The Most "Aspie" Instrument?

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Time to revive this thread.

Does anyone else have an idea on the most suitable musical instrument for a person with Asperger's Syndrome?

that sounds so degrading, as if a person with Aspergers Syndrom couldn't play every instrument in the same quality. it depends on the person.
but obviously not lead-guitar if you believe the thought that persons with aspergers don't like the stress of having to play accurate under the pressure of playing live generally. rather vocal and rythm instruments, though I've surely no problem with playing violin but much more with playing piano with two hands while reading the score. it's more this special kind of multitasking, playing two different melodies at one time while thinking of the score. I just can't memorize the score if I want to associate it with what I've got to play, if I learn a song I always forget the score and automatically start to play by ear and feeling, which of course works but this way I can never learn to read scores. I can't associate one note with one key... but is this problem only found by aspergers-patients? I don't think so, maybe I know too few but isn't it the same with normal minded ones?

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Drums seem like a good choice. Theremin as well, due to the fascinating focus it would take. I also vote for sitar, which is used to play single note melodies (no chords) over a pervasive drone. Tempo and dynamics become variables. BTW, I have played lead guitar for 41 years. I hate performing live but I love playing. It's easily an aspie thing, an endless flow of details, nuance, and expressive tale-telling if you do it right, sidestepping the language-based frame of reference and working beyond its limits.

I'd say the musical saw. Takes a lot of skill to play good.

a 'true' aspie instrument? the theremin. it's really the oddball of them all, electronic, no touch, 2-handed... there is no real comparison.

within an orchestral setting: i'd say the euphonium (coincidentally my own instrument )
most of the population dont know it exists (thinking it's a baritone), and even some of the players make that mistake.
also, in the orchestral setting, it is able to blend in with almost any other instrument and function; providing the bassline, substituting for a baritone/tenor saxophone, assisting the trombone... all without being noticed as such.
but aside from this, it is able to go solo, often surprizing the audience with the soft and mellow sound, coming out of nowhere, leaving you wanting more after it had its shine and retreats into the support role.

Banjo!

Lute

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asKDr2y-Jfg[/youtube]

Considering that the as pie social stigma puts many of us at a disadvantage, I'd suggest aspies don't play at all and turn to composing and writing songs.

Personally, I've never been comfortable setting my own awful poetry to music, but I've always heard music in other people's poetry and song lyrics.

My special interest in music has in recent years turned to church music, and it was a sort of dream of mine to set Biblical passages to music, but I just didn't "hear" it. I've gone to a few Christian songwriter workshops with some of the top publishers in the business, and this summer I had one of those lightbulb moments: The artists I listen to the most aren't that original at all, and I find a new song every time I open the Bible. So I've started working my lyrical skills, and I'm hoping soon to rehearse one of my songs with the choir and get it in the usual rotation in our church.

Otherwise, I'm developing a small instrumental program which requires that I write arrangements for the instruments we have available. So while my station is at the piano, I'm also expressing myself through a flutist, violinist, organist, guitar, bass, and drums. I even record and email demos for my musicians to have something to practice with.

I'm not an alpha-dog leader type because it's so difficult to convince people to do what I want them to do. But it's interesting right now because there is a void in our church music leadership and nobody else can do what I do. So I think the hyper focus and attention to detail has put me at somewhat an advantage. For as long as it lasts, I'm going to enjoy being in charge.

The ultimate aspie instrument, the ultimate instrument, is the combination of ink and paper that express the composer/songwriter's intentions and induces groups of musicians to realize the composer's musical ideas.

Well, the synthesizers, drum machines are the most likelly. Dunno why... but it doesn't matter...

I'm a piano veteran who hasn't played for a while. I've been having thought about going for cello (since it matches up with my depressive feelings for some reason)

I would go for drums, xylophones/mirimba/Vibes, and piano/ synthesizers. Being an aspie and having played all those instruments, including other stories I heard about musicians who have/suspected to have and ASD. Most of them played one of those insturements so I picked them as the most aspie insturments.

While most of you seem to think that the most common instrument/s that aspies play is part of the percussion family, I am of the oppinion that a person with aspergers is best at playing the instrument that he is most comfortable with(It matters not which one).

I think the synthesizer is probably the most aspie instrument. They don't really have one type of "sound," they don't really sound like anything, and a synth player is only limited by his imagination in creating the type of sound he wants. It doesn't really have to be "musical" sound the way we think of it; you can just hit a synth for sounds effects. And you can manipulate those sound effects in real-time.

Stroh Violin.

Computers, then synths, then normal accoustic piano.

However the first time I met a group of fellow aspies was only months ago when I started going to the local support group. I managed to get the two cutest young ladies in the crowd to talk to me at the same time. Both had one trait in common, besides being interesting and cute, both had excessive nervous energy. One in particular had her motor idlling at a high rpm- taping her pencil- peeling labes off of beer bootles. Im quite laid back myself and didnt expect to see that as a triat in fellow aspies.

So if that kind of nervous energy is common among aspies then drums would be up there as well. Kinda of building a childhood habit of tapping things in rythmn.

Synths. No contest.