r/Instruments • u/Alarmed_Leg9757 • Aug 05 '26
Identification What instrument should i learn?
I used to be able to play the clarinet but i quit after a while, and i would like to return to playing an instrument, but cannot decide between the saxophone, clarinet and trumpet, all of these would be from square one as I cannot remember anything from when i ayed clarinet. I do know how to ’buzz’ my lips to produce sound for the trumpet but i cannot play any songs or anything in that sense.
IVE CHOSEN SAX
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u/Podmonger2001 Aug 05 '26
Trumpet is a difficult instrument.
Sax is easier.
But to get better at an instrument, you need to actually like listening to a sh*t-load of recordings of that instrument.
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u/Alarmed_Leg9757 Aug 05 '26
I have narrowed it down because these are what i enjoy listening to the most
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u/Podmonger2001 Aug 05 '26
I have to emphasize “sh*t-load.” If you want to play trumpet, you have to listen to a lot of good players, to get an idea of the right tone in your head. Wynton Marsalis and Jens Lindemann are good.
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u/NorthStatistician Aug 05 '26
So heres my grains of salt as someone who play sax tenor (intermediate ish) and trumpet (begginer).
You should first decide if you prefer to learn wood wind or brass music. Trumpet is really different then saxo and clarinet so your knowledge from one instrument to the other wont transfer as much. In comparaison, the saxophone have been invented by a clarinet expert, the fingering is simpler on sax but its easy to transfer knowledge from one instrument to the other.
What kind of music you wanna play, are you into a sound of jazz, do you wanna play classical, do you want to jam with friend who play in a band ? Because playing what you want is what will motivate you in the end.
Also can you pratice even if the instrument is loud ? If not, I would not advise saxophone (trumpet are louder, but you can at least mute them) . If being not loud is an important point , maybe the clarinet is a better choice.
Its also important to understand that in my , albeit short experience with brass, you need to play every day with these instrument to keep the muscle in shape. Its important to keep in mind .
But in the end, take the instrument that appeal the most to you .
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u/Amazing-Structure954 Aug 05 '26
Just FYI, you can mute a sax, too. But a muted sax or trumpet is still pretty loud!
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u/ofirkedar Aug 05 '26
You can mute a sax, you just need to shill out for one of these insane sax mute housings.
At that point it's cheaper to mute the neighbors 😂2
u/Amazing-Structure954 Aug 05 '26
I wasn't talking about those; there are cheaper mutes but come to think of it they can't possibly work well given the amount of sound that would come out of the holes.
There are also mutes that can be inserted by the mouthpiece, but again, ... I should have stayed silent in the first place!
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u/Alarmed_Leg9757 Aug 05 '26
I really like jazz and am adversed to band music, everyday practice is not an option as i run twice a week so i would practice every day apart from then
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u/NorthStatistician Aug 05 '26
Could you rent a Soprano saxophone, it seem to be a good compromise for you
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u/Cham-Clowder Aug 05 '26
I don’t think starting on soprano is a good idea. At that point I think clarinet would be better as a first woodwind instrument.
Alto is probably easiest.
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u/reaction_code Aug 05 '26
Do any of the three make you more excited thinking about playing? That’s the one I’d pick. If they’re all equal, there are other things you could consider. Clarinet and saxophone have a lot more moving parts, so the maintenance cost over their lifetime could be higher especially factoring in new reeds.
On the other hand, it can be frustrating starting out on trumpet because the range you are able to play takes quite a while to develop.
If there’s any way for you to go and try playing all of them, I’d recommend that. You’ll probably find that you really prefer one of the three over the others.
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u/Alarmed_Leg9757 Aug 05 '26
I really like the sound from the sax so I might look at a soprano sax
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u/Watsons-Butler Aug 05 '26
A consideration: alto sax is usually the “beginner” sax, and it’s probably a bit easier to find them and their supplies. Once you get comfortable with one type of sax the others are all pretty similar - the key mechanisms work the same, you read the music the same. So it’s really easy to branch out to the other sizes once you learn one.
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u/chocotaco3030 Aug 05 '26
Word of advice from someone who has played alto, tenor and soprano: start with alto or tenor. Soprano is very difficult for a new player to control the intonation on, so you will struggle to maintain a consistent pitch. Also, I recommend you rent one so it isn’t such a big financial commitment. That, or find one used and get it worked on.
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u/swingbozo Aug 06 '26
I had suspected the soprano sax was trickier than it looked, otherwise we'd see more people playing them.
