What is your second instrument?

[dahmin]

What is your second instrument?
My daughter just did her grade 3 piano exam and wants to study a guitar.  She's also interested in saxophone and others.
I'm thinking an orchestral instrument would be good.  So she can play with other musicians.

Any advice?
And what is your second instrument?
How good are you at it?  As good or better than the piano?

[richard black]

Violin. I was always pretty rubbish at it and gave up having lessons at about 16. BUT - I earned what was then (to me) a pile of money playing it in a folk-dance band long before I earned a penny from playing the piano (which is now my main source of income).

Most orchestras I've ever encountered seem to have trouble filling the following seats:

Bassoon
Viola
Double bass

and are vastly over-subscribed for

Flute
Clarinet
Trumpet

[dahmin]

Violin. I was always pretty rubbish at it and gave up having lessons at about 16. BUT - I earned what was then (to me) a pile of money playing it in a folk-dance band long before I earned a penny from playing the piano (which is now my main source of income).

Most orchestras I've ever encountered seem to have trouble filling the following seats:

Bassoon
Viola
Double bass

and are vastly over-subscribed for

Flute
Clarinet
Trumpet

Thanks for the tip!  That's interesting to know.

[williampiano]

My second instrument is the cello, which I have been playing for two and a half years. I don't practice or play it nearly as much as the piano, in other words: I kinda suck at it and I am not nearly as good at it as I am at the piano.

-Will

btw, my orchestra teacher at school hates me  

[ionian_tinnear]

1. Electric Bass Guitar
2. Guitar
3. French Horn

[autodidact]

I am far too lazy to learn to play another instrument.... 

[ajspiano]

Guitar - pretty decent, i can play a few tommy emanuel tunes (badly though). Can play any pop or rock song no worries, and improvise a screaming solo if I have to, can also show off with tapping or play in alternate tunings without much practice. My overall technique is seriously flawed though..

Bass - bout the same as guitar

Can fiddle around on banjo, clarinet, violin, - also once did a gig on tuba, but I was terrible. Luckily it was in a large band so I could hide my mistakes pretty well.

[pianobilliam]

As a second instrument, I play the B-flat clarinet in the school band. I dont enjoy it as much as piano however. if I did enjoy clarinet more, I would have joined the "Clarinet Street Forums"

[dahmin]

Thank you for all the comments.

I have tried the guitar lately and it isn't easy!  Tried couple chords... holding down the strings is hard especially if you don't have large hands.  I certainly admire guitarists of their skills.

[candlelightpiano]

Harmonica. If you consider that a second instrument.

[albertcrony]

Guitar is my second instrument after Piano.

[thalbergmad]

Here is my 2nd instrument.

Don't know how my ancient teddy managed to get into the picture.

Thal

[jollisg]

I have two second instruments, oboe and organ (I think piano and organ is differing a lot). I have played guitar as well, but I quitted a few years ago.

[littletune]

Your ancient teddy is cute Thal! And his colour is kinda the same as the colour of the inside of the box for your banjo!

Well my second instrument is supposed to be recorder... but I haven't had time to practice for a long time now... 

[db05]

I have tried the guitar lately and it isn't easy!  Tried couple chords... holding down the strings is hard especially if you don't have large hands.  I certainly admire guitarists of their skills.

Maybe it depends on what kind of stretches the piece/ song requires. But some guitarists do not have big hands. I remember Li Jie, who was supposedly told her hands were too small to play classical guitar (so it said on Youtube, but I forgot the link).

My first instrument is actually guitar, piano second. It's a good match. Guitar lets me play with others, since there are too few classical musicians in my area. Piano was when I wanted to be alone, haha!

[patrickd]

I was initially learning the Saxophone then eventually switched to piano. So piano is my second instrument.

[pianoisthebest23]

I play flute and piccolo (well if you count piccolo as a different instrument) and a little bit of violin.

[j_menz]

Recorder.

I learnt the bagpipes for a while, but the neighbours threatened murder.

[amyjohnston]

My second instrument is violin but I recommend you guitar, it is more useful instrument. 

[indespair]

Drums. Awesome stress management.

[roseamelia]

My second is a lap harp. wish I had a flute but.. not ready yet.

[pianovlad1996]

My second instruments are organ, double bass and violin.
I'm quite advanced at organ, the double bass is hard but rewarding (I'm not good at chords instruments) and the violin is my enemy- HARD AND OUCH FOR MY NECK.
TimeaB 

[perpetual_dan]

I used to play bass and guitar a bit - self taught, not very special but played a couple of gigs with a goth covers band. I once played cymbals in the school orchestra, which was more nerve wracking than all my other performances put together. These days my other artistic outlet is photography.

[deego]

i play electric guitar as second instrument. i like it, but not as much as the piano. but sometimes it's better to let off some steam

piano pirate