Piano
The top 7 reasons why it is the optimal beginner instrument
1 - The piano is very visual. White keys and black keys, whole steps and half steps - it is just so easy to see how music theory works!
2 - The tone produced sounds great right away. On the violin, voice or trumpet, for example, it can take years to produce a clean tone that is on pitch. This can be frustrating, because beautiful music has to wait. On the piano the music is instantly accessible.
3 - You can improvise right away! Start with all black keys - they spell a pentatonic scale. There are no 'bad' sounding notes.
4 - The piano can fulfill many functions in a band - accompaniment or rhythm guitar, melody playing, soloing, walking bass lines.... Playing piano means to understand these different functions. The possibilities are endless and so is the fun!
5 - Sing and play! Be the life of the party, knocking out the chords to known songs.
6 - You can play any style on the piano. And, with a keyboard, you actually play more than just piano - you play any instrument imaginable with the help of technology.
7 - Many tasks of a professional musician are done on the piano - composing, arranging, inputting scores for print out... solid piano technique comes in handy!
So, no matter which instrument you end up choosing in the long run - if you are not sure where to start - try piano!
© Ariane Cap, Step Up Music Vallejo, 2010