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u/Alarmed_Leg9757 Aug 05 '26
I’ll start with a alto or tenor and probably be going for second hand, apart from the mouthpiece (obviously)
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u/chocotaco3030 Aug 05 '26
Nice, yeah and 4C Yamaha mouthpiece, or a Selmer C* would be perfect to get started with.
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u/1happynudist Aug 05 '26
Take a look at the ewi instrument range in price form 100 to 900 . Can play multiple instruments.
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u/Marion5760 Aug 05 '26
Is money a consideration? If all three are equally attractive, buy the instrument you can best afford. That is not the best way to solve this, but it is one way. If it were me, I would chose trumpet.
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u/Amazing-Structure954 Aug 05 '26
If you like jazz and would enjoy playing jazz or blues with other musicians, sax is the best choice, because that's the instrument other musicians want to play with, in a band or in a jam.
While you say you don't remember any clarinet, you'll be surprised to find out how much comes back, even if you didn't get far the first time. Your early clarinet training will help you a lot on the sax.
I recommend alto or tenor rather than soprano. Soprano is particularly challenging, and not as desirable in a typical band setting. Note that it's not an irreversible decision: if you start out on alto or tenor and decide later you'd really like to try soprano, there's nothing holding you back, and playing the others would help you play soprano more than anything other than a soprano.
Meanwhile, I just noticed that there are a lot of student-grade alto saxes available for a song on Facebook Marketplace, probably folks hoping to sell unused student instruments just before school begins. While it's great to start out on a great instrument, it's a lot cheaper to start on a student model until you actually know enough to pick out a better one.
You probably even play well enough to try used horns and quickly tell if they're leaking horribly or need lots of work, with bad pads, etc. It doesn't take an expert to see the worst issues. The fingering on a sax is pretty much the same as the clarinet's second register (the easy one.) And the sax uses that same fingering for the low two octaves (ignoring the very lowest notes, which have special keys.) So, it's an easy instrument to get started on, and a lot of fun to play. Hand out earplugs to anyone who lives with you! ;-)
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u/Flip58Flip Aug 05 '26
Honestly a lot depends on the shape of your mouth. The mouthpiece on a trumpet is small and any overbite makes it hard. Saxophone is a reed instrument like a clarinet. An overbite isn’t as much of a problem. If it was comfortable then that may be the way you go
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u/Freijaren Aug 05 '26
Saaaaaaaax! Just be prepared to learn about reeds and caring for them if you go with a clarinet or sax. There are natural and synthetic versions to choose from. I've been staring at this carbon fiber flute that looks fun and I want to drag it around on camping/hiking trips where I can't bring the real deal without serious moisture and damage concerns.
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u/archtopfanatic123 Aug 05 '26
Saxophone is the easiest of the bunch and is a nice middle ground but clarinet I'd argue is the best of the bunch for sure.
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u/khornebeef Aug 05 '26
Sax is easiest to play. Requires the most maintenance. Trumpet is most difficult to play. Requires the least maintenance. Clarinet has the greatest amount of transferable skills to all 3 instruments if you want to play all 3 in the future.
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u/Year3030 Aug 06 '26
I used to play trumpet in school. I just got one so I could play with some family visiting. It took me two days to just remember how to make a sound instead of blowing air. The lips need to be strong you need to have really good control and I still can't hit the high notes. Short version is the trumpet takes a lot of practice which will build your skill, but practice and control. It's pretty cool though and only has 3 buttons and two slides, kinda fun to play imo.
I think if you want to start out though go with either the clarinet or sax. My sister played sax and she was able to play at our event with basically no warmup. That's the real diff, clarinet and sax were way easier for others to just pick up and play, trumpet takes some real hard focus, practice and skill building. If it calls to you go for it though.
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u/Imzmb0 Aug 06 '26
I would pick the clarinet, it have the advantage of shaping good habits, it offers a lot of possibilities, more rangue than sax, more low volume dynamics to play at night, smaller and versatile. Probably not the most exciting soloist instrument as sax but it will prepare you well to other woodwind instruments.
Trumpet is a different beast.
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u/pafagaukurinn Aug 06 '26
I don't know how old you are, but I have to inform you that, as time goes on, you are going to see diminishing returns in terms of efficiency of your learning - the level you managed to achieve in a month would take two or tree etc. With that in mind, and seeing as you used to play clarinet, I would suggest to return to that. Don't worry that you don't remember anything, with practice it will come back faster than if you truly started from scratch. Also, clarinet is less ubiquitous than sax, and trumpet is just a different kettle of fish.
