Recommend Me a Musical Instrument

Cafe Society
1

I’m 23 years old, haven’t played an instrument nor had any formal instruction since junior high, and have tiny hands that I am told would make piano or guitar very difficult to play (the former moreso than the latter, as you can just get a smaller guitar). Long ago I did very well in music theory and am confident I could learn to read music again. Recently I was asked to join a local songwriter’s circle, with several members citing my background in spoken word and poetry as their reason for asking. After attending a few times, it’s occurred to me that I’ll get a lot more out of this and have a lot more to offer them if I begin to learn an instrument, any instrument.

Once I’ve decided on one, I’m going to want recommendations regarding the make and model too- quality sound vs ok sound, durable vs flimsy, cheap vs costly, etc.

I’m starting massage school at the end of August, so ideally I’d like to learn an instrument that won’t cause/worsen carpal tunnel syndrome (I have a history of mild/moderate cases for which the primary treatment was to immobilize my wrists at night by wearing braces. I plan to keep up with prevention exercises and return to the braces if/when it acts up). But if there aren’t any, I’ll settle for something relatively light on wrist strain as far as music goes.

I already have an abundance of hand-based hobbies and don’t want to add to the strain if I don’t have to. I frequently fold origami; I produce and (locally) sell several types of handmade jewelry, the most popular of which is origami-based (paper crane earrings and that sort of thing); I regularly paint, embroider, bead, and sculpt; I occassionally cut hair and sew. And of course I’ll be typing more often when the homework hits. I’m not sure how much (if any) I’ll have to cut back on my current hobbies yet, and it would be really good for my sanity to have at least one creative avenue that wouldn’t be affected.

If money, time, and carpal tunnel weren’t concerns, my first choice would be the electric guitar or some other rock instrument, solely because that’s the kind of music I love and what I listen to most often. But I know that one’s a particularly demanding commitment, both time-wise and financially, and more importantly I presume it’s not easy on the wrists. Maybe a few years after graduating, when I’ve got more downtime than I will as a student, that option will open up. Until then, I’d like to hear about other possibilities.

2

Hmm, not working the hands is going to be a big stumbling block for most acoustic instruments. I’m trying to think of one that isn’t a workout of some sort for the hands, and I can’t think of one. The stringed instrument with the lightest demand on the hands that I can think of might be a lap steel. You don’t grip the neck, but you do have to hold a tone bar and strum.

Have you thought about just using a synth and sequencer?

3

A slightly different direction, but have you thought about voice lessons?

4

I thought about it a moment longer, and the theremin came to mind. It seems kind of perfect. The only strain on the hands is from holding them in the air.

It’s apparently not easy to learn, but it is pretty versatile. You can start with a kit for fairly little money (you’ll need an amp, too). If you get really into it, you can go crazy and build or get a polyphonic theremin, and play Stairway. :slight_smile:

Full disclosure: there’s no such thing as a polyphonic theremin.

5

Video posted on March 31st. Cute.

6

jaw Harp?

7

Just posting to say that hand size is a rubbish consideration, play what you love. I have small chick hands and play piano. I’m sure arpeggios are easier for dudes with spidery graceful man-hands, but that’s not going to stop me from enjoying it.

I’m no orthopedic surgeon, but I wonder if playing piano isn’t good exercise for your hands? I knit sometimes, and I type for hours every day. The computer causes weakness/numbness/pain on occasion. Playing piano never has.

8

Dulcimer! You’d be surprised what pleasant music even non-musicians can get out of it, and virtuosos can do amazing things…

9

Maybe something like a xylophone? Not a huge strain on the wrists and - if your CTS is a result of typing - will use a completely different hand position.

10

I’d recommend ukulele - that’d be all right for your hand size, though I don’t know how much of a strain that’d be on your hands (maybe depends on how much you practice.) And you can actually play rock music on the ukulele (or at least, I do sometimes.)

Autoharp might work, though I don’t know if it’d be a strain to hold (I don’t know much about the instrument.) Also, it pretty much only plays chords, but it might be nice to accompany songs.

11

Agreed, and with the nylon strings on a uke, you are likely to experience few tendon issues.

12

Harmonica fits well with both the rock music you like to listen to yourself and the songwriter’s circle you’ve been invited to.

13

Yikes. How tiny are you? I’ve seen some very small people play the guitar.

