Easy instrument to learn

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Uncle Phil
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 07:06 PM

Claves

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 07:09 PM

A good friend once made the comment to me " The BEST violinist in the world has never seen a violin" - Which rather baffled me , till he explained - WHEN he sees a violin , he will learn to play and BE the best ever "!
Moral is , try as MANY instruments as you can , and eventually you will find the one that is right for you .

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Rowan
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 07:57 PM

Mo, as a caller and as a session player, surely you would have seen and heard a wide variety of instruments. I'd imagine you'd steer clear of winds if recorders gave you enough problems to consider changing and the only other clues you've given are ease of learning and lack of intrusion; there's no hint of whether you want to broaden the sessions you play in or develop melodically, tonally (with different registers or timbres) or harmonically for yourself as well as in the sessions.   Given you had some piano skills in the past, if there's no other keyboard player in the session, why not noodle around on one of those smaller electronic keyboards with the volume turned down so that your sounds are supporting what's going on? While not as inexpensive as some already mentioned, they're often not as expensive as others already mentioned and a good player can transform sessions in many different genres.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Stringsinger
Date: 17 Nov 07 - 09:46 PM

Autoharp. Press down and play. Pretty chords. You can sing with it too.

Uke. Four string. Basic chords. Transferable to guitar.

Any instrument is hard to play well.

Frank

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 07:46 AM

it doesnt matter what ya pick up....nothing is easy
you have to work work and work at it....

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Mo the caller
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 12:58 PM

Maybe I'll stick with what I've got. I'm happy with the fact that it's just a melody instrument and I don't need to worry about the chords. It's just that everyone else seems to start with whistles or recorders and move on.
And I haven't been practising much lately.
All the others are Yes, But... instruments. I never could play a mouth organ, and I can't imagine having to work out which hand to use for which note for an English concertina. I rather liked the bowed psaltery, but I bet they need a lot of tuning. A melodean was suggested, but I wouldn't want something that didn't have all the notes. Etc, etc.
Thanks everyone. Shaky egg may be my best bet. I've got a frog, for when they play the frog tune at Audlem.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Fliss
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 01:22 PM

Recorders sound great, you dont need to move on. They are a real instruments. My friend Pat started recorder lessons at about 55, now at 61 she has just joined a recorder group and is loving it.

I took up concertina again at 51 and now at 58 I can hold my own in sessions.

We have a great practice session on Sunday mornings where beginners and returners and the session shy can work on tunes and have a tea or coffee and a chat. Yesterday we played for the switching on of the Christmas lights - in the warm at the community centre.

Having fun is the key.
cheers
fliss

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Tootler
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 07:17 PM

I have been playing recorder regularly for more than 25 years, though mostly in more classical settings. It is a good session instrument and though I have been learning to play flute more recently I always take a descant recorder to sessions and will usually play it, if only to give my arms a rest from holding the flute. I prefer to play recorder than whistle.

One way to move on with recorder is to get a tenor. It has a mellow tone and is very useful to have if there are too many whistles in the session. The tenor is excellent for playing slow airs. You do need to get used to the stretch, though they tend not to be as bad as low whistles in that respect.

I took my bass recorder to Folkworks summer school this year and it went down really well. I used it in a band for accompanying singing. where it really helped the texture of the accompaniment.

If you can't manage a mouth organ, then forget melodeon or anglo concertina. I am happy with "suck blow" instruments but they are not for everyone.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: TheSnail
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 07:33 PM

Tootler

If you can't manage a mouth organ, then forget melodeon or anglo concertina.

I really have to contest that. I can grasp the principle of melodeon and anglo and I think I could make a reasonable go of them if I had the time (so many instruments, so many tunes, not enough fingers) but with the mouth organ all I get is a mouthful of notes; tunes are impossible.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Tootler
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 07:47 PM

Snail

Is your problem with the mouth organ that you get different notes on the push and pull, or is it focussing your mouth on a single hole to get a single note for playing melodies?