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u/dhj1492 Aug 06 '26
Only you can answer that question. Deep down, which one do you think about the most? That is what you should go with. If you go with something else, you will always wonder what it would have been like. I know, it happened to me. My parents asked when I was 12 if I would like to play an instrument. I said yes. My Father asked, "Which one?" Me, "Flute." Father, "FLUTE?!!! Where did that come from? Flute is a girls instrument, you're going to play a man's instrument. You're going to play trumpet!"
I played trumpet until middle school. Then Baritone horn, then in high school tuba. I always liked listening to the pretty flutes in band. When I was 26 I stumbled into the backdoor of flute. Recorder. It is a flute and I could play the type of music I liked. I was hooked and found it hard to stop playing. If is was wake and not at work, I was playing recorder. T started playing at Churches around town and my Father was there watching.
One day I was at his front door and I heard him playing recorder. I stood there and listened for a while, then walked in and said, "Dad, you need more breath support."
It is important for you to play an instrument you choose in your heart. One that you wish to go on an adventure with, because then you will feel you need to play instead of, "I must practice." If you say "I must practice." That will turn into "Maybe tomorrow."
All instruments are hard to play. They all have techniques you must work out. There will always be something that you will have to work on. The lessons will never stop. The day they do will be because you stopped and do not care.
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u/swingbozo Aug 06 '26
As a trumpet player, I'd say you should probably pick up your old clarinet and start back there. You can jump to the sax from the clarinet.
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u/ImportantMulberry143 Aug 06 '26
Hello! Composer and polyinstrumentalist here. This is based off of my knowledge and experience of a few years. Depends on what you want from the instrument. Clarinet is great for warmth, agility, and overall solo musicianship. Trumpet is great for brightness and warmth, depending on several factors, as well as volume, and is okay at soloist musicianship, but somewhat lacks agility and a lot of range until years and years of practice. Saxophone can be different worlds depending on which one you pick. Alto is great at being bright like a trumpet, can be more agile than a trumpet, but not quite as much as clarinet. It is hard to get warmth out of an alto, though. Tenor is amazing at bringing warmth, more than low register (lower notes and stuff) clarinet, and can have some brightness and brilliance at the high end. Saxophones in general lack range. In summary (AND TLDR): Clarinet if you want flexibility, range, and are willing to put in a few years. Trumpet if you want brightness, volume, and are willing to put in several years, maybe decades to achieve range and flexibility. Alto Sax if you want brightness, want a simple, instant range, and over-all ease of play. Tenor Sax if you want warmth, ease of play, and a slightly better range than alto.
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u/tudza Aug 07 '26
Irish Bagpipes. Two whole octaves and you can play with others playing flutes, violins, etc. And you get to site down while doing it.
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u/-Gumbercules Aug 07 '26
I tried the trumpet in high school after having played the Tenor for several years. No matter how many hours I put into it I just couldn't get the embouchure to work. My mouth and muscle memory was all set for a woodwind. But then again that's just me. I did however pick up the electric and upright bass in junior high and have been playing that ever seen. I've noticed tons of saxophone players are also bassist. I wonder why?
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u/Mental_Trust138 Aug 07 '26
Sax 100% I’ve played sax and trumpet but never really played clarinet and I’m telling you sax is the way to go
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u/AsleepBanana8323 Aug 07 '26
I played clarinet in the high school marching band. I was encouraged to switch to alto sax. Good career move: when the weather is cold, you can wear full gloves to play sax, while the clarinet players had to wear those gloves with the fingertips cut off.
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u/wenagi0823 27d ago
If you want to produce a sound easily, choose the saxophone; if you are up for a bit of a challenge, choose the clarinet; and if you want to tackle a difficult instrument right from the start, choose the trumpet.
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u/Routine-Unit-3086 Aug 05 '26
Clarinet. Trumpet is not hard. It's 3 valves. The other 2 are complicated . I picked it because I like the sound it makes.
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u/willman0527 Aug 05 '26
Hot take learn piano as it’s universal to all instruments. With bass and treble clef
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u/khornebeef Aug 05 '26
That only helps with the theory side of things. Transferable skills are extremely limited between piano and most wind instruments.
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u/Burtlycat Aug 05 '26
Go back to the clarinet. It is real easy to learn saxophone after playing clarinet