Multiple Instruments

[celtiethree]

Hello, looking for some help on working out if my DS (9)should be encouraged to take up another instrument. Focus is on strings (his choice), at the moment he plays the cello and clàrsach, with a particular love for the clàrsach. He has not been playing for very long but his tutors are all very positive and there is no problem getting him to practise. DS has now declared that he would like to also take up the violin - I can understand the appeal certainly in terms of portability compared to his other instruments.

He also plays the handbells - but that is fixed to a set time a week with his group - the other instruments help with the rhythem and sight reading.

Does anybody else have DC that play multiple instruments and how have they coped with the practice?

2 0f my 3 dcs play multiple musical instruments . Besides the obvious cost mine are older age 12 and 16 and they do struggle to fit the practice in. In fact I scaled guitar lessons down to once a fortnight because I felt they had too may demands on them and couldn't practice enough. At the age of 9 probably ok but it does get a real pressure as they get older. All of my 3 kids are musicians and my eldest is looking to study music at uni now and it makes me very proud .

My 9yr old DC plays 3, piano, clarinet and trombone. There were reasons why it happened - we didn't set out to do it! He also plays recorder in school but like your handbells that involves very little outside the class.

He would probably practise each instrument more if he learned fewer, but he plays in 4 different school and local youth orchestras so that increases his time playing anyway. We tend to work on a 2 a day rota depending on what is coming up.

His older DCs also play multiples, (including DD with cello and violin).

I think bands and orchestras are the key - gives them lots of incentive.

It is obviously a huge commitment, financially and also in terms of time, but I have had so much pleasure from their playing. They do it because they want to though.

My god-daughter learnt clarsach for a while, it is lovely.

OK - so looks like multiple instruments can work - just need to convince DH. I don't want to put a dampner on his enthusiasm!!

Agree the clàrsach is lovely - it is definately the favourite in our house. Though so expensive.

Thanks both.

DD plays three and sings in choirs. She's now 19. There was never any conflict but it did mean a lot of running about, particularly at the end of terms when there are so many concerts.
No regrets at all. She has a fantastic social life as a result of being in so many musical groups and we have had a huge amount of pleasure from hearing her play.
Gradually one instrument will come to the fore and become the specialism but they have to have the chance to explore.

It's ridiculous to move onto another string instrument. He hasn't even got to grips with his other instruments yet and technique, clef, holding the bow are different and could impact all instruments negatively. The best thing you can do is to get him on the piano or swap the strings for violin if he wants a more portable instrument.

Out of interest, what grade is he?

does he like the cello? If he likes it very much, I think I would try to suggest he perservere with it till he is playing perhaps the first 4 positions before trying another string instrument or even just 1-3 and 1/2. Otherwise I think the different spacing, keys and notes on the strings is a bit much to tackle whilst not yet having any kind of mastery of basic cello playing . If he is not that keen on the cello, maybe it was the wrong instrument for him and perhaps the violin is the right one. Maybe he is more attracted to the sound of the violin, in which case maybe he could try violin for 6 months and see? Both at the same time at beginner's level, I find personally a bit difficult to imagine but I suppose he is already doing harp and cello which is two stringed instruments.

Piano, as Colleger just said, with cello is a nice mix.

Atm these pieces are all quick and easy I presume but with time, as he advances, he will need to devote more time to practice otherwise he will not progress so keep that in mind for the future. At 9, I should think he could manage to practise all these instruments if he and you want him to and he doesn't have a host of other activities but at 14, having got past the basics on all of them, it might become difficult to realistically practise them all.

Zen is right about time. Now DS is working at grade 7 he has no time to focus on double bass and piano so double bass had to go. Now I view all the time he spent on it as a waste as he's never going to have time to take it up again.

Thanks for the advice on adding another string (or not). I don't play myself so appreciate the info - he does like the cello so will definanately persevere with that. I will speak to him about why he wants the violin, with suggestions to alternatives if he still wants to add another instrument. His younger brother is keen to start the piano so perhaps that would be the route to follow.

I should add my cello/violin DD was Grade 2 violin before she took up cello, and at the moment does not have violin lessons, although we hope to go back to them at some point. She does however play sax as well.

Why not try a recorder - the fingering would lead on to other woodwind instruments later if he wanted and it would give him a feel for a different kind of instrument.

Also FWIW, I don't regard anytime spent on learning as wasted. If my DCs stopped tomorrow and never played again they would still have had a huge amount of enjoyment, satisfaction and accomplishment from it.

