Violin, guitar or saxophone?

[violetsareblue11]

So to my amusement, DD, aged nine, has told me and DH that she had decided she wants to learn an instrument, and has narrowed it down to the violin, guitar and saxophone and she can't decide. I was wondering if any of you MNers out there are able to for me advice on which instrument the best for a nine year old girl whose a novice! Also, which instrument is the least expensive in terms of tuition fees, transporting, etc etc. Thanks for any advice!

For violin and sax she would really benefit most if she can play with others, so what is available at beginner level near you? Would she prefer a jazz band or orchestra, that might help narrow it down. Guitar is great for just getting on with it and might lead to longer practice, and of course, being in a
band is cool.

I would go for violin or sax, Dd learnt both at 9. She swapped violin for cello later on, and has taught herself some guitar and ukelele.

Definitely look at what sort of tuition and ensemble opportunities are available locally?

Has she tried playing either?

Unless she is dead set on playing classical guitar - which is a fairly solitary instrument and not really that useful in the wider musical sense - then she can pick up the acoustic guitar later, as an older student and even as an independent learner. If you can play another instrument, getting to a good functional standard on the guitar is relatively straightforward (guitar is my daughter's main instrument).

So if your daughter has no definite preferences then I'd be looking at violin or sax. My daughter's just started the sax after I actively discouraged the violin, BUT she's an older learner (13), it's a third instrument and she already has woodwind skills.

I suppose in your shoes I might lean towards the violin as being easier to find good teachers and a bit cheaper (we've just shelled out for a good student sax and they don't come cheap), plus it's probably a harder instrument to take up as an older student. But really she should have a go at both and see which appeals more :)

I've found a few guitar, violin and sax teachers through friends recommendations and the newspaper. At DD's prep school there's a Year 3 to 8 orchestra with players of all levels and so DD would play within that, and there's a few local ensemble orchestras too she might want to participate in outside of school. I'm not very musical and wasn't really aware that there was a difference between jazz bands and orchestras, silly me! Will defo look at guitar, tried it myself when I was younger to no avail but hey, DD will probably be different!

At DD's prep school, the music instrument lessons were all in the school. I didn't have to search for teachers! Ditto elder DD's state primary school. The prep school had a huge number if music teachers coming in. Children often start sax a bit later than 9 but guitar and violin lessons should be easy to find. Have you nothing at school?

People forget that...
a) the sax was initially a classical instrument and
b) you can play jazz on the fiddle.

So... neither limits the style you can play (I've heard some brilliant all-saxophone renditions of Renaissance consort music). However... there may be limits to what groups she can join locally. There is more likely to be a string orchestra or wind band for beginners, rather than a full orchestra, for example.

Realistically, I'd say it's easier to play a sax passably than to play a violin passably. A cheapish student (beginner) violin will set you back around £100, including case/bow etc. By which I mean a sort of Stentor-level playable thing, not the cheapest object you can find. If she's ready for a full-sized instrument (possible at 9yo but unlikely) I'd invest more. A beginners sax will be upwards of £300, which is comparably cheap compared to e.g. my brother's first oboe. Saxophones come in different models/sizes (soprano, alto, tenor etc.) but don't come in mini-sizes-for-small-fingers and can be quite heavy. They now make 'proper' plastic ones for beginners (there are also plastic flutes and clarinets and they can be used up to around grade 3) which may have the keys set closer together.

I'm a fiddler, so I'm biased. I play jazz, gypsy punk and folk as well as classical and I teach my students to improvise. I suspect, however, that this may not be usual... What sort of music does she want to play? Because you need to pick the right teacher, I suspect.

If instrument cost is an issue, then avoid the sax! My daughter's music school ask for a Yamaha or similar as a minimum (not much change from £800).

You can buy a student guitar for under £100, although in our experience you need to spend around £400 for an instrument you're not going to want to trade up fairly quickly.

Can you hire/borrow instruments and let her have a lesson or two with all 3 and then decide? Or rule out one?
Saxaphones are heavy! (How big is she?)
Ours have had violin, piano, flute; violin, piano, clarinet.
We hired a clarinet from a local shop for a few terms before buying and could thwm buy that instrument much cheaper.

