Thread: Is there anything....

Hi,

I really want to start an instrument, namely brass or woodwind I think, I've previously tried my hand at guitar but I just couldn't get on with the fiddlyness of the strings/frets.

So if anyone could help that would be great, because my problem is:

I want something woodwind/brass BUT i'd prefer it if it could remain more.. Personal to me?

I'd rather not have to have everyone in my neighbourhood listening to me playing (and lets face it when you begin to play you play awfully anyway... Well I do lol)

So yeah, any advice or tips or anything you guys and gals can offer would be greatly appreciated

Thanks.

First off, what background on music fundamentals do you have? Even though wind instruments look relatively simple compared to stringed instruments, they still can be daunting to learn how to play on your own. I would say that one instrument perfect for beginners in terms of cost and ease would be the Irish tin whistle. While most of the basic tunes are very simple, the wide use of ornaments helps to develop new ways of playing the melody.

You'll be hard-pressed to play a brass instrument without some neighbors hearing! But, maybe you would like to listen to some music of various instruments to see which ones interest you. I'd say these are the most common winds in a wind band (most have related members like the piccolo or cornet):

flute*
oboe/bassoon
clarinet*
saxophone
trumpet/cornet*
trombone*
french horn
tuba/euphonium

The starred instruments are ones that my middle school offered to beginner students because the others are usually less numerous (and often more expensive) and can be played better with prior knowledge.

Think also about getting lessons for playing whatever instrument you choose (except maybe the tin whistle) because bad habits are very hard to "unlearn".

Definitely flute.

I have two nieces and the daughter of an old friend, all of whom play flute.

A great starter isntrument and because it is monotone it makes the learning to read part a little more straightforward than, say, a piano.

Or do what I did & rescue a trombone from the local recycling dump!
Mind you the neighbours are pretty far away chez moi!

The Flute is a good starter but is really a bit limited away from classical and folk, not very good for Jazz, R&R, and its sound does carry, a good solo instrument and very easy to play badly, I play the flute (used to play) you can progress very quickly but for all that I would go for Clarinet which is so versatile, or why limit your self to one instrument?
And if you want to get up your neighbors nose yeh, get a T Bone

my main reasoning was that cheap flutes are generally better quality than cheap clarinets...
otherwise 100% with you.
Plus fingering on a flute is a little more er shall we say rational?

I suggest you stick with the guitar. You'll get over that hump with the fiddlyness.

Originally Posted by peterpoesantos

I suggest you stick with the guitar. You'll get over that hump with the fiddlyness.

What are you referring to when you say fiddlyness