Which instrument for adult beginner?

[Bob]

I have a good idea of what the answer would be, asking here.... 

An adult, no music background at all.  Wants to learn something about music with an instrument.

Which instrument would you recommend?

I'd say piano (or even a keyboard).  Access to classical and jazz.  Don't have to worry about practicing just to develop a tone.

I doubt it would last.  I doubt they would do much with it.  There couldn't be a giant commitment to practice time. 

So piano.  Guitar?  Are there other instruments?

[mjames]

banjo

[thalbergmad]

Superb suggestion and perhaps 4 string as opposed to 5 string. Easier to get started.

Thal

[senanserat]

Go big or go home. Get an ocarina

[j_menz]

Match the investment to the enthusiasm. Get a kazoo.

[Bob]

There's voice. That's cheap.  I don't really see that happening though.

So pretty much piano or guitar?  Or putzing around with a music sequencing program I guess.

[kevin69]

digital keyboard.
recorder.

For someone with no musical background, tuning a guitar or banjo might be a challenge.

[kakeithewolf]

I'd say piano or harpsichord. The plethora of beginner compositions that are on piano is a testament to this much.

If you want something simpler, you'd be looking at triangle or cymbals.

If you want something that's just too easy to fail, might I recommend chains?

[ranniks]

For practicality probably the violin.

And no, it's not a difficult instrument.

The only hard part about the violin is that it's somewhat crucial to be able to play with a music file playing.

That's something I have a hard time with, but it's not impossible.

Makes me wonder; I should have probably not start playing the piano and just go for the violin. Not only can I stand with the instrument, it doesn't take much room in at all.

Also you can play and swoon around walking and stuff. Pretty neat eh?

Instead, I'm now practising a schumann, tchiakovsky, bach and chopin piece. Hurray!

Oh and did I mention I absolutely suck at tuning a violin? You only have to tune the piano 1 to 2 times a year, win win!

I'm being cynical over here btw.

[kakeithewolf]

Another set of simple instruments would be glockenspiel, xylophone, and marimba.

[ranniks]

Oh yeah, I forgot: to make the violin really 'pop', you need someone playing another instrument in the background.

The piano has its own background; the left hand.

Muaahahha.

[hfmadopter]

Life is too short to be futzing around with anything that doesn't actually interest you enough to put some effort into it. And music in general takes quite a lot of effort, time and even money is a factor. So why not just do something that really will interest you, what ever that may be ? We do enough things in life as it is out of responsibility that cause us to have to work on a slow burn. Outside activities that I have done in my life have been because I have a burning desire to try it , what ever it may be ( in 63 years it's made for a pretty full list).

[kakeithewolf]

Life is too short to be futzing around with anything that doesn't actually interest you enough to put some effort into it.

I'm sorry, but on what bizarre, warped planet is life too short? I'm about 1/5th the way through my life expectancy, and I feel like I've lived for ages.

[hfmadopter]

I'm sorry, but on what bizarre, warped planet is life too short? I'm about 1/5th the way through my life expectancy, and I feel like I've lived for ages.

Earth ! You will only understand this when you too get to this end of life ( out around the 80% of an average life expectancy mark for a US male). It will come though and looking back to where you are now will seem like a flash of light.

[kakeithewolf]

Earth ! You will only understand this when you too get to this end of life ( out around the 80% of an average life expectancy mark for a US male). It will come though and looking back to where you are now will seem like a flash of light.

In the grand scheme of things, not really. By any rough estimate, I'm going to be around for 75 more years.

There are 86,400 seconds in a day. There are 31,536,000 seconds in a regular year. There are 2,366,841,600 seconds in 75 years. There are 21,757,503,286,717,632,000 vibrations of a Caesium atom in 75 years.

Time does not fly.

[Bob]

Oi... I was looking for serious replies.  Geez.  Sounds like a keyboard and some type of beginner lesson or general music type of lesson/book would be the way for this person to go.  


Life is too short though.  I have a feeling I'm halfway through.  Never enough time, and so much of it is just doing things just to exist.


The person never asked anything more about this.  I was wondering what I might even say if they asked about which keyboard specifically.  Full-size keys and all that, but I don't really know for something cheaper that you could really drop your hand weight into.  This scenario is below the typical child/teen beginner level.   Keyboard + no lessons   really.  

