The conversation began at the Musicians Guild with this:

"What are the best songs written about (not for) certain instruments?"

The responses were many and varied. Over time, we began to include songs about the players of certain instruments as well. I thought it might be fun to keep a running tally, so I've organized the responses by contributor. How many of the songs below do you recognize?

Dragonfly

Squeezebox by The Who

One Man Band by Three Dog Night

ox

"The Old Piano Roll Blues"

"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison

"Guitarzan (and his jungle band)"by Ray Steven

"Dueling Banjos" from the movie "Deliverance"

"76 Trombones" from the musical "The Music Man"

"My Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers

"Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan

"The Bells of St. Mary's"

"Jingle Bells"

"Silver Bells"

Gag Halfrunt

"My guitar wants to kill yo' mama" - Frank Zappa guitar solo

"Pianists" From Saint-sains' Carnival of the Animals

Ottox

"The Saxophone Song" by Kate Bush.

Demon Drawer

"The Little Drummer Boy" by Rolf Harris

Psalm 150 from the Bible

Phil

"Guitar Man" by Elvis

"Everybody Needs a 303" by Fatboy Slim (about the Roland 303 Synth)

Berilia

"The Oranges and Lemons (say the bells of St Clements)"

Tubular Bells I II and III

Fragilis

"My Baby Grand" by Billy Joel and Ray Charles

"Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (about a fiddle duel with the devil)

"Piano Man"by Billy Joel

Dr. Funk

"Acoustic Guitar" by The Magnetic Fields

"Bang a Gong" by T-Rex

"The Hurdy Gurdy Man" covered variously by Louis Armstrong, Donovan, and the Butthole Surfers

"Down with the Bass" by Firehose

Trillian's Child

"Cello" by German rocker, Udo Lindenberg

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" includes lots of instruments in the chorus.

"The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B"

"The Trumpet Shall Sound" by Händel is one aria from the Messiah.