Okay so I'm a flute...and what I have noticed about flutes is that they have their own little clique. Drummers do as well but I don't believe it's as bad as the flute clique...Here's a story that's a prime example.

I was at a state band camp once and the students were divided into 2 groups: a junior high group and a highschool group. I didn't know anyone there so I couldn't tell if they were in highschool or not...I didn't really know what room I was supposed to be in but I was going to a class SPECIFICALLY for high school flutes and I went to the room where we were supposed to meet. Well there were all kinds of instruments in there but all of the flutes were standing on one side of the room in this group so I was like "Oh well we must be meeting here.." It turns out...that wasn't my class...Those were junior high players and if all of the flutes hadn't of been in this little clique group thing then I would have known.

Nothing's wrong with that I just thought it was funny. And also flutes tend to get along with just about everyone in band. =)

yup yup
now that you mention it, i notice that i usually go to a corner with the other flutes to just talk bout like...stuff...hmmmm..yeah

haha EXACTLY...like flutes automatically go and get in a group even if they don't have to...it's weird how all of the flutes at my school are like friends anyway...I think it's cool.

And as for the other instrument personalities...well my friend (a flute...haha) and I were discussing that the other day...

Trumpets - I DEFINITELY agree that they are extremely cocky. Trumpets get along easily with other trumpets [though they are both cocky] ONLY because they're like "I'm just as cocky as you...You're a trumpet - We're trumpets...I understand."

Tubas - Each of them has a different personality but they all seem to fit in the same group. That means that each of them has to add to the social balance of the group. I think that's the most delicate balance out of all of the groups. All tubas are unique and loveable - enough said.

French horns - DO NOT MAKE ANY FRENCH HORN MAD...Out of ALL of the french horns I know...I wouldn't want to be on any of their bad sides. Some of them seem sweet and some seem mean - but I must admit that no matter which case it is they ALL are short-tempered and somewhat of perfectionists.

Trombones - Out of the brass...I find it hardest to find a general term to describe the trombones...I would say: bold. Not to be taken the wrong way though. All of them aren't afraid to be different and they easily fit into cliques. Most of the guy trombones get along with girls easily too - though they AREN'T !*****!. And claps to all girl trombone players...You've GOT to be bold to be a female trombone player.

Clarinets - Okay there are few guy clarinet players USUALLY...That's because USUALLY guys don't like to GOSSIP. Clarinets are definitely all about gossip. If you want to know anything to do with someone in band's personal life - go to them. They will know. I would say that the Clarinets also come in 2nd most competitive in band...the trumpets being first, of course.

Saxophones - This is one of those instruments where it's safe for a girl OR guy to play it. Let's say a guy played flute - he'd be called a sissy most likely. But if he played saxophone then they'd be like "Oh, cool." Saxophones are easy going and easy to get along with. They're fun and love to have fun.

Flutes - I've already said some about the flutes...They love cliques and form their own. They're usually friends before they even start playing flute and they stay friends...And flutes pretty much get along with all of the instruments but I wouldn't call ALL of them easy going.

Drummers - Oh this is my favorite group, personally. I definitely wouldn't call all drummers friendly because drummers love to make their own clique as well. And once they make this clique they stay loyal to it and no other instrument can interfere. If there's a hot guy in band, then he's a drummer. This is where all of the hot guys are in the band. There are a few mixed in the instruments but most of them are drummers.

Another thing I found funny about band behaviour is that most band couples are either of the same instrument...OR it's a "woodwind, brass" couple...

wow aoah!
you really got the whole band analyzed!!
great job girl!!!!
yeah that's all true!
only well i haven't really noticed the clarinets as competitive or gossipy....i think i'm a bit competitive and so is this other flutist...we kinda compete with each other but we don't like actually tell each other that...it's like ... you try to hide it...like you want to compete but...you don't show it...ahhhh!!! do you understand???

hold on....yeah, i just noticed that they are gossipy

Ravenclaw, I definitely know what you're talking about. I do that all of the time especially if I'm friends with that person...Flutes are competitive too, but not so much as Clarinets...I know of many cases where chair order and challenges have messed up friendships of Clarinets...It's so sad. I've never seen that happen to Flutes so that's why I don't belive Flutes are AS competitive as Clarinets.

oh ok
that must be sad..
yeah, i understand now...there aren't much clarinets in band so .. i never noticed stuff like that
yups, it must be pretty aweful to lose a friendship over a position in band..as important as it can be!

