Baritone/ Euphonium

First of all let's clear up the difference between the two instruments. The Baritone is in the key of B-flat, is placed an octave below trumpet and has a conical shape. The Euphonium shows all of these traits as well though. The difference is the valves. Euphonium has four valves and the Baritone has three. Now that that is cleared up lets talk about the genres. Typically all instruments are important somewhere in music. Like an oboe in classical or a saxophone in jazz, but the Euphonium and the Baritone serve no real purpose to me. At the high range of these instruments they can sound very beautiful. But then again the french horn can play the same notes on the same octave and be able to control the sound better. It even has the same mellow sound. The middle stuff can easily be played by a trombone player and the low stuff can be covered by a tuba player. These two instruments could be taken out of every genre of music except one. Some drum and bugle corps don't let the slide trombone into their bands. In this case they call in the baritones and depending on how low the part goes the euphoniums.

Tuba

I play a little tuba and although I'm better than anyone in my school, I am no where near professional level. The tuba is one of the simplest instruments to pick up an learn the basics. But a real tuba player has to practice constantly to stay good and to get better. Tuba belongs in the classical genre of music mostly although not always used. Many orchestras don't have tuba players. Marching bands is where the tuba player can shine though. Give them a contra bugle or a sousaphone and they can go places. But a real tuba player plays in classical events. I've even heard a tuba play Carnival of Venice.

Violin

The violin is my least favorite of the stringed instruments. Maybe all of the common instruments. The range is set at one of the worst places to set a string. It screeches and it's more annoying than anything in the orchestra. Dare I say more annoying than an oboe. This instrument belongs in the orchestra and nothing else. It goes out of tune to easily and in the high strings, if anyone is slightly out of tune, your ears are pierced.

French Horn

This is another instrument that sounds horrible in the wrong hands. But I've heard horn contertos and they are amazing. There is so much that you can do on horn. I honestly can't play this instrument very well, but I have started to practice. The horn is in the key of F which has really thrown me for a loop but the trigger puts it in the key of Bb which is the same key and octave as my native instrument, the trombone. Although out of tune, this is the only way That I have been able to play with the ten minutes that I have practiced.

Horn is one of the few brass instruments that are in full orchestras because their main genre is classical. Marches are not marches without a nice horn section. Even though they only have the upbeat.

So my choice for the french horns genres are strictly classical. Like all instruments they could play in any genre, but please don't have a french horn in a rock band.

Soprano clarinet

All through middle school and most of high school I thought that the clarniet was the most annoying instrument in the world. Well it is. I mean that in all sincerity. The clariniet is the most annoying instrument on the face of the planet when in the wrong hands. But when in the right hands the soprano clarinet can be one of the most beautiful things that you have ever heard. In the orchestra that I am in, Maestro chose a piece with a solo clarinet. All I could think is that there was going to be a squeaking and gawking clarinet, but when she played it, it completely owned the other people in the orchestra. This type of clarinet is looked over way to much. When I'm Sixty- Four by the beatles has a clariniet choir in it. All of the best old jazz songs has clarinet. The original version of Sing Sing Sing had a clarinet solo in the beggining and in my opinion it was better before they replaced it with soprano sax. Rhapsody in blue starts out with a clarinet solo that if played well sets up the whole piano solo. Obviously the clarniet can't be in rock, but IF IN THE RIGHT HANDS a clarniet can fit into almost any genre of music.

Jazzophone

This is a strange instrument that I just heard about. The jazzophone is essentially a trumpet with an attached harmon mute. The harmon mute is something that a trumpet player or a trombone player puts in their bell to make a different, jazzier sound. The trumpet is a great instrument, but the jazzophone has been created only for jazz.

Cello

Although I am not the biggest fan of the orchestra, I love the sound of the cello. What brought me upon the cello was The Beatles. In almost all of their best songs they had a cellos. The most obvious being Strawberry Fields Forever. Like I said, I'm not an orchestra person, but if an all-state cello were to be preforming a concerto nearby I would be there. Unlike the bass which can't play high and the violin and viola which can't play low, the cello has a range that is probably loved most because of the trombone side of me. Cello fits in the classical genre easily but unless you are playing with the beatles, I don't think that they belong anywhere else.