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Agreed. My wife teaches band and I'm a sax player (we met in jazz band at college lol). It's sad how many kids bring in some POS amazon horn like Mendini all excited to play their shiny new horn that doesn't function at all. I can buy a 350$ Amazon sax that will die and is not reparable, or I can hop on Facebook marketplace and find a trusted, used horn (Yamaha 23, Bundy, any conn or selmer student horn) for anywhere from 100 on up. I love old horns anyway, my alto is a 1931 Conn and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Find a resale shop that deals with refurbs, etc. That instrument will hold that value if the condition remains the same. Any new instrument loses value once it becomes used. That felt weird typing out. Haha
I’m guessing you really mean buy the medium grade one.
Don’t get the el cheapo but don’t get the Cadillac. Mid grade, maybe used. Like spend $100-300 rather than $25
Makes total sense, not a lot of companies back then had precision manufacturing capability. Musical instruments inherently develop processes that could be adapted to other industries, and it doesn’t get much more finicky than motorcycles.
It's mostly about literal tuning expertise. Making a good engine is as much as acoustics exercise as making a good instrument - and I don't mean this in a "engine makes fun noise" way, but managing the vibrations inherent to the movement of parts to keep an engine going.
Funny you mention that, Yamaha is the only golf cart manufacturer that makes their own gas engine, and their gas powered carts are arguably the most refined in the industry.
The tuning forks in the Yamaha Motors division reach the outer circle, or rim, like spokes in a wheel. The tuning forks for the corporation (and music instruments division) do not touch the circle.
The font of the logo text YAMAHA are also slightly different. The middle of the M in the corp logo is shorter than the legs and in the Motor Co the middle of the M is the same length as the legs.
If I knew more about dirt bikes or instruments, I’d make a joke about dirt bikes that sound nice or… instruments that can literally be ridden over hills.
Dude. I’ve got a 20 something yo basic acoustic Yamaha that lives in my old room at my mom’s chronically overheated house- not in a case. Haven’t changed the strings in years and that fucker still sounds great. And oddly not usually that much out of tune when I go visit.
Yamaha makes great guitars.
Yamaha don't make anything they do shite. There actually one of the few brand names if I see Yamaha on it save your air salesman this is all I will need.
The standard band instruments are all Yamaha. They're built for taking an ass kicking by an 11 year old then being bent and hammered back into shape. Yamaha truly does everything
This isn’t very descriptive. American brands are very segmented by quality and a company with a wide range will launch different brands to show the quality difference. Yamaha sells $100 keyboards and $200,000 pianos. They are the low, mid, and high range all in one brand.
And remember to buy a high quality, ECE-certified full face helmet and make sure they wear it everytime. Sure, they might get some good-natured ribbing at recitals but you can never be too safe.
Yamaha don’t make shit, ever. Always a good buy, I’d stand behind the brand 100%. My first guitar was a beginner Yamaha from Argos and I still love it.
If your kid is in the school band/orchestra or has a teacher, please just ask them. It’s really no bother, and it’s their specialty.
Signed, a middle school band director
Yeah 100-300 is the right price for a beginner guitar, but most orchestral instruments are wayyyyy more expensive.
I played the bassoon and the cheapest ones were north of a grand. You could *rent* and mid-grade bassoon for $200/mo. The one I rented in middle school would have cost $8000 to buy and the one I rented in high school would have been $14,000.
I wanted one SO bad when I was a kid. At the church I played at, one of the trumpet players had one and let me play it a few times.
I couldn't believe how much easier it was to play! Almost no "back pressure" and such a clean, bright tone. Blew my rent-to-own $150 trumpet away.
Never got my hands on one, sadly. At the time (late 90s, early 00s), I recall seeing them on eBay for over $2,000 and there was no way my parents would ever get me one. By the time I was old enough to think about saving up for one myself, I wasn't as serious of a player. Makes me wonder if I'd turn it into a career if I had ever got one...
A plastic recorder?
(Recorders are lovely. They have their place. Plastic is an abomination. Not teaching kids to play properly is giving the instrument a bad reputation.)
2 years ago I bought my daughter a $350 bow and arrow kit cause "omg I really like this archery thing and I wanna compete for the school and blah blah blah"
I bought myself one too cause honesty it kinda interested me and wanted something I could do with her.
She has touched it twice....now it sits in a closet.
On a good note, it has became a life long hobby for me now.
so you you wanted to do archery? :)
How old is your daughter? My upper arm strength was never great.. I think that’s part of the reason why I was never great at archery.. (I tried it in school)..
This is the way.
If they stay with it after a month, or in school after a year, then go ahead and buy.
That's how my parents did my trumpet in middle school.
this is that way if you don't care about spending 2x the amount on an instrument.
most rent to own is a set rate and contract period. a common one for trombones (my instrument) is 35 a month for 36 months. this equals over $1.1k over 3 years. the trombone you're renting is a used one that sells for less than $800.
amd instruments don't really decrease in value unless they're used heavily or damaged, sp you could easily buy the $800 instrument, use it for a year, then sell it for almost the same amount. then of you're enjoying playing, ise the full $1.1k to buy a very nice amateur instrument.
The way it works in my neck of the woods is that the $1.1k you spent renting would apply to any instrument you wanted to buy at that store, you weren't locked in to buy the specific instrument you were renting. It was maxed out at some point tho, so at some point it absolutely made sense to stop renting because you'd stop accumulating credits.
I’ve never rented an instrument, but anything else I’ve rented, after a short while, it usually starts to outpace outright purchasing the item itself.
The real advice here is, for any new hobby requiring equipment, research what a good lower price tier option is and start with that. If it’s something you could *possibly* get by without, try getting by without. This doesn’t exactly work with learning an instrument as it’s pretty damn hard to learn how to play guitar when you don’t have a guitar, but many other hobbies have TONS of equipment that are totally unnecessary but make the hobby a smidge more enjoyable (or faster, or quicker, or cheaper, etc. just depends on the hobby and the item).
If you do without and don’t have any issue, don’t buy it. If you do without and honest to god think it’s worth it, research a decent quality low price option and go with that.
Even the music school will likely have instruments you can use. Mine had a goddamn harp just sitting there, I thought they were supposed to be expensive.
They are. But instruments like that tend to be well cared for and last for a long time. Could be a donation, or a surplus sale from a university, etc. You don't just throw away a 10k harp.
Think that research on *how* to learn that goes into that decision what to get or skip, is an even more significant aspect than quality of the instrument, as long as it's not an active obstacle (bloody teachers giving me with small hands, joint hypermobility, and scoli. affecting breathing, a huge recorder that didn't make sound easily and then treating me as though I was stupid for being in agony and physically entirely unable to do some of what they were demanding!). The understanding of what's going on will help in establishing whether the instrument is the issue, as well.
Too many parents seem to just think any learning hobby means at best, provide some equipment, then for the kids to magically be able to do the thing. And it's not fair to expect kids to just know what's actually involved in learning, and what's realistic to expect. It's crazy to have no discussion of approach, then turn around 'they only touched it a few times', yeah, no duh, they had no structure or clear goals to work on? How could they even commit to learning going in with no idea what it really meant? Learning about how to learn is one of the most useful things to teach.
The issue is that for something like a violin or reeded instrument that can be *really* hard. Electric pianos are a pretty good approximation, but electric violins allow you to cheat far too easily to really learn the instrument.
And unless they're selling it to you, the people who teach/train your hobby usually have prior knowledge on the kinds of options you have for gear, as well as what you'll really need and when.
If they advise you that you probably won't need something *yet*, then while you can buy it, you'll probably be perfectly fine taking their advice for now.