I know, right?? I always thought stuff such as that was silly...I'm just glad I'm a flute...hehe.

yups it is GOOD to play the flute!
FLUTE RULE!

yups yups!

bariamazing...how does the bamboo flute play???

everyoneelse...Im a flute, and Im proud of it, I may not know as much as a lot of the other people, but I am the best flute the local highschool has ever had in the past 2-years, and I brag about it...

I agree that the instruement type has an effect on the player's personality, but I don't think that it changes the entire personality of the person...

Flutes all play on the same basic principal. They take a stream of air, and split it somehow (for Boehm flutes, the far side of the embouchure hole is where it's split). Splitting it sets up vibrations within the flute, which produces the basic tone, and then the pitch is altered through control of the air, and opening and closing holes.

There is such thing as a personality that fits an instrumentalist. I've seen it too many times in my many years of being one! These personalities do NOT apply to every person that plays that particular instrument though, there are anomalies. The only instrument I'm not sure about are pianists. Pianists come from such a wide background that it's kinda hard to randomly pick one out. If you still don't believe there's such a thing as an instrument personality, explain to me why I, and several musicians I know, can meet someone and pick out what instrument they play...or would have played if they played one.

explain to me why I, and several musicians I know, can meet someone and pick out what instrument they play...or would have played if they played one.

It's interesting that you mentioned this, Drammus. I have a friend who tries to do the same, but fails miserably, though she has an excellent idea of the personalities players of various instruments have. She plays most instruments (with the exception of tuba) at either a professional or near professional level (Heck! When she was in school, she was majoring in performance on 4 different instruments at once (as well as something to do with aviation), and hung out with the various studios quite a lot), and yet the "anomalies" seem to far outweigh the matches. I've seen her at this little game several times now, and I believe she's guessed a whole 3 people correctly in my presence out of 15 or 20 that I've been around for. I'm not saying that you and your friends can't guess instruments accurately, just that the fact that you're able to does not necessarily mean that there is any concrete connection between personality. Perhaps you and your friends are the anomalies for being able to accurately predict that...

There is more to identifying a person's instrument than just meeting them and guessing. And while I do not know your friend, it is highly possible that she is correctly choosing an instrument. I have met people that told me they played completely different instruments than what I would have guessed...almost the opposite in fact, but they later told me that when they were choosing an instrument to play (which for most was taking a playing test...) that was the instrument they should have played. I know it doesn't really make sense. There are several different ways to tell a person's instrument. None of them are infallible but they work the majority of the time. There's much that needs to be taken into consideration. Maybe if she thought about it a little more? I believe that someone with her amount of musical knowledge/interaction in the music world should be able to identify a person's instrument. Perhaps she is being hasty in her judgement? Then again, sometimes we are confused and there are, like I said, anomalies. Maybe when you compare those that share the personality traits to those that don't, those that don't outweigh those that do...but if you were to take those that don't and compare their personalities, I can guarantee they won't outweigh the personalities of those that do. Also, judging a person's instrument has a lot to do with how long they've been playing it. The longer they've played the instrument, the more likely they are to show those personality traits. Hence, it is much more obvious in college students and others (not usually professionals because at that point, they've learned so much that they get away from their instrument's "personality"). If you notice in a high school band, you can pick up on the certain "groups". For example, while not all of them fit this, flautists in high school band programs (they grow out of this after high school usually) tend to be a little more dramatic than most other sections of the band whereas trumpets tend to have more of an egotistical air. They tend to think they're the most important part of the band! LOL.
I do not think that my friends and I are anomalies in choosing instruments...and I do not mean to say anything negative about your friend, but maybe she's not really thinking about it?

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Oh..and I don't think that there is necessarily a CONCRETE connection...just that there is a general connection that can usually be applied. There are other factors that affect a person's personality, but the more musical they are (esp toward a specific instrument), the more likely we are to accurately "predict" their instrument!