Long story short: My dad’s a musician, and he wants me to get more into music, as do I (don’t worry, this is not a father living through son-type situation). I’ve tried electric bass, cello, and clarinet seriously. So, could music-savvy Dopers provide any suggestions? Also, it would be best if the suggestions weren’t all instruments that everyone and their sister plays. Thanks.
Here’s my experience: I started out playing classical violin, which was more of a chore than a pleasure. I then took up playing guitar by ear and got quite good at that.
Then one day I realised that the mandolin had the right-hand technique of the guitar, and the left hand fingering of the violin, so I bought one and found it was very easy for me to adapt. However, I didn’t like the sound, as it was so tinny, so I spent the next 10 years looking for an mandola, which is an octave lower, and much easier on the ears. In the interim period I accidentally bought a bouzouki, thinking it was a mandola, but the frets were too far apart for my left hand. Eventually last summer I found a mandola in a store in Lisbon at a price I could manage, so I bought it. Unfortunately, after so much time not playing any of the mando- instruments, I’m so out of practice that it’s not worth listening to…
I’ve never met anyone else who plays one of them - care to jump on the bandwagon? They do a mandocello, which is yet another octave lower, and a mandolin double bass too.
My husband plays the cittern. He’s primarily a fiddler but his citterning is not too shabby.
What about the oboe or the French Horn? Two of my favorite instruments, besides the piano, of course. The clarinet training will help you with the oboe (although be prepared for it to be more difficult) and the horn is sooo velvety smooth… ah, gets me every time.
I think piano is the easiest and the most fun. I took piano lessons for a year and hated it, then switched to the violin. I played violin/viola for years (and enjoyed it) and then recently returned to my piano roots. I’m absolutely in love.
The piano is good because you don’t have to go through the awkward squeak/squawk/bad intonation stage that comes with strings and horns. You can buy a pretty good keyboard on the cheap (mine was a little more than $100, and it’s got all the bells and whistles). Unlike stringed instruments, there aren’t annoying accessories like shoulder pads, rosin, extra strings, etc. Plus, there are lots of sources out there if you want to teach yourself.
Although my choice would be guitar, because there are so many variations, including open tuning and slide, if you really want to knock peoples socks off, choose Gamalan, the Balinese/Indonesian instrument which is rather like a giant zylophone.
Do a search for it, have a listen, and see what you think…it is a magical sound, and not terribly hard to play.
The Gamelan is actually a whole collection of instruments - gongs, xylophone-like instruments, drums, of a variety of sizes. It takes 10-30 people to play. If you can find somewhere where you can join in, then great!
Hmmm, there’s a lot to consider…what music genre? Versatility? Mobility? Affordability? Practice time… Ya know what I mean. I play guitar and harmonica both pretty versatile, mobile and inexpensive. Wish I had more time to play.
If I were thinking of another instrument. I would really love to play the piano well. There’s a few that do but not too many. The people I know that can, they can play practically anything they pick up. As far being versatile, there’s not much you can’t play on one and you can always convert to keyboards. It also impresses the hell outta folks to walk up to one and play the shit out of it.
Lotsa $$$ out there for an outstanding piano-man. Also worth thinking about.
I know a guy that paid his way through college playing weekends. 
How a Jew’s Harp? And if you don’t like it they only cost around $5.
You can get a harmonica for $5-7, if it ends up that you’re no good, at least you won’t blow a lot of money. Otherwise, try the piano.
I’d say piano is the best for getting a good overall understanding of music. You’re dealing with two clefs; you work with both melody and harmony simultaneously; you learn hand, finger, and foot independence.
But the most important thing is to learn an instrument that inspires you, and that’s wholly a personal matter. Electric guitar is one of the funnest instruments in the world to play and it’s got a pretty quick learning curve for the basics and is immediately rewarding. From my experience, people get frustrated at the piano more quickly than at guitar.
Compactness is always good. Versatility I’m easy with. Price and availability are big factors. Also, I don’t want something with an insane difficulty curve.
I’d be interested in trying harmonica - elaborate on the benefits and drawbacks, please?
I’m not interested in piano. It fits squarely into “everyone and their sister”, at least, as far as the people I know.
Well, as my username refers to what I consider to be the coolest, most beautiful ly shaped peghead, otherwise known as a headstock, on the instrument I play, and whereas it is one of the most underated, yet versatile and unique instruments ever created, suitable for hoedowns, classical music, Who songs such as “Squeeze Box”, and was played by one of the most innovative musicians that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing (Don Reno, if you must know), I humbly suggest that you check out both Earl Scruggs and J.D. Crowe, and if you like what you hear, then you could do a lot worse than going to your local music store and asking what they have in the way of a banjo.
I’d like to put in a plug for the lowly Tin Whistle or Pennywhistle.
I’ve got a piano, I play guitar and saxophone. But a few months ago, I bought a tin whistle for yucks, and I play it ALL the time. You can be surprisingly expressive with it. And they are cheap - even some of the professional tin whistle players play a $10 whistle.
I bought a feadog tin whistle with a book of tunes and a CD of the tunes being played, for $25. Best $25 I’ve spent in a long time.
Harmonica - more dope.
Basically two styles:
Straight Larry Adler/chromatic harp (booooring)
Blues Harp, well cool. These harmonicas come in individual keys and if you play in the home key you sound like a folky (think Neil Young/Dylan) BUT - blues players play cross-keyed (?), that is, to play in E you use a harp in A (OK maybe it’s the other way around but the idea’s right) and bend notes to get flat sevenths etc. If you’ve heard the theme to the Old Grey Whistle Test* that’s the sort of thing.
It’s a lot easier to transport than a guitar let alone a piano.
BTW I’m a pretty hopeless blues harpist but I can make the right noises.
*thinks… you’re probably a bit young for that.
I fairly regularly play tunes with TWO mandola players (not at the same time). Not bouzoukis, mandolas. Never met anyone with a mandocello or the bass version, though.
I’d plug the harp as quite user-friendly to learn, because it is very hard to make it actually sound nasty if you have 'm tuned up. Which can be a rather big “if”. Smaller models are also not as expensive as you’d think, but even those lose out big time in the compact factor. The really small lap harps are rather limited.
IMO the perfect compact but cool instrument is the concertina. Not too common, either. But you’d be fairly stuck with doing various traditional styles of music. Unless you want to go out on a limb and play punk rock on it. Cool be great. Or not.
I’d give bass another try. I have played both electric and stand-up.
Pros for electric: Fairly easy to pick up at first. You can learn enough to play basic 3 chord rock n Roll in a weekend. You can add to your chops as you go. I think it’s MUCH easier to find a band as a bass player than as anything else, including as a drummer.
Pros for standup: More flexible than electric. You can play anywhere from classical to jazz to rockabilly. Very little competition. Way back in the day, I auditioned for the all south jersey orchestra. While there were 60 clarinets trying out for 3 spots, there were 6 bass players trying out for ten spots (one actually didn’t get selected).
Con for both: The most frustrating thing about playing bass is that you have to be really really good before you can play by yourself and be able to sound like you’re playing actual music. You need other musicians around to really do anything. (unless you happen to be Stanley Clarke or the like.)
Bottom Line: if you have deficiencies in available time to practice, dedication, or talent (and I lacked all 3) playing either flavor of bass is a great way to spend time making music with people who you wouldn’t otherwise get to play with.
Side note: I found it fairly difficult to switch back and forth between the two. I wound up playing standup exclusively and then pretty much switching to electric exclusively.