Is it better for her to play piano, flute or guitar? Anyone of you who have kids which one they play. Thaks in advance!!
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Musical instrument is better for a 9 yrs. old girl fute, piano or guitar
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I learned first on a piano from the age of 4 until I was about seven years old. I think it's the best instrument to learn on because you learn both treble clef and bass clef (even though I still can't read bass clef to save my life).pbagaindoc said:Is it better for her to play piano, flute or guitar? Anyone of you who have kids which one they play. Thaks in advance!!
It's a great starting/foundation instrument. Then let her get older and decide what instrument she has more interest in. I ended up playing the violin from when I was seven all the way through senior year of high school.
simple...whichever instrument she wants to play.
desire has everything to do with musical development.
desire has everything to do with musical development.
I played piano from the ages of 4-7 as well, much in part due to my mother (who makes good use of her Steinway now and made good use of our old player piano growing up). While desire has some affect on the child's musical accuity, a lot of time children tend to take the easy way out and opt not to play an instrument or try to get out of practicing, if they can. I wish my mom had made me keep up with it, and I regret to this day not having done so because now all I can do when I sit down at a piano is play a handful of simple songs I remember from the days of yore or songs that I figured out after listening to them played.
I played the flute from 4th-8th grade, and then didn't want to play in the high school marching band so have been off and on since then (haven't played in about two years).
Devilot makes a good point about the diversity of learning to play the piano--especially if you stick with it. It would be my number one choice if I were to go back and pick all over again.
After piano, I'd pick cello (hello Yo-Yo Ma!!), drums, guitar, flute, violin.
I played the flute from 4th-8th grade, and then didn't want to play in the high school marching band so have been off and on since then (haven't played in about two years).
Devilot makes a good point about the diversity of learning to play the piano--especially if you stick with it. It would be my number one choice if I were to go back and pick all over again.
After piano, I'd pick cello (hello Yo-Yo Ma!!), drums, guitar, flute, violin.
I also played the piano first for a few years. I then quit because I hated it so much (I now regret it). Then I picked up the clarinet and ran with that for about a decade. Learning the piano first, like others have said, laid a great foundation and made the transition to the clarinet very easy. I don't know how a transition would be if one started out with a flute or such.
daniel
daniel
Dandaman said:
Not sure if this is any indication, but I tried to pick up piano again after playing flute for several years, and it wasn't so easy. I plan on trying to take it up again as soon as I get the piano I inherited from my grandmother out of storage.
3rdpath said:
Except that guitar and any wind instrument will potentially frustrate the HELL out of her. Have YOU ever tried to make a earthy sound on an obeo? Tell her "Once you learn the piano, other instruments will be easier" Which is NOT a lie.
I teach both piano and flute, and while she could really start with either one, I think anyone who wants to do anything in music should have a good foundation in the piano. This is underlined by the fact that anyone trying for a music performance degree at the college level has to have a certain profficiency at the piano no matter what their area of study is.
Have her study piano for a few years and get some fundamental skills in music and then she can switch to flute (if she wants to). This will be especially helpful if she is small, as the flute can be frustrating for children with short arms and/or fingers (I've had students as young as 7, and some of them had a heck of a time reaching the keys).
If she has a strong preference toward a certain instrument don't try to quell her her desires in that area, but a strong foundation in the piano would really be the most beneficial to her.
Have her study piano for a few years and get some fundamental skills in music and then she can switch to flute (if she wants to). This will be especially helpful if she is small, as the flute can be frustrating for children with short arms and/or fingers (I've had students as young as 7, and some of them had a heck of a time reaching the keys).
If she has a strong preference toward a certain instrument don't try to quell her her desires in that area, but a strong foundation in the piano would really be the most beneficial to her.
I'd say which ever one she finds most fun and is most excited about.
I play guitar and piano; started with the guitar, and that made my interest in music grow, so I picked up piano.
They all have their lessons in complexity, coordination, reading music, etc.
To say a piano is a more "intelligent" instrument or vice versa is silly. They are all equal in difficulty as well, IMO.
The instrument doesn't make the difference, playing one vs not playing one at all makes a WORLD of difference however.
My advice: You should be asking her, not us
I play guitar and piano; started with the guitar, and that made my interest in music grow, so I picked up piano.
They all have their lessons in complexity, coordination, reading music, etc.
To say a piano is a more "intelligent" instrument or vice versa is silly. They are all equal in difficulty as well, IMO.
The instrument doesn't make the difference, playing one vs not playing one at all makes a WORLD of difference however.
My advice: You should be asking her, not us
well i say SAX.. hehe, but then im a jazz lover.. if you want to introduce her to a modern sax player who might appeal to her, because she is very young and talented, you could introduce her to mindi abair. and from there if she likes her music.. encourage her up!
The piano is an incredible beginning instrument. Even if she doesn't stick with it, it will give her something to go from for the rest of her musical life. You learn all the notes, scales, and chords with the piano - they can then be applied to other instruments.
calebjohnston said:
yes it is.. i am in fact trying to self teach myself how to play.. yeah its hard, but im determined
with my book in hand and a handful of helpful websites i feel i will get the basics down in no time flat.. in fact, just by messing around i have actually created a few "jingles" myself if i may say so.
