Six of the Best Musical Instruments for Beginners

Which Instrument Interests You Most?

Picking up a new hobby seems to be the trend of the 2020s, especially with more and more people spending time indoors. If you’ve been turning to music as your hobby of choice but don’t know where exactly to start, we have some recommendations! While you may want to get right into the world of music notes and time signatures, there’s a way to ease into it. It all comes down to what instrument you pick up first. You can of course learn to play on whatever instrument interests you most but for beginners, these six instruments are a good starting point for brand new musicians. Who knows, in a few years you may know how to play all six.

Ukulele

The Ukulele looks much like a miniature guitar in that it’s the same shape and consists of strings to strum and chords to play. However, a Ukulele is a much better alternative to a guitar for beginners.

There are four strings instead of five making it very easy to pick up chords and have you strumming tunes in no time. The strings are also made of nylon instead of metal, making it easier on your fingers until you build up the calluses on your fingertips for guitar playing.

Ukuleles can generally be bought at low cost as well, making them low commitment. Not to mention there are plenty of tools for musicians all across the internet. A quick google search will bring up tons of tutorials for you to follow.

Drums

Your ears might regret choosing the drums as your instrument of choice but we promise, that the drums are the way to go for beginners. Despite all the noise they may cause, drums teach you great rhythm and don’t require you to learn how to read music.

They also teach you great coordination. That’s not all. What if we told you that there was a way to get around the noise? If you aren’t planning on joining a band as a drummer anytime soon you can invest in an electric drumset. You can connect it to headphones and drum away without anyone complaining about the noise. Like the Ukulele there are plenty of tutorials out there that are made specifically for beginners to follow!

Keyboard

Next up – a keyboard! Not quite a piano but very very close. A keyboard is of course electric and on average not as long as a typical piano. Instead of seven octaves or 88 keys, they often have five octaves and 61 keys.

But this is a perfect instrument for those who not only want to learn an instrument but the inner workings of music as well. You’ll have to learn how to read both bass and treble clef and have your hands playing different notes at the same time.

It sounds difficult now but we’re pretty sure a lot of you will be virtuosos in no time – whenever it gets a little hard remember that the piano and keyboard are the perfect basis for all things music.

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Recorder

A recorder is often a segway into the woodwind instruments like clarinet or flute. In fact, it functions much the same as the two mentioned instruments. A recorder requires you to blow through the mouthpiece while covering and uncovering certain holes along the body to produce different notes. Like the Ukulele it doesn’t cost very much and is quite straightforward to learn. Low cost and low commitment! It is a much simpler instrument, but if you’ve wanted to learn or teach someone music in the easiest way possible, a recorder is definitely something to consider.

Glockenspiel

You might know this next instrument as a glockenspiel or you may know it as a Xylophone. The only difference between the two is one used metal for the keys and the other wood. However, this instrument is very similar to the piano in the sense that it is made with keys and shares the same layout. Though these instruments work more like a bell and require you to hit their keys with the proper stick instead of simply pushing a key. It is also a great basis for learning the fundamentals of music, and the perfect way to learn how to read music.

Harmonica

The Harmonica is used in so many different genres of music and is pocket-sized which means you can practice and show off your skills to anyone anywhere. It’s extremely easy to play and often doesn’t require you to know a thing about reading music. You’ll find yourself quickly playing your favorite tunes.

Now that you’ve discovered these easy-to-learn instruments, it’s time to take the next step and start playing. Remember – music is for everyone and every level. Happy strumming!