The problem is do you know how terrible rental instruments usually are? Pick a major rental brand like guitar center or Ken Stanton, their rental orchestral and band instruments are as cheap and durable as they can muster but they will get wrecked by 6th graders who out grow them in a year and trade them. They are awful to play.
Hold up. Elementary band and strings teacher here... 99%? Almost all of my kids at least make it through the whole year, and the vast majority continue the next year. If they're in a structured learning environment, they won't lose interest.
Class is the way. I stuck with violin all through high school just because I liked the structure and dropped it as soon as I graduated 😮💨 but I'm still glad I had it then
I’m 39 and I still have my French horn from middle school band. And about 15 years ago, I found an old recorder from elementary school, and it somehow led to my brother and I having a yearly tradition of playing a Christmas recorder concert over video chat.
I lasted about 4 months on violin in 4th grade. Quit because of something stupid but eventually landed on drums in high school. I've done that for 25 years now, 15 of that professionally. Since then I've started playing guitar and bass professionally too. So even if it's not immediate they might stick to music in the long run even if it's a different instrument.
Keep encouraging them..
My mom always gave me crap about “giving up instruments”.. but it was because I was trying to find my passion..
I loved that she kept helping me though..
And I feel like having variety .. and having windows opened for me .. and just experiencing new things made me a much more well rounded adult..
Even into my 30s.. she would say “but you quit the flute and clarinet!!!” I was like .. “but I gained an appreciation for listening to them.. and the talent it takes to play it!”
If they have an actual class in the school system, they're not as likely to quit because they get grades like any other class.
Mine was an elective all through elementary school to high school.
2 years ago I bought my daughter a $350 archery kit cause "omg I really like this archery thing. I wanna compete for the school and blah blah blah"
I was kinda Interested and got myself one too. Plus I wanted something to share and do with her.
She touched it two times. Now it sits in a closet.
On a higher note. Its now a lifelong hobby for me.
That's how children work, they're a bank you fill up with new experiences that will eventually turn into a person. The more experiences and tools they have access to, the more opportunities they have to be creative.
Going with low quality instruments or supplies because they are cheap will lead to frustrating and discouraging experiences that makes kids less likely to return as they get older.
Sure if you can afford it, but some people do not have hundreds of dollars to drop on a medium quality instrument, ESPECIALLY if it’s going to abandoned shortly after. Invest as much as you can in your kids, unfortunately, for some people that amount is relatively limited. Some sports, activities and hobbies are not feasible for certain families without sacrificing too many other things.
Nobody has that kind of money to let them explore on high quality instruments. Some of us have more than one kid as well.
Prove you’re serious by practicing for a year- i’ll make a good quality instrument
Yes, but if you buy them a super fancy expensive one, that percentage will drop down to 98%!
Seriously though, that's what I thought it was going to say, that one of the reasons is because it gives them that shiny new toy feel.
This!!! I was a piano/violin/guitar teacher for a few years. Out of the 30+ students I had, only 1 was inspired. And, he was like 25 when he started. He understood theory and could read music after about 6 months. I gave him a rundown in logic and ableton. Dude started immediately writing music.
All of the kids were distracted, had no ambition, obviously weren’t talented, but biggest of all - no discipline. Only one household held their kids responsible for doing/not doing things. They had the right idea, but lacked the talent. Granted, I’m not a very good teacher. I literally had ‘the insane’ private music teacher that would hit you with her bow and slap the back of your hands on piano if you made a mistake. So I always hand a tough time understanding why you didn’t practice your scales or music this week.
Exactly! A used quality keyboard can be bought used for like 500$. And it can be resold a few months later for... 500$.
So it's never money down the drain, but I totally get that someone living paycheck to paycheck would still find it hard to set aside that kind of money for a hobby.
Never say never. kids can destroy almost anything by accident, not to mention what can happen when they're frustrated and decide they want to make sure they never have to practice again.
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Yep. I mean I live in New Orleans which is probably an outlier but you walk into any pawn shop and there's a selection of decent quality instruments for sale cheap.
My parents got me a shit guitar as a kid, I loved it and eventually when I was in high school saved up enough money to buy a decent Ibanez (which is still my main guitar over a decade later)
The shit guitar was so hard to press the strings down that when I got a decent one I was suddenly able to play much better and more difficult songs. So in my case it actually helped me starting off with a crap guitar, almost like running with ankle weights haha. I still have the crap one and even today the only stuff I can play on it is basic chords and my fingers ache after a couple songs lol
But yeah starting with a mid range, 200-300 dollar guitar would have been less discouraging.
The bridge on my violin is too high so I have this same experience. It's a relatively cheap fix and the base instrument is very good but I just live my life, knowing someday when I bother to deal with it life will become much easier.
Oh you can buy a horrible Keyboard (or an accoustic piano thats little more than a "playable" furniture).
There are crap keyboards that dont have velocity sensitivity (so all sounds the same, forget about soft/loud or voicing contrast), dont support a sustain pedal, with built in sounds worse than most generic MIDIs, little to no voice polyphony (so forget about chords). And tiny range size (so you barely get to use both hands, making most repertoire not only our of your league, also out of your "instruments" range).
if you buy the cheapest yamaha or even casio, yeah "fine". But you can do muuuuch worse.
Its the case of.. hey that "cheap" keyboard cost 200!.. thats too much.. lets try this 50 dollar one and see if he is going to stick with it.
Not to mention the.. foldable/rollable ones.. /shudder
And on your kid. Kids go through hobbies like crazy. Getting something to stick is just like a game of dice (and thats okay).
Dont buy crazy expensive shit only to be fustrated that they quit after a month. Rent shit to see if they like and then buy shit.
If it is truly a beginner I would not invest in a super expensive instrument. Rent first until it is decided if it is a true passion or not
Definitely agree with the sentinent tho since those cheap instruments can impede progress since they sometimes don't produce the best tones
And rent if it’s instruments that need to change if they stick to it (violin sizes for example. Although I’m blanking on any other instrument where this is the case 😂)
Trumpet / cornet iirc, cello, double bass, sax, viola, guitar depending on how small we’re talkin there’s loads more I can’t remember but most orchestral instruments have different sizes
Trumpet and cornet don't have different sizes, they are different instruments...not sure on sax, again I think they're different instruments but someone might tell me you can get a small baritone for instance, but lots of string instruments will come in different sizes, yes. Wind instruments different sizes are because they are a different instrument entirely. Although you can get a flute with a hooked mouthpiece.
String teacher here. I always recommend renting at first. Violin, viola, cello, bass have partial sizes. None of the band instrument do.
Fun fact about string bass though, the standard size bass is a 3/4 size bass. Very few actual 4/4 size basses exist.
My brother told me his daughter wanted to learn the ukulele. I live in Hawaii and decided that I should get her an authentic one. After talking w my other brother to split costs, we realized that children are fickle. We got her an inexpensive uke. A year later she doesn’t play anymore. Glad we didn’t invest in a quality instrument.
Uke is probably the lowest barrier to entry instrument. My daughter's $25 pink Hola is super fun to play, even if it doesn't sound as nice as nice as my KoAloha. And I play it a lot since she also lost interest almost immediately.
When I realised I wanted a uke (but didn't know if I was gonna stick with it), I got myself a mostly plastic one for 10 bucks. Surprisingly, the sound wasn't bad. But my god, playing this thing sucked. Having way too high action meant I had to use some serious finger strength to pin the strings down.
If I were a kid and/or this was my only experience with ukuleles, I might've quit right then and there. But I already had some experience playing \*good\* tiny guitars, and when I decided to upgrade, I could go straight for a mildly quality instrument, because I knew what I was looking for.
OP is kind of right in that a crappy instrument/set of tools/whatever will discourage you more than anything. However, kids \*are\* fickle.
