I am thinking of taking up a musical instrument in mid life as a way to amuse myself (having heard others who have waited until this age to begin, I won’t torture others), and I want to play either guitar or piano. Which is easier?
Well, a few considerations:
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Guitars are far cheaper, and far more portable, and you can tune them yourself with minimal training. (I’m learning now myself; it’s fun, but the wire tension is hard on the fingers until you develop calluses.)
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Piano, IMHO, is the best way to learn how music is really structured; it’s far more logical in the arrangement of the keys. (It’s also easier on the fingertips.)
I don’t know what your considerations are, or what other music background you may have. (Did you ever take a theory class? Did you ever sing in a formal, organized way?) Which is easier may depend on how your brain works.
Good luck, and whatever you choose, have fun with it!
What are your goals?
Do you want to go it alone or play in a band?
If you are rather transient, moving a piano can get pretty expensive, especially to upper floors, unless you are considering the electric/electronic option.
You can be become a rock star guitarist without learning music theory. Much less so if you want to become a virtuoso pianist.
The two instruments are not mutually exclusive, but I cannot think of many who have truly mastered both. If you are musically inclined, you will probably be much better at one than the other. Maybe take a few lessons of each before committing the big dollars.
Eddie Van Halen plays a mean guitar, and I think he’s also a classically-trained pianist. Warren Zevon studied piano under Igor Stravinsky, and he’s a pretty good guitarist.
I play both, neither spectacularly well. For me, piano has been much easier to learn, but I already knew how to read sheet music from when I was in band in high school. Guitar can be quite non-intuitive, and to play well you have a lot of stuff going on - fretting chord shapes while fingerpicking a melody and keeping a bass line going with your thumb is not easy.
Being middle aged, I’m probably not going to be any good. It is more of a music appreciation, by my own artist, wanna amuse myself a little. Hey, and either way, chicks dig it. Which is easier to learn is the real question.
One vote for guitar!
(from a home with both)
Some thoughts…
Pianos are a committment. They are enjoyable to play, but as Lorenzo pointed out, they are a sweet pain in the butt to move. Every time I help move one, I swear that it will be the last time, and I’m lucky if I keep that promise for about four years.
They might not be for apartment dwellers. You cannot play a piano after hours unless you live alone in a house; you can play guitar anytime.
I personally would recommend classical guitar. The instrument, with its nylon strings, is much easier on the fingers than a steel string and it’s, well… classy. It’s different from the more commonly-heard guitar styles, so even a basic study sounds fancy.
If you choose guitar, I feel it is essential to learn to read music. This is almost a necessity with the piano, but most guitar players get along quite nicely without reading music. I feel that there is significant value in learning to read music, however.
I agree with Eva in that I can take a guitar anywhere I go.
In those rare moments when I find the time to sit down and practice, I like to play Bossa Nova – a style of music that absolutely begs for the guitar.
What type of music do you wish to play?
Simple folk songs.
I understand that Paul McCartney couldn’t read music for most of his Beatles career.
If you ask me, I say go buy a cheap guitar (they can be had brand new for under 200 bucks) and start checking out some instructional websites. You can learn to read tablature in about 20 minutes, and chord charts and popular songs are everywhere for free. Lessons with a professional guitarist are the best way to go, but like I said, you can learn a TON of basics online.
If you decide to purchase a piano, you will be looking at a much larger investment, and as previously mentioned, a much more delicate beast. I can tune a guitar in 2 minutes with a twenty dollar tuner, and I can restring it in ten minutes. Advantage: Guitar.
A side note: If you decide on guitar, go to a local music shop with a good selection of instruments and try them ALL. Cheap guitars play like cheap guitars, and are typically a little more tough to learn on. You can also check out the trading posts and online stores after you handle the guitar you are considering. A rambling post, but I hope it helps.
Ever considered joining a drum group? Lots of fun, nice people. Not as frustrating for beginners as piano or guitar.
In any event, why restrict yourself to one instrument?
I already play the stereo. Very well I might add. Anyway, thanks for the input. Oh, TheOtherOne, you may be interested to know there will be a new Dick’s Pick released Monday. Just got spammed.
If you want simple folk songs, definitely go for guitar, for all the reasons everyone has already mentioned. When you buy a guitar, have the shop set the action as low as humanly possible (that’s how migh the bridge is, which translates into how much pressure you need to put on the strings to make a decent sound), and get extra-light strings. It’ll be much easier on your fingers. You don’t need to learn to read music per se, just interpret the chord charts, which are no big deal with no music background (they’re just a visual representation of the frets where your fingers go; pick up a book, and you’ll see what I mean).
Lots of people learn guitar on their own, especially in the beginning, including many of the folk, rock, and especially blues greats. Personally, I found it helpful to take group classes, plus it’s a more fun and social way to go about it (and cheaper than private lessons). If you’re in Chicago, I heartily recommend the Old Town School of Folk Music! Check it out: www.ots.org
You can learn all sorts of things there, plus all the people are really nice.
Yee-hahh! Number Twenty-Six, here I come!
Oh, yeah…play the piano. Everybody and their Aunt Petunia plays the guitar.
Guitar is easy, piano is more impressive.
Everybody and his brother plays guitar these days, including me.
But it depends on your goals. Wanna impress chicks a frat party? Guitar. Wanna impress adults in a hotel lobby? Piano.
[Dennis Miller]Of course, that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.[/Dennis Miller]
So, what’s wrong with the tuba??
The Tuba already has its Diva.
That’s why I always suggest classical guitar. In a world full of folks who strum chords, one who plays even the simplest of classical pieces stands out. Of course, this is only my opinion, and folks have made entire fortunes based on strumming chords.
The one thing about piano (which might also be true of classical guitar) is that you often play melody - which is very convenient when trying to figure out what it is you should be sounding like or guessing what to play next.
Or perhaps that’s just me, and the people and websites from whom I’m trying to learn to play guitar haven’t been explaining how to do that in a way that I can comprehend.
You can rent any size piano and have piano movers move it around for you if necessary.
Playing the piano is a great way to learn the basics of music. There isn’t a lot of ambiguity or physical demands. There’s only one “middle c” for instance. On a guitar there are several places for middle c. You don’t have to develop callouses for piano and there isn’t the suffering you have to endure when you choose a guitar that’s difficult to play. The independance and dexterity you develop playing piano can be transferred to the guitar.
That being said, the acoustic guitar is simply a wonder to behold. six strings, 20 or so frets, and a universe of possibilities. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the different ways to do things, though. It’s good that you know what you want to do. That makes things a lot easier.
If you want to play folk songs, guitar is probably the way to go. Once you develop your ear to the point where you can pick stuff up off of recordings then that’s the greatest. Get a good instrument to start with.
Muffin doesn’t have a bad idea either about joining a drum circle or at least establishing a foundation in rhythm before taking up another instrument.