Learning an instrument is a common aspiration for many young people across the country, and indeed across the ages – and one of the main regrets in adults is that they didn’t pick up an instrument at an early age. But, as the saying goes, there is no time like the present – and learning an instrument is not just a haunt of the young! Indeed, in the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020, around 75% of the UK picked up an instrument. But which are the best instruments for you to pick up as an adult?
Drums
If asked to think of a famous drummer, you might find yourself thinking about rock legends John Bonham or Keith Moon, or even jazz juggernauts like Tony Williams and Buddy Rich. These musicians, at peak form, can make the drums feel inaccessible by virtue of their virtuosity – but nothing could be further from the truth. If you have even a hint of rhythm about you, the drums are a great instrument to pick up. The major hurdle for learning the drums lies in limb independence, a coordination skill easier for younger musicians to pick up than older learners. Practicing stick technique can be done at home on a drum practice pad, meaning you can work to improve around your schedule and even away from the kit.
If a conventional drum kit is still a little intimidating to you – or even just impractical, given the amount of space required to set even an electric model up – you can still scratch that percussion itch with other instruments, for example the bongos. Far from pretentious accompaniment to beat poetry, the bongos are an incredibly expressive instrument and incredibly easy to learn.
Piano
The piano is the quintessential learner instrument, and arguably the most important of all modern musical instruments. Its intuitive layout makes it the perfect learner instrument, even if, again, its reputation is sold by its best players. A piano in your home can represent a significant investment, though, especially the larger baby grand models from established manufacturers. As such, you should factor musical instrument insurance into your piano buying plans, to protect yourself from any potential damage or breakage costs.
Resources for learning proper piano technique are readily available online, and piano tutors are abundant – giving you multiple ways to approach the instrument. You can also choose which way you’d like to play, and what you’d like to learn specifically. Not all piano players can sight read musical notation! With a basic grasp of the theory and an understanding of the keys in front of you, you’ll soon be playing along to your favourite songs.
Ukulele
The guitar has a reputation for being one of the easiest instruments to learn, but one of the hardest to master. While the guitar is an excellent entry-point for many budding adult musicians, there are other stringed instruments which represent a much easier-going, immediately-gratifying way to introduce yourself to the concept – and the ukulele is chief amongst them. With a smaller profile and lighter nylon strings, the ukulele is easier to play than the guitar, and with less strings to worry about you’ll have an easier time finding your way around. It is tuned differently to a guitar, with the function of being much friendlier for learning chords and chord patterns. In short order, you’ll understand how to fret notes and how to strum, and not long after that you’ll be comfortably recalling chord shapes and following charts. The uke is a fantastic gateway to other stringed instruments, and astonishingly easy to pick up.
