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Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 06:12 This topic has been quite literally fathered by the double bass question I asked yesterday, and by a reply I got to it. What, do you think, are the instruments that Mike can't play (and, for this reason, they were always played by other people in his albums)?  As far as I know and remember, they are the following: - Real drums. - Strings (bowed and plucked), apart from a bit of country fiddle. - Brass instruments: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, French horns. - Orchestral winds such as oboes, flutes, recorders (didn't Les Penning always play the recorder on Mike's pieces?), English horns and bassoons. - Bagpipes, although he can play Northumbrian pipes. Can you add anything to this list? If yes, what would you add? -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Milamber Group: Musicians Posts: 2275 Joined: Feb. 2010 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 06:23 I've never seen him wrap a piece of paper around a  hair comb   Sorry! Harmonica maybe Back to top

nightspore Group: Members Posts: 4770 Joined: Mar. 2008 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 07:35 Quote (Ugo @ Mar. 15 2010, 06:12) This topic has been quite literally fathered by the double bass question I asked yesterday, and by a reply I got to it. What, do you think, are the instruments that Mike can't play (and, for this reason, they were always played by other people in his albums)?  As far as I know and remember, they are the following: - Real drums. - Strings (bowed and plucked), apart from a bit of country fiddle. - Brass instruments: trumpets, trombones, saxophones, French horns. - Orchestral winds such as oboes, flutes, recorders (didn't Les Penning always play the recorder on Mike's pieces?), English horns and bassoons. - Bagpipes, although he can play Northumbrian pipes. Can you add anything to this list? If yes, what would you add? I'm going to be ultra-pedantic here and point out that, technically, and believe it or not, the saxophone is a member of the woodwind family! And let's hope Mike never learns to play it, and never feels tempted to play the saxotar again either! Back to top

The Caveman Group: Members Posts: 2178 Joined: Jan. 2008 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 09:52 Mike once said that a sax sounds like a "musical fart"! Also he has also said that he finds Northumbrian pipes to be really hard to play but i know he has used them (or Herbie if we're talking Ommadawn era) And yes Les Penning played the recorder on the stuff in the 70's.  Regarding the violin he has also said he can't really play it. -------------- THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH. Back to top

yanouch65 Group: Members Posts: 680 Joined: Feb. 2006 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 10:52 Le cor des Alpes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphorn -------------- Ray said : "it is a shame you don't play" manintherain said: "You´d better ask Mr. Y who was first" yanouch65 says: "I am in love with Scotland" Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 11:27 @ Yanouch: isn't that the same as a didgeridoo? I bet Mike can play the didgeridoo, but he never did... except maybe on some points of "The Wind Chimes". -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

yanouch65 Group: Members Posts: 680 Joined: Feb. 2006 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 11:59 I think that the Alphorn is bigger than the didgeridoo. It is about 3.5m long and sometimes much more... -------------- Ray said : "it is a shame you don't play" manintherain said: "You´d better ask Mr. Y who was first" yanouch65 says: "I am in love with Scotland" Back to top

Milamber Group: Musicians Posts: 2275 Joined: Feb. 2010 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 16:19 Quote (Ugo @ Mar. 16 2010, 02:27) @ Yanouch: isn't that the same as a didgeridoo? I bet Mike can play the didgeridoo, but he never did... except maybe on some points of "The Wind Chimes". I posted a short clip on btt.oldfield.es from oz where mike states that he can play the digeredoo mike on oz tv 1992 milamber also known as oldfield5150 cheers Back to top

nightspore Group: Members Posts: 4770 Joined: Mar. 2008 Posted: Mar. 15 2010, 21:54 Quote (yanouch65 @ Mar. 15 2010, 11:59) I think that the Alphorn is bigger than the didgeridoo. It is about 3.5m long and sometimes much more... The sound is different. You can hear alphorns on Wagner's Gotterdammerung. The didgeridoo has to be blown with a kind of oscillatory passage of air,creating a warbling effect. Back to top

wiga Group: Members Posts: 2113 Joined: Sep. 2008 Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 08:20 I should imagine he can play anything, but might struggle with the French horn.. or the oboe. -------------- Barn's burnt down - now I can see the moon. Back to top

