What orchestral instrument to learn?

On top of what everone else has said, I'd think about what sort of child they are (shy, outgoing etc) and think about instruments from there. No point suggesting the piccolo to a chronically shy child, whereas middle of the 2nd violins might well be their favourite place to sit, for example.

If it's not too much time and money, I'd recommend learning the piano alongside an orchestral instrument: you get to learn more than one clef, and good keyboard skills are invaluable if you want to do anything serious with music in the future.

OK, agree with the above...I wasn't proposing a rare instrument...I just mentioned the music sholarship part because I am living it at the moment and when everyone asks "what does he play...? and I mention DS common instruments...I see their faces drop...I can read in their expressions..."we don't really need that"...That's the only reason I mentioned it. I would never have him play an instrument he didn't like for a scholarship, though! Never.

Good luck OP. Whatever he chooses, the piano is great as a second instrument and always so ready at home, no need to take it out of a case, no tuning everytime prior to playing, just spontaneous, always sounds ok even if a toddler sits at it...I just love it.

I once played my violin in the "orchestra" at a 6th form concert.

I was down as 2nd violin, but really, the 2nd violin part was way too hard (vis a vis, never being allowed to practise), so the Music Teacher allowed me to transpose the Viola part into the treble clef (get me, musical genius - didn't have any music theory at that time, but he did check it for me and it was all correct), and I played that in the concert.
except the programme said i was 2nd Violin, and here was I playing something completely different.
I don't know if anyone noticed, though, so that's good

If you do opt for the violin, you could always buy an instrument here. That listing is well worth a read

My DD had a long chat with her grandpa who is a professional musician (accordian - really rare), piano and organ. In the end they choose they clarinet as she already played the recorder and it lead to so many other instruments. Interestingly at her school there is only one other clarinet player, but her teacher is busy for two full days teaching sax. She was invited to join orchestra after 4 lesson due to the lack of any wind instruments apart from flute.

I played viola at school, my granny's old fiddle was re-strung for me until I was tall enough to manage a proper viola. The tone is so beautiful.

That autocorrect could get you into trouble nickelbabe

Ditto the viola comments. However the viola player is always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Because of this, it is not a popular instrument with students which in turn makes a good viola player very sought after.

However, it is a big instrument relatively speaking. A young child isn't going to be able to play it for long. My DD started off as a violinist and at the age of 10, when she was big enough, she took on the viola as a secondary instrument (the cross over isn't that difficult - it only took her 2 years to go from newbie to Grade 5)

My advice is to follow the same path ie start DC off as a violinist (always room for another one in any orchestra) and later on take on the viola as a second instrument.

Worth learning

Who
wasted

Bloody autocorrect.

UnSupportive
make sure
basically my parents were gits

I love the violin
I spent abut 10 years wishing to be allowed to learn it.
I took it up at 6th form and loved it.

I had very supportive parents whin went to great lengths to naked sure i wouldn't practise regularly (constant piss-taking and then complained that they wanted all that money on an instrument i gave up playing!)
My point is that any instrument is with learning but you must never ever complain about the noise when they're just learning.
It's taken me years to get over that and get the courage to practise music again

Three of my four took up new wind instruments last year, I now have two bassoonists and an oboeist. Bassoons are hired from the county music service at £25 a term, dd (12) plays a short-reach bassoon, ds2 (8) a mini bassoon.

Dd started in June and will take Grade 1 in March, ds1 started oboe in October and will do his Grade 1 then as well.

Dd is the only child in her school of 1500 who plays it so everything said about rarity value is completely true, ds2 is one of two in his 450-strong prep. Both have already been asked to join orchestra.

You get used to the noise v quickly, it's a hell of a lot better than when she screeched her violin...

I play the piano a bit - but viola (and occasionally violin) much more - I regularly play quartets, I play regularly in an orchestra doing concerts in London and other locations (just the weekend before for rehearsals) and I also sometimes play in local orchestras at short notice - but I actually sing much more than either, despite not studying it at all!

I agree mistle I love playing piano but it took me 7 years of slog to achieve grade six whereas I mastered grade six bass in less than three! I also think because ensemble playing in school orchestras etc means you play more it's easier to progress. Piano is such a solitary instrument....that being said I still play piano for fun(spent an hour today massacring Beethoven!) but do not currently play bass as I can't get childcare to attend evening orchestras....

Yes, my son has just started violin lessons (formally at least) and he's in a string group at school.

I started on piano at 6, then violin at 10. I took Grade 4 violin after a year and a half. Violin has always felt 'friendly', piano has always felt like something that I poke and it produces a note....

Just to add that I played double bass as a kid and was always in high demand! And they are not actually that expensive if you compare to wind instruments. My DB (I had to learn from 13 on a full size as mini basses were not then around) always sat on the passenger seat of my mums standard saloon car strapped in with a seat belt! Mini basses are easier still to transport. DB was and still is I think a bit cool... But then I am biased! We used to play jazz etc in our section tutorials at Youth Orchestra!!
My DSs play piano and a string instrument each. Piano is certainly harder to move quickly in and they have both got on quicker in the string instrument, altho how much of that is because they could already read music from piano I have no idea!
Another thing to consider is that at the earlier stages (and certainly at DSs lower school) there are mainly string players in the school. This means that get to play in ensembles earlier. Both my boys love group playing and it has certainly spurred them on.

Good luck with violin :). It does take a year or two before you can just about tolerate it :). That's why piano is my first choice - at least you can't get it out of tune easily. Somehow I think parents can tolerate any kind of music if it is produced by their DC - a natural instinct. Call it music "only a mother can love" - just think of these music concerts in primary school - they always sound so much better if your own darling is in it .

"I advised my dd against the flute for the same reasons expressed earlier in the thread. I played to Grade 8, and really wasn't bad, but could never get into the higher level youth orchestras as there were so many flautists and only 2 needed per orchestra. Whereas all my string playing friends never had any trouble"

Absolutely. The flautists in the couple of orchestras I was in, especially in the one that was a partially high standard, had to be absolutely outstanding to get in. Way above my league as a bog standard Grade 8 viola player.

I got so much out of my youth orchestra experience that I would guide my two away from flute/clarinet unless they had an real passion for one of them. Same as my clarinet playing mum did for me.

I advised my dd against the flute for the same reasons expressed earlier in the thread. I played to Grade 8, and really wasn't bad, but could never get into the higher level youth orchestras as there were so many flautists and only 2 needed per orchestra. Whereas all my string playing friends never had any trouble. DD had a choice of violin, flute or guitar at school this year (Yr 3) and went for violin.

FigaroHere I get what you are saying but piano is also very difficult to start with - with the caveat that some kids have natural aptitude. If they don't it can be a long hard haul and they may get put off music.

Agree, find out if he is interested in music first (!) but then start him on something he has affinity with unless there's an overriding reason for it to be piano. It's possible to over-think, and doing piano so he'll find it easier to add (say) violin in treble clef, bassoon in alto, and so on, is crossing bridges that aren't yet under construction and may be on a road he doesn't take.