateur51]

Great pictures and a useful observation - "Human arms move in curves NOT straight lines" - MrGG.

I remember the first time I saw the great Sviatoslav Richter playing Chopin Scherzo no 2 in concert, it appeared for all the world that he was leaping from one end of the keyboard to the other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cp85uonqxU

[salymap]

I was struck by the tasteful [?] 1930s bathroom flooring in one of the pix too.

I am tall and skinny and wondered whether body shape affects the ideal instrument for young musicians.

Horn players round and cuddly for instance. Percussion players athletic and with long arms.

[gamba]

Thank you am51

Advice for the quartets came from Hans Keller who's voice I heard behind me in the BBC club whilst waiting for a pint. .
I actually had these two in mind ( k 156 & k157 ) already but it was confirmation. They are absolute gems. He also gave me
An easy ( relatively speaking ! ) Haydn qt op. 42 in D min. Another delight, not all that well known & obviously written for amateurs. Otherwise Haydn was largely ' out of bounds ' for the likes of ourselves.

Thanks again, gamba

[MrGongGong]

I was struck by the tasteful [?] 1930s bathroom flooring in one of the pix too.

I am tall and skinny and wondered whether body shape affects the ideal instrument for young musicians.

Horn players round and cuddly for instance. Percussion players athletic and with long arms.

A rather well known improvising tuba player once told me that he was fed up of people saying
"you don't look like a tuba player" assuming that they all had to be rotund

Irvine Arditti doesn't "look like a violinist" but is a god of the fiddle IMV

[salymap]

I've never seen a short fat lady harpist

[mercia]

Vermillion, South Dakota ?

http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Keyboards/JankoPiano/JankoPiano.html

[mercia]

still off-topic, did you hear DON play the Duke of Wellington's piano on Radio 4 this morning ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22507415

[salymap]

Thanks mercia, older than Pleyel and Erard then ??

[MickyD]

The Curved one is in the Instrument Museum in Brussels
GO now it's wonderful has a great cafe on the roof
the second is a Janko keyboard ..... not sure where that one is ?

Thanks for the info - but please enlighten me someone - what on earth is a Janko keyboard?

[mercia]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janko_keyboard