Hardest instrument to learn to play good

[tonil]

drums, guitar, piano ,violin, something else ... what is it ?
which instruments demans the most knowledge and practice to master ?

 

[Spam On Rye]

Play guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, and keys. Trumpet was the hardest for me. Followed by the keys.

 

[10000yearsold]

Theremin

 

[HereticBD]

Personally, string instruments are impenetrable for me. I'm great at picking strings, but putting it together with notes feels impossible. My brain knows where the fingers are supposed to go, but my left hand is all "derr...". Drums and keys come way more naturally to me. Some wind instruments are really weird, too. They seem so easy.

Never tried the violin, but that seems like a real bitch.

 

[Meatspin]

Gotta depend on personal aptitude.

 

[650lb Sumo]

Gotta depend on personal aptitude.

Obviously, but if we're counting a drum kit as 'an instrument', I would lean towards that, as you're maintaining multiple rhythms at once. Idk how many a good drummer would be doing at once, each hand and foot is doing something different, you have to keep track of more than four things at once. Some drummers sing as well.

 

[Meatspin]

Obviously, but if we're counting a drum kit as 'an instrument', I would lean towards that, as you're maintaining multiple rhythms at once. Idk how many a good drummer would be doing at once, each hand and foot is doing something different, you have to keep track of more than four things at once. Some drummers sing as well.

Would agree with that.

 

[Lycandroid]

fretless instruments or drums

 

[volodya]

The piano is probably easiest to learn and the most difficult to master.

 

[Berserker13]

The piano is probably easiest to learn and the most difficult to master.

playing with your hands and feet, but it's also more complex than drums

 

[mozfonky]

I used to think piano but other musicians have told me how long it takes to learn to play a note bowed stringed instruments, sounds hard to me. But honestly, all of them are hard. I would think the instruments that only play one note at a time would be easier (bass, woodwinds) just because of the simplicity of one note but I really don't know.

 

[volodya]

playing with your hands and feet, but it's also more complex than drums

Pedaling is absolutely important playing the piano

 

[mozfonky]

personally I always had a very difficult time with guitar even though it's supposed to be easier than piano, it's too hard playing a clean chord or note on the thing and very difficult with the fingering. I'm no great pianist but it's still simpler in principal to play a clean chord or note for me, even though that's not easy for me either. I'm a musician but not gifted and I didn't have any advantages that would help me so I just do the best I can.

 

[mozfonky]

Pedaling is absolutely important playing the piano

yup, and doing it properly isn't that easy either, I always just clunk it down, i'm a rocker, but I know that that's not how it's done in the classical world. The other pedals I really never even use and don't even know what they're used for, I never use them.

 

[bandicoot]

Apparently the harmonica is the most difficult instrument to be proficient at. At least that's what I read some years ago.

 

[HelloJapan]

Drummer here. Easiest?, imo, drums - for general level of playing. When I used to teach I could have a student playing beat#1, which you've heard in the majority of your favourite songs, within a minute or two, and they'll sound solid. I don't think you can do that as well or fast with another instrument.

That said, at top tier level of performance, elite of the elite, also the drums. It's cute when guitarist say the guitar, we expect that, but try using all four limbs, each limb doing completely independent rhythms, at high tempo, using odd times, while trying to reach all these various instruments, and not have it fall apart. Never mind the insane physicality it takes (they've done studies on this, it's wild). Watch a Terry Bozzio, or Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Trilok Gurtu, any of the Frank Zappa drummers, etc, at their peak, and it defies what's possible.



Guitar, Piano, Violin, etc, all use two limbs, with their playing area well within reach. I'm not saying these instruments have it easy, or unique hurdles specific to their instrument, but for the reasons I stated, I think it's the drum set.

 

[mozfonky]

Apparently the harmonica is the most difficult instrument to be proficient at. At least that's what I read some years ago.

I never could play the thing, bruce springsteen and bob dylan are good at it, stevie wonder too.

 

[mozfonky]

Drummer here. Easiest?, imo, drums - for general level of playing. When I used to teach I could have a student playing beat#1, which you've heard in the majority of your favourite songs, within a minute or two, and they'll sound solid. I don't think you can do that as well or fast with another instrument.

That said, at top tier level of performance, elite of the elite, also the drums. It's cute when guitarist say the guitar, we expect that, but try using all four limbs, each limb doing completely independent rhythms, at high tempo, using odd times, while trying to reach all these various instruments, and not have it fall apart. Never mind the insane physicality it takes (they've done studies on this, it's wild). Watch a Terry Bozzio, or Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Trilok Gurtu, any of the Frank Zappa drummers, etc, at their peak, and it defies what's possible.



Guitar, Piano, Violin, etc, all use two limbs, with their playing area well within reach. I'm not saying these instruments have it easy, or unique hurdles specific to their instrument, but for the reasons I stated, I think it's the drum set.

It's a crucial instrument and a drummer must be able to keep time, lots of disgruntled drummers out there who claim they were great (Pete Best, Vini "The Animal" Lopez) got fired from promising acts because they just couldn't keep time which was primary in a rock band. I imagine matching up to wandering tempos has to be tough too, I play to a metronome and I often lose the tempo and think of how a drummer would have to adjust to me if I had one. One other thing a couple other drummer's faults are playing to much and also too loud.

 

[volodya]

yup, and doing it properly isn't that easy either, I always just clunk it down, i'm a rocker, but I know that that's not how it's done in the classical world. The other pedals I really never even use and don't even know what they're used for, I never use them.

IMO the middle pedal is the most difficult to use properly. It sustains a single note/chord so you can not pedal what you are doing next and still have those tones sounding. I think Horowitz uses it quite a bit in this performance.



The soft pedal is on the left, it makes the sound a bit quieter by shifting the hammers over a bit so they hit less strings.

 

[mozfonky]

IMO the middle pedal is the most difficult to use properly. It sustains a single note/chord so you can not pedal what you are doing next and still have those tones sounding. I think Horowitz uses it quite a bit in this performance.



The soft pedal is on the left, it makes the sound a bit quieter by shifting the hammers over a bit so they hit less strings.

hmmm, never knew about the middle pedal, I know the soft pedal but never use either.

Hey, what do you think about perfection? I read an article on perfection and it stated, "no live performance can be note perfect" but I've seen some phenomenal guys that I can't see or hear a single mistake in. Greg Phillinganes (Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder) is a great musician and some others that I've just listened to are just amazing, to the point of being inhuman.