T-bone brings up an important question. What expressive techniques do musicians have available on different instruments? Earlier in the thread frequency range was sighted. In addition there is dynamic range, tonal & timbre range, articulation, pitch control/vibrato, and phrasing. All these things contribute to the possibilities of expressive control by the artist. Different instruments have different amounts and ways of applying these techniques. For example, prepared piano, or plucking, damping, striking the strings with implements, expands the expressive range of the piano. Mutes expand the range of brass instruments. Bowing techniques add expressive range to strings and tonguing techniques to winds. Add breath control, electronic and computer manipulations, different stops for the organ, double stops, triple stops, polyphonics, subharmonics, overtones, plus an array of other experimental techniques and there opens up a plethora of potential. Even if we disregard all the 'artificial' means, there's still the subtle, elusive, yet endless, possibilities of phrasing. Even an electric organ, possibly one of the most mechanical instruments, in the hands of one musician can set the house on fire, and in another's, leave us yawning.
