Orchestra instrument

[Pandadream]

DS is nearly 7, he has been playing piano for a few months and doing well. He’s good at singing and in school choir. He generally loves music. School has an orchestra what starts next academic year, I am keen for him to try, which means he need to learn a new orchestra instrument before he can join.

is there a “better” instrument for boys? Or any suggestions from experienced parents?

I’m hoping to avoid those very large instruments purely because the logistics but still open to them if there’s good reason / why they are good.

Has he expressed a preference? At age 7 a lot of instruments would be quite difficult to handle; personally I’d advocate violin for now, then let him pick for himself at age 9 and dump violin if he prefers say trumpet or oboe.

You have said you are keen for him to learn an instrument and join the orchestra...but is he? And then - which instrument does he want to try?

is there a “better” instrument for boys? No, only instruments.

He did mention violin as one of his classmates does it. However I was concerned that violin is much harder to get it right than the woodwind instrument?

Why would violin be harder than a woodwind instrument? Speaking as a mother of an oboist…
Is there a ‘come and try’ session anywhere? Our (in a deprived area of the country) has one every year and the kids can come in to the Saturday school and try out different instruments.
Depending on finances, I’d steer clear of bassoon (oboe is bad enough!), but there are often shortages of oboes and bassoons in orchestras which is good for ensemble experience.

Trombone! Much better than the girly string instruments, nothing says man’s man like an extending slide requiring regular lubrication……….

😆

Violin is definitely way harder at the beginning than a lot of other instruments.

OP if you’re after the easiest one to start then clarinet would be my advice. Obviously to become great at any instrument it’s hard, but clarinet is one of the easiest to pick up at the start.

Personally I think violin is a bad one to pick. Lots to get right especially if you dont have a good ear.
Clarinet or flute probably the easier ones to get around. As PP said double reeds are harder. Brass are fun, my DS loved trumpet and then went on to French horn but they are also a little harder.
The main thing is he has to show some interest in it. Is there a taster session or similar for the orchestra? Where he could look and hear the different instruments

“Better for boys” YUK! Stop that attitude right now.

But also, find a brass band and get him to take up a brass instrument. Trombone of course the best (I am a trombonist).

pros and cons to all instruments, but on the whole the best instrument is the one he would like to play and will practice. I think violin is harder to start (placement of fingers, hard to listen to at first) but has upsides (comes in different sizes, lots of them required in an orchestra). Avoid flute and clarinet because there are always too many learners chasing too few opportunities. Brass is a good call. And other than trombone, you can fairly easily switch instruments later. You would also have brass band opportunities- a lot of great local bands with a junior band programme and a good social scene as he gets older.

Talk to the music teacher and ask what instruments they're short of would give him the best chance of getting into the orchestra.

Look at whether any of your local brass bands have a training band. You already know music lessons are expensive so this can help!

Was going to suggest oboe because of the relative scarcity of players, but having seen the attached post I'm now firmly in team trombone 🤣.

In all seriousness a trombone gives options of brass band ( the best option😀) jazz groups, orchestra, swing etc, it’s a very versatile instrument

All other things being equal, as in he doesn't mind which he learns...
In terms of future playing options, I would think about the opportunities each opportunity would open up. Some instruments have just a few seats, whilst others have many so are less competitive. Different instruments are played in different types of ensemble.

String instruments - lots of places in orchestras, but rules out wind/brass bands.
Woodwind - fewer places in orchestras, but can play in wind bands.
Brass - fewer places in orchestras, but has options to play in wind or brass bands.

I would get him to try out different instruments and see what he likes the feel of. Maybe hire one for a bit to see if he does gel with it before buying.

Play him Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra and see whether he likes the sound of any of them. There’s little point starting him on the violin then finding out he prefers the trombone.

My son does tuba which is a bit annoying to lug around but on the plus side in all the bands he's been in he's been the only one that plays the tuba so I can always hear him specifically in performances. If I had another child interested in band I'd probably recommend either trombone or trumpet as they're both very versatile.

Whilst I think it's sometimes easy to perceive some instruments are "easier" than others ultimately a beginner starts at the beginning and it takes time and practice to get to a "good" standard. It's never a linear journey and there will.always be moments with most children where they just want to give up as when it gets challenging.

I've always been musical (I play semi professionally) and remember nearly quitting at several times as a child - I think finding an instrument they are interested in and really want to learn is key. You need that interest to get them over the inevitable "humps".

As aside my musical.dc learns guitar, drums and cello. My other dc has no interest so never pushed it!

Avoid the flute. Everyone plays it, and there aren't many ensemble seats.

Trumpet is portable and has great jazz/pop repertoire alongside orchestral stuff.

Oboes are a bit niche which creates opportunities. One of my DC plays well enough but is very far from a prodigy, and is in a ridiculous number of ensembles due to being so in demand.

The best instrument is the one he loves the sound of and wants to play. Lots of kids sat violin as it's all they know. Get him to listen to some music with video. Try Young persons guide to the orchestra as suggested or look at some of the National youth orchestra videos on YouTube.

Some broad generalisations,
Violin - need lots of them, cheap to buy at start, can get fractional sizes. Easy to change to viola for more rarity. Needs a good ear and a lot to get to grips with. Takes years to sound good
Cello- parts are easier than violin to start with. Posture may be easier to master
Double bass - great but need the space. Can get smaller ones to start. Much easier to get into ensembles
Brass- brass bands often offer good opportunities. There's never enough good tuba players! French horn harder and more expensive.
Trumpet/ trombone can do jazz etc too
Flute / clarinet easy to get started on but super popular so may get stuck at lower level ensembles Relatively cheap to start as lots of second hand instruments available
Oboe- some hate the pressure. Expensive to start, ongoing cost of reeds but even a second hand pro instrument may be less than a really good violin.
Bassoon - complicated but if they fall in love, they love it! Super expensive but may be able to borrow. Smaller ones available.

Think about the role they like- team player, need support around, happy to play solos, like being the bass or prefer a good tune. You might start one then change after a couple of years. It's never wasted.

See what the kid fancies. For versatility I'd say maybe trumpet as it fits in brass bands, orchestras & jazz/swing groups. My kid is a French horn player, wouldn't consider any other instrument even though it's supposed to be the most difficult. He says it's not that difficult though 😂

Do you have a music centre where you can try different instruments? Our music centre has try and instrument day which we found useful.
My children tried various instruments. Settled on woodwind.
A previous post mentions not to go for flute/clarinet as they are popular however I disagree. My eldest started with clarinet - which then helped with picking up other instruments such as alto sax/bass clarinet/ flute.

The trombone is, of course, the best instrument, but I would not suggest it for a 7 year old. Start them on the trumpet, and then they will be able to switch once they get a bit bigger, should they want to.

Of course, if they particularly want to play the violin, then that would be the best option. They could always switch to viola later should they think that would be beneficial. Cello is, obviously, larger, but they do smaller sizes for beginners, and it has such a rich repertoire.

Flutes and clarinets are generally over subscribed in orchestras, oboe and bassoon would probably provide more options, but they sound dreadful when first starting.

A baritone (horn) is generally quite a good starter. I know lots of players that have then gone to bigger or more varied instruments (euph/trombone/bass etc) but I agree with people saying that trombone is versatile. You can literally play it in any group. I play the euphonium and can’t play in jazz bands/ never needed in pit bands etc.

The baritone isn't used in the average orchestra either, that's why it's probably better to start with trumpet before moving on to something else.