I seem to be the only one in favour of the guitar then.
Why?
Because listening to violin or sax practice is painful
Cost

MillyMollyMama yes, there's music tuition offered at school but a) it's nose bleedingly expensive b) a few other of DD's friends are taught by the tutors and say the teaching quality isn't great! So I'm unsure really. Also, I thought perhaps out of school tutors may offer a more customized approach and let DD work at her own pace rather than pushing her for her grade exams which seems to be what the prep school music tutors were doing.

Guitar is a GREAT instrument and in my experience guitarists are far more likely to continue playing as adolescents/ adults (I play too). My daughter's interest in music flagged after 5-6 years of recorder, and she stopped lessons, then took up guitar initially as a self taught student. She's never looked back.

But for a young student, guitar can come later, whereas this is less true of the others, particularly violin.

I have just reluctantly allowed a guitar as a third instrument. DD currently does piano and recorder exams and I never have to nag to get her to play otherwise I would have refused.

Guitar lessons are offered at school which is my main reason for allowing it.

We have a friend who studied classical guitar and is an absolutely fabulous guitarist, I blame him.

I do think that guitar is easier to continue with in many respects. I bought a decent ¾ guitar for £140 which is amazingly good value seeing as a decent treble recorder cost £400 recently.

If she's small, she might find the sax a bit tricky- my dd's teacher likes them to be older. Has she considered the clarinet?

I wouldn't suggest the violin- there are millions of violin players, so fewer chances to join ensembles.

My ds's main instrument is the guitar- be warned though, with guitarists one guitar is never enough.........

Also, a lot of guitarists never really learn to read music properly (because so much guitar music is available in tab form). So if general music education is an issue this is something to bear in mind.

And yes - one guitar is never enough ;) - We currently have four lol

We have 2 acoustic(he bought one in a charity shop!) I electro acoustic, 2 electric (one too small for him but he still loves) and a bass!

It seems to be a universal problem afflicting guitarists. DD has the 3/4 classical that she started on (not used much), a parlour-sized acoustic (main instrument) plus electric, bass and ukelele (all used regularly). Now wants a bigger acoustic but given the price of the instruments she's looking at that will have to wait.

I'm assuming that one saxophone will do!!!

Joining in here to suggest you avoid the guitar route unless you have a LOT of storage space.

DS has lurking around his none-too-large bedroom:
basic acoustic guitar
better acoustic
cheap electric
better semi-acoustic
bass
ukulele
tenor ukulele
other ukuleles
aspirational pin-ups of other, subtly better guitars...

(oh, and a bloody euphonium)

Guitar is too limiting re tab notation as a 1st instrument I reckon.

What's the most popular at school- are there any groups /orchestras? The sooner she can play with other kids the better generally.

"I'm assuming that one saxophone will do!!!"

Ah. Oh dear.............

My dd rents a violin for £6.50 a month and it sounds surprisingly pleasant when she practices and she's a beginner. I'll worry about buying if she continues longer term. Plus she's only on a quarter size at the moment. So I'd have to fork out each time she went up a size for a new one.

Guitar is cooler than most instrumentsl.

One DS had lessons in trumpet and classical guitar, the other in drums and sax. The latter self taught guitar. They both played in many ensembles at school and in bands independently. Now as young adults the guitar is by far the most played by both, the drums a little and the trumpet and sax not ever.

But be warned; We have about 8 guitars of various types, mainly on wall hangers (brilliant things), 2 saxophones (2 sizes), one electric and one conventional drum kit and still only 1 trumpet. And somehow we acquired a ukelele, a clarinet, a flute, a violin and bagpipes along the way.

Yep, Nemno (counts in head) we also have 3 flutes, a trombone, a cornet, two piccolos and a drumkit. And a piano. And a keyboard.

It's still the guitars that get played most.

So don't worry too much about it, OP; whatever you start them on, the little blighters will buy a guitar with their first paper round cash anyway.

Nomdemere...

I have a zebra striped electric violin which I play in a gypsy punk band. I reckon I win the battle of coolness. ;-)

I have: three electric fiddles (one is electro-acoustic); two full-sized 'normal' violins; a viola; several fractional sized violins; a cello; a piano; a digital piano; a lever harp; a wire-strung clarsach on the way as soon as the case has been made; treble, descant and sopranino recorders (the rest are camping in a garage in England); a flute; an irish flute; a ukulele; and a whole range of kiddy percussion instruments.

I want: a medieval fiddle and a baroque violin. And possibly a mandolin.