If it's the former (or both), then I suggest you will have problems with the anglo or melodeon as they both operate on the same principle.

If it's the latter, then it is possible that you will cope with anglo or melodeon as each button just plays one note - with the exception of the basses on the melodeon, half of which actually play chords.

If it helps, you need to recognise that the layout of the notes on the harmonica enables you to get a selection of chords (or partial chords) related to the key of the harmonica, enabling an accompaniment to be played - so the noises you get are not entirely random.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: TheSnail
Date: 18 Nov 07 - 08:16 PM

I'm OK with the push and pull, or at least, understand the principle sufficiently that I think I could get there with practice, it's the focusing on a single note that I can't do, I get a major + 9th + 11th +13th (and a few others) whatever I do. I just wanted to point out that failure to do that didn't exclude anglo concertina or melodeon where you can push one button.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Mo the caller
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 05:30 AM

I've got a treble and tenor recorder, just don't play them much.
The treble is a wooden Schott that an aunt and 3 cousins clubbed together to buy for my 21st, years ago. I fancied it to play the Alto line, since that is what I sing, but that's not how the dots are written and I didn't fancy transposing, even an octave. So I've never got to the stage where I can play reliably from the dots without having to think about it (or shifting unpredictably into descant fingering).
I bought an Aulos plastic tenor a few years back, but I am very slow on it, and I can't play it by ear.
Yes I know, I should be practising instead of whinging.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: JeZeBeL
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 11:37 AM

Somebody incinuated that the Bodhran is an easy instrument to play.

I would like to correct that statement....

It is easy to Bash/beat/hit a bodhran, but it is not easy to play a bodhran.

If oyu want to bash one....take it to a football match!!!!

Jez
(A very proud Bodhran PLAYER)

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 08:37 PM

I have an old Schott alto too - mine is a "Concert" from c.1980 (pearwood? maple?) which a friend of mine gave me as she wasn't using it any more. It looks like a cheap school model with its crude streamlined shape and grotty brown varnish like 1950s Danish Modern furniture, but its intonation is dead on and it's got a terrifically focused sound, cuts through almost anything.

Sightreading different pitches of recorder isn't hard. Just do a lot of sightreading with the alto *only* for a while - three weeks should do it. Then reintroduce the C recorder again and learn to switch between them. After a couple of weeks of that, adding other instrument pitches is easy.

I don't do much sightreading with F recorders these days (mostly C and G pitches) but I can pick it up again instantly when I have to.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 19 Nov 07 - 09:48 PM

OK, a GENERAL level statement here....

Many instruments, including the violin, are "easy to get a sound out of", but - as my father used to say, 'difficult to play well'...

:-)

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: johnnyforde
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 11:00 AM

who said the bodhran was an instrument????????

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: GUEST,strad
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 11:35 AM

The bodhran bucks up your feet. Or was that Odour eaters?

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: Fliss
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 04:58 PM

Agree bodhran is not as easy as it looks. Bones are even worse. I just cant coordinate to play them at all.

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: lefthanded guitar
Date: 20 Nov 07 - 05:30 PM

Guitar ..thsomeone once said it's the easiest instrument to play badly the hardest to play well.

Kazoo.

Dulcimer.

Kareoke.



Mandolin I'm gonna try it next so I hope it's easy.

Whatever you do- DON'T TRY BANJO. IT's harder than you think

Subject: RE: Easy instrument to learn
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 21 Nov 07 - 12:45 PM

Something you might want to think about.

Worst case scenario:
If you decide to play an instrument because it has a reputation of being "easy to learn," all the musicians you play with will be aware of that reputation.

You will be considered a musical wuss who is afraid to try to play a "real" instrument.
It will be assumed that you have no musical ability or taste.
You will not be made welcome.

Maybe you won't notice that you are a pariah and have lots of fun.
Maybe not.

Russ (permanent GUEST who has been there and done that)