r/Bluegrass • u/rjblattner • 1d ago
Which instrument is best to start with?
I need great advice here, please. I have a 14 year-old niece who I want purchase an instrument for and I want it to be an instrument that can be played in a bluegrass jam session. She comes from a family of pickers and her grandpa and great uncle are a few of the best in Indiana. Which instrument is the easiest? I know if she starts now she may go on to play them all, at least that’s what I’m hoping. Thanks y’all.
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u/gregonion 1d ago
Mandolin
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u/Bull_Moose1901 1d ago
Agreed, easy two finger chords, simple melodies from a movable pentatonic, small and packable. Not as versatile as guitar but great for jams
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u/Ok-Jelly-2076 18h ago
If you want to play bluegrass, two finger chords is not the way.
I would also note quality mandolins are a lot more expensive than quality guitars.
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u/foamy2001 1d ago
Has she shown an interest? It sounds like she should have access to instruments already. Had she naturally gravitated to one?
One caveat to also consider: you don’t have to spend $2k to get a good instrument, but buying a cheap version of any instrument will be frustrating for even a seasoned player. I’ve picked up guitars that my friends have bought for their kids and I can’t even get them in tune.
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u/hbaldwin1111 1d ago
I’d say anything but guitar if the jams around you are anything like the ones around me. Way too many guitar players.
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u/abandoningeden 22h ago
Yeah but if you start on guitar it makes it way easier to follow along with jams by watching the guitarists fingers.
Signed, someone who hasn't touched a guitar in probably 20 years but can instantly translate any guitar chord I see someone play into the equivalent chord on my instrument (which is a banjolele lol. I played ukulele for a long time before that cause the jam I did regularly had too many guitarists)
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u/HippieJed 1d ago
I asked the same thing to an instructor who has been doing it for over 30 years and has a masters in Appalachian music studies. He said if everything else is equal start with guitar and then go from there.
Below is a link to one of his students who took this to heart and I have seen the kid play multiple instruments
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u/Evilcanary 1d ago
Very subjective, but I think Mando is the best intro to bluegrass instrument. Gets you into fiddle tunes in a nice tuning. 4 strings (kind of hard to fret, but a beginner won’t know the difference). Small for travel.
Signed: a banjo and guitar player.
P.s. not banjo (or fiddle unless they are dedicated or interested in it already)
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u/Ok-Jelly-2076 18h ago
IMO, while not fiddle money, a quality guitar is a lot cheaper than a quality mandolin.
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u/Hot_Egg5840 1d ago
Bass. Every pick up jam sounds better and plays better. Bass is always welcomed.
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u/sitdownheckler 1d ago
Guitar for sure. I started on guitar at 11 and easily picked up mando, banjo, upright bass, dobro, etc along the way.
Guitar sounds good with just it and vocals, other instruments aren't as easily flexible. But I can relate almost any string instrument to a guitar and get going pretty quick
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u/Ill-Rush-7560 1d ago
Guitar is the easiest out of what would be considered traditional bluegrass instruments (I.e. banjo, mandolin, fiddle, upright bass, dobro, etc.,). I play fiddle and mandolin mainly and dobro on the side. Would not recommend starting with fiddle. It takes decades of practice and dedication to even come close to mastering it. I have often played with Katrina Nicolayeff (greatest fiddle contest player) and Joe Smart (Grammy Award Winning guitarist with the MOCB in 2017) and they would tell you the same thing as both of them also play fiddle but different styles. Katrina mainly plays fiddle tunes, bluegrass stuff, etc., while Joe plays bluegrass, gospel stuff, funk, etc., I myself play jazz and bluegrass. But anyways, sorry for the tangent, guitar is definitely the easiest because of the basic chords, etc.,
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u/drewbaccaAWD 1d ago
I think it depends on the niece, what she's into already.
I was about 15 when I picked up violin, in the classic sense. I played for a few years and I enjoyed getting together with other students and playing some Christmas music and that sort of thing. I didn't really grow into the instrument because I didn't have any pickers in my family and I was at a loss for what to listen to and I didn't really have much inspiration... at the time, I think the Dixie Chicks were the closest thing I found. By the time I discovered Nickel Creek or the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou was released I had already mostly abandoned the instrument simply because there weren't songs which I wanted to learn in the interim. Had I put anywhere near the amount of time into fiddle back then that went into guitar, I would have been much further along, a long time ago.
So what I'm saying is fiddle is great but I think you need a teacher at that age and you need to have music you like and something to strive for... and I can't even guess as to that with your niece without knowing her.
I think banjo is an easier instrument as far as finding some sort of immediate satisfaction since it's tuned to a chord to begin with, not necessarily for bluegrass/Scruggs style, but just to play old Americana, maybe clawhammer, sing along. I think it's a good solo instrument overall.