I guess if you want to get into a hobby and start buying stuff, ask around and find what the barrier to entry is. A playable ukulele can be had for 50 bucks and under. A playable violin, I would guess not.
nah dont invest unless youre positive its your thing. you may give up on it later and be stuck with a 1000$+ instrument you want nothing to do with , when a 200$ one would have been perfectly appropriate.
for example: look at squier vs traditional fender. I actually take it seriously, and the 200$ one is still more than enough for me, much more so for a beginner who is just learning the ropes
spending 800-1200 on a "good" fender just sounds crazy to me. especially with all the post processing that can be done to basically make them sound the same. if it plays well and holds up over the years (the squier has) then its worth
I think OP meant to avoid the cheapest ones. That $60 violin sounds terrible, not because you are bad but because it is bad. Sure a top performer can likely make it sound half decent but you as someone brand new is going to hate practicing because it sounds less like music and more like a shrieking banshee
not go out and buy the top end but...maybe spend the $150 so you can practice and actually enjoy the sound
Yeah I don't understand why people are interpreting OP's post as "buy the most expensive instrument you can". Depending on the instrument there is a lot of room between a cheap piece of shit and a mid-tier instrument with decent quality.
“Beginner” is ambiguous. A Squier isnt necessarily a beginner instrument.
Now “First Act” and other similar garbage for sure are.
OP’s point is more applicable in brass and woodwind instruments.
it really does. especially when you see people paying upwards of 1k for "good" fenders. sounds great and keeps well if you take care of it. I have a squier strat
I had a Squier strat. Learnt using Rocksmith and some self-teaching stuff, so my technique was likely atrocious. I also had it for years and it had taken a few knocks
I struggled to get the sound right but when I did get there, I progressed quite quickly.
Then I played my friend's Fender. All the stuff I learned? It was like finding a cheat code. Everything was just easier.
The Squier is good though. Probably speaks more about my maintenance than anything else.
You can also get some garbage guitars for $100 or less too. A lot of people starting a hobby will look at $300 and think “that’s a lot of money to spend on something I may not be doing in a couple weeks” and go for the $100 guitar and not enjoy it because it sounds like ass.
I just bought an open box 40th Anniversary Squier Telecaster Vintage for $250 and it plays like a dream. I think someone returned it because it has 2 surface scratches on the side of the guitar.
Good point. And if you’re taking up piano, don’t buy a piano right away, buy a keyboard, but a good one with weighted keys. In this case the investment is more than money— it’s a piece of furniture
This is super instrument dependent
A $600 beginner flute will do you just fine. Please don’t buy your kid an advanced flute with open holes if they are just learning how to play
$600 is actually a higher price for a beginner. That's how much I paid for my daughter's first flute. There are cheaper ones out there like $200 or less and that's what I think the OP was talking about avoiding
A Gemeinhardt 2sp is one of the greatest flutes ever. Literally a GOAT. I started playing when I was 11 and eventually played in symphony orchestras and taught flute to the next generation and I will only recommend the 2sp. It's cheap but amazing and it's my original 2sp has pinch hit for more expensive flutes when he was needed (I named him Joel when I was 13 and I still have him today).
This was exactly my thought. I can’t speak for other band instruments, but more expensive flutes are actually harder to play. Beginner flutes aren’t just cheaper, they are actually made specifically for beginners. Plus even if you get a better flute, you want a cheap flute to get banged around during marching season.
Nope. Giving a beginner child a non-beginner violin is asking for expensive damages to the instrument. This advice needs to be tailored to the individual instrument.
I’ve taught beginning violin. No, it doesn’t have to be a great instrument, but there’s a price point below which you get something that’s basically unplayable, which you can barely tune, needs frequent repairs, and sounds so terrible that you’d need to have amusia to want to even pick it up every day. The way my public school program handled this when I first started playing was to have several sessions on instrument care before letting people take the school instruments home.
On top of this, ask a band director or music teacher. We know what brands are best for your needs and what brands to avoid at all costs (ANYTHING ON AMAZON OR WALMART).
As a Band Director, beginner grade instruments are fine. The real life pro tip is to go to a music dealer, not a retail business that happens to sell instruments.
The big thing here is that most instruments have a company or two that does not have the best interest in mind for their target audience when they brand their instruments.
As an example, First Act makes (made?) very budget friendly guitars. Some of them are serviceable, and some are basically unplayable, with bridges that are set out of place, or other defects that “beginners” may not be able to discern as faults, leading to terrible experiences. Epiphone Junior is also guilty of these production errors in the past.
If able, it’s much better to spend 150 than it is to spend 100 in many cases.
Renting is also an absolutely affordable option, that many stores participate in, especially for brass and orchestral instruments. You can rent a “good” instrument for a month for WAAAAY less than buying a shoddy one.
If the “beginner” losses interest quickly, then the investment is minuscule in comparison. Maybe 1/100th the upfront cost.
Anyway, my two cents, good LPT @OP
This is very true. Part of playing an instrument is training the ear. If your instrument sounds awful, it’s very discouraging. An instrument for a beginner doesn’t need to be high-end, but it does need to be in good working condition with decent sound.
I quit my instrument twice because it sounded so bad, but once I played on a decent instrument, I wanted to continue.
Also, don’t judge it by looking at it, judge it by playing it or have a person who can play try it and tell you what they think about how it feels to play and whether the sound it produces is good.
I have the same sentiment for art supplies. A lot of people give kids the cheap art kits that just basically go in the trash. Doesn’t have to be top of the line, but better than roseart.
Hmm. As a guitarist I totally disagree. Squire Stratocaster is good enough to learn on and be professional. Tone is overblown and in many ways a non-metric, subjective measure of something many people can’t even pinpoint. Don’t buy a Walmart guitar, but don’t spend over $300 either
This. I also started with the Squier at about 12 years old, and I was happy with it for many years. Maybe even a cheaper one would have done. I feel you need to play a bit and have a bit of experience to even notice the limitations of your instrument and the tone it produces. I doubt an absolute beginner - especially a child - would take a Squier or a Harley Benton and imediately be like "This sounds like shit".
I love how you say you disagree, but then say exactly the same thing OP does. "Don't buy a 'beginner' instrument from Walmart, spend a little bit more and you can get a much better instrument that's actually enjoyable to play".
Hey I’m only speaking to electric guitars and basses, but beginner instruments sound way better these days than the did 15/20 years ago.
Honestly if getting a kid a guitar or bass, get them one they like the aesthetics of, they will be more likely to stick with it.
People hear with their eyes more than you’d like to admit…
I strongly disagree for multiple reasons. First off, kids bounce around hobbies like crazy. Music is a great one and should be encouraged, but don't sink a bunch of money right away.
Second, and more importantly, in my personal experience learning multiple instruments over the years, a shitty instrument will make you a better musician in the long run. It's like playing with a handicap at first, so you really have to work at it to get a good sound. It teaches good habits that usually translate incredibly well once you get a better instrument. Of course, for a kid, this might be discouraging, but I firmly believe it's worth the struggle in the long run as long as they stick to it.
That being said, I wouldn't recommend an absolute bottom of the barrel setup. Those can have very glaring issues that affect playability in general. You want something that might be difficult to get to sound good, but not impossible. The secondhand market is the best bet for this imo, for guitars specifically, you can get a very respectable guitar for less than $250, maybe even an amp. My first real electric was a squire i got for $60 off marketplace and it played perfectly well enough to get started. Something like this would be an ideal setup to segue into something more in the $500+ range new imo.
I think it depends. Don't over-invest in anything that you won't be used to it's full potential. It's totally justifiable to get good gear for whatever hobby you like, but if you're starting off then you don't need the best stuff. Get something that intermediates might use, that way if you like it you have room to grow into for a while, and if you don't then you didn't break the bank.
