I have both a tenor sax and a fiddle and, for me, it's the sax which comes closest from a player's point of view.

With the fiddle so close to my ear, I hear lots of little squeaks and scratches, even when I'm playing well. These may well be inaudible to a listener just a few feet away but they are difficult for me to ignore and can lead me into a downward spiral as my confidence ebbs. That never happens with my voice.

With the saxophone, I am playing from deep within myself and am as much feeling as playing the music. The sax is strictly for home consumption so I don't know what others would think of my playing, but they couldn't hear what I hear because I have a complete band accompanying me inside my head.

DC