Battle of the instruments

[Gareth]

I have had this in my head for a while now....what instrument is harder to learn compared to the other???

Keyboards you have to focus on two clefs at once (unless one is rested of course), get your fingers into the right spots and form chords and the harder you press the louder the sound comes out.

But with woodwinds and brass, there is the factor where how you blow into it...is how the sound comes out, but focusing on 1 line of music at a time and all the techniques on how you can tweak the sound that you can't exactly do on a keyboard (organ I can make exceptions with)

And with strings, how you use the bow is how the sound comes out and all the techniques involved with it like Pizzacato or tremelo. But also reading one line of music at a time.

With guitar, how you strum is how the sound comes out..and all the techniques such as glissando and bending the pitch. I can make an exception that just playing off chords on the guitar would be easier...but learning how to play tabs could be somewhat similar to keyboard music when have more sounds going on at once.

So what is harder? Something tells me there is a balance between all instruments.

Gareth.

[giovannimusica]

Hi gareth,

Methinks you might have answered your initial question as to which instruments are hard to play - There is a balance between the instruments - Let's see if we can drill down a little further - It is one thing to play an instrument, but wholly another to perform artistically with it.

To do a virtuoso performance of Louis Vierne's sixth organ symphony is really hard work. To do a virtuoso performance of the Mozart Horn Concertos requires dedication and preparation. Try performing the Franck Sonata in A for Violin and Piano with the Double-Bass playing the Violin part - phew, a workout like few others.

My 0.02 cents worth,

Giovanni

[AnnaBanana]

I think also it depends on the person and what previous experience they have. For instance for me, being a violinist, I would find, say, viola easier to learn than oboe, but my mum plays clarinet and would probably find oboe easier than viola.
And some people may be naturally suited to different instruments aswell.

[Gareth]

That is a good point there.

[sondance]

One old adage I recall is that simple pieces are easier to play on the guitar than the piano, and difficult pieces easier to play on the piano than the guitar. My experience supports that, although the level of difficulty in either case for me is quite humble.

At my lower level of skill, I greatly admire folks who play fretless instruments. I can't imagine what it takes to get the intonation on the money (along with volume, tone, etc) for any instrument that does not control the pitch.

It is also interesting to consider singers who accompany themselves instrumentally. Try that when the melody is syncopated or dissonant over the instrumental rhythm & harmonies.

With wind instruments another twist comes into play. On piano lower notes move to the left and higher to the right. There is a similar pattern on string instruments. But the organization of notes on wind instruments seems to require another layer of mental gymnastics especially when the melody includes larger intervals.

In the end I vote for the guitar as the most difficult to play in a skillful way. Particularly when the piece includes what are effectively divergent melody and harmony lines. You know what I mean if you have ever heard a classical recording that sounded like it had to be played by more than one guitarist at a time.

(But then I never attempted to play an organ actually using the foot pedals!:-)

[AnnaBanana]

From reading what you've said I suppose stylecomes into it alot. For instance on the piano I can play some grade 8 stuff, but with ragtime I'm hopless because of the left hand jumps. But I can play ragtime fine on the violin.
Also with waht you were saying about guitar, alot of people can strum away at a few simple chords, but playing like Sondance is describing is much harder.

[Gareth]

Yeah it does sound like it...ragtime took me a long time to perfect...at least I can play the entertainer now....I have heard a recording for that on strings, I just don't think ragtime suits instruments like that.

[Swaft]

I am currently learning 3 instruments at this time, piano, violin and flute. I would say that the violin is the hardest to learn since it is fretless, piano is really easy though and flute too. I think it depends on the person like AnnaBanana said. I know people who can play classical music easily on the guitar but can't play the piano. I understand them although because I suck really bad with a guitar ! Whatever, I think when it comes to the skills aspect, all instruments are hard in a certain way.

[Gareth]

Hey, you are a person just to ask...but wouldn't you consider reading two cleffs at once? Does that make piano harder in that way? Yeah, differen't people might find different instruments easier.

[giovannimusica]

Gareth,

When you play organ music, you usually are playing from a score with three clefs, in the case of Tournemire much of his music is written on four clefs.

Giovanni

[Gareth]

Wow, that would be hard.... but I spose with enough practice you could get there, but with four clefs, would it be hard to focus on two, where you know 2 other ones are playing at once??

Yay....200 posts!!!

Gareth.

[Swaft]

Yeah reading 2 clef at the same time is hard, but when you get used to it .. it si alright. I tryed once to play the organ while reading and I couldnt get the 3rd clef (which is the pedals right?). Although organ seems more complicated to understand (how it works) than to play.. my own opinion of course.

[giovannimusica]

Hi gareth,

I'll give you an example: If you have a three manual organ and are playing Tournemire's music, Tournemire will have you holding a note with one hand and then with that same hand play other notes on the other manual.

Giovanni

[Gareth]

Ohh okay....thats interesting...organ is pretty interesting to play by the sound of it.

[Gareth]

Or the composer sounds like an interesting one...!!!!!

Gareth.