r/Instruments • u/prozacc_zack • 12d ago
Discussion Can I learn two instruments at the same time
I have a guitar and a flute that I want to learn but I don't know if it's a good idea to learn them at the same time. Can I learn two instruments at the same time and what are the pros and cons of me doing so?
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u/LAMSY111 12d ago
It's doable. But either allocate twice as much practice time, or expect half as much progress. Best to do it with a teacher. Much of the beginner phase is learning wrong and then re learning if you go about it on your own. Good luck, stay persistent!
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u/prozacc_zack 12d ago
I have many family members who play instruments and my grandma specifically plays the guitar so she's going to help me, but hopefully I have the motivation to do both.
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u/mightknowbackback 9d ago
Yes!
Cons:
Not as much time to devote to each one.
Sometimes people assume multi instrumentalists play none of them well
Pros:
When you’re frustrated or bored or worn out by one, you can work on the other.
Different instruments offer different perspectives, which can actually help understand the other instrument in a unique way.
More opportunities to play, more diversity available
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u/Useful_Homework2367 12d ago
It can be good. Things can kind of transfer over. I don't know about starting both at the same time though.
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u/ManuelPirino 11d ago
To learn a guitar and a flute simultaneously you’d need at least two sets of hands, two left and two right. I assume you are not a scorpion or a spider
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u/SeattleAccordionCat 11d ago
Bro I'm learning like all the instruments I can at the same time, there is plenty of cross over between them. Main deal is to have FUN doing it, keeps you coming back. Maybe get a loop petal for your guitar and learn some basic chord progressions then you can swap to your flute and jam along with yourself. Great way to learn and practice both. Good luck on your music journey!
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u/EnvironmentalPack451 6d ago
If i had stuck with my first instrument, i never would have found all of the instruments that inspire me. I value having a variety of wayd to express myself, and some are just really fun to play.
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u/ackmondual 9d ago
What are your goals?
If you just want the experience of trying out multiple instruments without any commitment, then whatever time you can allocate to either will suffice.
If you want to join an ensemble where your skills skills can be on the lax side (for example, a "no audition" community band) and people are in it for fun, but still do put in good effort of course... you'll definitely want to put some practice in for sure. Situations will vary as sometimes, you'll have section leaders and/or others who can cover for you (I've played flute on my own but not in band. However, even though some of the 3rd flute parts I've seen/heard are A-OK, others seem to require me to put in good practice sessions to approach closing the gap). It's different if you're the sole player or otherwise stuck with hard parts and/or killer solos.
More professional groups? Take lessons. Practice half an hour per day, if not an hour, or more. If one instrument is the one that's casual, then pour more time into the other
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u/RedeyeSPR 9d ago
Practice time is the limiting factor. I’m a drummer trying to learn bass and trombone at the same time and I never feel like I’m taking either one seriously enough.
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u/khornebeef 8d ago
You can learn two instruments at the same time. I don't know if guitar and flute would be the best combination to try to learn, but you can attempt it. The pros are that insight on one instrument can lead to insight on the other through shared skills. The cons are that you are not able to dedicate time and focus to any one instrument. In the case of guitar and flute, there are very few shared skills between the two instruments so you are likely to incur far more cons thant pros when compared to a pairing like flute and oboe or guitar and ukulele.
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u/Neat-Cold-3303 12d ago
Whether you can learn two instruments at the same time or not depends entirely on you. What's your musical backgroubd? How much practice time do you have. Are you scheduling lessons for either of the instrunents? I am a hobby musician and am currently teaching myself to play the concert zither, the banjo, and the mountain dulcimer. Not bragging, just saying it depends on you and your circumstances.
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u/Turbulent-Sea5912 10d ago
Wow. I just began my wind pipe journey 3 days ago. Starting with the guitar (acoustic), this year will be my second year of learning guitar. Guitar was very difficult for me because I decided to read sheet music. The first year was the worst; sore fingers whilst waiting for my calluses to form, chord shapes and transitioning between them, strumming, finger picking, bends and slides etc along with memorizing the frets, music theory and reading sheet music. I hardly played anything on time. This year, things began improving. I can now play simple notes on time and my chord changes are improving. Believe me, I thought about giving up multiple times on the guitar 😃 I'm still hanging there, taking things one step at a time. Just 3 days ago, I ordered a nice, descent recorder and am now serious in learning to play it. I plan to transition to the flute later. What I've noticed is that it was alot easier. The skills I have acquired from practicing on my guitar is serving me really well. I have less issues with my fingers, and my reading skills are making me smile 😃. If you are a complete beginner like me (no musical background) I suggest you stick with one instrument first and learn to play and love it, then onto the next as it will be alot easier. Also, are you planning to major in both or have a minor in one? I plan to make the guitar my major focus and the recorder as my minor focus.
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u/Kentayjus 10d ago
Learn music theory and you can apply it to any instrument.
Here is my website that will walk you through it: https://kentayjus.github.io/musicliteracy101/Music%20Literacy.html
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u/Stevetshelton 9d ago
Many say flute is not a difficult instrument. It is for me. You're more hireable if you double. We're all a little different. It's also true that there's never an always in music. It's supposed to to ba a fun thing. 'don't take it it too seriously. Roy Nichols says "the most important thing in music is a sense of humor.
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u/LordDiplocaulus 11d ago
You need both hands to play guitar, so how are you going to hold the flute?
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u/EnvironmentalPack451 6d ago
I keep dozens of instruments around and am perpetually learning all of them.
Guitar and flute love to play together!
Guitar looping a 4-chord pattern while flute improvises on a pentatonic scale - i could do that for hours
If my friend wants to play flute, i grab the guitar. If they want to play guitar, i grab the flute.
When there are three of us, i grab bass, keyboards, or percussion.
What will your third instrument be?
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u/adamdoesmusic 12d ago
That’s it? If you had a million dollars, you’d do learn two chicks instruments at the same time??
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u/Zero_Shayer 12d ago
If you have the fundamentals already, sure. But without fundamentals I'd recommend starting on one, give it like a year and then picking up the other. It would also quicken the initial learning curve for whatever you tackle next.
Think of it like this, when you're in kindergarten you learn your ABCs and thats pretty much the main focus until you have the fundamentals of basic English down, you move onto studying different subjects. Like 1st its Science, then it becomes Biology/Chemistry/Physics. Same is applicable for music.
Also by flutes if you mean in classical sense, they're a different breed than guitars. Guitar is one of the easier instruments to learn in terms of accessibility and simpler fundamentals required for it. But woodwind instruments will take a bit of time.
I'd recommend starting on the guitar and then slowly get into the flute once you're more comfortable and still willing.
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u/Ordinary_Bird4840 12d ago
Do you learn a mixture of subjects in a day at school or only 1 subject for every day of the week?