Viewing Thread:
"What instrument to learn..."

I have always wanted to learn an instrument, it is on my official list of things to do before I die but I don't know which one I have narrowed it down to Piano or Fender Guitar (Is that even the right term heh?) Anyway as you can see I haven't a clue about either but I have a list of pros and cons and I'd like some of you to add to it, tell me what points are invalid and basically choose for me. Here is the list so far:

Guitar Pros-
>Looks very cool
>You can move about when you play it which is a lot more fun that sitting/standing by a piano
>Depending on where you get it and how much you are willing to invest in your first one you can get one for around £200
>Guitar music is brilliant for any band and has a wider range of popular modern music to learn which the Piano doesn't have(or so I'd imagine)
>I could play the Buffy theme tune!! Ahem...

Guitar Cons-
>I can imagine it being very fiddly to play until you get the hang of it


Piano Pros-
>Very classy instrument
>It would actually be acceptable to show off your musical talents on the Piano infront of family however Guitar is more of an instrument your parents would tell you to stop playing whenever you were playing with your mates
>You can play a variety of songs and set almost any atmosphere despite not being the best instrument to try playing The White Stripes, Travis or whatever on
>I think it's be easier to play just because I feel more comfortable with my fingering when at a piano, feels wierd trying to wrap my hand round a guitar pushing down on strings etc but that's probably becauseI don't know how

Piano Cons-
>I can imagine it costing a bloody fortune
>I'd have to find a place to put it
>I think I'd definitely need to seek professional help in learning to play however with the Guitar I would at least try to teach myself or get one of a few of my friends who already play to help me
>Oh yeh did I mention it'd cost a fortune?

Mutual Con-
>I'd have to learn sheet music which I've been told is like another language but my mates who already play can help with that too

Now you know how I feel about each instrument please feel free to enlighten me with new information on each instrument and so on. I really want to learn I think it'd be a great thing to be able to play an instrument and when I finish my exams this year I'll have ages just to sit back and learn. Especially during the summer holidays. That'd be good.
Anyway chances are this wont amount to anything for ages and ages if at all but I'd still liek some advice. Thank y'all.

I have always wanted to learn an instrument, it is on my official list of things to do before I die but I don't know which one I have narrowed it down to Piano or Fender Guitar (Is that even the right term heh?) Anyway as you can see I haven't a clue about either but I have a list of pros and cons and I'd like some of you to add to it, tell me what points are invalid and basically choose for me. Here is the list so far:

Guitar Pros-
>Looks very cool
>You can move about when you play it which is a lot more fun that sitting/standing by a piano
>Depending on where you get it and how much you are willing to invest in your first one you can get one for around £200
>Guitar music is brilliant for any band and has a wider range of popular modern music to learn which the Piano doesn't have(or so I'd imagine)
>I could play the Buffy theme tune!! Ahem...

Guitar Cons-
>I can imagine it being very fiddly to play until you get the hang of it


Piano Pros-
>Very classy instrument
>It would actually be acceptable to show off your musical talents on the Piano infront of family however Guitar is more of an instrument your parents would tell you to stop playing whenever you were playing with your mates
>You can play a variety of songs and set almost any atmosphere despite not being the best instrument to try playing The White Stripes, Travis or whatever on
>I think it's be easier to play just because I feel more comfortable with my fingering when at a piano, feels wierd trying to wrap my hand round a guitar pushing down on strings etc but that's probably becauseI don't know how

Piano Cons-
>I can imagine it costing a bloody fortune
>I'd have to find a place to put it
>I think I'd definitely need to seek professional help in learning to play however with the Guitar I would at least try to teach myself or get one of a few of my friends who already play to help me
>Oh yeh did I mention it'd cost a fortune?

Mutual Con-
>I'd have to learn sheet music which I've been told is like another language but my mates who already play can help with that too

Now you know how I feel about each instrument please feel free to enlighten me with new information on each instrument and so on. I really want to learn I think it'd be a great thing to be able to play an instrument and when I finish my exams this year I'll have ages just to sit back and learn. Especially during the summer holidays. That'd be good.
Anyway chances are this wont amount to anything for ages and ages if at all but I'd still liek some advice. Thank y'all.

Cub!st wrote:
> I feel more comfortable with my fingering when at a piano, feels wierd > trying to wrap my hand round a guitar pushing down on strings.

Har.

Wink wink, nudge nudge, Eh Cubist?

I love that phrase.

Lol I was just waiting for someone to say that. I actually sat there for about 5 minutes trying to phrase that in the least dodgiest way.

well, speaking from experience, your "con" for the guitar applies to anythign in life, thereby nullifying it, so there's NO cons for the guitar :)

oh and you don't have to learn sheet music if you don't want to. i can't and i've been playing guitar all over the place since i was 17 so don't get hung up on that aspect of it dude :)

Hmmm cool, do you know any good shops that sell a variety of them and could anyone advise a good price to pay considering I don't even know if I am going to take it up yet you know. Just I want one to try and learn I don't want to buy the best there is because that's just stupid at this stage.

Pacifica.
www.soundslive.co.uk

I think you can get a Yamaha Pacifica and a 10w amp for £150 there. DOn't hold me to that though. An electronic tuner will be handy too.

the triangle or the spoons

Having played piano for nine years and guitar for 3 years i would say that guitar is a much better instrument to learn, but if you learn piano first like i did its a lot easier to get a grasp of the theory work which you can then apply to the guitar. One word of warning though: If you do decide to learn guitar dont buy on of those Fender Squire Affinity Stratocastors from Argos. A lot of my friends hav them and they are pure sh*te, as are the amps that come with them. Go for a yamaha pacifica, or if you want to spend a bit more go for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. Great guitars. With regards to amplifiers you cant go wrong with a marshall. The MG series even hav some digital effects and reverb built in, plus they all hav cd input, FDD, and a headphone socket. If you go 4 piano however i recommend u learn jazz piano (A la Jools Holland) rather of classical style coz its much more fun to play.

also you dont need to read sheet music for guitar. we guitarists hav devised out own cunning method of writing down guitar music which is known as tablature, or tab for short. each line represents a string, and the number represents the fret (space on the neck). its very easy to read and a lot simpler than piano notation.

Cub!st wrote:
> Piano Cons-
> >Oh yeh did I mention it'd cost a fortune?

You can buy mine for 3000 :p She's cute too.