Ok. So which would be a better magical change-the-world, make-you-king musical instrument: a horn, a la Boromir, or a violin? Which would you rather see the hero carry into battle and melt the bad guy's face off with?
This is more a matter of tone and image of battle than a simple musical preference. While I love violins, they do suffer one major disadvantage against the horn: violins are two-handed. A horn allows the hero to be in the thick of battle, hitting those that come too close with his sword, shield, or axe. The violin, on the other hand, not only must be used two-handed, but the stance used in order to play is quite closed. A person running and playing a violin looks... well... silly.
If this universe is magic saturated, though, the violin can have some interesting possibilities. Each note can slice and parry; phantasmal blades knocking back would be attacks and cutting their wielders to pieces. This image, this specificity and grace, cannot be replicated with a horn. A horn is like a cannon.
Okay. What I would prefer is to see a violin, but a violin is a lot more work. The traditional images of masculine heroics are more easily replicated with a horn. Such images abound thanks to Gabriel and his trumpet, but a violin, if done well, could create an entirely new iconography.
If this universe is magic saturated, though, the violin can have some interesting possibilities. Each note can slice and parry; phantasmal blades knocking back would be attacks and cutting their wielders to pieces. This image, this specificity and grace, cannot be replicated with a horn. A horn is like a cannon.
Okay. What I would prefer is to see a violin, but a violin is a lot more work. The traditional images of masculine heroics are more easily replicated with a horn. Such images abound thanks to Gabriel and his trumpet, but a violin, if done well, could create an entirely new iconography.
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