To me it is, here was someone playing or preforming counry and westerm music earlier and was playing one of these instruments of aural torture, I mean C&W is bad enough, but combine it with a mouth organ, or gob iron as they're also known as, is just offensive. To me its finger nails down a blackboard level of horrible.
Any of you have instruments you can't stand he sound of?
I have heard steel pan drums being played with rubber tipped drum sticks. They made the sound bearable for a short time, although I didn’t like it.
I have also heard some some steel pan drums played with what sounds like metal on metal — it was painful listening.
Microtonal music is music outside of the western standard of 12 notes/semitones per octave (EDO*). In other regions/styles there are more (or less) notes per octave - 96 EDO is the highest I've heard of, though there are many (31 and 22 are particularly interesting) and that probably is not the highest. Each EDO system can be used to emote different responses for the listener, a bit like scales can - for example many think of minor keys being sad. (They can also sound like the performer is a bit drunk!)
There's a whole other universe of music out there, much of which is a challenging listen initially, but also really beautiful. Traditional Thai and Balinese music is perhaps a good starting point, but some of the more modern electronic performance based stuff can also incredible*.
*EDO stands for Equal Divisions of the Octave
Hopefully links are ok, sorry if not; youtu.be/MgTfDtNFbeE
Steel slide guitars make me wince too, along with steel pan drums
I imagine your wife’s manufacturing family would be highly respected for such a skill. If I’d heard her uncle practicing, I would have moved further away too.
The sound from a steel slide guitar makes my skin crawl. Not a nice instrument.
Whats microtonality?
I find the harp can go either way for me, I love the way Florence and the Machine use it, but I'm not a fan of it as a main instrument.
I'm not a fan of Bob Dylan and find he really grates on me.
I love the human voice and will happily listen to medieval choral music, especially the really complex harmonies of people like John Bird and Thomas Tallis, but others hate them
All mouth organs solos should be banned, unless they are brilliant!
I really struggle with Dylan for this - some of his mouth organs work sounds like he's been given it for the first time on that day. 'Here you go Bob, have a wheeze on this...'
I’m not a fan of bagpipes, my wife’s family are one of the few manufacturers of bagpipes, I can remember her uncle practicing on a ‘chanter’ and me needing to move further away, my hearing as with many autistic people is quite sensitive, a steel slide guitar is another instrument that has a high pitch and puts me on edge.
A study of microtonality helps with the tuning thing - there's beauty to be found in wonky pitch.
Really any instrument played well can sound beautiful, and played badly awful.
I like/try to make music where there is a balance between beauty and ugliness. Disharmony, grating, abstract stuff in and amongst something that is pretty in some way. I don't always achieve that - I've done things which lean to far either way.
I've made many things that people here (anywhere!) would find excruciating to listen to, but there's beauty in for me. Maybe sometimes that is just in the creation. As an outlet it has helped me hugely - music is my only 'special interest' that has been totally life-long.
Bagpipes would be bottom of an order of preference list of all instruments known to me. They sound slightly off key and their squall is excruciating.
The Irish uilleann pipes are designed to be played indoors so their sound is much softer and sweeter. I braved Belfast for the Fleadh this week and although they were being played in multiple places as I walked about the city, they were tolerable, unlike the crowds of people.
I don’t like the mouth organ so it would be among the flute and a few other instruments towards the bottom of the list. If it is played by a skilled musician, it can sound less offensive to the senses.
The violin is my favourite instrument and I also like the mandolin and clarinet.
I like the mouth organ, the intro to ‘He ain’t heavy’ by the Hollies is brilliant, especially when Graham Nash harmonies on the chorus. The intro to ‘ That’s what friends are for’ by Dionne Warwick and friends is also brilliant, I believe it’s Stevie Wonder on mouth organ and Love me do by the Beatles has a young Mr. Lennon on mouth organ which is equally good.
My favourite had to be Willie Nelson and On the road again. The mouth organ is much more than a C&W instrument, I’ve always known it a the Jews harp, apparently it’s nothing to do with Judaism, it’s origins are Asian.
I do find children learning the violin unbearable, I used to attend school productions and visibly wince.
times.They had a reputation at one time for laying out some of the audience by using sub and ultra sonic frequencies
I didn't know about this.
Your response to the sound was amazing but must have been very distressing.
Any instrument that's out of tune sounds awful. Some Saxophones and jazz have the same finger nails on blackboard effect on me, harmonica is mild in comparison, but my worst ever sound related experience was at a Hawkwind gig in 1982. I have been a lifelong fan of the band and seen them many times.They had a reputation at one time for laying out some of the audience by using sub and ultra sonic frequencies. That particular gig I got caught by it, and I've never felt anything as bad. I remember hearing a random high pitch whistle followed by a wave of nausea. When I tried to get up to get away from the sound I couldn't walk. My balance had gone and had to crawl up the stairs. Once at the top attempted to stand up again and managed a few steps before the feeling of the building being turned upside down and me falling flat on my back. Managed to get out for a while and it soon passed and was fine after, but for a few minutes was a terrifying experience.
I actually really like someone playing the mouth organ. I really like piano man for that.
I'm not sure there is an instrument I can't stand the sound of as long as they are played well (although I do find flutes quite annoying). What I really struggle with is when music is played so loudly it is vibrating through you.
As a guitarist I agree but. Many musicians think. Its authenticity nope I'd edit that out
Also not an instrument but when singing shows play short clips of someone singing a note and blend them together it sounds like it so out of tune
I like the mouth organ, especially when played by Bob Dylan. I also like bagpipes, but not so much 'war pipes', as played by Scottish regimental bands. I prefer the Irish uilleann pipes, the Northumbrian pipes and the Scottish small pipes - the last two are very mellow in sound.
The thing (is it an instrument?) I most hate is is the 'talk box' a thing that vocalists blow/talk into via a plastic tube, which distorts the voice - as used by Peter Frampton and Cher. I cannot stand to listen to that even for a second.
I'm with you on fingers sliding on a fret board, but I do like bagpipes, although it can be a bit painful when waiting for enough air to get into them.
Brass bands are another thing I think of as an offence against music, I have to turn the tv off or run away, especially when its the sally army at xmas
