Best Instruments In a Traditional Orchestra

The Top Ten
1 Flute The flute is a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening.

Don't call me biased because I played and still know how to play I just think it sounds the most beautiful.

Does anybody else also get a headache when they play this?

Because I play it

2 Trumpet A trumpet is a blown musical instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group contains the instruments with the highest register in the brass family.

When played right it can be in any piece.

3 Clarinet

Very popular with a beautiful sound.

4 Bassoon

The bassoon is by far the hardest instrument to learn and master. With eight feet of tubing and 14 thumb keys, (not counting pinky! ) it´s no wonder bassoonists are so far and few in between. The bassoon is wrongfully stereotyped as the clown of the orchestra when they have the full opportunity to be just as beautiful, vocal, melodic as the rest of the orchestra/band.

Oh, I've always wanted to played this wonderful instrument.

Bassoon is the best!

The best sound

5 Saxophone The saxophone is a family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet.
6 Xylophone

It sounds really pretty.

7 Violin The violin is a wooden string instrument in the violin family. It is the smallest and highest-pitched instrument in the family in regular use.

Honestly, I don't get why string instruments are so less voted than wind instruments. Strings are awesome! Also the principal first violinist is the concertmaster, the most important player!

Violin music is the most beautiful music of all time and no traditional orchestra would be complete without violins.

There's no traditional orchestra without violins. There wouldn't a traditional orchestra period without violins.

I'm surprised this is way down on the list, as this is the most prominent instrument in the traditional orchestra.

8 Bass Drum

I love the noise of it's deep thud.

9 Bass Clarinet

I play bass clarinet and I love the way it sounds. It can be really deep but also high without going overboard. I can't even believe this isn't #1 obviously nobody listened to a bass clarinet lately or they are deaf.

I find it sad that a lot of people don't know what a bass clarinet is or don't know what it looks or sounds like. It is such a pretty instrument. I had a choice between flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, French horn, trumpet, baritone, trombone, or percussion and I was like BASS CLARINET! It sometimes makes the other instruments sound not as good but no instrument is really that awful.

And people look for these special bass clarinet players. They are hard to find since not a whole lot of people play it, probably 10 to 15 percent of the population of musicians. Usually you will have like a ton of saxophone or trumpet players, so it's good to be in the uncommon range because you can win a really good spot in a major band or orchestra one ...more

It's the best I play it and I am lucky in my band we have 4 bass clarinets and it really evens the band the bass clarinet is also so majestic yet so underrated.

10 Trombone
The Contenders
11 Cello The cello or violoncello is a bowed or plucked string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths.

It's by far the best sounding instrument and fellow cellists, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If they do show them this comment and say it is from an actual cellist (because it is) 1. It is big, but not too big 2. It makes the orchestra sound full 3. It can go low and high 4. It sounds amazingly full unlike woodwinds, brass, and percussion 5. It is in literally almost every song in the world unlike other instruments

Cello is the best. It has a smooth and rich tone, while other string are too high pitched. A great instrument.

12 Viola

Violins are screechy, basses are too deep, violas are perfect!

The perfect instrument!

13 French Horn
14 Tuba
15 Piano The piano is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands.

An instrument people play because they aren't privileged enough to play any sting instruments.

16 Oboe Oboes belong to the classification of double reed woodwind instruments. Oboes are usually made of wood, but there are also oboes made of synthetic materials.

Out of all the instruments this one sounds the prettiest to me.

17 Double Bass

I might do the bass

18 Timpani
19 Harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers.
20 Bass

Basses are often looked down on, but playing a bass can be difficult, as it is harder to play, yet still sounds so beautiful.

21 Euphonium

It's the most beautiful sounding instrument in the world. It can be a great instrument to double with a french horn. This is not in the orchestra, but sax is? COME ON!

Best instrument by far

22 Angklung
23 Triangle
24 Piccolo

Piccolo adds a sweet highlight to everything. It has such a cute and fun sound from afar, but it's so loud when you are the player or the person next to the piccolo player. It's such an underrated instrument!

25 Baritone
BAdd New Item