Changing Musical Instruments

[Ric.ror]

Please be with me here but I wondered if it is possible to play a piece of music on an instrument it is not written for?
Example could a cello concerto be played on a violin?
I know it will be in a higher range but I just wondered could it be done

I hope music aficionados aren't offend by my question or lack of knowledge

[shoota]

Yes, absolutely.

[shoota]

The only limiting factor would be if the instrument you wanted to play the piece on wasn't capable of producing a sufficient range of notes to cover the original.
But even then you could adapt the music by switching registers.
Obviously you couldn't play chords from a piano or guitar piece on a trumpet or clarinet but tunes are playable on virtually any instrument.

[The Builder]

It's done all the time, Ric.
The only problem is with "transposing" instruments (as they're called). Trumpets, clarinets, tenor saxes for instance are B-flat. Pianos are Concert pitch. If I play from a piece of piano music, my tenor sax will sound a whole tone lower.

[Ric.ror]

So Elgars cello concerto could be played on a violin - I wonder if it ever has

Thank you for your answers - to be honest I felt music buffs would think I was a bit stupid asking

[shoota]

This genius plays a violin concerto on a trumpet......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mGcN2CMpwM

[Ken4155]

Shoota; Not my cup of tea but i can appreciate the skill involved.

[shoota]

She is very good Ken.

[jomifl]

I can play several instruments to varying degrees of ability and if I know a tune I can play it on any of them. Some ethnic instruments and unkeyed wind instruments just don't have a sufficient range of notes to play all the notes needes for some tunes.

[Zeuhl]

There are some techniques best suited to certain instruments
eg you can slide notes on a string instrument; not so easy on a keyboard or a horn - unless it's a trombone.

Likewise, i think the piano prodigies wrote music very difficult to physically replicate on other instruments; for one thing on a keyboard one hand can be playing in a low octave simultaneous with the other at the high end

[andy-hughes]

There is no such thing as a duff question - there are things you know, and things you don't know - and that's it.

I am sure plenty of Bach's works have been transposed for other instruments - organ pieces for orchestras and so on.

As advised, there are some limitations - but if you have personal abilities in this area, give it a try, you'll soon know if it's doable or not.

[jomifl]

Here it is on a viola

[jomifl]

Some instruments such as the clarinet have a rather awkward change to a higher register which makes some tunes practically difficult though theoretically possible.

[Zeuhl]

It's true about the Bach Andy - though requiring an entire orchestra to replicate one keyboard instrument rather proves the point

And Mrs Zeuhl (who is a classically trained pianist) informs me that Bach's pieces are relatively simplistic in structure compared with the likes of Beethoven or Rachmaninov probably because of the mechanical crudity and limitations of the instruments he had available. The artistry with Bach is in how the pianist interprets and plays the piece as a whole.

[jomifl]

and on classical guitar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR-o1pCgkP0&feature=player_detailpage

[Ric.ror]

Thanks for your replies
The Viola was interesting - the guitar didn't work for me

[heathfield]

Take "Flight of the Bumble Bee", originally written for violin. It must have been played of every musical instument there is!...

[saxy_jag]

Bach's music sounds fabulous on the saxophone although I'm pretty sure he had no concept of the instrument he composed them.

[jomifl]

for example

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=lyJNccEoq2c