Instrument Choices
Would you love to play an instrument but are unsure which one? Take a look here!
Clarinet
The Clarinet is a lovely, mellow sounding instrument that is played with a reed on the mouthpiece. It has a really big range, from deep velvety notes to really high edgy sounds!
There are lots of different types of Clarinet, ranging from the huge Bass instrument to the tiny E Flat but the one most commonly played is the B Flat Clarinet.
The volume produced by this instrument isn't as loud as that of the Saxophone, which makes it a bit more neighbour friendly!
The Clarinet can be challenging to play because there are different finger patterns for every octave. You also have to seal the holes with your own fingers rather than there being a key to press to do it. Once mastered though it is an incredibly rewarding instrument!
The Clarinet has a bit of an old fashioned image, not helped by the buskers on the streets playing only Trad Jazz! The Clarinet does also sound great playing Swing and Blues, Rock, Classical and Pop music too! So help me to spread the word that the Clarinet is one of the coolest instruments to play!
Saxophone
The Saxophone is a very bold and funky instrument! Like the Clarinet this is also played with a reed on the mouthpiece.
There are many different Saxophones to choose from, ranging from the large Baritone to the small Soprano. The Saxophone most regularly played is the Alto.
The Saxophone has a smaller range of notes to learn than the Clarinet but makes up for it with extra volume and attitude!
Although they are much larger in size than the Clarinet, Saxophones are actually a lot easier to grasp! The finger patterns are the same in the first 2 octaves, just a few extras to learn with the highest and lowest notes. To seal the holes you have keys to press making it a lot easier to play the notes.
A lot of the challenge with the Saxophone is getting a good sound as you need to apply the correct amount of lip and air pressure to achieve this. The instrument is also quite big and heavy, needing a neck strap for extra support.
Once you get comfortable with it the Saxophone is incredibly fun to play! It sounds really great not only playing Jazz, Popular and Funk styles but Classical music too! So give it a go and impress your friends!
Piano
The Piano is a beautiful sounding instrument that has so much potential, the choices of what you can play are endless!
As the keys are weighted you can produce many different tones from soft and gentle to loud, dramatic and fierce! All of your fingers have a part to play, also your feet if you have pedals to use!
You can choose from the traditional Upright, Grand (if you have a large instrument budget!) or Electric Pianos and Clavinovas. The advantage of getting an electric instrument is that you will never need to get somebody to come to tune it when it starts to sound a bit dicey! You can also learn Piano on an Electronic Keyboard, which is great for the early days as it is more affordable.
The Piano is very challenging as there are so many keys and finger pattern possibilities, you also have 2 different Clefs of music to read. Once you learn some tunes though it is really satisfying and fun to play! The Piano sounds fab with almost every genre of music so try it and enjoy!
Electronic Keyboard
The Electronic Keyboard is great fun and fantastic if you want to form a band with friends!
Depending on the instrument you will have a great time playing around with the different sounds and accompaniment styles available!
The Keyboard is a bit different to the Piano because it mostly uses chords played with your left hand. These are typed on as chord names (letters) above the music.
Learning the Keyboard is excellent for learning timing as the challenge lies with performing smooth chord changes whilst keeping in time with the rhythm in the background. A lot of the chord changes are very rapid, some occurring every other note in the melody, which keeps you alert! There are also other effects to put into place such as fill ins, introductions and endings.
The Keyboard is very easy to get hold of and comes in a price range for every budget. It is widely used for Rock and Pop music but anything would sound good played on it. Go for it and unleash your inner pop star!
Recorder
When people think of the Recorder they mostly remember hearing groups of school children squeaking along to "Hot Cross Buns" but it is actually a fantastic instrument when played properly! You can even take graded exams in it, just the same as with the other instruments!
There is a fantastic selection of finger work to learn, ranging from the rich low notes to the impressive high ones.
You can choose from many different types of Recorder, most commonly ranging from the large Tenor to the small Descant. The Recorder is very affordable and you can get good quality instruments. I would avoid the plastic ones from the supermarket toy section though!
You do need to have a lot of patience and gentleness when playing Recorders as a lot of the squeaky sounds (that give the instrument horrible press!) are simply made by over blowing!
When mastered the Recorder is an amazing instrument to play Folk and Renaissance musical styles! As with the other instruments it would also sound good performing other genres too. Please help the poor Recorder to get rid of it's bad reputation!