which instrument?

[shinesparklesmile]

My daughters are grade 4/5 in Piona - they would like to learn another instrument. Which one do you recommend? - Violin, Guitar or Flute? Which one is easier to learn?

Thank you.

Guitar.

From bitter experience I can say than violin is painful to start with, and for quite a while after that!

Flute would be easier. Are the the only options?

*they

Guitar. I taught myself on guitar but had formal lessons on violin- one teacher I loved and enjoyed the instrument, changed teachers and lost any enthusiasm. Guitar wins for me, but only because of the way I learnt it I think.

Agree not violin. Hard to learn and sounds awful for ages. My poor parents.

Flute is pretty easy I always thought. Someone will shoot me down for saying that. Guitar should be relatively easy for pianists as it involves doing different and complicated things with each hand, and sometimes wide finger spans, similar to the piano.

Suggest an orchestral instrument to ensure a wider group participation opportunities. If you are considering music scholarships for the future consider a rarer/underrepresented instrument such as Trombone/Cor Anglais etc. Viola is more useful than Violin for these purposes. Flute is very popular. The Guitar is not an orchestral instrument. No instrument Is easy but learning piano means they can read both clefts which is an advantage. I’d also consider cost of lessons/instrument costs and storage/transportation. A good violin/Cello to get beyond G6 starts to become very expensive and beyond g8, very very expensive! (I speak from experience!) There is a great music thread in the extra curricular chat. Good luck!

@VintedoreBay actually no they go to independent school and they have more options - do you recommend other instrument? X

I’d also add, what would they like to learn?

Lots to consider. On a practical level, a flute is wonderfully easy to transport if they’re likely to have to get a bus to secondary school or walk any distance. The kind of music generally played (or at least taught) on guitar is quite different to violin and flute, what type would they like to learn?

I personally found flute the easiest instrument to learn; I had violin lessons for about 4 years and got to grade 2 and probably sounded dreadful still, picked up the flute at the end of that and taught myself for 3 months from my sisters beginner book, and got to grade 2 after 6 months of lessons. (I then tried to self teach piano in my 20s and failed miserably, so don’t assume I’m some kind of musical genius!!)

A school music teacher I think worked with used to recommend instruments based on mouth shape and other such things, I have no idea if she was a bit bonkers or if this is normal!!

Violin! Much better partner to the piano than the guitar. Flute is ok but boring. If they are musical they won't necessarily make horrible noises, I didn't. Violin is a beautiful instrument and great for orchestras, quartets etc

The instrument she wants to learn and is willing to practice. I additionally constrained DD to something she can take on the bus, so not a harp/tuba/double bass. I also confess to steering her away from the violin due to the sound in the early stages.

I was also going to say, seriously consider an orchestral instrument. I have often said that ideally every child who learns an instrument should also learn some piano, and every child who learns piano should also learn a "social" instrument - it helps +++ if it is the instrument they want to learn, but also that they have an outlet for playing with others.

Flute and clarinet are popular non-string instruments and independent schools might have wind bands etc that they can play in. But otherwise yes I'd recommend strings if you have access to a good teacher. If you are considering lessons at school, have you attended school music concerts - what instruments do you hear at them, who "sounds good" (and do they learn from a school based teacher)?

The answer to getting a good sound on the violin is in some ways quite simple - focus on getting a good sound right from the start. Picking it up as a second instrument should mean that learning how to read the music won't "get in the way". If one of your children is keen on it as a choice, don't stop them, but do help them master good posture and develop a good sound right from the start. Apologies if I sound a bit evangelistic .... I teach Suzuki method and I don't mind listening to my beginner students' sound because it's usually acceptable by the time they can play something to me.

If their school has any ensembles, consider which ones seem to be popular and working at a good standard. One of mine was at a school that had fabulous brass and jazz groups (at prep level). I didn't appreciate it at the time, but she might have done rather well to have picked up a relevant instrument there. The orchestra was fine, but not nearly as inspiring.

When DC wanted to add another instrument I bought the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten. It was a book and CD back then but now an app.

They chose the instrument they liked the sound of, allowing them to make their own choice is key imo. It worked for DC who took the instrument to diploma level.

Actually they would like to learn Violin but almost everybody told us that its so hard to learn. Their Piona teacher said they are both so talented and they learnt it so quickly but I dont know if it will be the same with the Violin.
Guitar is easier to learn but not orchestral instrument. And flute is little bit boring like @atthebottomofthehill said:)
So we couldn’t decide yet.
@Netaporter I will check if our school has Viola lessons X

Don't agonise over it! If they want to learn violin and they've learned piano quite easily then just give it a shot. It's not that hard!

