Rank musical instruments hardest to easiest

[Korg]

This is inspired by a conversation on another thread but off-topic so I’m starting a separate one.

I’m interested in mn views on what the easiest and hardest instruments are to learn. Dc1 plays several instruments, dc2 does piano and dc3 is about to start.

Lots of this is personal - some people will find one instrument a doddle, but other people will find it incredibly difficult. And something like the oboe is simpleish to learn the basics but incredibly hard to play nicely.

But the French horn is usually seen as one of the hardest to play, along with the church organ, and the flute and violin two of the easiest.

DS observed that the double bass was very difficult the other day - when I asked him why he thought that, he said "well, the way Bob plays it he makes it sound like it's a very hard instrument to learn"

I only know about strings so I would say the cello is easier to start than the violin

Subjective, but this is what I think; (take this very lightly! - I think a lot of them are equally hard/easy due to different issues - whether you're a beginner or an advanced player, fingerings, embouchure, breath control, temperamental instruments etc)

Organ, Piano, Pedal Harp, French Horn, Violin, Clarsach, Northumbrian Pipes, trumpet, Viola, Clarinet/Oboe (oboe is hard to make a sound whereas the clarinet has horrific fingering patterns), Cello, Percussion (depending on what type?) Bassoon, Trombone, Irish pipes, Guitar, Piano Accordion, Tuba/Sousaphone, Double Bass, Saxophone, concertina, Digeridoo, Scottish Bagpipes, Flute, Ukelele, recorder, Kazoo.

Why is the horn so difficult?

I don't play it but I think due to embouchure and the fact the instrument falls apart/ breaks easily. Also there's something strange about the transposition nature of the instrument, resulting in weird fingerings... I'm not overly certain but I'm sure someone else can enlighten!!!

I don't think that you can really compare - some instruments are easy to start but harder to master. I teach violin (I also play woodwind and piano): it much harder to get a child playing a note on the violin than, say, a piano where they hit a key and the right pitch comes out.

A child can progress to Grade 1 piano very quickly, whereas this is slower on the violin, but the step up to grade 2 is very small.

Loosely, I would say (easy-hardest): percussion, woodwind, brass (including french horns which are technically woodwind), strings.
I say this mostly because the string section always takes the longest to rehearse in orchestras.

Why are French horns woodwind???!!!

They're not, surely. They are included in a wind quintet but are brass instruments.

French Horn has a four octave range versus trumpet (2.5ves) and trombone (3ves). A player would need to know the embouchure for this wider range of notes.

Saxophone very easy.

Cello and French Horn very difficult.

You can get up grades quickly on sax, clarinet, flute but then it becomes more difficult

I wouldn't think violin was regarded as one of the easiest.

It also depends on what level you're looking at.

Woodwind and brass used not to have grades 1 and 2 as it was assumed people would get so quickly to number 3 they were fairly useless.
Strings (including piano) I think they'd expect it to take around 2 years on average to get to grade 1, where the woodwind and brass could easily be looking at grade 3-4 by that point.
But then later the step up between grades becomes more on the woodwind and brass, and less on the strings, so it averages out.

Okay, well I wasn't expecting everyone to leap on that technicality. You will find many weird and wonderful explanations on this including that the sound fits better with woodwind !

Anyhow, the original "horns" were made from exactly that: horn. The French horn was one of the original wind instruments of the Renaissance era, along with cor anglais (English Horn) and appears in "Wind Quintets".

"some instruments are easy to start but harder to master"

Another point I'd add to this is that for example keyboard instruments allow the musician to play multiple melodies at the same time (contrapuntal polyphony) which means that you are playing not just 2 but sometimes 3, 4, or 5 different melodies at the same time with only two hands. In effect, you are a small orchestra by yourself.

It's incredibly satisfying but I presume significantly harder than playing just one melody, as in most orchestra instruments.

I say this mostly because the string section always takes the longest to rehearse in orchestras.

