Which is the best musical instrument for a beginner who has no previous music experience?

Question

I plan to learn a musical instrument. I have no previous music experience. Which instrument should I start with - Piano, violin, guitar?

Answer 1

Assuming that you are going to be taught in private lessons by a qualified teacher, you can choose any instrument that you'd like.

Some info on the instruments you mentioned, plus a few more:
Piano is not that difficult to begin with, and you can quickly learn to play a good number of tunes with which you would be familiar. How hard it gets is dependent on how much you want to work at it. You can play any style of music on it. I feel that this is the instrument that gives you the most knowledge of music theory in a short amount of time, therefore you can translate your knowledge to other instruments more quickly.

Guitar is also fairly easy, and you will be learning music theory fairly quickly. Possibly as quickly as piano, but this depends on your teacher. You can play any style of music on it. If you really want to learn, you should take lessons in CLASSICAL guitar, from a teacher that is highly trained in it. Classical is the basic foundation for all guitar playing. You will be able play the pop/rock stuff easily on your own after you learn in the classical style. You will not be able to use any old guitar for classical (string textures and their attachment to the guitar are different), so find a teacher before purchasing a guitar so that they can advise you on what to buy. The good news is that they are inexpensive compared to some other instruments.

Violin is a very traditional instrument, and is versitile in the fact that you can play classical music, contemporary music (think the orchestra in "I don't want to miss a thing" by Aerosmith), or country/bluegrass music (called fiddle when you play in this style). Contact a teacher before you buy your violin. There are many different companies that make violins, and some are great while others are downright crummy. Also, depending on your age and size, you may not need a full size violin yet. They can help you determine which size to get. Downside: solo instrument. If you want accompaniment, someone else must do that for you. Don't neglect the other string instruments: viola, cello (my favorite), and sting bass.

Woodwind instruments: flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon. All require as much finger dexterity as piano and guitar, as well as being able to do certain things with your mouth. Instruments that are not played as commonly, like bassoon, will get you college scholarships more quickly than more common ones like flute and clarinet. You can play in school bands and marching band (which is very fun).

Brass Instruments: trumpet, trombone, baritone/euphonium, tuba. These require less finger dexterity, but more dexterity with your mouth. Baritone/euphonium and especially tuba are good for scholarships. You can play in school bands and marching band (which is very fun), as well as Drum and Bugle Corps (which is even more fun).

Percussion: aka drums. If you are going to learn drums, learn it the real way and learn to play the percussion keyboards (bells, marimba, xylophone, etc) as well. You can't get into college playing the drums alone, you must learn the rest.


Above all, you should play what interests you the most!

Answer 2

Best Musical Instrument To Learn

Answer 3

It all depends on what you like best. ask yourself these questions?
1) Where do I plan to use this music?
a) you can't pack a piano with you where ever you go. But you can bring a keyboard, a violin or a guitar.

2)Do you like to play and sing along? YOu can sing a long with a piano or a guitar, but it is not so easy to sing along with a violin while you play it.

3)Will someone play other instruments with you?
if not and you will be playing by yourself, a guitar tends to play more harmony, a piano tends to play it all, violin tends to play the solo which is nicer if someone accompanies you.

4)What do you like best?
Why not play the one you like best. A person is more likely to practice more on the instrument he likes best.

5) Which seems easiest to you?
a) a guitar usually is considered the easiest, but it can get complicated the more you learn.
b) a piano starts out easy, but it may take 3-5 years to really play nice music by note, by ear as fast as you can learn it if you are gifted, maybe 1 year or less.
c)violin is considered harder than the guitar, because it doesn't have frets. But it is not actually harder once you learn where to place your fingers on the keyboard
d) most instruments relatively easy at first, but then you learn more and more complicated stuff a little at a time.

6) Is one instrument more affordable than the other?
All these are things to consider.

7) Do you have a teacher that could teach one, but not the other?

There are other instruments a person can learn: a recorder, a harmonica, a keyboard, you could start with a cheap one from goodwill or somewhere and see if you like it and graduate to a larger on as you learn more and need a bigger one.

Answer 4

Best Instrument To Learn

Answer 5

You should start on the instrument that you have the most interest in. Every instrument has certain physical demands, but most can be overcomed with time and effort. If it's an intstrument that your not all that interested in you won't stick with it long enough to reap the benifit. Also, ask yourself "what am I going to do with the instrument once I learn it", what are my options? That can help narrow it down also. Learning a musical instrument is a long process that needs patients and dedication. Chose an instrument that holds an interest and a future for you.

Answer 6

I'd say piano. It's starts out easy, but it can get really intricate... you also start learning different terms earlier on than guitar and other instruments because you don't have to worry about fingering as much. The violin is probably the most difficult instrument to play, and guitar is fun. It really depends on what you want from it. If you want to have fun and meet lots of young interesting cool people, guitar. If you want musical knowledge, piano. If you want a rael challenge, violin. It's up to you.

Answer 7

I'd say piano. It helps a lot if you even plan into going into any musical field. It helps with music theory and such. I got into an art school on clarinet (the first instrument I ever played) and now I'm being forced to learn piano basics as a class. So go with the piano.

Answer 8

These days you can learn how to play guitar over the internet. Check out Mark McKenzie's guitar video lessons here: http://www.jamoramaguitar.com The videos are very easy to follow and to my surprise extremely helpful even for advanced guitar players. For beginners I would have to say this is a gold mine.

I was able to improve my skills in just under 4 weeks and I am an intermediate-to-advanced guitar player; I've been playing guitar for the past 6 years and I was on stage with my band a lot of times.

I live in New York City, I wanted to go to a pro guitar teacher but that would have cost me over $1400 per month. Good thing with this internet, $1400 it's a lot of money for me. Good luck!

Answer 9

The piano is the best for beginners. You get to easily learn how notes keys and cords sound. However to become a really good pianist is quite difficult and time consuming.

The clarinet is also a good beginner instrument. It is easy to produce a sound and it is easy to play the notes.

Answer 10

Great question! I would personally go with the guitar, as it is easy to learn the basics, it's cheaper than a piano, and if you find you have no musical ability, you aren't out a lot of money. Any instrument you choose, however, WILL demand a lot of practice to become proficiant, If this doesn't daunt you, go to it! Good luck!