Regards viola, it's a beautiful instrument but do be aware of its (full) size - if they are petite or likely to grow to stay petite then it might not be a good match (talking from experience). Also if they play piano violin will be easier as it's in treble clef, viola theyd have to learn another one. Lastly think about personality. Some people are born to take the limelight with a violin whilst others enjoy the mellow sound of the viola and (usually) playing an accompanying role/harmony in an orchestra or quartet. It can (not always but again from experience) be frustrating to be saddled with one that doesn't really match your natural vibe... but of course it's possible to swap at any point :)

Its often said that the instrument should match personality- after all, you express emotions when you're playing.
Ask your DC what they would like to play too.
Personally, I would avoid violin, guitar and flute, but I'm a bit biased as I'm a brass musician!
There's a lot of fun to be had on saxophone, trumpet or trombone, especially in a big band or youth jazz orchestra.

Then an orchestral instrument for sure, but not flute or clarinet. I'd suggest oboe from my personal experience - which could open up opportunities to play Cor Anglais later on, too.

But if your child really is set and interested in playing the violin, take their lead. At the end of the day, they'll be more inclined to practise and engage with the instrument if they want to play it by their choice.

What would they like to learn? No point forcing them into something they don't want to do. I did clarinet, then flute then went into singing, alongside the piano. I loved the social aspect of an orchestra and choir, whereas the piano was rather solitary.

I've lots of experience with learning instruments, starting with recorder (didn't we all!) My main instrument as a teen was piano and I got my grade 8 in that.

I also dabbled with guitar (boring, makes your finger tips sore and that matters if you're a pianist); viola (was good for school orchestra and I liked the pitch better than violin; also, there are far fewer violists than violinists); flute (I self-taught that up to about grade 5 level but never really mastered the breathing).

Then I had a long, long gap and now I'm learning clarinet and I love it. I actually fancied learning the sax, but I saw a cheap clarinet in a second hand shop and bought it on a whim with no knowledge whatsoever of how to play it, and I'm now fully committed to it.

Having learned piano in the past means that it's so, so easy to learn wind instruments as you only ever have to play one note at a time!! I like the sound of clarinet better than flute and it's comfier to hold when playing.

You can pick up a beginner's clarinet for less than £100. Decent reeds cost £2-3 each, less if you bulk buy from Amazon. (A decent reed can last many weeks). A full service of the clarinet cost me about £80 and my teacher reckons that's a once-a-year expense at most. I've moved on from my beginners clarinet and sold it for more than I paid for it!

Also, don't forget that the voice is also an instrument. And unlike when I was a kid, you can now opt to learn different styles of music- I'm veering towards jazz clarinet and if I chose to do an exam I could do jazz or classical; singers can choose to do musical theatre exams - there's so much choice!

(or your DD could choose something totally different like the bassoon or french horn or marimba -- now they really are expensive!)

@shinesparklesmile if they want to learn the violin, let them do it. DC1 learns the piano at school and is only grade 1. She wanted to do the violin and she’s sounding ok after about a year of lessons. I think your child will do fine. Being able to read music and knowing what the music should sound like helps a lot I think. Your child is much more advance in her piano so I think she will pick violin up quickly if she’s keen.

Definitely go for violin so that they can play in orchestras and ensembles. It's not hard if they have a good teacher and they practice regularly. How old are they? Suzuki can be good for little kids but it depends on the teacher, our Suzuki teacher only liked biddable quiet girls really.

I agree with those that suggest a 'social' instrument as your DDs already play the piano, which is mostly a solitary instrument. It is so amazing to make music with others!

If they would like to learn the violin and they have very good 'ears' (can they sing in tune easily?) and you can stand the sound, it's a very good choice as they will soon get into orchestras and string orchestras.

A full-scale symphony orchestra needs about 30 violins but only 4 flutes (or any other woodwind/brass instrument apart from French horn (5-8). Therefore, competition for places on the popular wind/brass instruments like flute, clarinet or trumpet tends to be much higher.

Also consider transport logistics. If you are easily able to transport your daughters to places, they would be much in demand everywhere if they play the harp, tuba or double bass!

My daughter already plays the piano, and wanted to start another instrument when moving to secondary school. As she's a bit late starting a second instrument (age 11) we felt a less popular instrument would give her a better chance of getting into an ensemble sooner. She uses public transport, which limits the size of instrument (she really wanted to learn the harp!) She chose French horn, and is one of only six in her girls' school, so as she's doing well it won't be long before she's in an ensemble. There are dozens of flautists!

I played piano for about 5 years before violin and found violin very easy to pick up, probably because I loved it and practiced a lot. I loved orchestra.

Flute is fantastic, easy to transport, and very sociable instrument. My eldest has been playing flute now for seven years. Involved in ensembles and orchestra for six years.

I would go for saxophone! Lots of opportunities to play socially.
My DD (now an adult) plays the piano, flute and violin …and has also self taught the guitar. Unfortunately she has not continued to play in any bands as an adult. Still plays the piano when she comes home and still strums her guitar. The 2 instruments she would like to have learnt are the sax and the drums.