Personally I think the piano will reap more rewards (in her eyes) earlier on. Both string and wind instruments have a...knack...to them, and to be honest it took me ages to 'get it'.
Developmentally I couldn't think of anything better. It's been shown repeatedly that children who learn an instrument show better academic performance than their non-playing peers. A piano will encourage co-ordination between both hands and the feet!
Ultimately though, it must be her decision. If she resents it she won't benefit from it.
AppleMatt
Developmentally I couldn't think of anything better. It's been shown repeatedly that children who learn an instrument show better academic performance than their non-playing peers. A piano will encourage co-ordination between both hands and the feet!
Ultimately though, it must be her decision. If she resents it she won't benefit from it.
AppleMatt
For your sanity, I'd go with the piano or the guitar. My sister played flute for five years and I wanted to wrap it around her neck every single night.
Piano is probably the best "starter" instrument out there, IMO. I wish I'd learned to play it when I was younger (or had time to learn now).
Piano is probably the best "starter" instrument out there, IMO. I wish I'd learned to play it when I was younger (or had time to learn now).
I'd recommend away from learning both a piano and guitar at the same time, at a deeper "more than 1 finger songs" level. the theory behind both instruments is so different. You'd probably have to be inside my mind to understand but guitar and piano are like chalk and cheese. learning one will affect how you play the other in the future. I can't solo on a guitar to save my life but i'm a whizz on rhythm. My god-like guitarist mate (who is now in a well known band too) started off on a guitar and can solo-fight Clapton or Jimi, he can do some very unusual but beautiful sounding chords on the piano.
Or maybe its just that we're both different sorts of musicians
I think that piano teaches logic, guitar teaches love.
Or maybe its just that we're both different sorts of musicians
I think that piano teaches logic, guitar teaches love.
I started on sax, but wish i had done piano first. That said, piano or some keyboard oriented instrument is probably the best long-term bet, but if she really wants to play flute or guitar then she should pick the one she wants. There are cheap solutions for beginner instruments on each.
If there are teachers in the area, maybe take one lesson with a flute, piano and guitar person; that may help her decide and will also show if she has aptitude for one or the other. For instance, my huge lips (yes, they are ginormous!) make it a bit hard for me to play piccolo, but all of the reed instruments work quite well for me. Just keep away from the "harder" instruments like bassoon, oboe, horn, opheclide and serpent (lol, really stay away from the last two..hehe).
Either way, make sure she is happy with the choice and there is plenty of support from the family and she should flourish!
Cheers
If there are teachers in the area, maybe take one lesson with a flute, piano and guitar person; that may help her decide and will also show if she has aptitude for one or the other. For instance, my huge lips (yes, they are ginormous!) make it a bit hard for me to play piccolo, but all of the reed instruments work quite well for me. Just keep away from the "harder" instruments like bassoon, oboe, horn, opheclide and serpent (lol, really stay away from the last two..hehe).
Either way, make sure she is happy with the choice and there is plenty of support from the family and she should flourish!
Cheers
This is a really interesting topic.
I agree with people who think it should be the choice of the child but if that child has no great desire for one instrument over another, I think that as a parent or educator you could steer the kid to an instrument.
If she hates the piano then maybe try to find something that she would like, take her down to a music store and let her hold some instruments and see what's interesting to her.
Same thing goes for foreign languages. A school/parent may decide for the child that Spanish or Latin should be taught for practical or other reasons but there are many languages and learning any additional language could never be a bad thing.
I agree with people who think it should be the choice of the child but if that child has no great desire for one instrument over another, I think that as a parent or educator you could steer the kid to an instrument.
If she hates the piano then maybe try to find something that she would like, take her down to a music store and let her hold some instruments and see what's interesting to her.
Same thing goes for foreign languages. A school/parent may decide for the child that Spanish or Latin should be taught for practical or other reasons but there are many languages and learning any additional language could never be a bad thing.
njmac said:
If you get a decent Keyboard it will do. But you raelly cant match a really piano. I played for about 7 years and i always like playing on a really piano much better. It just felt more solid.
Piano - it'll build up her general music skills much faster. Plus, you can self-learn the guitar a lot easier than the other 2 (myself and many others are self-taught). As to the flute, I dislike it because it just sounds crap
njmac said:
Starting out on a keyboard is fine, though as they get more proficient they (or their instructor) will want a keyboard with the range of an actual piano. Some of the keyboards are getting more "piano-like" and likely the piano teacher will have an idea which ones are better in their opinion.
I started on the flute in 5th grade (public school band started then) and my parents got me into private lessons right off. I took up the piano a couple years later but didn't stick with it... (Common theme: I regret that now...) If I had to do it over again, I'd have started on the piano before the flute (flute still starting in 5th grade), and actually taken the time to practice.
I still play the flute though -- it's been a great way to "break the ice" so to speak in each community I move to: church choirs seem to love flutists!
I play flute... If I was 9 I think I'd kill someone because I'd think it was too hard.
Piano is always a great place to start.
Piano is always a great place to start.