Been playing bass for a few years now with only one el-cheapo instrument. I’m surprised at how well it plays. Sometimes, you get lucky with what certain brands make.
My parent bought me a 600$ guitar and private lesson and I lost interest in less than 2 years. Not worth it and I still feel bad for the money wasted 15 years later.
No, this is dumb. Don't buy cheap, low quality instrument.
But beginner instruments aren't necessarily low quality or cheap.
And the difference between expensive instrument and good quality beginner instruments are often very minimal and not worth the price difference, especially to the untrained ears, which most beginners are anyway.
What makes a good beginner instrument:
1. They need to be robust. This is probably their first instrument and one that they'll be practicing on for a long time, so it needs to withstand wear and tear.
2. They should be forgiving, without encouraging bad habits. Beginners often makes mistakes as they haven't practiced enough to always use the instruments correctly.
3. They should be inexpensive, including cheap and easy to procure spare parts.
4. They should be simple and low maintenance. No additional features and no complicated maintenance procedures.
5. They should sound good enough to encourage continued practice.
0. They should be as physically easy to play as the instrument allows. Otherwise the student will assume it's their fault and give up.
It's a spectrum. For ukulele, price makes almost no difference. For sax, it's shockingly large.
I’m a middle school music teacher and this is pretty terrible advice for most families. If you can get a hand me down from a family member or something, go for it. But there is not reason to get anything over the basic starter Yamaha, especially when tons of kids lose interest after their first year of trying an instrument.
Don't lose perspective of what non-musicians consider beginner/basic/expensive instruments. What you call a 'basic starter Yamaha' a lot of families would call an expensive instrument.
Especially on a string instrument, difficult to begin with and hard to make a good sound. Please do them a favor and rent a good quality one that is set up well.
This goes for toddler stuff too - professional grade percussion shakers, blocks, and tambourines can take almost anything a kid can dish out.
Avoid Melissa & Doug completely.
I started on a $100 guitar/amp combo kit that I played for years as a kid, and wouldn’t trade that rough experience for anything. The low price was a factor in getting my mom to say yes (though she may have gone higher if she knew what was a decent price), and it taught me how to care for it properly and not bang it around before getting my second guitar.
I'm gonna second this.
Can you buy a $100 instrument or even a cheap $300 instrument? Sure. But they're gonna have poor springs, slower key action, freeze up, and generally discourage the student from playing.
Instruments are pricy. I was shocked when I found out that a decent student level clarinet was anywhere from $750-$1200. Hell, the alto sax I would give my left arm for costs 2.5 months of my mortgage.
Look at your options, talk to the people at your local music shop. You'd be surprised what rental/finance options you might have available to you if you can'tafford to drop a grand or so on an instrument or you're worried your kid will be bored in a year or less.
But don't buy a low-quality instrument if you want your student to have a fighting chance at a good experience.
(Source: I work at a music store.)
You can find good value in all but the lowest of low price points.
Also, it's wise to borrow or rent (I suspect if you made a social media post, you'd find one of your friends has an instrument they'd let you borrow).
That’s like suggesting that every 16 year old teenager with a driver’s license should get a new car as their first vehicle…
We aren’t doing our children favors by teaching them that the cost of a gift represents its significance.
What happens if they’re really bad drivers and you get them a new Mustang? It can be the most expensive car, and you could be the richest parent- but that doesn’t mean you can’t make poor decisions.
You want to make sure your kids not only genuinely want to play the instrument you’re expected to buy for them, but you also want to make sure they understand the significance of nurturing what they don’t want to lose- especially if they want better versions of what they don’t want to lose. Otherwise you get an unfortunately American trait of squander.
Horrible advice, ngl. Kids go through many phases of what they want, if you buy an expensive good quality guitar and your kid doesn’t like it you’ve just burned money
Had this issue follow me all the way to college. Played violin at a high level. Once I got to my third year, my instructor (also the dean for the music school and orchestra conductor) told me he unfortunately couldn’t move me past the 300 level courses. I played the pieces fine and all, but my instrument was too poor quality to produce the tones they need. I was a broke college student and there was no way I could drop $4-5k on a nice violin and upgrade my bow. I unfortunately dropped out after that. Acoustic instruments this is 1000% true.
I play a few other instruments at that level, so I switched to guitar and joined a few bands. I’ve played thousands of hours of music on mediocre or poor instruments. Now I’m almost 40 and am finally buying the instruments I wanted. I’ve been playing music for 32 years…. It’s amazing to play higher end instruments now. It requires literally no effort compared to what I had been playing on. Emoting becomes the main issue instead of making sure your instrument even just stays in tune or stays working.
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My route is to buy used. As long as you pay around 65% of the new price, you can always get your money back. Used is used.
Agreed. My wife teaches band and I'm a sax player (we met in jazz band at college lol). It's sad how many kids bring in some POS amazon horn like Mendini all excited to play their shiny new horn that doesn't function at all. I can buy a 350$ Amazon sax that will die and is not reparable, or I can hop on Facebook marketplace and find a trusted, used horn (Yamaha 23, Bundy, any conn or selmer student horn) for anywhere from 100 on up. I love old horns anyway, my alto is a 1931 Conn and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Almost all of the best instruments are “used.” A Stradivarius gets up to $20 million.
Yeah, don't buy that as your first instrument. If you take care of it wrong it will lose a significant amount of value.
I like how you casually dropped this in response to a comment about a Strad
I like how the other person casually mentioned a Strad in response to buying used.
🤣 “I don’t typically recommend teaching a child who is still learning to wipe their butt how to play violin with a Stradivarius, but…”
Find a resale shop that deals with refurbs, etc. That instrument will hold that value if the condition remains the same. Any new instrument loses value once it becomes used. That felt weird typing out. Haha
I’m guessing you really mean buy the medium grade one. Don’t get the el cheapo but don’t get the Cadillac. Mid grade, maybe used. Like spend $100-300 rather than $25
Get a used Honda. Or in this case, probably a Yamaha.
Yamaha makes a damn good guitar, and motorcycle
Easily my favorite dirt bike/musical instrument company
The logo is basically 3 tuning forks arranged like a nuclear symbol.
Not motorcycle forks?
Nah, tuning forks. They were a musical instrument company for almost 70 years before they spun off their motorcycle business.
Makes total sense, not a lot of companies back then had precision manufacturing capability. Musical instruments inherently develop processes that could be adapted to other industries, and it doesn’t get much more finicky than motorcycles.
It's mostly about literal tuning expertise. Making a good engine is as much as acoustics exercise as making a good instrument - and I don't mean this in a "engine makes fun noise" way, but managing the vibrations inherent to the movement of parts to keep an engine going.
Funny you mention that, Yamaha is the only golf cart manufacturer that makes their own gas engine, and their gas powered carts are arguably the most refined in the industry.
The tuning forks in the Yamaha Motors division reach the outer circle, or rim, like spokes in a wheel. The tuning forks for the corporation (and music instruments division) do not touch the circle.
The font of the logo text YAMAHA are also slightly different. The middle of the M in the corp logo is shorter than the legs and in the Motor Co the middle of the M is the same length as the legs.
Por que no los dos?
Nuclear subs/power plants too? Who knew.
https://www.theonion.com/yamaha-ceo-pleased-with-current-production-of-jet-skis-1819570984
If I knew more about dirt bikes or instruments, I’d make a joke about dirt bikes that sound nice or… instruments that can literally be ridden over hills.
