How beginners can choose the right musical instruments

If you’re getting into music for the first time, choosing your first instrument can seem like a huge decision. The instrument you choose will have a huge impact on your musical journey and be the foundation for your future musical education. Here are four tips that will help beginners choose the right musical instruments. 

Think About the Type of Music You Want to Play

A great place to start when deciding what to play is thinking about the kinds of music you enjoy. If you love jazz, classical, and show tunes, picking up the clarinet or saxophone may be the right choice. Likewise, you may prefer to grab a guitar or keyboard if you love to listen to rock and heavy metal. Consider the instruments that are used in your favorite genres, and you’ll have a shorter list to choose from. 

Look up Solo Videos of Instruments

To further narrow down your list of musical instruments, go online and watch some videos of the instruments you’re interested in so you can see how they are played on their own. This will give you an opportunity to listen to the individual sounds of the instruments and decide what you like and don’t like. You can also take this opportunity to look up some beginner tutorial videos to see what kinds of skills are required to play a particular instrument. 

Go to a Music Store and Try Some Instruments Out

When it comes to musical instruments, there’s nothing like feeling an instrument in real life to help you decide which one to play. Find a local music store and go inside to check out some of the available instruments. There’s a very good chance that you’ll fall in love with one and make your mind up on the spot. 

When in Doubt, Choose a Versatile Instrument

If you still aren’t sure what you want to play, pick out something versatile that can be played in a variety of contexts. The keyboard, for example, is the quintessential all-purpose instrument. Learning to play it will give you a great grasp of music theory and prepare you to learn other instruments later on. Other instruments that fall into this category include guitar, drums and bass guitar. 

Deciding on your instrument is an important first step to learning music. Take some time to think about it, but don’t get too hung up on the decision. Learning to play one instrument will make it much easier for you to learn others later on if you change your mind.

Brooke Chaplan is a freelance writer and blogger. She lives and works out of her home in Los Lunas, New Mexico. She loves the outdoors and spends most of her time hiking, biking, and gardening. For more information, contact Brooke via Facebook at facebook.com/brooke.chaplan or Twitter @BrookeChaplan

How beginners can choose the right musical instruments