The Caveman Group: Members Posts: 2178 Joined: Jan. 2008 Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 09:45 Quote (nightspore @ Mar. 15 2010, 21:54) Quote (yanouch65 @ Mar. 15 2010, 11:59) I think that the Alphorn is bigger than the didgeridoo. It is about 3.5m long and sometimes much more... The sound is different. You can hear alphorns on Wagner's Gotterdammerung. The didgeridoo has to be blown with a kind of oscillatory passage of air,creating a warbling effect. You mean you have to blow a raspberry down a didj! -------------- THE COMING OF THE GREAT WHITE HANDKERCHEIF IS NIGH. Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Mar. 16 2010, 20:24 @ Wiga: I think Mike is a little bit of a perfectionist. He wouldn't dare to play an instrument unless he is able (or considers himself able) to draw a perfectly tuneful melody out of it. That's why other people always played oboes on his albums. By the way, I found another instrument he can't play: the kortholt. Les Penning plays it on "In Dulci Jubilo", where it sounds like a kazoo. Indeed, I actually thought it was a kazoo, sung... erm... played by Mike, until Korgscrew told me that it wasnt... -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Ridge Van Hergest Group: Members Posts: 16 Joined: Aug. 2010 Posted: Aug. 16 2010, 22:25 There's a concertina section in Amarok, that's not credited to Mike. But then again, it's not credited to anyone else either, so who knows... -------------- Check out my record collection! (click "Homepage" button) Back to top

Philippe Tavares Group: Members Posts: 1613 Joined: Feb. 2005 Posted: Aug. 17 2010, 05:55 I've seen him playing a VUVUZELA during the Soccer world cup ! Back to top

larstangmark Group: Members Posts: 1767 Joined: Mar. 2005 Posted: Aug. 17 2010, 11:27 Quote (Tubular Tos @ Aug. 17 2010, 05:55) I've seen him playing a VUVUZELA during the Soccer world cup ! Haha! I bet it was a masterful performance!   -------------- "There are twelve people in the world, the rest are paste" Mark E Smith Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Aug. 22 2010, 16:38 @ Tubular Tos & Lars: I don't think that the vuvuzela can be classed as a "real" musical instrument, as it only produces one note, and not a very tuneful one. @ Ridge Van Hergest: the concertina is a kind of small accordion, so it's a keyboard instrument. Mike can play all sorts of keyboard instruments. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

Olivier Group: Super Admins Posts: 1868 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Aug. 22 2010, 16:53 Quote (Ugo @ Aug. 22 2010, 16:38) @ Tubular Tos & Lars: I don't think that the vuvuzela can be classed as a "real" musical instrument, as it only produces one note, and not a very tuneful one. Reminds me of bells. Back to top

nightspore Group: Members Posts: 4770 Joined: Mar. 2008 Posted: Aug. 22 2010, 21:34 Quote (Olivier @ Aug. 22 2010, 16:53) Quote (Ugo @ Aug. 22 2010, 16:38) @ Tubular Tos & Lars: I don't think that the vuvuzela can be classed as a "real" musical instrument, as it only produces one note, and not a very tuneful one. Reminds me of bells. No, bells (unlike the gong) produce a specific note (with their own characteristic harmonics, of course), and thus can be used melodically. Wagner uses them like that on Parsifal and I think one of the versions of the overture to Tommy uses them too. Drums can be played melodically as well. As for the vuvuzela, I tend to agree with Ugo that the fact that it produces only one note means it's not a musical instrument. But of course that means the didgeridoo isn't a musical instrument either. Of course, if you say that you tread on very thin politically correct ice over here. Back to top

Olivier Group: Super Admins Posts: 1868 Joined: Nov. 1999 Posted: Aug. 22 2010, 22:37 Still reminds me of bells, it's even tubular too (but yeah tubular bells rarely come one not as a set), and I think most rock bands don't care what note it is, and I don't think shepherds see them as musical instruments either. The wikipedia page is fascinating, even the Ultimate Fighting people are banning this "plastic device". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela Back to top

Milamber Group: Musicians Posts: 2275 Joined: Feb. 2010 Posted: Aug. 23 2010, 04:22 Quote (nightspore @ Aug. 23 2010, 11:34) As for the vuvuzela, I tend to agree with Ugo that the fact that it produces only one note means it's not a musical instrument. But of course that means the didgeridoo isn't a musical instrument either. Of course, if you say that you tread on very thin politically correct ice over here. Isn't the Vuvuzela the epitome of "If you can play One note and mean it"   Seriously it's not an Instrument. No learning curve , practice and or theory involved . But I disagree on the Didge as to my ear many tones and subtleties can be produced and circular breathing can not be an easy thing to master . I never really had an appreciation for it until hearing a very experienced player a while back. Back to top

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