Hm, that's good, right?

Well, I have been thinking about the "top 20 guitarists" thing on facebook... none of the guitarists I like sound anything alike, really.

That's what I think really makes the guitar an interesting instrumnet -- yeah, yeah, everyone has their own style of playing every instrument.. but with guitar, in particular, I feel like you can really have your own distinctive voice.

I should have put Agata from Melt Banana on that list, also.

It's about how baroque it sounds to my ears. I've enjoyed it in certain live settings, then again it was covered by other instruments or feedback so much it was hard to tell it was a clarinet playing.

I really liked the clarinet until I started playing it. That ruined a lot of it for me. I'm not really any cop at it any more because I stopped practising, but I find it a bit lacking in character now. Same with the guitar, which can be great but most often isn't.

I saw some Messiaen last night. It was a choral recital, but they had a solo organ piece (can't remember which one it was now). It was a lovely old church organ. Was very gripping. Can't go wrong with Messiaen, you really can't.

drums, piano, upright bass.

(do you really need any other instruments?)

TRUMPET
because it's got the most beautiful sound.

SAMPLER
because I have one and I'm in love with it.

SYNTHS
because they do drone and I like drone

Its´s so hard to say three. I like almost all instruments, but digital synths are not in my favour. I think bass is very important, but because some bands have made good music without it, so I must leave it away. First I was going to choose woodwinds, because strings and brass have put very good spices to rock music, but then I choose these:
Guitar: I think there is guitar in 80 % music I listen
Drums: Good drummer has always be very important to me (it´s pleasurable to listen for example Keith Moon, Mitch Mitchell, Bill Bruford, Mike Giles, Phil Collins and Neil Peart drumming although Steve Shelley is also very good basic drummer)
and the last: Mellotron!!! I haven´t heard any music there is used mellotron that isn´t great!!! It´s just have so great sound and it couldn´t ever absolutely traced by any digital equipments.

Voice: I honestly don't think I'd like the music I like nearly as much if there was no voice. It's usually what I take notice of first. I have an obsession with bands that had/have multiple vocalists - bands that share lead vocals around (SY, The Beatles), bands that have an occasional second vocalist (Rolling Stones, The Birthday Party) and bands that changed their singer (Malice Mizer).
Guitar: Same reaons other people listed, and I'm a guitarist.
Drums: I don't know why really, there's some footage of Keith Moon in the movie School of Rock, whenever I see it I think "I wish I could play like that."

somehow the drums speak to my innerchild.
the german word "ballerburg" which loosely translates to boomcastle / noisecastle nails it for me. that archaic kind of power is what makes it undeniable powerful

hard one.
Bass: I can't even express how much I love it. Always felt like it was "my" instrument.


violin: or cello?? I can't decide...I love both, as somebody already said, the things you can do with a violin are amazing. Cello has somehow a "deeper punch" (eh...), that hits some spots a violin doesn't (in me at least), so I guess they're a bit complementary? dunno. I suck at explaining stuff. hey Nefeli.

piano: dunno, a world in its own...I'm not much of a fan of pianists, but hell, a good piece on piano sounds like nothing else in this world. Even the more scheletric/simple things on this beast can sound powerful.

yeh yeh, lame post, I know.
I think lots of instruments just "resonate" with the listener on some pieces (other good examples, trumpet, organ, voice, etc), it's so hard to list just 3... but hell, thinking about the music you could put togheter with a piano+violin/cello+bass I think theese choices are quite good.

Good call on the Sho. There was a piece by Toshio Hosokawa called Cloud and Light which was mostly a sho solo - well worth keeping an eye out for it, though it doesn't seem to have been recorded yet.

I'm going to add the Oud/ Ud to the list. Just the most glorious sound.