What instrument could I self learn?

What instrument could I self learn?

Author
Discussion

numtumfutunch

Original Poster:

4,705 posts

137 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all

Quite simply whats the 'best' instrument for a non musical middle aged bloke to try and get a grip of please?

The background is that I have decided I need a challenge to stop my brain cells decaying.

Although I love listening to music I have absolutely no musical talent and never even picked up a recorder at school.
I cant read music and struggle to know if one notes higher or lower than another.

So I expect this to be pretty tricky, although having said that if Status Quo say learning 2 chords will play most of their songs Im in with an outside chance smile

Ive no affiliation to any particular instrument and dont have neighbours near enough to worry about
I am under no illusion it wont be tough and Im prepared to put the graft and hours in

Due to work patterns I'll struggle to fit in regular lessons and so wonder if books and Youtube are viable?

Choice of instrument entirely negotiable - but its hard to look further than guitar
Id obvs love to be able to nail the intro to Layla smile

Anyone else done similar from scratch? Any tips?

All comments welcome

Cheers






Orchid1

877 posts

107 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Ukulele

TTmonkey

20,911 posts

246 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Mouth organ. Only costs a tenner. Keep it in you pocket all the time.

ambuletz

10,690 posts

180 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Orchid1 said:
Ukulele
this. as someone who hasn't really learnt any instruments this is meant to be fairly easy as you're just using chords. i went with a friend to a ukelele class (was actually more of a singalong) and they all had books to songs with just simple chords.

ReverendCounter

6,087 posts

175 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
I would suggest a lap steel, because you can tune all of the strings into a variety of chords so they can be played singularly, several at once or all at the same time and use a slider so the notes played pitch bend in harmony.

Harley Benton II is from about £100, seems to be fairly well regarded.

K12beano

20,854 posts

274 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Washboard

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Piano's easy enough to get started on. Hundreds of years worth of sheet music to choose from or loads in the public domain available online. You can pick up old uprights for about £100 and many of them are also a nice piece of furniture.

The Dangerous Elk

4,642 posts

76 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Rev counter

RATATTAK

10,593 posts

188 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Theodolite ... but seriously get Bert Weedon's play in a day, a nice Squire Strat and off you go !

ReverendCounter

6,087 posts

175 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
The Dangerous Elk said:
Rev counter
What?

CAPP0

19,532 posts

202 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Pothole said:
Piano's easy enough to get started on. Hundreds of years worth of sheet music to choose from or loads in the public domain available online. You can pick up old uprights for about £100 and many of them are also a nice piece of furniture.
Yipper? Is that you?

biggrin

Pothole

34,367 posts

281 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
CAPP0 said:
Pothole said:
Piano's easy enough to get started on. Hundreds of years worth of sheet music to choose from or loads in the public domain available online. You can pick up old uprights for about £100 and many of them are also a nice piece of furniture.
Yipper? Is that you?

biggrin
SUYT.

dudleybloke

19,718 posts

185 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
Bongos.

The Dangerous Elk

4,642 posts

76 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
ReverendCounter said:
The Dangerous Elk said:
Rev counter
What?
the question was "Quite simply whats the 'best' instrument for a non musical middle aged bloke to try and get a grip of please"

Apply foot to pedal and push/lift off to get the rev counter to dance, sounds like music to me

ReverendCounter

6,087 posts

175 months

Saturday 17th February 2018
quotequote all
The Dangerous Elk said:
Apply foot to pedal and push/lift off to get the rev counter to dance, sounds like music to me
Oh, I see - thought you were about to ask me a question. Thing is, with the budget creep that's encouraged on PH, someone will probably be recommending a V10 F1 engine with an appropriate rig to make it scream God Save The Queen or something.

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Sunday 15th April 2018
quotequote all
The easiest (to sound half decent after a month) would be guitar.

The best (by a mile) is piano.

Piano teaches you much more about music than guitar.


Edited by GetCarter on Sunday 15th April 13:32

Stan the Bat

8,843 posts

211 months

Sunday 15th April 2018
quotequote all
Guitar, and there are so many lessons on youtube to keep anyone going for years.

NiceCupOfTea

25,280 posts

250 months

Sunday 15th April 2018
quotequote all
Whatever you decide on, find a good teacher and have lessons. You will get so much more out of it and enjoy it much more, and make so much more progress. You do need to find the right teacher for you though, and explain exactly what you want. Some teachers will try to bend you to fit their style of teaching - what you need is a teacher who will help you get what you want out of it.

Ukelele classes are a great way to start though.

Strudul

1,585 posts

84 months

Sunday 15th April 2018
quotequote all
Pothole said:
CAPP0 said:
Pothole said:
Piano's easy enough to get started on. Hundreds of years worth of sheet music to choose from or loads in the public domain available online. You can pick up old uprights for about £100 and many of them are also a nice piece of furniture.
Yipper? Is that you?

biggrin
SUYT.
Show Us Your Tits?

Skyedriver

17,661 posts

281 months

Sunday 15th April 2018
quotequote all
K12beano said:
Washboard
'Ere, have you seen it, where is it, have YOU seen it Missus,?