Simple Guides To Choose Your First Musical Instrument

What is a Musical Instrument?

A musical instrument is any device/object that can produce a unique sound and belongs to strings, wind, keyboards, electronic, or percussion type. The user who plays the musical instrument is called an instrumentalist or a player of a certain instrument such as a pianist, guitarist, bassist, and drummer.

Besides the common instrument like piano, flute, and guitar, a home appliance such as a set of frying pans can produce unique musical sounds when you hit them in a rhythmic pattern which makes them in the percussion category of the musical instrument.

Now you understand the basics of musical instruments, here are a few pointers you should understand before deciding on which instrument to start playing.

Tips on Choosing a Musical Instrument for Beginners

1. Choose Your Genre

Decide what genre of music you like, the most! Do you like the bluesy sound of Jazz? Or do you fancy the rhythmic beat of Hip-Hop? What about the angelic sound of an orchestra or the raspy sounds of a Rock and Roll band? Once you’ve decided which genre you prefer, do research on what kind of instruments are played in these musical genres. For example, a rock and roll band mainly consists of an electric guitar player, a drummer, a bass player, and a lead vocal, so that will narrow your choice to three musical instruments: Electric Guitar, Drums, or Bass.

2. The Musical Instrument Sound

So, you’ve picked your favorite genre of music and researched the different musical instruments involved. What instrument sound do you like most? In a Jazz band, do you like the way the soft piano sounds or the bright saxophone tine? Do you see yourself as the drummer in a Rock and Roll band or the guitarist in a pop band?

From these questions, you should be able to have a clearer idea of what instruments you prefer and have them jotted down. Narrow it down to at least two instruments.

3. Experiment with Each Musical Instrument

It’s time to test it out. Go to a music store and hold the instruments in your hands. Beat on the drums, strum the guitar’s strings, and play the piano. Which one feels more natural and fun? If you know someone who plays one of these instruments, let them come along and play something for you to give you a glimpse of what it will look like when you play the instrument.

For your information, our Tai Seng showroom has the majority of musical instruments that you can freely try. You can schedule an appointment HERE.

4. Start With the Easiest Musical Instrument

According to many experienced musicians, there are three commonly known musical instruments, guitar, drums, and piano. The Piano came up on top of the three as the easiest musical instrument to learn. The reason is that piano skills can be learned starting from the earliest age (some even started from 2 years old), and often they found it as a joyful activity. Next, we have Drums and followed by Guitar. This way, you will have an organized pattern before deciding which one to focus on.

5. Go for Music Trial Classes

You could start by signing up for a few music trial classes first. If piano happens to appeal to you, then you’re in for a treat! Many places; for example TMW Music School; offer piano trial classes so you can expect yourself to be hitting the notes marvelously in no time. If you feel energized, excited, and amped up after your first class, you’ve discovered the right instrument for you!

Is Buying an Expensive Musical Instrument Necessary?

Not necessary, remember you can always start with the cheap one (e.g a beginner portable keyboard piano), or buy a second-hand guitar. You can invest in good-quality instruments that are worthy of recording or stage performance once you’ve spent a lot of time on them and advanced your techniques.

The baseline is you need an instrument that speaks to you, that feels natural in your hands, and the sound that you love the most which makes you keep on experimenting and practicing a lot.

Hopefully, these tips can give you more understanding before choosing your first musical instrument. If you still need guidance from the pro, don’t hesitate to reach our team by filling the form below.