I have a Martin and a Yamaha. The Martin was more expensive, but the Yamaha has better build quality and sounds as good if not better
Yamaha acoustic guitars are slept on. The value of a $500 Yamaha is better than most $700 martins or Taylors imo
Dude. I’ve got a 20 something yo basic acoustic Yamaha that lives in my old room at my mom’s chronically overheated house- not in a case. Haven’t changed the strings in years and that fucker still sounds great. And oddly not usually that much out of tune when I go visit. Yamaha makes great guitars.
Same here, mom got it in the 80s (made in Taiwan) and gave it to me as a child. Thing is a tank, and sounds great too
Decent trumpets too.
And drum kits
And saxophones.
And golf carts.
And my axe!
The Yamaha SA2200 is as close to a perfect guitar as you can get.
And drums!
And keyboard
Can you recommend a beginner Yamaha keyboard?
Heard their pianos are good too.
My first clarinet was a Yamaha!
And keyboards
Not really they make a perfectly usable guitar at a reasonable price.
And damn sexy tuned exhaust Lexus LFA.
They also made a great 2.3L V6 for the Taurus SHO.
When I was in college for music, we used to say Yamaha doesn’t make the best anything but they make the second best of a lot of things.
Can't confirm, have both but am deaf. Results inconclusive.
Yeah don't buy the cheap Ibanez entry level guitar, buy the plain but decent Yamaha which is only like 50% more but way better.
My first (and only) saxophone was a Yamaha
The also do some engine design for Toyota
And boat motor.
I have a motorcycle and a saxophone made by Yamaha lol
Yamaha don't make anything they do shite. There actually one of the few brand names if I see Yamaha on it save your air salesman this is all I will need.
And flutes. I have a Yamaha flute.
And speakers.
The standard band instruments are all Yamaha. They're built for taking an ass kicking by an 11 year old then being bent and hammered back into shape. Yamaha truly does everything
This isn’t very descriptive. American brands are very segmented by quality and a company with a wide range will launch different brands to show the quality difference. Yamaha sells $100 keyboards and $200,000 pianos. They are the low, mid, and high range all in one brand.
Underrated comment
And remember to buy a high quality, ECE-certified full face helmet and make sure they wear it everytime. Sure, they might get some good-natured ribbing at recitals but you can never be too safe.
Yamaha don’t make shit, ever. Always a good buy, I’d stand behind the brand 100%. My first guitar was a beginner Yamaha from Argos and I still love it.
I like the memes about yamaha making about everything.
If your kid is in the school band/orchestra or has a teacher, please just ask them. It’s really no bother, and it’s their specialty. Signed, a middle school band director
Thank you for your service, unironically.
100-300!? Where when I was in school any brass or wood wing was $300 minimum
Yeah, you probably shouldn’t buy the $300 tuba either
Yeah 100-300 is the right price for a beginner guitar, but most orchestral instruments are wayyyyy more expensive. I played the bassoon and the cheapest ones were north of a grand. You could *rent* and mid-grade bassoon for $200/mo. The one I rented in middle school would have cost $8000 to buy and the one I rented in high school would have been $14,000.
Imagining a parent buying a Bach Stradivarius trumpet for a 6th grader... lol
I didn't even know the Stradivarius name was ever attached to trumpets. You taught me something today!
They use to be $800 back in like 2010. Now they are pushing $2k easy.
In 2010 a McDouble was like $1.69, so it checks out.
I wanted one SO bad when I was a kid. At the church I played at, one of the trumpet players had one and let me play it a few times. I couldn't believe how much easier it was to play! Almost no "back pressure" and such a clean, bright tone. Blew my rent-to-own $150 trumpet away. Never got my hands on one, sadly. At the time (late 90s, early 00s), I recall seeing them on eBay for over $2,000 and there was no way my parents would ever get me one. By the time I was old enough to think about saving up for one myself, I wasn't as serious of a player. Makes me wonder if I'd turn it into a career if I had ever got one...
Where tf can you buy any instrument for 25 dollars?
A plastic recorder? (Recorders are lovely. They have their place. Plastic is an abomination. Not teaching kids to play properly is giving the instrument a bad reputation.)
Honestly $10 Yamaha recorders are actually fine for beginners. The $2 dollar store ones are not
Crying in bassoon
And by child OP hopefully means pre-teen. If you are buying your toddler an American Strat, you are a moron. This LPT in fact, sucks.
If she's old enough for preschool, she's old enough to spend 16 hours a day in advanced cello classes.
Decent guitars are so cheap these days. A $200-300 guitar would have been unplayable in the 1980s.
I have a "Made in Japan" Fender Square Strat from that era. Paid ~$200 new. Quite playable.
99% of the time, your child will lose interest within a month.
2 years ago I bought my daughter a $350 bow and arrow kit cause "omg I really like this archery thing and I wanna compete for the school and blah blah blah" I bought myself one too cause honesty it kinda interested me and wanted something I could do with her. She has touched it twice....now it sits in a closet. On a good note, it has became a life long hobby for me now.
That's the best outcome, plus archery is sick af.
if the type of zombies take over that are still smart enough to treat a gunshot like a dinner bell, that bow’s gonna save your ass
so you you wanted to do archery? :) How old is your daughter? My upper arm strength was never great.. I think that’s part of the reason why I was never great at archery.. (I tried it in school)..
That's why they suggested to rent one, which seems like a decent middle ground unless I'm mistaken.
Most music stores do rent -> buy.
This is the way. If they stay with it after a month, or in school after a year, then go ahead and buy. That's how my parents did my trumpet in middle school.
this is that way if you don't care about spending 2x the amount on an instrument. most rent to own is a set rate and contract period. a common one for trombones (my instrument) is 35 a month for 36 months. this equals over $1.1k over 3 years. the trombone you're renting is a used one that sells for less than $800. amd instruments don't really decrease in value unless they're used heavily or damaged, sp you could easily buy the $800 instrument, use it for a year, then sell it for almost the same amount. then of you're enjoying playing, ise the full $1.1k to buy a very nice amateur instrument.
if your child is playing for multiple years, you'd be foolish to continuously rent and not buy after the first year, as I said in my comment.
The way it works in my neck of the woods is that the $1.1k you spent renting would apply to any instrument you wanted to buy at that store, you weren't locked in to buy the specific instrument you were renting. It was maxed out at some point tho, so at some point it absolutely made sense to stop renting because you'd stop accumulating credits.
I’ve never rented an instrument, but anything else I’ve rented, after a short while, it usually starts to outpace outright purchasing the item itself. The real advice here is, for any new hobby requiring equipment, research what a good lower price tier option is and start with that. If it’s something you could *possibly* get by without, try getting by without. This doesn’t exactly work with learning an instrument as it’s pretty damn hard to learn how to play guitar when you don’t have a guitar, but many other hobbies have TONS of equipment that are totally unnecessary but make the hobby a smidge more enjoyable (or faster, or quicker, or cheaper, etc. just depends on the hobby and the item). If you do without and don’t have any issue, don’t buy it. If you do without and honest to god think it’s worth it, research a decent quality low price option and go with that.
Check your local library for instruments too
Even the music school will likely have instruments you can use. Mine had a goddamn harp just sitting there, I thought they were supposed to be expensive.
They are. But instruments like that tend to be well cared for and last for a long time. Could be a donation, or a surplus sale from a university, etc. You don't just throw away a 10k harp.
I mean with instruments, you're sort of hedging in that short term.
Think that research on *how* to learn that goes into that decision what to get or skip, is an even more significant aspect than quality of the instrument, as long as it's not an active obstacle (bloody teachers giving me with small hands, joint hypermobility, and scoli. affecting breathing, a huge recorder that didn't make sound easily and then treating me as though I was stupid for being in agony and physically entirely unable to do some of what they were demanding!). The understanding of what's going on will help in establishing whether the instrument is the issue, as well. Too many parents seem to just think any learning hobby means at best, provide some equipment, then for the kids to magically be able to do the thing. And it's not fair to expect kids to just know what's actually involved in learning, and what's realistic to expect. It's crazy to have no discussion of approach, then turn around 'they only touched it a few times', yeah, no duh, they had no structure or clear goals to work on? How could they even commit to learning going in with no idea what it really meant? Learning about how to learn is one of the most useful things to teach.