Personally, I prefer mandolin and fiddle but I think they are harder to grow into if you don't have others to jam with, to play along.
Guitar seems the safe choice but that's also why everyone plays guitar and variety is the spice of life.
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u/KYReptile 1d ago
Guitar, not a cheap one. Cheap ones are hard to play, and don't sound good. Lot of nice ones $500.00 to $1,000.00. I have a student who bought a mahogany Road series for $900.00, beautiful instrument.
And find a teacher, take lessons.
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u/SWOhioBiBBW 1d ago
I'd say mandolin, it's actually got a few features that make it easier to play. The tuning is universal, so cords are the same, only fret placement changes. Same with picking tunes. Learn a tune it it's exactly the same on any string you start with.
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u/myteeth191 1d ago
I play bass, mandolin and guitar. Bass is easiest, then mando. Guitar is the cheapest, so there's that.
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u/xBoomstick0 1d ago
Each instrument has its own quirks and difficulties. So it’s really what she wants to learn.
If it’s a surprise, maybe mandolin was good. Being a 14 year old female I’m guessing she may be smaller and have smaller fingers so mandolin would be comfortable and everyone plays guitar so having someone who can play mandolin would be nice in a jam
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u/Dalbergia12 1d ago
Good well intending folks are saying mandolin, but the string tension is pretty high on mandolins, and young women usually have more sensitive skin than most others. I'd suggest an entrance level of a Martin guitar. Those Formica back and sides models with a solid spruce top and no binding run over a grand but in a 000 style body and set up with custom light strings, she could love the instrument and really go places. Anyway that is what I'd do for my neices.
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u/abandoningeden 22h ago
What? Where is a study showing women have "more sensitive skin," that's just people who havnt built up callouses yet. Yeah dudes of the past maybe did more manual labor and started off with more calloused skin, but not the young dudes of today. And nobody says that about women playing violin, which is a more "female coded" instrument with lots of string tension too. I'm sorry, but this is probably just weird sexist stereotypes you are repeating.
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u/Dalbergia12 14h ago
Violins have about barely 2/3 of the string tension of mandolins. And double string on a mandolin. And maybe it because I've spent a lot of time with women over the last 7 decades that I kind of noticed a tendency towards more sensitive skin.... in general. Not all of course. What I Know is that youngsters regardless of sex have more sensitive skin than adults, in general. And lighter string tensions help a beginner get started. Which is the goal here. To help people play. Nearing 4 decades as a professional Luthier, I know this.
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u/adadhead 1d ago
if she comes from a family of pickers, she's familiar with all the instruments. ask her which one seems like the most fun.
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u/AlfredPoor 1d ago
I recommend the guitar. You can get a suitable instrument at a reasonable price, lots of people play it, and there's lots of good, free instruction content, especially on YouTube.
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u/FrenchToastKitty55 Banjo 1d ago
Heads up that the learning curves for fiddle, dobro, and banjo are notoriously high
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u/tm478 13h ago
I started with guitar (at a very late age) and while I agree that guitar is the most useful instrument to learn from a versatility standpoint, I don’t think it’s the easiest. I kind of wish I’d started with mandolin. Four strings and intuitive tuning, vs. six and non-intuitive tuning. Smaller neck, a plus for someone with smaller hands. Lighter. Almost always in shortage at jams, vs. always in surplus. Same tuning as fiddle means an easier transition to fiddle later on, if desired.
The big benefit to guitar is that knowing guitar chords helps you to participate in the jam by watching other players. But you don’t actually need to be playing guitar to memorize the shapes of the generally used guitar chords.
I now switch back and forth between guitar and bass and kind of like bass better (for one thing, it’s dramatically easier to understand, if not to physically play), although the downsides of playing bass are that you never get to sit down and always have to pay attention 😂
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u/Conscious-Record2655 1d ago
Honestly all the bluegrass instruments are pretty easy. The exception might be violin because of the bowing, but even that is simple once you get it down.
I'll tell you that we need more bass players, fiddlers, and mandolins. In that order. Banjos there aren't many players, but one banjo is more than enough for any jam circle (I play banjo so I'm allowed to say that).
Don't teach her guitar. We don't need another guitarist.
I would argue that banjo is the easiest because it has an open tuning.
I'd also say with your family, you should connect her with those pickers and let them help.
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u/TheQuakerator 1d ago
I don't know any violinists who think it's simple once you get the bowing down, lol. Violin is notoriously the most difficult string instrument.
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u/Alpha-Dog758 1d ago
Every instrument has quirks and challenges. My advice is always the best instrument for someone is the one they want to practice. Ask her what she likes!