Most Underrated Instruments

Everyone wants to play electric guitar. Everyone wants to sing. But these are the instruments few people understand and appreciate.
The Top Ten
1 Bass Guitar

Without a doubt when I ten I saw this and picked it up and found the Magic in it. Everybody looks to guitar but the bass lays out the real groove. Look at any police song or Red Hot Chili Peppers song

Bass is BY FAR the most underrated instrument. Bass is what holds the entire band together (often), and keeps the rhythm going. People do not understand the importance of Bass Guitar.

Duh it's a bass, that feeling when you play a song with your band, words can't even describe it! Bassists gets so little attention. Why?

Everyone wants to play the melody, but few people realize that without a good ruthenium's section the melody couldn't happen

2 Viola

The viola is such a beautiful-sounding and highly needed instrument that is played by relatively few people compared to the violin. In fact, many people in the general public don't even know it exists, let alone know what it is. And what makes it worse is that unlike other less popular instruments such as the bassoon, oboe and French horn which are easily distinguishable by their unique sound and design, the viola looks and sounds very much like a violin, which everyone knows about, so many people think the viola is just another violin.

The viola is just as great as the violin. I would consider that to be a fact! However, personally, I think the viola is BETTER than the violin! The alto clef is based around middle C, the fingerboard is much more comprehensible than the violin, and the overall tone is just more elegant in my opinion. I think it's the perfect instrumental combination of beauty and theory, right behind the piano.

Violas (in my opinion) actually sound better than violins, (they aren't so screechy) but they NEVER seem to get the main melody and can't be heard well because they're in the middle of the orchestra. Violas are actually harder to play than violins because they are larger but they're always forgotten about.

3 Drums

I know, I know. A lot of people do want to play drums. But few people understand it's importance in the band. Even when the drums are simple, they still move the song foward.

4 Keyboard
5 Tuba

In marching bands tubas have to switch to sousaphones, which weigh around 40 pounds. Also, tubas usually just play long tones through an entire piece, which isn’t just boring, it take a ton of air and is very tiring. The tuba may have easy notes, but it really is a difficult instrument to play, and is sooo crucial to a band!

Tubas are probably the most underrated instruments in bands and symphonys providing a strong bass line supporting a band to a great extent. Why they are underrated is beyond me. Perhaps a similar reason to bass guitars.

I play a tuba in B. L. Gray Jr High band and we are told to be the most important instrument of the whole band but nobody ever seems to focus on us

You'll be surprised by how many times I've heard the term "big trumpet"

6 Organ
7 Euphonium

No one ever gives the euph/baritone any love, but they are such a cool instrument and completely forgotten

This is the king of the brass secton yet cannot even be in a traditional orchestra.

8 Rhythm Guitar

Rhythm Guitar isn't an instrument. It's a playing style. Lead guitar has all types of notes. But rhythm guitar is mostly based on few chords and strumming/picking. Plus, rhythm guitar isn't underrated. Some rhythm guitarists are underrated but rhythm riffs are quite popular.

Everyone admires the lead guitar, but Rhythm guitar can be important as well.

9 Trombone

Easily one of the hardest instruments to play, yet can sound beautiful when played right. Take Wycliffe Gordon for example.

10 Harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed brass instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues.

The only thing on here actually underrated. Bass guitar and drums are really known, but harmonica rules.

The Contenders
11 Ocarina

Ocarinas sound majestic if you know how to play one, but most prior to ocarina of time didn't even know it existed.

It was an ancient instrument, of course it's underrated and it's so small, but that's why we love it so much.

12 Clarinet

No one likes them lol even though they sound really nice

13 Sitar
14 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.

The oboe is such a beautiful-sounding instrument that can produce a wide range of sounds, yet relatively few people play it. I'm surprised it is not on this list yet. I think the oboe is much more underrated than some of the other instruments on this list, such as cello, bass guitar and clarinet. Way more people play these instruments than the oboe.

15 Bassoon

This instrument is extremely versatile and you can play anything with it. Beautiful instrument

Most majestic sound of the wind family, and has arguably the most famous solos in orchestras.

16 Melodica

The Melodics is a beautiful sounding instrument. I hadn't heard of it until the release of "Gorillaz - Broken" when the album "Plastic Beach" was made public. I loved it, and just had to buy one to add to my instrument collection, and it is a beautiful addition. Please check out the song, and then vote for melodics.

MELODICA IS SO UNDErrated... IT DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE TOP 10 Of THIS LIST

People Just Doesn't Understand that it's sound and meant to be play alongside accordion. And use it to any pop songs just ruins the song. That's why people left this instruments.

But MASA MATSUDA can combine both sounds together such as in his performance With Kiyoshi Takeda on 2009. Profing that the sound capable on japanese jazz as long as you still using the right frenchie-european tone

17 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.

Everyone forgets its an instrument but it's so pretty!

18 Double Bass

When I first started playing this instrument, I totally fell in love with it. I feel like this instrument is common, but underrated. a lot of times people picture the bass along other instruments, but just go by without understanding how awesome it really is. if you ever consider playing the bass, DO IT! trust me, it really is worth your time.

Provides a deep and rich tone, yet it not as popular as violin

Ling Ling plays strings forever!

19 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.

Tenor sax is so underrated

20 Ukulele The ukulele is a member of the lute family of instruments; it generally employs four nylon or gut strings or four courses of strings.
21 Theremin

While people talking about bass, drums, viola... There are only few talking about this music instrument. It has beautiful human voice like sound, but seems that not too many song using it.

22 Didgeridoo
23 French Horn

It's so underrated that it wasn't in the list in the future first place.

24 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.

Everyone thinks trumpets are loud and shouldn't have even been invented. The truth is, these instruments play a key role in the band. Where would any good real jazz or concert band be without a trumpet?

25 Bagpipes Bagpipes are a wind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.

The only reason people don't like them is because they haven't heard a GOOD bagpiper play them.

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