14

Doesn’t need to be a stringed instrument by any means. I don’t have a preference for type. Just, well… Something on which not all the music made necessarily has to be soft and pretty. I’m not likely to stick with an instrument that doesn’t have something like raw, epic or energetic as an option. As a listener, 80% of my favourite music is hyperactive and loud. Hearing relaxation CDs on repeat during all my practical classes and clinic hours is probably going to kill my taste for the other 20% very quickly.

Synths are definitely an option. I don’t know how difficult they are to learn, but I know they can and sometimes do produce music I enjoy.

Theremin, also an option. Although apparently not a polyphonic one. :stuck_out_tongue:

I really love what Owen Pallett has done with classical instruments and synths on his recent album In Conflict. It’s turbulent, it’s dance-able, it runs the gamut from bright to dark and hops from gentle to brutal and back as needed… Rock music without an electric guitarist or bassist in sight.

Thought about them. They’re still an option, but the disadvantage to voice lessons is that solo a capella doesn’t have many listeners. Collaboration is great, but I want the option to perform independently as well. I know many guitarists whose first love was singing; they learned to play just to give their voices a wider audience, rather than rely on having another musician around to provide accompaniment.

I’ve seen those on a shelf but I have no idea how they’re played or what it sounds like. Been meaning to google it for a while now actually.

Not really a fan of the xylophone’s sound, but I have considered playing something like the metallophone or glockenspiel. I liked the sharpness of the 25-note fold-up glock I tried out yesterday, and they’re only like thirty bucks. I’ll check out some experienced players on Youtube before deciding, but for now that’s an option.

Does it sound… acoustic-y? Do ukes come in electric? I have heard of the “guitarlele”, which seems to be just my size, but I don’t know enough about guitars in general to even guess at whether it makes a difference in the sound and versatility of the thing. Basically my knowledge of that whole instrument family stops at “well, there’s usually a body and a neck, and some funny looking pins to tune the strings or something”.

About as small as adults get without having some kind of medical condition that affects growth. I weigh 110 pounds, and I’m not thin.

15

Play drums. The world always needs more good drummers, IMO.

Or try sax. Saxomophones are way easy to learn and be competent on. They can blow loud and distorted (Steve Mackay, Jørgen Munkeby) or play soft and jazzy (David Sanborn, some other dick) or play wild in the streets (John Coltrane, John Gilmore). They’re very versatile instruments and have great potential for interplay with other instruments, especially guitar (here, check this out: Universal Congress Of - Dancing On Plato’s Tomb). Obviously, it takes a lot of effort to reach the level that those guys play at, but trust me, it’s fairly simple to reach “competent” level on sax.

16

If you’re starting off on a musical instrument and it’s not like you’ve been dreaming of playing a particular one for a long time, do NOT start out with an expensive one. A uke is a good starter instrument, especially if you have small hands. George Harrison loved playing them, he always had some extras around his house so visitors could play one along with him. He even had one that was strung left handed. And if you make a go of it, you can upgrade to a better uke, you could probably put a pickup on one. And it’s not to difficult to transition from a uke to a guitar.

Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain

Imagine if they had a wah wah pedal!

17

Agree with this suggestion. Saxes figure in a lot of R&B and soul and funk, for example. Plus, as a woodwind, the sax can help you learn other woodwinds, as they all work on the same principle. Learn the sax, and you can teach yourself the flute, and then play music by the Moody Blues and Jethro Tull, among others.

As Ranger Jeff suggested, do not start with an expensive instrument. Start with a “student model.” They play just fine (though not superior) but they’re built a little tougher–your fingers will hit the wrong keys/strings/etc. and you’ll try to compensate by hitting others, often hitting whatever sideways or backways or too hard, which expensive instruments are not designed for. When you learn the basics, you can move up to more expensive, more delicate instruments.

18

Drums

19

Trombone? Not much manual dexterity needed there - gripping the slide is a whole-hand thing and you move it, I guess, with whole-arm or elbow movement, probably about as much effort as swinging a table-tennis bat since everything should be well lubricated and moving freely.

You have several options musically - the usual B flat tenor, or the E flat alto or the bass if you want something a little different. There are even such things as slide trumpets though I don’t know how hard you’d have to search or what they would cost you.

20

I have heard of electric ukuleles.