The Easiest Instrument to play

So we have this thread here where we discuss the hardest instrument to play.

I'd ask the opposite.

I'd personally suggest the kalimba:

http://www.dunum.ch/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/Gourd_Kalimba_482bed0b52ccb.jpg

A fun little instrument to play.

:hmmm: mmmm.. many percussions are easy, like Triangle, Ratchet, Crotales (Cimbali antichi) Rototoms, wood block, Claves, Güiro, Maracas, Rain stick, Cow bells, Bar chimes) Cabasa, Vibraslap, Vibratone, Whistle, Hammer, Wind Machine :P Lionsroar, uuuuu...

but those are minor Instrumens, (in percussion the real issue is the capability for rhythms, so you can read all kind of beats, but that's aside the instruments)

Mallet Percussion may be easy, Tubular bells even easier (I think), steel drums ... a!! DRUMS SET !!! :lol:

To be honest I think the Guitar is very easy, or is easy to start and get a medium level, (others certainly not) Mandolin, Ondes Martenot (well it parts are always very easy no ?) the Recorder (all you have to do is to blow less)

Gongs, Tam-tams, Thai Gongs, Gamelang stuff....

Tough question. I think piano is one of the easiest instruments to start playing. Most instruments usually require to inputs to make noise. For playing guitar, for example, you need to hold down the strings and pluck them at the same time. All wind instruments require you to press buttons and blow.

Too much thinking to begin learning how to play those instruments.

Piano, you can be improvising on your first try (hit the black keys while someone plays Gb major and you got a pentatonic scale).

Hmmm....

Kazoo? :D

Anyone can play Saxophone. It's pie.

No it's not, not highly difficult maybe, but not that easy.... what sax do you play ?

Tenor sax.

If you ask me, it's harder to make a melodic instrument sound like garbage (assuming you're playing it properly), and sax is certainly one of the easiest.

I suppose it would depend on what you count as "playing", piano is certainly easy to get noise out of in the same way a drum kit is, but at what point are you actually playing it?

Apparently sax is easy?

Oboe isn't to hard for me

I picked up a euphonium and a fingering chart one time, and played my friend's music. Of all the instruments I've tried, I found euphonium the easiest.

The matter with the sax is the mouthpiece-reed control that may be hard at the beginnig but you get used to it and then you even forget the problems you had the first days.

Also how hard the instrument may become is important, the piano may be very easy to start, you press the key and that's it, but the difficulty level may reach a higher point that in others, Prokofiev Piano Sonata No.8 for instance, is more difficult that any solo woodwind/brass piece, the skil level needed to perform is really high.

So, at the beginning an instrument may seem easy/hard but the things change within the learning process.

Funny, the easiest instrument to start(piano) can become the hardest in the end.

I disagree about the sax too. Sure, you can make sound, but it's probably not a nice one...

I think JustinW have played the sax for a long time and now is easy for him (is easy for me too, I also play Tenor, and sometimes Soprano) but I do remember at the beginnig I had much problems with the reed, and the preasure in the bottom lip, I even removed the plastic in the plasticover reed :blush: (I still don't like plasticover, 'cos they don't get wet) like I said, you get used to it and then become an expert, but is not easy to start, I'd say ... the first ... what ? 4 months ?

I played alto sax for 9 years if that counts for anything

Thanks for all the replies.

Quite interesting to find out that sax is considered easy... I figured the otherwise before.

Hands down the easiest is probably the triangle though, eh? <_<

If you're going to count percussion then bass drum might be the winner. All you have to do is hit it, sometimes a roll, but the roll doesn't even have to be clean to get the effect across. Sometimes it has to be muted, with a cloth, or a knee, or both hands. All really easy to do. In comparison, holding a triangle properly so that you can mute it and realise quickly is rather awkward. You need to keep the thing from spinning (I think I'm the only idiot that has that problem... ) and you can't hit it just about anywhere. On a bass drum it's very clear where to hit and how. On a triangle, not so much. Also, I've never seen anybody perform a triangle roll properly without being shown by an experienced percussionist. The roll isn't all that easy, either, when compared to bass drum.

Easiest brass? Natural bugle or ram's horn or anything like that.

Easiest woodwind? Probably some sort of fipple flute or free reed instrument, predecessor to the recorder or something like a Bawa or Krummhorn, respectively. All it seems you really do is blow into a Bawa and it makes a nice sound off the start. I don't say this from experience, though.

I disagree about the sax too. Sure, you can make sound, but it's probably not a nice one...

Haha. That reminds me of a very funny sax joke:

What's the difference between a lawn mower and a saxophone?

The grip.

:lol:

I'm surprised about the sax responses. I played sax regularly for about 9 years and every year felt like it was harder, but maybe I was just getting pickier and more critical. Now the easiest instrument to play? My first thought was kazoo, but perhaps that's not fair since (almost) no one takes the thing seriously. The easiest instrument to play is the one that you don't have to (think using your surroundings as an instrument like in 4'33"; the only hard part is getting people to listen to the sounds)!

Does anyone remember the tiny glockenspiels you played in grade-school? The orff stuff? That would be my nominee for the easiest instrument.

Voice. :)

Voice. :)

Yup. I definetly agree with that! :)

I would agree with piano, unless the autoharp counts

Autoharp? What's autoharp?

Autoharp? What's autoharp?

Allow me.

;)

I admit that the autoharp has quick rewards (basically playing a fixed number of chords), but the learning curve is crazy after that. Doing melody picking + accompaniment at the same time is rather hard given the 1/4in spacing between strings...

The wood blocks get my vote.

I would have to say piano is the easiest instrument to learn for me. It flows easier and the piece of song is easier especially all you have to use is our hands and you don't have to tear up your fingers with metal strings.