Piano or guitar?

[BananaNirvana]

I love music - I listen to it morning, noon and night and sing along to anything! 😄

However, I never learnt to play an instrument and I have such a yearning to do so 😄. So I’m thinking either piano (keyboard rather than buying a full on piano!) or guitar. I’m in my mid 50s, can’t read music, have no idea what I’m doing. May be able to afford some lessons but thought I might start with YouTube.

Can it be done? Which instrument is easier to learn? Should I start with lessons or can I self teach? Do I have to have lessons?

Musical people, and non musical people, come share your stories! I’d ultimately like to grade! 😄

@BananaNirvana if you are referring to my keyboard/tablet set up. I have mine out all the time on a stand that doesn't fold away. However, you can get fold away stands, or pop the keyboard on a table if you can find one the right height. In which case you just have to find space for a keyboard. Mine is really, really light so can go on top of a wardrobe or under a bed quite easily. I will never be a concert pianist and would need to have proper lessons if I wanted to be really good. But I can play recognizable Christmas Carols with two hands and a few popular songs. For me, that's good enough.

I learned to play lots of instruments over the years but couldn't master the guitar. No idea why as I'd picked up all the others relatively easily.

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

@RaraRachael DC1 is doing better at violin than piano. She finds the multitasking needed in piano difficult. For example, staccato on one hand and legato on the other. Or different dynamics on the two hands. Sight reading is also harder with two staffs to read. Also she reads bass clef much slower and often confused it with the treble clef (like playing a F instead of A). Violin has a reputation as being very difficult but I am not seeing it with DC1. Similarly DC2 has done classical guitar and trumpet at school. She’s finding trumpet easier than guitar.

Both children can read music, so that could be the difference.

What I mean is not everyone find the same thing difficult. Don’t pick something just because it’s perceived as easy.

Thank you 🤩

Thank you everyone - so much to think about!

@SummerBarbecues it's interesting espeically about the piano. My mother learned by playing the whole piece, one hand at a time, then combining them. My children and I learned half the piece, both hands together.
I agree that different people take to different instruments. I played brass yet when my son brought a bugle home from BB band he could make nothing of it. I could play it but couldn't get it over to him somehow to do it. My sister struggled away at violin for many years yet my dad got her a trumpet when she was 15 and she really took to it although brass is traditionally seen as being harder than strings.

@eightIsNewNine I think you are definitely the expert. I have only tried to learn guitar about five times,my fella is so patient, (he worked as a music teacher in a college) but my fingers are just really crap! Lol. I assumed maybe piano at a lower entry level must be easier.
I think maybe the triangle is my instrument of choice sadly. I can't even sing! 🤣