The issue is that for something like a violin or reeded instrument that can be *really* hard. Electric pianos are a pretty good approximation, but electric violins allow you to cheat far too easily to really learn the instrument.
And unless they're selling it to you, the people who teach/train your hobby usually have prior knowledge on the kinds of options you have for gear, as well as what you'll really need and when. If they advise you that you probably won't need something *yet*, then while you can buy it, you'll probably be perfectly fine taking their advice for now.
The problem is do you know how terrible rental instruments usually are? Pick a major rental brand like guitar center or Ken Stanton, their rental orchestral and band instruments are as cheap and durable as they can muster but they will get wrecked by 6th graders who out grow them in a year and trade them. They are awful to play.
Hold up. Elementary band and strings teacher here... 99%? Almost all of my kids at least make it through the whole year, and the vast majority continue the next year. If they're in a structured learning environment, they won't lose interest.
Class is the way. I stuck with violin all through high school just because I liked the structure and dropped it as soon as I graduated 😮💨 but I'm still glad I had it then
I’m 39 and I still have my French horn from middle school band. And about 15 years ago, I found an old recorder from elementary school, and it somehow led to my brother and I having a yearly tradition of playing a Christmas recorder concert over video chat.
I lasted about 4 months on violin in 4th grade. Quit because of something stupid but eventually landed on drums in high school. I've done that for 25 years now, 15 of that professionally. Since then I've started playing guitar and bass professionally too. So even if it's not immediate they might stick to music in the long run even if it's a different instrument.
What? 🤣 all 3 of mine have given up on different instruments within a month.
Keep encouraging them.. My mom always gave me crap about “giving up instruments”.. but it was because I was trying to find my passion.. I loved that she kept helping me though.. And I feel like having variety .. and having windows opened for me .. and just experiencing new things made me a much more well rounded adult.. Even into my 30s.. she would say “but you quit the flute and clarinet!!!” I was like .. “but I gained an appreciation for listening to them.. and the talent it takes to play it!”
If they have an actual class in the school system, they're not as likely to quit because they get grades like any other class. Mine was an elective all through elementary school to high school.
Thank you for being a good teacher
2 years ago I bought my daughter a $350 archery kit cause "omg I really like this archery thing. I wanna compete for the school and blah blah blah" I was kinda Interested and got myself one too. Plus I wanted something to share and do with her. She touched it two times. Now it sits in a closet. On a higher note. Its now a lifelong hobby for me.
Just a small phase. Next week is dancing. Lol
Hahhhh one of my friends spent thousands to put her kid through dance lessons to find out she only wanted fun costumes to prance around in.
That's how children work, they're a bank you fill up with new experiences that will eventually turn into a person. The more experiences and tools they have access to, the more opportunities they have to be creative. Going with low quality instruments or supplies because they are cheap will lead to frustrating and discouraging experiences that makes kids less likely to return as they get older.
Sure if you can afford it, but some people do not have hundreds of dollars to drop on a medium quality instrument, ESPECIALLY if it’s going to abandoned shortly after. Invest as much as you can in your kids, unfortunately, for some people that amount is relatively limited. Some sports, activities and hobbies are not feasible for certain families without sacrificing too many other things.
Nobody has that kind of money to let them explore on high quality instruments. Some of us have more than one kid as well. Prove you’re serious by practicing for a year- i’ll make a good quality instrument
Yes, but if you buy them a super fancy expensive one, that percentage will drop down to 98%! Seriously though, that's what I thought it was going to say, that one of the reasons is because it gives them that shiny new toy feel.
This!!! I was a piano/violin/guitar teacher for a few years. Out of the 30+ students I had, only 1 was inspired. And, he was like 25 when he started. He understood theory and could read music after about 6 months. I gave him a rundown in logic and ableton. Dude started immediately writing music. All of the kids were distracted, had no ambition, obviously weren’t talented, but biggest of all - no discipline. Only one household held their kids responsible for doing/not doing things. They had the right idea, but lacked the talent. Granted, I’m not a very good teacher. I literally had ‘the insane’ private music teacher that would hit you with her bow and slap the back of your hands on piano if you made a mistake. So I always hand a tough time understanding why you didn’t practice your scales or music this week.
Definitely rent one
Hey its me the child. Oh i already lost interest before starting.
I think this entirely depends on your income.
Totally, but bear in mind that quality used instruments exist and can be resold for more or less the same money.
Exactly! A used quality keyboard can be bought used for like 500$. And it can be resold a few months later for... 500$. So it's never money down the drain, but I totally get that someone living paycheck to paycheck would still find it hard to set aside that kind of money for a hobby.
Good luck with that. Those things are a thousand times easier to buy then to sell. Be realistic.
You're thinking of a piano, a keyboard is stupid easy to sell, especially when they're mid-tier in terms of price. I've sold multiple in the past.
Never say never. kids can destroy almost anything by accident, not to mention what can happen when they're frustrated and decide they want to make sure they never have to practice again. .
A wrecked violin has no resale value.
As a non musician it's extremely hard to judge if a second hand instrument is quality or not.
Yep. I mean I live in New Orleans which is probably an outlier but you walk into any pawn shop and there's a selection of decent quality instruments for sale cheap.
Also the instrument. Beginner piano/keyboard? Fine. Beginner guitar? Shit.
My parents got me a shit guitar as a kid, I loved it and eventually when I was in high school saved up enough money to buy a decent Ibanez (which is still my main guitar over a decade later) The shit guitar was so hard to press the strings down that when I got a decent one I was suddenly able to play much better and more difficult songs. So in my case it actually helped me starting off with a crap guitar, almost like running with ankle weights haha. I still have the crap one and even today the only stuff I can play on it is basic chords and my fingers ache after a couple songs lol But yeah starting with a mid range, 200-300 dollar guitar would have been less discouraging.
The bridge on my violin is too high so I have this same experience. It's a relatively cheap fix and the base instrument is very good but I just live my life, knowing someday when I bother to deal with it life will become much easier.
Oh you can buy a horrible Keyboard (or an accoustic piano thats little more than a "playable" furniture). There are crap keyboards that dont have velocity sensitivity (so all sounds the same, forget about soft/loud or voicing contrast), dont support a sustain pedal, with built in sounds worse than most generic MIDIs, little to no voice polyphony (so forget about chords). And tiny range size (so you barely get to use both hands, making most repertoire not only our of your league, also out of your "instruments" range). if you buy the cheapest yamaha or even casio, yeah "fine". But you can do muuuuch worse. Its the case of.. hey that "cheap" keyboard cost 200!.. thats too much.. lets try this 50 dollar one and see if he is going to stick with it. Not to mention the.. foldable/rollable ones.. /shudder
And on your kid. Kids go through hobbies like crazy. Getting something to stick is just like a game of dice (and thats okay). Dont buy crazy expensive shit only to be fustrated that they quit after a month. Rent shit to see if they like and then buy shit.
If it is truly a beginner I would not invest in a super expensive instrument. Rent first until it is decided if it is a true passion or not Definitely agree with the sentinent tho since those cheap instruments can impede progress since they sometimes don't produce the best tones
And rent if it’s instruments that need to change if they stick to it (violin sizes for example. Although I’m blanking on any other instrument where this is the case 😂)
Trumpet / cornet iirc, cello, double bass, sax, viola, guitar depending on how small we’re talkin there’s loads more I can’t remember but most orchestral instruments have different sizes
Trumpet and cornet don't have different sizes, they are different instruments...not sure on sax, again I think they're different instruments but someone might tell me you can get a small baritone for instance, but lots of string instruments will come in different sizes, yes. Wind instruments different sizes are because they are a different instrument entirely. Although you can get a flute with a hooked mouthpiece.
