[max_e]

hello, strange question i know but i don't know which instrument to start learning and was wondering if anyone had any advice. i'm in year 11 and the oppotunity for me to learn an instument has only just been made avaliable to me, my options are: clarinet, violin, cello or oboe, i like them all sound wise and i realise i am very late starting however i was wondering which instrument would be easier to get fairly good at since i would love to be able to play an instrument although i don't have years upon years of time to learn
any advice would be greatly appreciated

[IlexBlue]

Violin.

Classic, beautiful instrument, beautiful sound... and there's just something about a boy that plays the violin.

[Clip]

Clarinet. Easier (and a lot cheaper) than the oboe (in the sense that you don't need any double reed skills).

More portable than a cello, a beginner clarinetist can sound ok in a couple of weeks. I personally don't think a violinist will.

Also, as a clarinetist, you'll also be able to play the sax for free.

[IPlayThePiccolo]

Clarinet will prob be the easiest and you wont sound like a cat dying to begin with ( ) that said, the violin and cello can sound gorgeous in time. I would rank them as follows:

Clarinet
Cello
Violin
Oboe (never liked the sound)

[derangedyoshi]

I'd go for cello or oboe of those 4, there aren't quite as many of them so you get to be a bit more special :L.

I play the cello and it's lovely. Definitely hard work, but it's so worth it. I couldn't comment on the work involved in learning a woodwind instrument though.

[AspiringGenius]

I am a cellist. Go Cello!!!!

It's great fun, fiddling with that big thing between your legs.

But seriously, it's a great instrument which is really underappreaciated. It's great for learners as it has a mellow sonorous tone, and doesn't squeak that badly.

It's supposed to have the timbre most similar to the fen ale voice of all the classical orchestra instruments also. gotta love those altos.

It's quite easy to get the hang off, I picked it up just before I started year 10 and played a grade 8 piece for me Music GCSE performance. (granted, I got a B )

[chickenonsteroids]

(Original post by AspiringGenius)
I am a cellist. Go Cello!!!!

It's great fun, fiddling with that big thing between your legs.

But seriously, it's a great instrument which is really underappreaciated. It's great for learners as it has a mellow sonorous tone, and doesn't squeak that badly.

It's supposed to have the timbre most similar to the fen ale voice of all the classical orchestra instruments also. gotta love those altos.

It's quite easy to get the hang off, I picked it up just before I started year 10 and played a grade 8 piece for me Music GCSE performance. (granted, I got a B )

YES! cello for life :P

It sounds beautiful even as a beginner

[psychocustard]

Oboe. There's never enough double reed players and you'd always be in demand! It can be quite hard to get used to at first, and your mouth will ACHE but it's so worth it

[Whangdoodle]

I play violin so I would of course say you should also play violin but that would be a very biased answer

Narrow it down. Would you like to play a string instrument, or a woodwind instrument? (For me, I don't think I could ever play a wind instrument because I don't like the idea of soaking an instrument in spit and then putting it back in my mouth but then again I have never tried and that could just be another of my ignorant viewpoints!)
Then that gives you a choice between violin and cello, or clarinet or oboe. Personally, I think the cello sounds amazing and often think it has a nicer sound than the violin and wish I played cello instead - however, the violin is a much more portable instrument which is easier to handle.... I don't know about the clarinet or oboe. I would probably go with oboe because I prefer its lovely deep sound but then I think on the whole more people play clarinet so you'd get more support playing clarinet.

[S_123]

I play the clarinet and I'd reckon it's the easiest out of those.

[j.alexanderh]

Violin's the one to go for. Most versatile, expressive and all-round great of those four.

(Original post by Whangdoodle)
I don't know about the clarinet or oboe. I would probably go with oboe because I prefer its lovely deep sound

Say wha?

Oboe has a lovely bittersweet tone, but it's reedy rather than deep and the lower notes aren't up to much. Clarinet is the one with the rich, deep low register.

2:43 :

[maddyt08]

I say go for the cello. It's got a really lovely mellow sound naturally, unlike the oboe which sounds like a really screechy duck for the first couple of years. And I used to play the violin, it's really hard. Clarinet...meh

[Miller693]

If you don't mind about portability issues (Not even sure that makes sense! ), then I would go for cello. It is without a doubt such a nice instrument to play and it sounds beautiful. However, technically I struggle with it a lot more than the clarinet.

[Whangdoodle]

(Original post by j.alexanderh)
Say wha?

Oboe has a lovely bittersweet tone, but it's reedy rather than deep and the lower notes aren't up to much. Clarinet is the one with the rich, deep low register.

D'oh. Don't mind me, told you I don't have a clue when it comes to anything other than strings

[max_e]

thank you for all your responses, i've decided that i'm going to learn the viola since i tried the clarinet and didn't really like it and the violin is a bit too squeaky for me, whilst i iove the violas deeper tone

[melodic-verse]

=) If you learn the viola you can transfer all your skills across onto the violin in a couple of years time- effectively learning two instruments. Also, if you want to join an orchestra, you'll be snapped up instantly

(admittedly, they rarely get the good tunes like first violins)

Good luck =) I love string instruments

[classicallykit]

I'm going to be biased. I'd go for either the cello or oboe. The cello's mellow sound is gorgeous and there is some amazing solo pieces for it, such Bach's Cello Suites, or Saint-Saëns 'The Swan'. It's not the most portable of instruments though. The oboe is not as popular as the others, but it is lovely instrument. It is also one of the harder woodwind instruments to learn but as said before, it well worth it.

[Heptapus]

Damn all the oboe haterz!

I play the oboe and I absolutely love it. Mainly because you start from a dying duck to a beautiful unique sound. And they also get some lovely solos (Swan lake, Gabriel's Oboe etc)
In addition, there is a high demand in orchestras.
And you can transfer the skills from the oboe to play the Cor Anglais. It is literally the same and it has a more mellow lovely sound. .
I would say the only downside of playing the oboe is the price of the actual instrument and paying for the double reeds. (I recently bought some new reeds for £20 each though real professionals make their own)

I used to play the violin, because there are so many violinists you don't have the opportunity to play in orchestras. However, the up side is that it is easy to get a teacher.
Like all beginners, you will sound like a dying animal, but will practice, you will gain your own unique sound with the instrument.
Generally, buying is cheaper, however, to get a really good sounding one, it is better to have old violins which can cost up to millions.

Cello, I don't really know much about cellos, but one of my friends plays it and practices for like 3 hours a day. But then he wants to go into music professionally. I think that the sound produced sounds really nice and I wish I had the opportunity to learn it.

Clarinet.
Ew. Just no. I personally don't like the clarinet (we are all entitled to our own opinions. ) mainly because you notice that beginners squeak a lot and I find that when they play, it doesn't always flow, it produces a lot of gaps.

Out of the four instruments, the violin is the easiest followed by clarinet, then cello then oboe.

If you are up for a challenge, play oboe!

Oboe.