Isn't this because (generally) they have more to play? In the average classical symphony the strings play most of the time, the wind for a lot of the time, the brass for some of the time and the percussion for a small amount of time

Though that does make me think of another complicated aspect of comparing instruments: the viola isn't necessarily an easy instrument to play, but the orchestral parts can often be simpler than for the violins and cello, whilst there aren't as many viola players either. So it could be argued that it is easier to get into an orchestra as a viola player than as a violinist or cellist

I started learning flute in my 40’s and it has been bloody hard!

french horn - it very physical, 4-5 octave range, different notations for almost every piece. it's also played left handed.

they are 'woodwind' as they are often historically played together, though mouthpiece and technique is def brass.

I think with all instruments it's possible to get to an 'ok' level with practice, but with some instruments mastering to high levels is more difficult.

and weirdly despite french horn being very physican it's very female dominated

DD plays the piano. I reckon that's an easier instrument than DS's choice of trombone.

Some of you are BVVVVVVVU. The horn is a brass instrument. Listen to this woman, she knows: www.philharmonia.co.uk/explore/instruments/horn

Some very interesting points here. Some instruments are harder to get started with, others are easy to get a note out of but difficult to master.

String players in an orchestra generally have more playing time but if they get to a hard bit they can mime :-D If you're playing a woodwind or brass line, you're the only one playing those notes (sometimes very exposed) so you have to get it right.

And yes, French horn players and other brass instruments (see what I did there) are often transposing as they play. There are some hideous horn parts written for the B natural horn, so you transpose down an augmented fourth.

Any instrument that requires you to read 2 (or 3) staves of music simultaneously must surely be harder than a single line instrument, whatever the technicalities of the beast?

The co-ordination required for organ and drum kit - all 4 limbs doing something different, is fearsome.

Single line instruments are not easier because you're reading less staves. You're generally not concentrating on working out notes but scan reading blocks of patterns. Most instruments use coordination between both hands, and brass and woodwind have the additional problem of syncing air flow, articulation and breathing. Woodwind instruments require less air flow than brass on the whole. Brass players don't have a reed to vibrate but instead use their lips which is more difficult. Keyboard instruments don't have the additional complication of tuning as it is preset. Different people obviously find different instruments harder or easier, but on the whole I consider brass the most difficult/complicated. French horn is difficult because of how close the harmonics are, making it difficult to hit the right note. Tuba the harmonics are the furthest apart making it damn hard work. Generally the 2 envy each other for having the opposite problem.

Love the good humoured debate! It's so subjective and often down to individuals. My daughter couldn't get a sound out of a flute but is flying on oboe. I taught myself flute ( very badly but I can still play well enough to enjoy it). I found classical guitar hardest as not only are you playing multiple lines, the notes can be in a different place each time ie the same note can be played on different strings so sight reading is very hard ( for me anyway, I think if you were better at recognising chords it would be easier). The question as to which is easier to get in an orchestra is different, it tends to be linked to supply! I play double bass and have always got in to orchestra s despite not being grade 8 ( was around grade 7 at school when I actually practised!) Mostly bass parts bumble along quite happily with stuff you don't really have to concentrate on then suddenly you get thrown in horrible things in 6 flats going so high I don't even know the notes! Miming is a key skill which takes you far but is not an option for wind/ brass in an orchestra! However I love it and it has taken me many places. To play solo double bass is really hard though but some beautiful music now being written.

I think violin might be harder than cello or bass due to having to hold it up and left hand being out to side . Cello and bass you can see what your bow hand is doing and correct more easily?

In an orchestra if you are part of a big section it is ' easier' as you are less likely to get lost and don't need to be so 'bold' ie come in on your own. This suits some people and not others.

The average woodwind players in an orchestra are typically at a higher standard than the average string players. Mainly because there are less of them, but also because when they do play they are mainly on their own.

"So it could be argued that it is easier to get into an orchestra as a viola player than as a violinist or cellist"
It absolutely is. And something I'm very grateful of