What Instrument?

[ACE_187]

Should I learn to play? I like the mandolin. It can have a happier bluegrass sound or a sad/depressing western/mexican sound like this

Youtu.be

Youtu.be
Video: click to display

Or this

Youtu.be

Youtu.be
Video: click to display

(I don't think that's all mandolins though)

[RadicalApex]

Learn piano, once you know piano it's just a matter of becoming familiar with another instrument due to all the music theory you'll learn. Once I learned piano thats when things began to take off for me. Now I can pretty much buy most instruments and figure out how to play them just by fucking around with them for a few days.

[Slayre]

Originally Posted by RadicalApex

Learn piano, once you know piano it's just a matter of becoming familiar with another instrument due to all the music theory you'll learn. Once I learned piano thats when things began to take off for me. Now I can pretty much buy most instruments and figure out how to play them just by fucking around with them for a few days.

The same can be applied to guitars. OP, get a guitar.

[moron]

[Bradley]

Originally Posted by moron

Barefoot Larry is wearing sandles. That wasn't well planned.

[RadicalApex]

Originally Posted by Slayre

The same can be applied to guitars. OP, get a guitar.

If you're gonna learn with a guitar though you're most likely gonna need lessons. Piano is much simpler as far as learning theory goes IMO. Plus everybody and their mother plays guitar it's so hard to find other people to jam with who arn't guitarists.

[ACE_187]

Piano seems like it would be boring and there are no songs I'd really be interested in playing on it.

What is better about a guitar? I was interested in the mandolin mainly because it's small and pretty cheap compared to guitars. And this is just something I want to do in my free time.

[Mordisk]

drums or guitar bro, if you need lessons ill give you online Lessons.

[Eridani]

Yeah fucking drums man. Easily the coolest instrument.

[RadicalApex]

Originally Posted by ACE_187

Piano seems like it would be boring and there are no songs I'd really be interested in playing on it.

What is better about a guitar? I was interested in the mandolin mainly because it's small and pretty cheap compared to guitars. And this is just something I want to do in my free time.

If you just want to play other people's songs get a guitar, or mandolin like you want learning songs is very easy. If you want to make your own music learn as much theory as you can. Drums are cool too like a bunch of the other posters said, drummers are some of my favorite people to play with but that's just cause I primarily play my bass.

[ACE_187]

Drums would be ok if you wanted to join a band and probably the funnest but drums alone...I think I will try the mandolin first. Another reason is because it seems like a lot more people play the guitar.

[Eridani]

Even playing drums alone it's really fun when you get pretty good and can play harder songs, does take a few years though. I get people asking me to stand in and drum for them fairly regularly, seems like there's a lot of guitarists but not so many drummers, at least where I am. But it's kind of a dead end in a way in that you don't learn much about music by learning the drums. Piano is a good first instrument to get the basics down then you can really learn anything with that knowledge.

[slicknickns]

I like the mandolin

[Slayre]

Into the Wild - Rise (Eddie Vedder) - YouTube

Into the Wild - Rise (Eddie Vedder) - YouTube
Video: click to display

Good mandolin song. Good choice, OP.

[HOLLISTER GUY]

steel guitar

[STEROS]

Originally Posted by RadicalApex

Learn piano, once you know piano it's just a matter of becoming familiar with another instrument due to all the music theory you'll learn.

this

[slicknickns]

Synthesizer, the music that's always popular

[adrieann]

Originally Posted by RadicalApex

Learn piano, once you know piano it's just a matter of becoming familiar with another instrument due to all the music theory you'll learn. Once I learned piano thats when things began to take off for me. Now I can pretty much buy most instruments and figure out how to play them just by fucking around with them for a few days.

This.
Seriously.

Although i myself started with guitar. I think starting with piano would have been better.

[STEROS]

also, get an accordion.

[bortmackie]

Piano really is the best instrument to learn for your first. The only thing is that you need a piano, which is pretty expensive. Some of the nicer keyboards sound pretty good, but they're not so great to learn on. it's kinda like learning electric guitar before acoustic. It's much better to learn the fundamentals on an actual piano. Mandolin would be pretty easy. It's tuned in fifths like classical string instruments, but i think it's easier than learning that wacky guitar tuning.
Whatever you decide to learn, i strongly recommend you get lessons for it. Of course you can always learn by yourself, but learning with a teacher will help you learn immensely. It's important to learn proper technique, because otherwise your shitty technique will just hold you back. It's kinda difficult to notice all your mistakes when you don't have a teacher to show you what you're doing wrong.
Drums are pretty easy to learn. It doesn't take very much effort to learn basic rhythm. It's one of those instruments that's pretty easy to be okay at, but a lot more challenging to become REALLY good. And a lot of rock and roll drumming is pretty basic shit, based on simple beats. You don't need to do a bunch of complicated shit or have a 50 piece drum kit like neil peart. It will help you develop your rhythm obviously, but it's kinda limited in that it's not a melodic instrument. Once you learn something like piano or guitar, you can apply that to so many other instruments. Piano's really good to learn theory as well, which is really important if you intend to write your own material.

Whatever you decide to learn, you will always improve if you practice and work on it a lot. I didn't really have any natural talent, but because i kept working on it, i became really good and had some pretty distinguished achievements. The best advice i can give you about learning your instruments is to practice things slowly. It's the best way to learn difficult passages and play quickly and evenly. Also, you should practice things with different rhythms. For example, if you have a fast eighth note passage, practice it with dotted rhythms. when you do that, you shorten the space between certain notes, which helps learn the notes.

[moron]

[chukkyjr]

Originally Posted by Slayre

The same can be applied to guitars. OP, get a guitar.

not quite right, guitars sometimes needs a capo to play some song since guitars tune is only.. well.. consist of 6 strings

[ACE_187]

I may be able to get a guitar for free. So I may end up doing that.

My gf has a violin too. She said I could use it if she could find it. I think a violin would be cool to learn how to play. For some reason I'm getting an interest in actual music again.

I'm impressed by people who can play a guitar, and sing at the same time. That seems really difficult. I like some country music.

If I end up buying something it will probably be a mandolin though.

[burroughs]

I agree that piano is a good starting point. You seem like you're leaning towards stringed instruments though, so I'd like to recommend the ukulele. My old roommate had one and it was pretty easy to pick up after he showed me a few chords.

It's not particularly practical if you want to play in a band or something, but it's just a fun little instrument to dick around on.