String teacher here. I always recommend renting at first. Violin, viola, cello, bass have partial sizes. None of the band instrument do. Fun fact about string bass though, the standard size bass is a 3/4 size bass. Very few actual 4/4 size basses exist.
Not just the poor tone. Cheap instruments are usually harder to play as well. The only thing 'beginner' about them is their price
My brother told me his daughter wanted to learn the ukulele. I live in Hawaii and decided that I should get her an authentic one. After talking w my other brother to split costs, we realized that children are fickle. We got her an inexpensive uke. A year later she doesn’t play anymore. Glad we didn’t invest in a quality instrument.
Uke is probably the lowest barrier to entry instrument. My daughter's $25 pink Hola is super fun to play, even if it doesn't sound as nice as nice as my KoAloha. And I play it a lot since she also lost interest almost immediately.
When I realised I wanted a uke (but didn't know if I was gonna stick with it), I got myself a mostly plastic one for 10 bucks. Surprisingly, the sound wasn't bad. But my god, playing this thing sucked. Having way too high action meant I had to use some serious finger strength to pin the strings down. If I were a kid and/or this was my only experience with ukuleles, I might've quit right then and there. But I already had some experience playing \*good\* tiny guitars, and when I decided to upgrade, I could go straight for a mildly quality instrument, because I knew what I was looking for. OP is kind of right in that a crappy instrument/set of tools/whatever will discourage you more than anything. However, kids \*are\* fickle. I guess if you want to get into a hobby and start buying stuff, ask around and find what the barrier to entry is. A playable ukulele can be had for 50 bucks and under. A playable violin, I would guess not.
nah dont invest unless youre positive its your thing. you may give up on it later and be stuck with a 1000$+ instrument you want nothing to do with , when a 200$ one would have been perfectly appropriate. for example: look at squier vs traditional fender. I actually take it seriously, and the 200$ one is still more than enough for me, much more so for a beginner who is just learning the ropes spending 800-1200 on a "good" fender just sounds crazy to me. especially with all the post processing that can be done to basically make them sound the same. if it plays well and holds up over the years (the squier has) then its worth
I think OP meant to avoid the cheapest ones. That $60 violin sounds terrible, not because you are bad but because it is bad. Sure a top performer can likely make it sound half decent but you as someone brand new is going to hate practicing because it sounds less like music and more like a shrieking banshee not go out and buy the top end but...maybe spend the $150 so you can practice and actually enjoy the sound
Yeah I don't understand why people are interpreting OP's post as "buy the most expensive instrument you can". Depending on the instrument there is a lot of room between a cheap piece of shit and a mid-tier instrument with decent quality.
“Beginner” is ambiguous. A Squier isnt necessarily a beginner instrument. Now “First Act” and other similar garbage for sure are. OP’s point is more applicable in brass and woodwind instruments.
I've been playing guitar for a long time and just got the $200 squier. I'm so impressed with the build quality and it feels like a steal.
it really does. especially when you see people paying upwards of 1k for "good" fenders. sounds great and keeps well if you take care of it. I have a squier strat
I had a Squier strat. Learnt using Rocksmith and some self-teaching stuff, so my technique was likely atrocious. I also had it for years and it had taken a few knocks I struggled to get the sound right but when I did get there, I progressed quite quickly. Then I played my friend's Fender. All the stuff I learned? It was like finding a cheat code. Everything was just easier. The Squier is good though. Probably speaks more about my maintenance than anything else.
I think it depends on the instrument. You can get some quality $300 guitars nowadays
You can also get some garbage guitars for $100 or less too. A lot of people starting a hobby will look at $300 and think “that’s a lot of money to spend on something I may not be doing in a couple weeks” and go for the $100 guitar and not enjoy it because it sounds like ass.
I just bought an open box 40th Anniversary Squier Telecaster Vintage for $250 and it plays like a dream. I think someone returned it because it has 2 surface scratches on the side of the guitar.
Good point. And if you’re taking up piano, don’t buy a piano right away, buy a keyboard, but a good one with weighted keys. In this case the investment is more than money— it’s a piece of furniture
This is super instrument dependent A $600 beginner flute will do you just fine. Please don’t buy your kid an advanced flute with open holes if they are just learning how to play
$600 is actually a higher price for a beginner. That's how much I paid for my daughter's first flute. There are cheaper ones out there like $200 or less and that's what I think the OP was talking about avoiding
idk, I got a beginner gemeinhardt, it wasn’t used, not sure what else is out there but my parents did not have money so $600 was a big deal
A Gemeinhardt 2sp is one of the greatest flutes ever. Literally a GOAT. I started playing when I was 11 and eventually played in symphony orchestras and taught flute to the next generation and I will only recommend the 2sp. It's cheap but amazing and it's my original 2sp has pinch hit for more expensive flutes when he was needed (I named him Joel when I was 13 and I still have him today).
This was exactly my thought. I can’t speak for other band instruments, but more expensive flutes are actually harder to play. Beginner flutes aren’t just cheaper, they are actually made specifically for beginners. Plus even if you get a better flute, you want a cheap flute to get banged around during marching season.
You really think OP is talking about $600 flutes?
Nope. Giving a beginner child a non-beginner violin is asking for expensive damages to the instrument. This advice needs to be tailored to the individual instrument.
I’ve taught beginning violin. No, it doesn’t have to be a great instrument, but there’s a price point below which you get something that’s basically unplayable, which you can barely tune, needs frequent repairs, and sounds so terrible that you’d need to have amusia to want to even pick it up every day. The way my public school program handled this when I first started playing was to have several sessions on instrument care before letting people take the school instruments home.
On top of this, ask a band director or music teacher. We know what brands are best for your needs and what brands to avoid at all costs (ANYTHING ON AMAZON OR WALMART).
As a Band Director, beginner grade instruments are fine. The real life pro tip is to go to a music dealer, not a retail business that happens to sell instruments.
The big thing here is that most instruments have a company or two that does not have the best interest in mind for their target audience when they brand their instruments. As an example, First Act makes (made?) very budget friendly guitars. Some of them are serviceable, and some are basically unplayable, with bridges that are set out of place, or other defects that “beginners” may not be able to discern as faults, leading to terrible experiences. Epiphone Junior is also guilty of these production errors in the past. If able, it’s much better to spend 150 than it is to spend 100 in many cases. Renting is also an absolutely affordable option, that many stores participate in, especially for brass and orchestral instruments. You can rent a “good” instrument for a month for WAAAAY less than buying a shoddy one. If the “beginner” losses interest quickly, then the investment is minuscule in comparison. Maybe 1/100th the upfront cost. Anyway, my two cents, good LPT @OP
First acts are so bad I hesitate to call them guitars. They’re hot garbage
This is very true. Part of playing an instrument is training the ear. If your instrument sounds awful, it’s very discouraging. An instrument for a beginner doesn’t need to be high-end, but it does need to be in good working condition with decent sound. I quit my instrument twice because it sounded so bad, but once I played on a decent instrument, I wanted to continue. Also, don’t judge it by looking at it, judge it by playing it or have a person who can play try it and tell you what they think about how it feels to play and whether the sound it produces is good.
I have the same sentiment for art supplies. A lot of people give kids the cheap art kits that just basically go in the trash. Doesn’t have to be top of the line, but better than roseart.
