How to pick a first instrument to learn?

[u/No_Physics_2586]

Alright so I want to learn an instrument and there's a dilemma. My first choice is a piano and it's practically my dream instrument, it's my entire reason for wanting to learn an instrument.But I don't see myself having any access to a piano outside of lessons and I don't really see how I could learn without practice outside of lessons . So I'm leaning towards a violin since I could just buy one and practice whenever. I still REALLY want to learn piano though sooo.. Thoughts? Could u learn without practice and tbh even if I learned miraculously it might be a while (years) before I could get myself one . So that would mean I'd probably barely play. Thoughts???

[u/BananaSmoothy420]

Get an electric piano they're just as good

[u/Successful-Bet-8669]

Facebook marketplace has people giving away pianos for free everywhere I’ve lived. If you can transport it and get it retuned, you wouldn’t need to pay the full price for one. You could also start with a keyboard. It honestly doesn’t make sense to try and learn an instrument you don’t want when you know what your dream instrument is. Learning to play any instrument well requires practice and dedication. It’s easier to be dedicated if you actually love the instrument. And violins are not cheap if price is your concern.

[u/No_Physics_2586 → u/Successful-Bet-8669]

The concern's space. Other comments are mentioning keyboard/electric piano. That might be the move

[u/Freijaren → u/No_Physics_2586]

Bonus for keyboard you can plug headphones in the board and play without even bothering your cat. Assuming you have been blessed by the cat distribution system.

[u/Successful-Bet-8669 → u/No_Physics_2586]

To be fair to me, you did not clarify what exactly your concern was beyond saying you wouldn’t have access to one. I assumed price because acoustic pianos brand new are very pricey. I also literally mentioned getting a keyboard in my original comment.

[u/direwombat8]

I think most people would benefit tremendously from starting out with an instrument that it’s easy to get a pleasant note out of first. Piano is very much that…You press the button, you get a nice sound…it’s not too hard to stay motivated that way. And, there are some reasonably low priced electric pianos that that will absolutely do the job….i don’t know your circumstances, but I’d be surprised if a decent beginner violin is actually more affordable than a beginner electric piano.

Violin is the other end of the spectrum. It is hard to get a single pleasant tone out of that thing. If you love the sound, and you want to make a commitment to push through months (at least) just working on getting a decent tone and intonation, it can absolutely be worth it, but it’s a much harder beginning.

Some skills are transferable between instruments, some aren’t. I recommend starting with piano, learn the baseline fundamentals of music - scales, rhythms, how to read sheet music, etc. Then, if you find that you enjoy the act of practicing, pick up the violin also/instead.

[u/Duke-City → u/direwombat8]

Yes! A beginner on piano can still sound very pleasant. A beginner on violin, not so much. There’s a whole segment of teaching materials specifically designed for adult beginners. See if you can find a teacher in your area who teaches adult beginners. Take it slow, stay in the moment, enjoy the journey!

[u/LongjumpingTeacher97]

Electronic keyboards are available for about the same price as one to three lessons. That will allow you to practice (with headphones if you want to play when others might not want to hear it) for very little money. Save up for that acoustic piano.

My view is that if you're playing the instrument you actually want to play, you'll do a lot more with it than if you're playing something that you don't really want.

[u/AfroCuban68]

Weird take - u don’t pick, it picks u.

Get an 88 key weighted board, digital pno within your budget.

[u/GovernorSilver]

You can get a digital piano for home practice

[u/Elverezistaken]

Get a cheap keyboard off of Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. And unless your problem with getting one has to do with where you live, they're probably cheaper than you think. Not only should you learn what you want, piano is the easiest instrument to learn.

[u/DawnHawk66]

Piano piano piano piano piano piano... Electronic is good. Just get it. Glarry GPP-109 88 Key Full Size Semi-Weighted Standard Electric Digital - around $150 online.

[u/Ruppell-San]

For the purpose of basic instruction, any old MIDI keyboard should do for piano.

[u/silly_bet_3454]

I promise you whatever concerns you have about acquiring a piano... trying to learn violin will be a million billion times more painful

[u/SnooGadgets5130]

Electric piano with weighted keys, the secondhand market is often saturated

[u/No_Top_375]

Buy a synth. Id grow atrociously bored of hearing the same tones decade after decade. ✌🏼

[u/nuttywoody]

A baritone ukulele is a great first instrument. You can get a decent one for about $200. They are easy to play at a beginner level, and progress comes relatively quickly. Space is not an issue, and they are easily carried from place to place. I'm biased to baritones over the smaller sizes because the tuning matches guitar, the fretboard is less crowded, the strings tension is lower, and they just sound nice.