Choosing The Right Instrument To Play

Before making a final decision on which instrument to take up, it’s a good idea to understand a little more about what is involved in learning that particular instrument… At Ritz Music we have been helping beginners for many years and generally find that the following questions arise the most frequently:

How good do my musical ears need to be?

Many people believe themselves to be ‘tone deaf’ whereas actually in the vast majority of cases this is simply the result of lack of use of this part of the brain. With the help of a good teacher/practise regime, the ability to pitch accurately and copy notes and phrases can be developed quite quickly… That said, instruments like the piano do make life easier because every note is already pre-tuned, whereas the violin, for example, requires the player to ‘hear’ every note being played and make small adjustments to tuning if necessary.

Does the instrument need regular tuning?

Some instruments (eg piano/keyboard, drums/percussion and woodwind) are essentially ‘pre-tuned’ whilst guitars and other stringed instruments need to be regularly fine-tuned… usually every time they are going to be played. There are some excellent affordable electronic tuning devices on the market which will make life much easier at the beginning, although if you want to develop your musical ears its important to try not to totally rely on this in the long term.

Is the instrument suitable for self-teaching?

Most classical/orchestral instruments are best approached with a good teacher from the very beginning, especially as music theory and music reading will usually be an important additional element in the learning process. If, however, your main interest is in pop/rock style playing, it is possible to make good progress on instruments like Guitar and Keyboards with the help of books, CDs and DVDs… in our experience though, a combination of self-teaching and some private lessons will save a lot of time and effort later when it’s much harder to adjust bad playing technique & habits… If you want further advice please call our staff at Ritz music… you’ll also find a comprehensive list of local private music teachers contained within this website.

Can the instrument be enjoyed ‘solo’ or are other musicians necessary?

It may seem obvious, but instruments like the piano & guitar which are capable of playing chords (more than one note at the same time) have the great advantage of being musically self-contained. Drums, bass guitar, woodwind, brass & stringed orchestral instruments on the other hand, are more designed for ensemble/group playing and cannot generally offer the same appeal if only played solo.

Is the instrument available in small sizes for children?

Many instruments are available in a range of smaller sizes suitable for children… in particular guitars, violins and drums. In these cases, a range of several size options are available, each designed for a certain size/age group. Most woodwind & brass instruments are all of standard size so not suitable for very young children, although flutes can be played using an alternative ‘headjoint’ design which makes the instrument much shorter….these are known as ‘curved-head’ flutes. There are also ‘junior’ sized clarinets on the market as well as keyboards with ‘mini’ keys, but neither of these are generally popular with teachers. If you need further help or advice about choosing the correct instrument for your size the staff at Ritz Music will be happy to assist.