DD was taught to play the recorder one year at school but she did find it interfered with the fingering for the flute so she avoided recorder thereafter.
The flute still baffles me so I couldn't argue with that but I assume the same is true of cello and violin.
DD found that a woodwind and a string instrument worked well together as a pair of instruments to learn though. She's reached a very high standard with one and is in demand as an orchestral player with the other.

It hasn't bothered DD with her cello/violin although I think it can with some.

DD learnt recorder and then picked up sax very quickly followin from that. DS1 has no problem with clarinet/recorder. DD has flute playing friends who found recorder helpful rather than the opposite - but I think you have to find what works for you as the same approach doesn't benefit everyone.

DS2 copes very well with learning brass and woodwind at the same time but I was advised not to do that by some people, but he is coping very well and progressing very fast.

As a child I played the piano and violin from 5 years old, flute from 8 years old and the bassoon from 11. I played the piano,flute and violin to grade 7 and didn't do grades for the bassoon (the music centre asked me to learn it as they needed a player for their orchestra). I never had any problems playing multiple instruments, but they are all different types of instruments. By 15 I quit all of them as was bored and wouldn't know how to play any!

It's true that what works for one might not work for another and success with different woodwind and brass instruments probably has more to do with lips than fingering.

Well I play 10 different instruments (17+ if you count different types of flute, sax and recorder as different) played 8 while at highschool and I sing! :)

Some can, some can't handle it, but I'd say if keen go for it! :)

But how good are you ProPerformer? Are you a famous musician or average at everything? Anyone could learn ten instruments!

Wish I was world famous, but sadly I'm not that good!

Flute grade 8, Saxes and recorders grade 7 but play to grade 8+standard (play flute and saxes semi-pro, stopped doing grades on anything after high school) Grade 6 singing, Grade 5 clarinet. Oboe to roughly grade 3 and guitar roughly grade 2/3 standard though didn't take grades on those just lessons. Also am pretty good on piccolo and alto flute - no idea of grade standard though as those self taught as so similar to flute.
Also can bash out a tune on keyboard, piano, xylophone, and ocarina.
Also own various tin whistles, fifes, digeredoo, a piano accordian and various percussion and ethnic instruments, but would exactly say I play them!

Now realise that makes me seem a bit of a show off...... But I did have a music teacher who encouraged everyone to be multi-instrumentalists - he used to hold the world record for playing the most! (No idea what the standards required for that were but I know he did cos saw his certificate !) Once you got grade 5 on something he'd give you something else to learn! LOL!
Even with this list I still have another long list of instruments I'd love to play if I could afford them!

Being merely good at lots of instruments won't get you anywhere though, whereas being amazing at one or two will.

Given how few people earn a living out of music making, sometimes it works to view it as a hobby and just do what you enjoy - if that's lots of instruments to a lower standard then so be it.

I've taken my acting further (on hold while DS is young but have done a bit of pro stuff) but yes, instruments are just a hobby for me. Saying that I still play well enough on flutes and saxes to be able to charge up to £50 an hour if I so wish so it's great for extra 'pocket money' so not an unprofitable hobby to have! :)

The music business is tough though and it really is often who and not what you know and just getting 'that break'.

I am sure I couldn't learn 10 instruments to any standard at all. Not even if I had begun at the age of 3. I really couldn't. If anyone can do this, really it makes me feel a total failure because I know I could never do that.

Don't feel a failure - I can learn instruments, but I'm terrible at sport - I mean really really bad at it. Also not very good at academic stuff.

Do you have a teaching qualification to charge £50 per hour and what was your grade in these instruments? Most who charge this have been to music conservatoire and have a minimum of DipABRSM or equivalent and a teaching diploma. If you have this then you are gifted musically and not average at 10 instruments, although you may be average at the other 8!

No it's not for teaching bit doing 'gigs' at weddings, fetes, old people's homes etc. I do that on flute. I also used tone in a saxophone quartet and used to get £20 an hour with that.
I'd still say I pretty average on other instruments though!

If you can make money then maybe I'm wrong after all! Having multiple instruments certainly makes you more versatile! :)

No it's not for teaching but doing 'gigs' at weddings, fetes, old people's homes etc. I do that on flute. I also used tone in a saxophone quartet and used to get £20 an hour with that.
I'd still say I pretty average on other instruments, though I have been known to teach recorder, flute and sax for grades 1&2 (but only charging £5 an hour ish as mainly for friends) and do the odd singing gig for various amounts (around £10 a booking up to 1 hour)