Do you prefer the harp or guitar?

Question

I'm looking for a hobby to keep me busy and entertained.

I have absolutely no musical talents and I do not play any instruments or sing well (although I love to sing)

Are these instruments difficult to learn? Which is nicer and more appropriate for a beginner like me?

Which Instrument would you buy?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

guitar my brother plays it he learned in just 2 weeks

Answer 2

I think guitars are more practical than the harp. They're certainly more portable, and they can accoimpany lots of different types of music.

They're cheaper too. You can buy an acoustic guitar for $100.

It's probably also easier to find guitar lessons in your area than harp lessons.

Kudos for trying to pick up a musical hobby. My guitar is sitting gathering dust in the corner of my bedroom. hehehe

Answer 3

the harp sounds awesome, such a nice sound.. but would be harder to learn, if your willing to take lessons then it doesn't matter if you have no musical talents.

Guitar is easily enough self taught, i taught myself how to play, but i also had piano lessons for a long time, which made is easier to pick up. Once you get lessons for one instrument your pretty much able to pick anything up and play!!

Answer 4

Guitar for several reasons:

Harps don't travel
Finding a harp teacher is almost impossible
Look at all those strings!

Guitars are easy to learn, fun, inexpensive and very portable.

FP

Answer 5

I have to say I love my Blevins' Celtic (lever) harp! It's a beautiful ornament to my room, relatively easy to play (although almost impossible to find a teacher-you mostly have to learn through video or books) and it's hard to make an in-tune harp sound bad. Just strumming it makes a sweet sound. Like everyone else says, though, harps are expensive. You should expect to pay around $500-700 at least for a good lap-harp (sometimes a little less IF you can find a good deal.) Be wary of the carved "rosewood" harps you see on Ebay. I started with one myself and it was okay, but I've heard of people who have lots of problems with them. My 32-string floor harp cost around $1800 several years ago- it was really an investment for me but I love to play it! A floor harp will usually run $1K to $8K or more for custom work or exotic woods. If you don't know about harps, the harps I'm talking about are Celtic or lever harps, which have little levers to sharp the notes. Pedal harps, the big gold harps you see in orchestras, have pedals to sharp or flatten the notes and cost big $$$$, think $20K and UP. I saw one for over $40K the other day. They also weigh around 80#, I think. The good things about Celtic harps are that there's lots of music written for them now, they're relatively light, and you can get self-instruction books. Lap harps, with 22 strings or so, are very portable although they have a limited range. Some people use them for nursing home-therapy. Harps are also easy to understand: they have a string for each note. C-strings are red, F-strings are blue/black. The notes are arranged in order, like the white keys on a piano, and you play with both hands using three fingers and your thumb.

A guitar is certainly going to be easier to find, easier to find a teacher and probably cheaper to begin with. There's also lots of music available for guitar at all levels and all styles from classical to gospel, country and pop. Like any instrument, it will take time to learn (and build callouses!).

Don't limit yourself, though. I'm just counter-cultural enough to suggest something more unusual. If a harp isn't in your budget, and you want something a little "different" why not consider an auto-harp, zither, lute, lyre, mandolin, banjo or dulcimer (plucked or hammered?) Lots of sites on the internet sell really interesting folk instruments. Look at Lark in the Morning and Melody's Traditional Music and Harp shop, but there are probably others. These places have instruments I've never even heard of before. I met a lady at a church several years ago playing an antique zither and it was REALLY beautiful- she had trouble finding strings, but the instrument didn't cost her very much to begin with. It just took a lot of practice. Another man I know MAKES ancient Biblical instruments, such as lyres. He has a great time giving programs to children. Playing technique for some of these instruments vary because they're folk instruments so there's little pressure to play the "right" way on some of them. If you want to know how an instrument sounds, search on the internet. Lots of sites have sound-bites of people playing their instruments. You might as well like the sound of what you're trying to play!

Anyway, good luck in your search. I'm not a great harper, but I DO love my Celtic harp and would encourage ANYONE to try the harp.

Answer 6

I would buy the guitar because it's portable and more popular. However learnign the harp can be good for college.

Its not hard to learn the guitar, but you can get calluaus...

Answer 7

harp - huge, expensive, sorry dont' know much about this instrument so I'm guessing

guitar - easiest instrument to learn, as you just have to learn three chords and to strum and you can play many songs

Answer 8

Guitar i play it i have been for along time but its really what you like the best!

Answer 9

Guitar for sure.

Answer 10

guitar that is what i play