this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2025
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Bonus points for a song that has a good part for that instrument.

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[–] Cruxifux@feddit.nl 27 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Just love a heavy well produced guitar riff. Might be a boring answer but that’s the one for me.

[–] Apeman42@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I'm also fan of a particular type of guitar riff that I can only describe as "crunchy" with my limited music vocabulary.

The best example I can give is Spirit in the Sky. The lyrics are cheesy, but damn the guitars are fine in that track.

[–] fan0m@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You might be thinking about a sound with a lot of distortion

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 3 points 1 year ago

Spirit in the Sky specifically is a fuzz running on a near-dead battery, so it's a bit of an odd one. I think the broad approach to the sound is fairly popular though. Stone Foxes come to mind as an example

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[–] Skua@kbin.earth 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sometimes stuff is just popular for a good reason. I love loads of different styles of guitar, but I think my favourite heavy riff is probably the chorus one starting at 2:02 in Saor's Children of the Mist

Or maybe Flying Whales because, I mean, it's Flying Whales

[–] Cruxifux@feddit.nl 4 points 1 year ago

The intro to Power by KMFDM and the intro to Sold by Imperanon are two of my favourite riffs, but I love all kinds of heavy/death metal and industrial and hardcore punk rock and classic rock. Just gets my testosterone going. Makes ma ballz buzz.

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[–] Jaxia@startrek.website 23 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I love a good piano piece.

One of my favorites: https://youtu.be/zucBfXpCA6s

[–] Scrawny@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Her Hungarian Rhapsody performance is my favorite!

[–] Jaxia@startrek.website 3 points 1 year ago

Ooh.. I will have to check that out! Thanks for the suggestion.

[–] toomanypancakes@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

That was a lovely performance! Great pick, thanks for sharing it

[–] Apeman42@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Like as the main or only instrument in a song? Probably Spanish guitar. See "Vamo Alla Flamenco" from Final Fantasy 9. I wanna say Diablo 2 had a good Spanish guitar track too, but no idea what it's called.

[–] Malkor@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I believe the song in Diablo is called "Tristram". Excellent classical guitar song!

[–] Chozo@fedia.io 4 points 1 year ago

It's also a really fun song to play. I used to know how to do the intro when I was younger. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2evIg-aYw8

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[–] SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Drums in music. I always zero in on the percussion patterns.

[–] fan0m@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Here’s one I enjoy a lot.

https://youtu.be/wgDZrFG8Ku4

I also recommend checking that whole album out. It’s great.

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[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Oboe. Anything from the Dream Academy albums would qualify. It has a nice pure sound almost like a vocal.

In second place would be the sitar, or the Hammond Organ if someone is rockin out. The Peddlers, or Fanny would be good examples of excellent Hammond.

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[–] mechoman444@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

The hurdy-gurdy is so pleasant to listen too. I love the drone notes it can play.

[–] Alabaster_Mango@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)
[–] Cruxifux@feddit.nl 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Chozo@fedia.io 3 points 1 year ago

That's my favorite instrument's name to say.

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[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] JayleneSlide@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Roland TB-303. It's the synth that launched so much electronic music. Examples are legion, but one of my favorites is Psychic TV "E-male:" https://youtu.be/o2U3joQ9oFI

Generally considered among the penultimate 303 examples are:

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[–] card797@champserver.net 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Lazhward@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)
[–] kiku@feddit.org 3 points 1 year ago

I also love the erhu like the Butterfly Lover's Concerto.

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[–] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

IDK why, but the hurdy gurdy has a pretty alluring sound, in my opinion. So I'm probably going with either that or acoustic guitar.

Edit:

I really like this song using hurdy gurdy because to me it kinda sounds like a soundtrack piece for some prison action film.

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[–] moakley@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Piano. Chopin, especially Raindrop.

https://youtu.be/6OFHXmiZP38

If I said guitar, I'd point you to this song, which is actually a piano song performed on guitar. Lately this is the song that makes me feel things.

https://youtu.be/fnymlUUomKI

[–] sockman@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Love me a steel drum. No other instrument can instantly transport you to a beach

[–] Albbi@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Same with me. They just embody relaxation and good times. Makes me smile when I hear steel drums.

[–] Skunk@jlai.lu 7 points 1 year ago

The Cello, loved it so much that I started learning to play it at around 30.

https://youtu.be/7_8yPpCjK_w

[–] Kyle_The_G@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

oboe, cello, violin...

[–] Windex007@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Bassoon or oboe... Maybe it's the double reed?

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

El Camino Real by Alfred Reed has a nice oboe solo.

[–] lnxtx@feddit.nl 6 points 1 year ago
[–] Sammy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I love the theremin! This is one of my favorite duets.

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[–] DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago
[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I love a lot of different instruments, but I fell in love with the Erhu after ATLA. Second to that, the orchestral strings like the violin, viola, cello, etc. Scores from Halo and Elder Scrolls franchises.

Finally, the collective vocal cords of choirs.

[–] zxqwas@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If you just keep it to the basic instrument drums probably.

If we are allowing it then a heavily distorted guitar tuned stupidly low. But is it the instrument or the various electronics that make the sound?

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[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Violin is up there for me, such rich notes and emotion can be pushed through it.

After that a didgeridoo played well is awesome. I like to play mine into the bath tub so I get the reverberation and can really hear it

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[–] crapwittyname@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Electric guitar.

Not a single instrument, but I love a horn section, too.

[–] Deconceptualist@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My actual favorite is electric guitar followed by violin, and I'll gladly expound, but those have already been mentioned.

So for this comment I'll go with handpan drum. Those sound so amazing and soothing to me.

[–] Aussiemandeus@aussie.zone 4 points 1 year ago

Damn I've been trying to find out what the hand pan drum was called for so long, thank you haha.

I would call it the 44 gallon xylophone

[–] NeedyPlatter@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 year ago

Violin! Especially when they are used to imitate the sound of wind. My current fav examples of this: https://youtu.be/U0TXIXTzJEY https://youtu.be/NqAOGduIFbg

[–] marzhall@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

When I think of a classical instrument, I think cello - specifically this piece Shadow of Doubt by Yoko Kanno, where it has such a brooding tone and power.

Being a synthesizer nerd, I like those most, but they have such varied tones among them and even on the same synth; 4x Atlantis by Aphex Twin probably captures one of the tones I most love, and the entire "Orphans" piece hits much of the range.

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[–] whotookkarl@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Who doesn't enjoy some good theremin

https://youtu.be/9qYndeST4aw

[–] FreakinSteve@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm big fan of pianos (but not all piano genres) and I have learned that I really like piano run through a phaser and doubled with a Japanese koto

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[–] HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Hang drums sound beautiful

[–] bunkyprewster@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Accordion, dammit Accordion!

[–] Zombiepirate@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Classical guitar, here's Nocturne by Chopin.

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