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Acoustic guitar or keyboard - learning to play?

Okay, so I want to learn to plan an instrument and I plan on teaching myself to do it as I cannot afford to get a tutor, so I will buy books and look at videos etc on how to play.

Which is the ''easiest'' to learn how to play? Or the most simple?

~ Also, the first and last time I played a little bit of keyboard was one lesson when I was in Year 9 at school and my 'hands were to small' to play - well, that's what my teacher said anyway... will that make a difference?

Reply 1

+ polarity -

Don't just go for the easiest instrument! Which one do you think you would enjoy more? They're both pretty versatile instruments, but every cool kid seems to play the acoustic guitar these days :erm:

I don't know what books are available for the keyboard these days, but I had lessons until a few years ago, and I HATED the books I had to use; the songs were so old and crappy. :sigh:

Also, I think having small hands would be more of a problem if you used the guitar,unless you got a junior one lol

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 2

vdoto

Well, I started learning the acoustic guitar about 6-8 months ago and I taught myself. It's a bit hard at first because your fingers need to get used to pressing on steel strings but after a while it gets easier. I just bought a chord book, started teaching myself chords and how to change from one to another. In a few months I'm going to perform with it so it proves that practice makes perfect. I tried to learn the keyboard but just gave up because the guitar was easier for me. Btw, if you plan to learn the guitar never leave it in the case because you won't feel motivated to learn it compared to when its left out all the time.

Reply 3

tailschao

I started self teaching guitar just over a year ago, and started Keyboard 3-4 weeks ago.

I've found it 56748936% easier to start off Keyboard than Guitar. When I say that, I mean getting to the level when you can knock out simple chord based stuff with a level of competency that would convince a non-player that you actually know what you're doing. I don't mean actually getting genuinely any good.

The thing about keyboard/piano is you can get to grips with Am, C, Dm, Em, F and G in about 5 minutes. Same 3 fingered shape, moved up and down. With that you can be convincing. EG, playing the chord part to Let it Be is piss easy after just 15 minutes of touching a keyboard for the first time. Whereas the same thing on guitar would take much longer. And I've gotta say making progress like that where you can play something for someone and have them recognise it helps a lot to prevent you giving up in frustration. Keeping up the motivation is probably the most important aspect of learning an instrument. When it takes you a 1-1.5 months just to be able to change from a 5th string root power chord to a 6th string root power chord without stopping for 3 minutes to carefully reposition your fingers, it's irritating.

So in my (very) limited experience keyboard is easier, in the early stages at least. Also, you can plug headphones in to practice without fear of others hearing you in the early stages of fail-ability. Even with my guitar unplugged, I find it hard to practice things that I can't already play if there's someone else in the house. That's probably just me though. Learning keyboard/piano also forces you to either a) learn to read sheet music, b) learn to play by ear, or c) both. With guitar, you can be lazy and get around doing those things - but you shouldn't. You should learn them. I know, because I didn't.

That said, obviously, getting legitimately good at either is very hard. My opinion? Do both.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

atheistwithfaith

Piano/keyboard probably easier. I am a guitarist first, but I love the piano as an instrument even more. It is just much more versatile.

In terms of just wanting to produce music - there is a lot more popular music available for you to play on guitar than piano. But that is not to say there is any kind of poverty of popular pieces for piano.