Despite being completely unmusical, I want to gain at least marginal skill on an instrument. I will be taking it backpacking, so I want something very small and light. I was thinking of a harmonica, but someone suggested a recorder was easier to learn.
Anybody have any knowledge on the question, or have another instrument to suggest?
I like the recorder, but controlling the breath is a bitch, and some of the fingerings are really tricky. I never really got the hang of it.
I second the idea that the harmonica is not as easy as it looks. I could never get squat out of one.
How about the tinwhistle? It’s a good folk instrument, especially if you like Irish/Scottish/English folk music. You can be playing simple stuff in a day or two.
Advantages:
Cheap (although, like any other instrument, there are expensive ones)
Small
Pretty tough
Only 6 holes to worry about, and the fingering is straightforward.
Less finicky than recorder, if you’ve got a decent one.
Disadvantages:
Really a diatonic instrument, although you can half-hole accidentals
Upper octave can be really shrill; depends on whistle and on its tuning
Being cheap, the manufacture can be quite uneven. Elderly Instruments offers tweaked whistles that, given their reputation, ought to be a pretty safe bet.
I think the recorder is definitely easier. A beginner can play tunes much more easily on the recorder, as it has a fully chromatic range. The harmonica is great for playing growling blues solos, not so convenient for playing melodies. (I assume we’re talking about the familiar diatonic harmonica or “blues harp,” not the more complicated chromatic harmonica.) It’s easier to know where you are on the recorder because your fingers define what note you’re playing, whereas on the harmonica you have a row of identical-feeling holes going past your mouth, you can’t see what hole you’re on, and you have to keep track of the break between holes 6 and 7, where it switches from draw notes being higher than low notes on the same hole to the other way around.
Small Clanger is right about the cool factor, though.
Slightly biased toward the recorder, since I’ve been playing it for close to 17 years now with quite some skill, if I do say so myself, and have yet to learn to play the harmonica. Like Small Clanger said, though, recorders are not so cool.
I have to say, though, I always feel like I should have learned the guitar instead. It’s an instrument with a greater range of uses; if you can play chords, you can accompany singing, which automatically makes you a big hit in situations where people feel like breaking out into a sing-along (for some reason, I seem to end up in a lot of situations like this…). Damn short fingers.
It’s easy to learn up to a point: you can play like Bob Dylan or Billy Joel if you have one lung and no arms. That’s kinda the thing with harmonicas: you can sound okay even if you’ve never picked it up.
But playing it like Little Walter or Howlin’ Wolf (IOW, WELL) is another story. I personally found a harmonica teacher and took lessons. Crazy guy: he made a living of giving harmonica lessons out of his basement. Hour-long lessons, $20 each, and he had a huge waiting list of people who wanted his services.
The best advice I can give you is to get a decent harmonica to start. There are tons of cheapo ones on the market, and they sound awful and will discourage you fast. Get a major diatonic. I have five harmonicas and four of them are Lee Oskars, which is a high-quality brand that’s pretty cheap. Start with the Major Diatonic C. If you like that, get a (low) G to help you learn how to bend notes.
RE, the recorder: No opinion, really. But story time! I taught at a science camp a couple of summers ago, and for one of our lessons about sound, we gave out recorders. One of my kids was Brittish, and when his mom came to pick him up, she was absolutely delighted. She grabbed his recorder, and immediately played the most intricate little tune. I gawked at her, and she explained that recorders are a big deal in England, and everyone learns to play them as a kid. (Is that true in your experience, Brit dopers?)
Not British, but I did learn to play one as a kid. I think it’s a common “first instrument” because it’s very easy to learn to play recognizable tune on one. To play one well may be another story, but to play one? Easy!
I never could get the hang of the harmonica.
So I’m (obviously) voting for recorder. Or the aforementioned tin whistle.
IMHO (and experience): Go for the recorder first. It’ll teach you to control your breathing and fingering, which you’ll need to get anything resembling a recognizable tune out of your harmonica.
More so in the past than nowadays, and rarely to any impressive standard. Mostly, they’re used as an inexpensive way for a non-specialist teacher to make a safe (not in a good way) attempt at providing first-hand experience on ‘a real instrument’ in a large group. Unaware, it seems, that the room or cupboard full of under-used percussion which you can find in any small primary school is also full of real musical instruments.
This also means that few people are left with a good impression of the instrument, most simply never hearing it played well. Not even on a recording :smack: (or :rolleyes: , I’m not sure which)
Having played both, the recorder is certainly easier, but the harmonica is infinitely more fun and more versatile, IMHO. The harmonica isn’t terribly difficult to learn to play the basics, but the more advanced techniques present more of a challenge than the recorder. The fun part of harmonica, other than the awesome bends and vibratos you can get from it (which you can get to a limited extent on the recorder, but the harmonica has more BALLS) is that you can play really thick chunks of sounds on it. If you learn tongue-blocking, you can actually play a melody and accompany yourself.
I’d say, screw the recorder, learn the harmonica. Much more fun, much more useful, much more cool.
I picked up a recorder, and with the help of a simple book from the music store, I was playing a recognizeable tune in a very short time. I’ve also tried the harmonica, but was never able to do much with it, in spite of a lot of effort.
But I have to second the idea of the tin whistle. Very simple to play, usually quite inexpensive, and often just plain fun. Like the recorder, it doesn’t take long to learn the basics, and if you find yourself playing with a traditional folk band, it’s a lot easier to hear the whistle than the recorder.
A harmonica is more fun than a recorder. From angelic and sweet to raunchy roadhouse in the blink of an eye. They can also be played with any genre, as harmonicas used to be included on German orchestras. Furthermore, they fit in the pocket and can play the high lonesome sound without everyone laughing at you.
And you think you can’t do “raunchy” on a recorder? My consort played a blues piece once. It was described as sleazy.
And whilst the recorder may be easier, its also easier to play badly and may result in someone like me placing your recorder where the sun doesn’t shine. Go with the recorder if you have the time and committment to play it well.
My dear Angua, please don’t be upset if I recommend the hamronica to a novice. In skilled hands, the recorder is a beautiful instrument. I cannot vouch for it in other places, however. I have several recorders, none of which, to my knowledge, have done anything lewd.
I gotta agree with those who think a harmonica is cooler, and if I had any confidence at all in my musical skill, I’d go with that. But I’m really unmusical, and the consensus seems to be that the recorder is easier, which has me leaning that way.
But am intrigued by kelly5078’s suggestion of a tin whistle. It looks pretty similar to a Recorder, without the “Oh, I played one of those in kindergarten” factor (and FWIW, my New Jersey school did spend a few days on it in 2nd grade or so). And looking at the wikipedia article, it looks like the Native American Flute is pretty similar.
Anybody else have experience with either of those instruments (or want to suggest another)?
A tinwhistle is cooler than a recorder, I must admit. I would learn one of those before trying the flute. It is difficult to get the proper embrochure with a flute, learning the tinwhistle first will give you an easier intro playing music.