What is the hardest/easiest musical instrument to play?

[Mugs]

According to you, what is the hardest and/or the easiest musical instrument to play.
Now before posting, I don't want to see anything like "the triangle" as the easiest instrument (I want to see some instruments that needs a little bit of skillÃ,  )

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-According to me the easiest instrument would be, the flute because it's something they teach you in 3rd grade.

-The hardest instrument would have to be the chapman stick.Ã,  Just look at the way it's played and how you're supposed to hit the notes. Not only that, you also need to control of both of your hands.Ã,  Ã,  Ã,  Ã, 

[Gregjazz]

Erhu is a pretty difficult instrument to play. I wouldn't say it's the most difficult to play, though. I have heard that flute is an easy instrument to play once you get the embouchure right.

Heck, piano is a difficult instrument to play since in order to get good tone you have to be able to press the notes very swiftly so that the hammers have minimal contact time with the strings, but at the same time have control over volume. I can't really think of any instrument that is downright easy to play since there can be such detail and control in playing instruments.

[Huw Dawson]

So, Geoffkhan, all musical instuments are easy to play badly? 

For the easiest musical instument, I'd have to say the swallow whistle. Perfect for this generation of children, as no musical skill, intelegence or self-respect is needed! (Of cource, the hardest is easily your own voice muscles. Bet no-one thought of them, eh?)

- Huw

[Mugs]

(Of cource, the hardest is easily your own voice muscles. Bet no-one thought of them, eh?)

- Huw

You know what, you're right, but then again I did ask for easy instruments that requires a little bit of skill.Ã,  Ahhh well, I don't really care.

[Nacho]

The triangle is quite easy...

[Bartimaeus]

I think piano's a hard instrument to play coz you have to use your two hands to do, sometimes, completely different things and of course be able to read two lines simultaneously - along with all that other stuff that Geoffkhan mentioned as well.

Drums have to be the easiest instrument to play, I mean, any old person can just hit a few things with sticks - Just ask my friend Lloyd! 

(That was a joke by the way)

~Bart

[Nikolas]

Difficult:

Violin. No standard notes, you must have tiny hands to play, you must master the bow before you actually play anything... Very difficult.

Any brass instrument (trumpet, horn etc...). If you blow you get nothing. You must practise your diafram before been able to do something.

Easy: Guitar and piano for beginners.

Generally I have to comment that any instruyment seems pretty easy to begin with but in order to master at a certain level, as Geof says about piano, it is a whole lot different story... Ã, 

My question to Mugs:

Why?

If you do tell us, we might get better advice, if this is what you seek.

[Mr Jake]

Tuba for the win.

[DoorKnobHandle]

The question doesn't make any sense to me, because you'd have to define "play" first...

Take the guitar as example: It may be easy to plug the first few notes, but can that really be considered "playing" the instrument? Or do you first have to be able to pull off arpeggio sweeps at a tempo that would make Joe Satriani wonder why he even started playing guitar himself?

I suppose you are talking about something in the middle - well, the learning curve is different for every instrument, and I don't think anybody here tried 'em all.

[Fizzii]

The triangle is quite easy...

The triangle actually requires skill. It has to be hit a certain way in order to get a certain quality of sound from itÃ, 

Easiest instrument probably varies for each individual. It probably also comes down to personal preference. I find violin pretty easy, but I've been playing for 13 to 14 years. I've also played piano for 13 years and find it harder to express the music with that. And while piano is good for beginners because no intonation is required (unlike violin, with screechy notes), it is difficult to be really good at it (at a high level) because the keys have to be touched a certain way to get a nicer sound out of it (well, that's probably similar with violin ). The 'easiness' of an instrument does depend on what kind of standard one is looking to get to though.

[Las Naranjas]

The Theremin is difficult to master

[ManicMatt]

i would say the two tiny bongo drums are easy!

For hard, i would say the scottish bagpipes. i mean, nobody can play them right at all! (What's that? They are supposed to sound like that? Really?!)

[Squinky]

Guitar is probably the easiest, I've always thought of it as the common man's instrument. It is probably the most prolific of all instruments, and it's easy as hell to learn how to play from books/the internet.

[HillBilly]

Jaw Harp is pretty easy.

[Paper Carnival]

the recorder is the easiest for me, way easier than guitar.

[Bluke4x4]

I'd say recorder IS the easiest, I got taught it in the third grade, and since I didn't really want to play it, I just moved my hands around a little and hummed along with the music. Nobody noticed.

Hardest to me is guitar. Well I'm probably saying that because I haven't played mine in months because it was broken the whole time (i hadn't realized) I wasn't playing it right (i was playing it left handed because I thought it was a left handed one... it wasn't.) and it was HORRIBLY out of tune(the WHOLE time). I need to get it fixed and then get an instructor.

[LGM]

no no no... Cowbell..

[Squinky]

I can beat you all....Remember those sticks they had you beat together when you were in kindergarten? Flat out easiest.....

[MillsJROSS]

I'd say the Harmonica is a fairly easy instrument. You can learn just about anything you need to know to play a harmonica in about ten hours. The only difference between you and a professional player after that would be the amount of songs you know.

I'd also pick the trombone for being one of the easiest and hardest instruments to learn/play. It's easily one of the easiest brass instruments to learn, because the note progression is straightforward. And there are only seven positions you need worry about. Learning those seven positions can take a bit of time, but if you have a naturally good ear, it can be easily attained. Also it's an easy instrument to keep in tune, because if the tuning slide isn't well placed, you can move your slide accordingly. It's also can be very difficult. It's easier for other brass instruments to play quicker notes in succession, wheras a trombone player needs more practice and a faster arm to be able to do this. The higher up on the scale you go, the more you need to adjust your standard positions. The trombone is also one of the most versatile instruments. With a good trombone, you can get a great range. As a trombone player, obviously, my viewpoints are slanted, though.

Also one of the hardest instruments to play, from what I hear, is the French Horn. Because there are numerous partials for every position. But if played correctly, this can have a wonderfull breathtaking sound.

-MillsJROSS

[Mugs]

My question to Mugs:

Why?

If you do tell us, we might get better advice, if this is what you seek.

What?