[hfmadopter]

Well sometimes we try things on a sort of whim and it blossoms, you never know ! The thing about music is that for most of us it doesn't just come naturally and there is some investment to gain an instrument. On that note, a cheap keyboard isn't a great way to go. Yes it will get your hands on the keys and working with notes but it's tough to grow with it. Two come to mind right away that you can kind of get along with, one is the Korg SP 170 ( i believe it's replaced now with the 180 and the Yamaha P105. Those are bottom line, below that really is junk. There is a new Casio getting good reviews as well.

If you have decided on keyboard have a look around over in the Instruments forum, digital has been discussed pretty extensively over there. But otherwise I was serious, you have to give it a decent go or you will never know your potential. Otherwise you might as well find some other hobby or activity that really spikes your interest. Just sayin !

[pianoplayer51]

I have a good idea of what the answer would be, asking here.... 

An adult, no music background at all.  Wants to learn something about music with an instrument.

Which instrument would you recommend?

I'd say piano (or even a keyboard).  Access to classical and jazz.  Don't have to worry about practicing just to develop a tone.

I doubt it would last.  I doubt they would do much with it.  There couldn't be a giant commitment to practice time. 

So piano.  Guitar?  Are there other instruments?

You are wrong.  You have to practice and make time. I am an adult student on piano and had no music knowledge or background befoehand.

[Bob]

Haha.  I'm not wrong.  It's not for me.  Someone asked me.  And that was it.  I doubt they'll follow through with much more.  I'm doubting they'd even actually follow through with 30 min/day.  But they asked. 

It sounds like they want some kind of 'intro to music'/guidance type of situation.  Something like a few classes a week that covers the basics of music.  Not quite traditional lessons.  Hm.  Sounds like a business niche actually.

[awesom_o]

Singing.

Violin isn't such a good idea.

Neither, realistically, is a keyboard instrument.

Both violin and piano take an enormous amount of effort to develop on.

[Bob]

They all do.  It's a guy.  Genuine interest I think.  Genuine lack of time to devote to it too.  Too late for him probably.

[pianoplayer51]

it is never too late for anything.   Better late than never

[Bob]

That's what I was thinking.  It seems like there's a business niche... Something like "Piano/music for adults who aren't going to practice."  Some kind of intro to music that way.  (Or maybe that's what they're doing in lessons anyway...)

[timothy42b]

Singing.

Violin isn't such a good idea.

Neither, realistically, is a keyboard instrument.

Both violin and piano take an enormous amount of effort to develop on.

I agree about violin and piano.  But I've never met a singer who could read music well without an instrumental background, certainly not well enough to join even a church choir. 

Violin and piano sound awful for a very long time, sometimes forever. 

Why not pick something that rewards effort faster and allows one to play in a social setting? 

Saxophone is nearly ideal.  Like any instrument it takes huge effort to master, but unlike many, basic skills sufficient to play in a community band come quickly. 

I have a great time playing trombone in a number of groups, but I can't recommend it for an adult's first experience.  It does not reward the effort put in nearly as fast as most other instruments.

[pianoplayer51]

I agree about violin and piano.  But I've never met a singer who could read music well without an instrumental background, certainly not well enough to join even a church choir. 

 

Dawn Upshaw can read music well without an instrumental background and she also teaches young singers at Bard College

[timothy42b]

Dawn Upshaw can read music well without an instrumental background and she also teaches young singers at Bard College

Really?  No background, not even piano? 

Sight singing no longer seems as important to me as it once did.  Most choirs learn by rote now.  But it is useful though not essential to have a core of singers who read.  I don't see any theoretical reason singers couldn't learn this directly but I've yet to meet one that did.  The confident readers I know all spent some time in band or orchestra. 

[pianoplayer51]

Really?  No background, not even piano?  

Sight singing no longer seems as important to me as it once did.  Most choirs learn by rote now.  But it is useful though not essential to have a core of singers who read.  I don't see any theoretical reason singers couldn't learn this directly but I've yet to meet one that did.  The confident readers I know all spent some time in band or orchestra.  

Dawn Upshaw took up the oboe in high school.  I do not think she payed it for very long and her true love was to sing.   She had a singing teacher and did very well.    Went on to university to study voice and won a genius award.      I am in the UK and she came over to do a voice masterclass and she was tough with her young students.   They sang and she said no stop this is NOT how you sing and she demonstrated  Just like in this clip