Our guide to the 10 easiest, most practical musical instruments to learn and play
Many of us would love to learn an instrument. But is the slog worth the result? And how much screeching will we have to put up with before we produce a reasonable sound?
Although these are big, philosophical questions, we can help you find some kind of answer. That’s because in the world of music, all things were not created equal, and some instruments are definitely easier to master than others. Or at least, easier to get to a half-decent level.
Here is our list of the ten easiest instruments.
Easiest musical instruments to learn
1.Ukulele
Affordable, lightweight, yet robust, with only four strings (as opposed to the guitar’s six), the ukulele is perhaps the easiest of the string instruments.
You can use it to play music in pretty much any genre. Plus, it has the same number of strings as the violin, making it a great precursor to learning to play its harder, screechier, cousin.
2. Guitar
While not everybody will be the next Julian Bream, mastering a few beginner chords on the guitar is fairly straightforward. And so is finding an instrument in the first place, given that you can get a six-stringer for as little as £10.99 on Amazon. Those who want more of a challenge can graduate onto a 12-string guitar, or even an electric guitar. But that’s another discussion for another time.
3. Recorder
You might shudder at the memory of school recorder group, but the recorder can sound beautiful. Really, it can!
One of the easiest instruments to learn by ear – and one of the most difficult to break, even if you were trying – the recorder is a fantastic introduction to rhythm and musicality. And given that it’s not technically difficult, it frees up your mind to focus on the quality of sound. Or at least, that’s one way of looking at things.
4. Harmonica
The huge advantage you have with the harmonica is that any note you play will be in key. That, plus, of course, the fact that you can carry it around in your pocket. The downside is that you’ll rarely (ok, probably never) be asked to join a symphony orchestra. But if blues and jazz are your thing, then the harmonica is a great beginner’s instrument.
5. Piano
The prospect of playing with two hands simultaneously can be daunting. But the big head start you have with the piano is that it’s impossible to play out of tune – unless, of course, the instrument itself needs tuning, but at least that’s nothing to do with your skills as a musician.
Plus, because all its notes are laid out in front of you, the piano is a good introduction to music theory, allowing you to visualise note and chord spacing in a way that can be rather elusive on other instruments.
6. Drums
You’ll need nice neighbours, but learning the drums cuts out a whole layer of complexity, ie note learning. Of course, it takes serious rhythmic chops to get really good. Still, mastering basic pop or rock beats is fairly easy, and wonderfully cathartic.
7. Harp
You’d think this was one of the most difficult instruments you could learn. After all, it has about a gazillion strings. But actually, at entry level, the harp is one of the easier string instruments, given that it has no fretting and requires no bowing. Plus it makes a pleasant sound straight away. That said, there are a couple of flies in the ointment, including the nuisance factor of schlepping it around.
8. Flute
Although it can be tricky at first to learn how to blow into the instrument properly, flute fingerings are surprisingly simple to learn, meaning that you can make progress fairly quickly. Also, the flute uses the same positions as the soprano recorder that many of us will remember from school.
9. Clarinet
As with the flute, getting a sound out in the first place is one of the hardest parts of learning the clarinet. Plus, there’s that whole business with the reed, and you know how exercised wind players can get about their reeds. However, the fingering system is pretty logical and the sound itself easier to control than it is on many other woodwind instruments. And what a gorgeous sound it is.
10. Voice
It may not be such an obvious choice, or perhaps it’s the most obvious, depending on how you look at it. But your voice is certainly one of the most practical instruments to learn. You don’t have to buy it in a shop, or worry about somebody nicking it.
You don’t need to book an extra seat on a plane for it, or fret about whether its dimensions will comply with Ryanair regulations. You don’t even need the best of instruments: with a bit of training, anyone can improve their vocal quality and technique. And whether the result sounds celestial or merely passable, you can still get enormous pleasure out of it.