How to choose the right musical instrument for you

This article is the second in a series inviting STEM workers, students and entrepreneurs to learn how to create music. The first article explained why playing an instrument or producing music had many benefits besides those related to listening to music. In this article we will help you find the right instrument to start.

Hopefully we've already convinced you to choose a musical instrument and learn to play. If you do not know where to start, do not worry: we've already covered it. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3:

1. Choose an instrument.
2. Buy an instrument.
3. Play it.

The instrument with which you start does not matter. You can not pbad any silly personality test to determine which one suits you best. If you want a challenge, try learning to play trombone in an apartment complex. Do you want something super simple? Get a kazoo. The important thing is that it's the instrument you use want to to play.

Dr. Daniel Levitin, neuroscientist, author of the book "C & rsquo; is your brain in music" and musician, said TNW:

It is important to choose an instrument that produces sounds that you like. Many people fall in love with the sound of specific instruments when they are children. It's a great motivator. There is a story of Artur Rubenstein, the great pianist, who asked his parents for a piano when he was three years old. They did not want him to play the piano, so they bought him a violin. He broke it. They gave in and bought him a piano.

The moral of this story is this: choose a sound that suits you and get the instrument that does it. And if your parents buy you a violin, crush it in front of them. Even if you want to play the violin, it is important to establish a dominant position in this type of relationship, otherwise people will walk on you (that may be bad advice).

The good news is that you do not have to buy a custom Fender. Stratocaster or Roland's high-end V-Drums to get started. Just about any instrument you want to learn has an established path for beginners. And that means there is always a relatively inexpensive option to learn. For the sake of brevity, we will only talk about a few types of instruments – mainly those badociated with garage jam jams – but what you play depends on you.

We suggest you start cheap. You can skip doors and buy something worthy of a concert if you wish, but nothing wrong with getting a beginner model when you are a beginner. If money is not an object, buy a grand piano as the starting keyboard. Otherwise, determine exactly how much you want to spend and look for instruments of this order.

Cheaper than an Xbox

Guitars, bbades, keyboards and, to a lesser extent, the drums, as well as most other traditional instruments can be purchased for less than $ 250 if you are ready to shop a bit. Like any hobby, playing an instrument costs exactly the price you want. If you're really frugal, you can make a cigar box guitar or play a bucket. Make noise, it will relieve stress.

In addition, do not sleep on the bucket:

Here are some recommendations to help you get started, but you will want to deepen your research to suit your individual tastes.

The legendary Fender Stratocaster, Player's Series: $ 674.99, available on Amazon.

Guitars:

Fender American Performer Mustang bbad guitar, a beautiful beast: $ 1,199.99 on Amazon.

low:

Here is Rolands Ax-Edge Keytar. $ 999.00 on Amazon.

Keyboard:

Roland V-Compact Series Electronic Drum Kit (TD-17KV-S). $ 1199.99 on Amazon.

drums:

• Ludwig LC178X025 4-Piece Battery Pack Questlove Pocket: An inexpensive and tiny drum kit similar to the one played by RootsThe drummer Questlove.

• Pyle PED041: One of the only options for an electronic drum kit at a great price. Do not expect bells and whistles, but you can learn to play them.

• Alesis CompactKit 7: An option of the size of a ride to play drums and gain wand skills – for those who can not afford a kit or have no room for one.

None of these listed options cost more than $ 250. And with proper care, everyone should last for years. But if you do not like traditional instruments, there is still something for you.

You can find slot machines or badog synthesizers correcting your style. And if you're still not convinced, imagine yourself tasting vinyl or playing Theremini.

You can never go wrong with a Moog.

Music is for everyone. Those who have physical limitations preventing them from playing a traditional instrument also have options today. The Jamboxx, invented by Dave Whalen, is an example of an instrument designed so that everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, can play it.

And if we still do not find the dream instrument for you, do not worry. We said we had a recommendation for everyoneand by Zakk Wylde's beard, we really wanted it. Because we have recorded the machine that allows you to play real freaking lightning for the end. We give you the plasma player Erica Synths and Gamechanger Audio:

Just start playing

Once you have purchased your instrument, the path of mastery begins in the same way as for any other journey: in one step. You're not quite alone, but it's beyond a single article to talk about all the ways technology makes learning a musical instrument easier than ever.

We will take a closer look at learning applications such as Fender's Play and high-tech hardware from companies such as Moog, Erica Synths, Native Instruments and others. Roland in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we hope you plan to bring your old guitar out of your basement or try to program a synthesizer as soon as possible. Playing music is an effective and proven way to reduce stress and anxiety. Dr. Levitin told us that as little as possible five minutes of practice a day can have immediate beneficial effects on physical and mental health.