Music is a very big part of most peoples’ lives. It plays a big role in many cultures and is present in many official government and military ceremonies as well. In some parts of the world, music is considered very important for religious and spiritual reasons. Due to how widespread it is, your children will definitely be exposed to music at some point in their lives, why not get them started early by having them pick up an instrument, and learn to play.
Studies have shown that childhood musical experiences can actually accelerate brain development, so not only is it a great way to have fun, but it also has quantifiable benefits for them in their academic careers. Playing an instrument will also introduce them to other people who play, and can help them cultivate a healthy social life.
So now that we’ve given you some reasons why they should play an instrument, let’s take a look at what they should play. You might be struggling with this choice, so to make it easier for you, here’s a list of 6 instruments that are easy to pick up and learn, to get your child, or even you started on their musical journeys.
Keyboard
Keyboards can also be called the electric piano. They are capable of producing a wide range of sounds and synthesizer tones. Popular with young children, this instrument is a great way to get started with recording and changing performance. The main difference with the aforementioned piano is that the sounds are produced electronically, and of course, keyboards are portable.
Most keyboards are designed to be used at home, or in other non-professional settings, and so are very easy to use, even for those with limited, or no, prior musical experience. Learning to play will improve concentration, memory, and enhance fine motor skills.
Recorder
A wind instrument much like the flute, the recorder is the perfect instrument of this type for a beginner. All it requires is some level of coordination between your tongue, your fingers, and your breath. Another benefit is that one doesn’t really require a highly skilled teacher in order to learn how to play it.
Classical Guitar
The guitar is a string instrument and can come with anything from four to eighteen strings. The most common guitars, however, are the six-string variant. The sound of a guitar is produced acoustically, by strumming the strings with one hand and fretting them with the other. A favorite for many musical beginners, the guitar is great for building confidence, concentration, memory, and focus skills.
Learning to play the guitar as a beginner musician can help broaden and improve your technique, your knowledge of music theory, and help in memorizing the entire neck of the guitar as individual notes rather than just patterns.
Drums
The oldest form of musical instrument, drums are a percussion instrument, available in a variety of different shapes and sounds. The sound is produced by striking the drum with a variety of different tools, called beaters, which can be anything from wooden sticks, to even just hands.
The sound comes from the vibration of a stretched membrane called the head, which is what is struck by the beaters. The head can cover either one or both sides of the drum. Some drums are tunable, while others are not.
Playing drums can be a great way to relieve frustration, disappointment, stress, and many other negative emotions. It allows children to learn how to accomplish complex tasks, by breaking them into smaller parts. Drumming also improves coordination.
Electric Guitar
Invented in 1931, this instrument is the electric counterpart to the classic acoustic guitar. It uses a pick-up to convert the vibration of the strings into electrical impulses.
Electric guitars are often easier to play than acoustic ones for beginners, due to the fact that they have thinner strings and necks, which make them easier to play for hands that are not already used to playing the guitar. An electric guitar also allows one to figure out what type of music they most enjoy playing, as they are capable of playing anything from rock and metal to country and jazz.
Bass Guitar
An instrument similar in appearance to an electric guitar, the bass guitar is a stringed instrument with between four and six strings. It is a transposing instrument, played primarily with the fingers or thumb, or by picking with a plectrum.
For beginners unsure about their musical abilities, the bass guitar is the perfect instrument to get started with. Instead of having to learn long chord sequences like on an acoustic or electric guitar, songs on a bass guitar can often be played using just single notes.
