Im thinking its piano because thers only one..

and ESPECIALLY FLUTE because theres like only 3!! (argh not faiirrr!!!)

violinists are lucky

geez...competition is going to be tough in the future...

Yes, definitely flute. My friend is in an orchestra and I am in the band and they are the same level. In her orchestra there are like 20 cellos and masses of violins but only 3 flutes, so I had hardly any chance of getting into the orchestra.

clarinet! there's not many of those either!

the percussion....there's only one person to master everything..... hard work...i would have thought...

I'd say electric guitar would be pretty difficult

sorry...i'm really stupid..... what does the topic actually mean.... does it mean instruments that need to compete in order to get in orchestra...or rare instruments that don't normally being accepted in orchestra?

I'd say flute and clarinet are hardest to get into orchestras with, cos in my experience nearly as many people play them as play violin, and there are 30 violins in an orchestra and only 2 or 3 flutes and clarinets! There are only 4 horns of course, and a few oboes, but not as many people play them so there isn't as much competition. I'd say trumpet also has a lot of competition.

i agree with hgirl, clarinet and flute and definitely the hardest..............great!

perhaps tuba would also be hard - ish to get into an orchestra on, because they only ever need one, unless the orchestra is the nyo!

i bet everyone will say the instrument (s) they play...

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Sep 30 2004, 07:27 PM)

i bet everyone will say the instrument (s) they play...

well i didn't! I said the opposite in fact!

But isnt it ture? how the flute and clarinet IS the hardest to get in?

But if you play piano, you can play percussion, like glockenspiel.

QUOTE (hgirl @ Sep 30 2004, 08:00 PM)

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Sep 30 2004, 07:27 PM) i bet everyone will say the instrument (s) they play... well i didn't! I said the opposite in fact!

sorry...i didin't mean you....

But if you play flute or clarinet wind bands need about 20 of each - and they're much more fun than orchestras

What about the harp? There's not always a part written for it

every thing is hard to get into the orchestra....that's becuase there's lots of competition between everything...

Well ok, yeh maybe very hard for the woodwind to get in, but think of the poor tuba players, we dont audition, we get asked to join cos theyre no tuba players in the bands, and then they make us sit there counting bars rest whilst the strings play away to their hearts content!!!

20 celli?? What kind of orchestra is she in? A full symphony orchestra only has 10, or am I spouting rubbish (as usual!!!)?

I said flute based on how many are in an orchestra in comparison to string sections. It wasn't biased at all. For instance in our highest county orchestra there are 3 flutes and 1 piccolo space but around 10 celli.

Not a professional one. When I wrote this she was in the 2nd highest county orchestra. In the best one, I think they only have 10 or 12.

Surely any wind or brass places are the most competitive?! On average there are 3 flutes, 2/3 clarinets, 2/3 oboes, 2 bassoons and then 1/2 for the brass. But then I would say the most popular instruments would be the flute and trumpets so they are more competitive in terms of the number of people auditioning for places. Hundreds of people can audition for a single flute spot.
Instruments like the bassoon and tuba I would imagine arent quite so competitive so there are fewer people auditioning. Wish Id learnt the bassoon now!!

Taking the question literally, the hardest instrument to get into an orchestra is surely the Organ. Wait until you try getting one through the stage entrance door in the concert hall. Double basses are almost too big but bassists obviously know a trick or two because there they are on the platform....

LOL

I saw the WASO play the Rite of Spring a couple of weeks ago, there is something to be said for getting the contrabassoons into the orchestra, and something more significant to be said for keeping them there!!! They evidently want to escape as the contrabassoonists had to impede them with sandbags during the imtermission.

there is also the problem that you actually have to be able to play all the solo things that come very often with the flute and clarinet... Although, i just got into an orchestra with very little difficulty... trying for 1st clarinet soon tho!

i personally say the hardest is the clarinet, flute, trumpet and to an extent, violin as there are SO many people who play these!

But with violins, so many places .....

Flutes .. Three places and one picc? Pretty impossible when for example you're auditioning for the NYSOI and competing against all or Ireland whereas Violinists have two desks and however many strings ... i've never counted

Clarinets - there's five of those, so more places. Tuba, Bassoon, and Trombone - these players are in the low ranges in Ireland so it's easy to get into orchestra's if you're good on one of those instruments.

Trumpets - hard enough, Horns, very tough competition. Oboe - Low on those aswell but it takes more time (i believe?) to be good at the oboe.

I would yes, definitely think that flute is the hardest ... Or up at the top of the list anyway!

How about the saxophone?

If I was a classical saxophonist I would hope the local orchestra was big on 20th century French music...

It's a real shame, it has such a lovely tone.

The Heckelphone is another, people should take more interest in it and commission some pieces!

I was taking this question to mean instruments that are always in the orchestra. Obviously if the orchestra is playing pieces which don't have a, for example, harp or tuba part .. it's impossible to get those instruments in lol

Well, "Elektra" has a heckelphone part

Let's all rush out and buy heckelphones!

If you want to get into a good amateur or semipro orchestra the hardest is clarinet then flute. I know a clarinettist who got in because he can transpose at sight so he could play the often absent oboe leads and some others, horn I think, just for rehearsals. He knew his stuff too the repertoire likely to be played.

Most orchestras of this kind will consider extra strings, violas and double basses seem to be in greatest demand.