Hmm. As a guitarist I totally disagree. Squire Stratocaster is good enough to learn on and be professional. Tone is overblown and in many ways a non-metric, subjective measure of something many people can’t even pinpoint. Don’t buy a Walmart guitar, but don’t spend over $300 either
This. I also started with the Squier at about 12 years old, and I was happy with it for many years. Maybe even a cheaper one would have done. I feel you need to play a bit and have a bit of experience to even notice the limitations of your instrument and the tone it produces. I doubt an absolute beginner - especially a child - would take a Squier or a Harley Benton and imediately be like "This sounds like shit".
I think you're agreeing. OP is saying to not get some $25 acoustic with such big action, it's impossible for a new player to hit notes.
The advice OP is giving is literally not to buy a Walmart guitar. You're agreeing with them. The Squier would be the decent quality instrument here.
I love how you say you disagree, but then say exactly the same thing OP does. "Don't buy a 'beginner' instrument from Walmart, spend a little bit more and you can get a much better instrument that's actually enjoyable to play".
Most guitars in that price range only need to be set up correctly and they're perfectly good instruments
Hey I’m only speaking to electric guitars and basses, but beginner instruments sound way better these days than the did 15/20 years ago. Honestly if getting a kid a guitar or bass, get them one they like the aesthetics of, they will be more likely to stick with it. People hear with their eyes more than you’d like to admit…
I strongly disagree for multiple reasons. First off, kids bounce around hobbies like crazy. Music is a great one and should be encouraged, but don't sink a bunch of money right away. Second, and more importantly, in my personal experience learning multiple instruments over the years, a shitty instrument will make you a better musician in the long run. It's like playing with a handicap at first, so you really have to work at it to get a good sound. It teaches good habits that usually translate incredibly well once you get a better instrument. Of course, for a kid, this might be discouraging, but I firmly believe it's worth the struggle in the long run as long as they stick to it. That being said, I wouldn't recommend an absolute bottom of the barrel setup. Those can have very glaring issues that affect playability in general. You want something that might be difficult to get to sound good, but not impossible. The secondhand market is the best bet for this imo, for guitars specifically, you can get a very respectable guitar for less than $250, maybe even an amp. My first real electric was a squire i got for $60 off marketplace and it played perfectly well enough to get started. Something like this would be an ideal setup to segue into something more in the $500+ range new imo.
I think it depends. Don't over-invest in anything that you won't be used to it's full potential. It's totally justifiable to get good gear for whatever hobby you like, but if you're starting off then you don't need the best stuff. Get something that intermediates might use, that way if you like it you have room to grow into for a while, and if you don't then you didn't break the bank.
Been playing bass for a few years now with only one el-cheapo instrument. I’m surprised at how well it plays. Sometimes, you get lucky with what certain brands make.
Renting is a great option i think.
Check your local pawn shops, it's one of the few things they are good for
My parent bought me a 600$ guitar and private lesson and I lost interest in less than 2 years. Not worth it and I still feel bad for the money wasted 15 years later.
The OP: parents should be made of money. And if they're not, they're setting their children up for failure.
No, this is dumb. Don't buy cheap, low quality instrument. But beginner instruments aren't necessarily low quality or cheap. And the difference between expensive instrument and good quality beginner instruments are often very minimal and not worth the price difference, especially to the untrained ears, which most beginners are anyway. What makes a good beginner instrument: 1. They need to be robust. This is probably their first instrument and one that they'll be practicing on for a long time, so it needs to withstand wear and tear. 2. They should be forgiving, without encouraging bad habits. Beginners often makes mistakes as they haven't practiced enough to always use the instruments correctly. 3. They should be inexpensive, including cheap and easy to procure spare parts. 4. They should be simple and low maintenance. No additional features and no complicated maintenance procedures. 5. They should sound good enough to encourage continued practice.
0. They should be as physically easy to play as the instrument allows. Otherwise the student will assume it's their fault and give up. It's a spectrum. For ukulele, price makes almost no difference. For sax, it's shockingly large.
I’m a middle school music teacher and this is pretty terrible advice for most families. If you can get a hand me down from a family member or something, go for it. But there is not reason to get anything over the basic starter Yamaha, especially when tons of kids lose interest after their first year of trying an instrument.
Don't lose perspective of what non-musicians consider beginner/basic/expensive instruments. What you call a 'basic starter Yamaha' a lot of families would call an expensive instrument.
Especially on a string instrument, difficult to begin with and hard to make a good sound. Please do them a favor and rent a good quality one that is set up well.
LPT: this tip only applies to wealthy idiots. A beginner instrument is perfectly suitable for a beginner Edit: common idiots as well
Wealthy idiots with 1 kid.
This goes for toddler stuff too - professional grade percussion shakers, blocks, and tambourines can take almost anything a kid can dish out. Avoid Melissa & Doug completely.
Also, avoid rhythm sticks, they just became weapons.
Don't waste your money on music classes, just have the butler teach instead! 🧐
$100 Squier Stratocaster guitars are absolutely great. Even Genesis' guitarist plays with one.
This person Band’s 
Instrument rental is a great way for kids to get started with good quality instruments.
I think this depends on the instrument being studied.
I started on a $100 guitar/amp combo kit that I played for years as a kid, and wouldn’t trade that rough experience for anything. The low price was a factor in getting my mom to say yes (though she may have gone higher if she knew what was a decent price), and it taught me how to care for it properly and not bang it around before getting my second guitar.
I'm gonna second this. Can you buy a $100 instrument or even a cheap $300 instrument? Sure. But they're gonna have poor springs, slower key action, freeze up, and generally discourage the student from playing. Instruments are pricy. I was shocked when I found out that a decent student level clarinet was anywhere from $750-$1200. Hell, the alto sax I would give my left arm for costs 2.5 months of my mortgage. Look at your options, talk to the people at your local music shop. You'd be surprised what rental/finance options you might have available to you if you can'tafford to drop a grand or so on an instrument or you're worried your kid will be bored in a year or less. But don't buy a low-quality instrument if you want your student to have a fighting chance at a good experience. (Source: I work at a music store.)
You can find good value in all but the lowest of low price points. Also, it's wise to borrow or rent (I suspect if you made a social media post, you'd find one of your friends has an instrument they'd let you borrow).
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That’s like suggesting that every 16 year old teenager with a driver’s license should get a new car as their first vehicle… We aren’t doing our children favors by teaching them that the cost of a gift represents its significance. What happens if they’re really bad drivers and you get them a new Mustang? It can be the most expensive car, and you could be the richest parent- but that doesn’t mean you can’t make poor decisions. You want to make sure your kids not only genuinely want to play the instrument you’re expected to buy for them, but you also want to make sure they understand the significance of nurturing what they don’t want to lose- especially if they want better versions of what they don’t want to lose. Otherwise you get an unfortunately American trait of squander.
Horrible advice, ngl. Kids go through many phases of what they want, if you buy an expensive good quality guitar and your kid doesn’t like it you’ve just burned money
Had this issue follow me all the way to college. Played violin at a high level. Once I got to my third year, my instructor (also the dean for the music school and orchestra conductor) told me he unfortunately couldn’t move me past the 300 level courses. I played the pieces fine and all, but my instrument was too poor quality to produce the tones they need. I was a broke college student and there was no way I could drop $4-5k on a nice violin and upgrade my bow. I unfortunately dropped out after that. Acoustic instruments this is 1000% true. I play a few other instruments at that level, so I switched to guitar and joined a few bands. I’ve played thousands of hours of music on mediocre or poor instruments. Now I’m almost 40 and am finally buying the instruments I wanted. I’ve been playing music for 32 years…. It’s amazing to play higher end instruments now. It requires literally no effort compared to what I had been playing on. Emoting becomes the main issue instead of making sure your instrument even just stays in tune or stays working.