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Murtaza Hashwani| Hey Guys Please Suggest Me Which Is The Best Instrument For A Beginner?
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The one for which you have a passion.
The main thing is to practice and that's much easier to do if you really want to play that instrument.
Lots of people learn ukulele because they're a pretty simple instrument from which to get some kind of performance. They're also very portable. Dulcimer? Autoharp? Diatomic harmonica? Tin whistle? Melodeon?
A keyboard is probably best for also learning about scale and chord structures. "weighted", "semi-weighted" or "hammer action" are probably best, but start to cost more than the lightweight synth-type keys.
Some time ago I did a number of searches for "easiest to play" and "hardest to play" and one of the things I noticed was that a significant number of instruments appeared on both lists.
I think it's safe to say that some instruments are easier to start with, but almost(?) all instruments are hard to master.
Edit: BTW, these fora are really mostly for users of the software Band-In-A-Box, rather than general music enquiries. There may be other forum websites that better suit your needs.
Last edited by Gordon Scott; 11/17/22 11:33 PM.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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Depends on what you want to play. After you decide, look for a slightly better than a beginner quality instrument. I started on a $20.00 guitar that I found at a garage sale. It was terrible and I wonder why I even stuck with playing guitar. I hated that instrument.
And, music lessons - they will help you more than anything else.
...Deb
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Depends on what you want to play. After you decide, look for a slightly better than a beginner quality instrument. I started on a $20.00 guitar that I found at a garage sale. It was terrible and I wonder why I even stuck with playing guitar. I hated that instrument....Deb
And, music lessons - they will help you more than anything else.
...Deb
I wonder if this is a one time post or will the OP return?
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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these days a decent guitar needn't cost a lot. and learning three chords isn't a major problem. with those three chords you can accompany a lot of songs. and you can take a guitar to a party if you chose an acoustic not an electric! how many people pull out a piano at a party and everyone sings along?
point i'm trying to make is that with a guitar you have a quick and easy entry to the world of music by singing and playing lots of songs you already know.
so once you know three chords you learn what three chords you need to learn to play in a different key. then you learn the relative minor chords.
quickly you get the idea of keys, scales, chord structures and harmony and how they work together in a fun way.
i know pianists who play well and read music but just don't know how things relate to each other. a local organist plays every week at church but didn't know how a major chord was built up.
once you know how chords work you're ready to start working BIAB. good luck!
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Depends on what you want to play. After you decide, look for a slightly better than a beginner quality instrument. I started on a $20.00 guitar that I found at a garage sale. It was terrible and I wonder why I even stuck with playing guitar. I hated that instrument....Deb
There are a pair of oft-quoted things that are not quite what they appear. 1) "A good musician can get a good tune out of a poor instrument." ... but a poor instrument discourages practice and learning. 2) "A good worker never blames the tools." ... because a good worker will use good tools and keep them in top condition. When I started I bought a mid-range synthesiser that seemed to do a lot. Before long I bought a good weighted, hammer-action, keyboard. I now almost never play that synthesiser with all its tricks and bells and whistles. I play the stage piano.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
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<...snip...>
1) "A good musician can get a good tune out of a poor instrument."
... but a poor instrument discourages practice and learning.
2) "A good worker never blames the tools."
... because a good worker will use good tools and keep them in top condition.
When I started I bought a mid-range synthesiser that seemed to do a lot. Before long I bought a good weighted, hammer-action, keyboard. I now almost never play that synthesiser with all its tricks and bells and whistles.<...>
I have a Taiwanese custom-built sax. MacSax brand, but all the Taiwan saxes are the same (I got this from a sax manufacturer who has 2 or 3 brands built in the only Taiwan sax factory). It's a great top-of-the-line sax. I had it plated in nickel, and changed a few other things that I could customize on it. Quite a few years ago, I got a gig playing outdoors on a salt water lagoon, near the beach, and that moved to playing outdoors (under canvas) right on the beach, on the lee side of the dune. I bought a used, upper-student-level tenor sax, Yamaha YTS-52, to keep the salt air from ruining my pro-level horn. I was pleasantly surprised. It is free blowing, and the intonation is great (saxes aren't in tune with themselves, each note needs different lip pressure to play in tune). The tone is a bit brighter than my Taiwan horn, but that is actually good for the outdoor gigs. The bell doesn't have fancy engravings on it, the key buttons are plastic instead of mother-of-pearl, and there are a few other minor (to me) differences between that and the YTS-62 pro level horn, but functionally, it's as good from a playing perspective. I decided this upper-level-student horn is a great find, and since I play so many outdoor gigs since COVID, it's become my go-to horn, and my Taiwan MacSax is the backup horn now. A good student level instrument these days can be a great buy and the point of diminishing returns for a new student. Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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A good student level instrument these days can be a great buy and the point of diminishing returns for a new student. Indeed. FWIW, I hadn't intended to imply otherwise if that's the impression I gave. A 'good' instrument or tool needn't be the best and in any case 'the best' is almost always highly subjective. When I bought my Kawai MP6, I toyed with the idea of spending more and getting their MP10, which uses what equates to a real grand piano action. But it's also pretty darned heavy for a stage digital. I'm very happy with my MP6. My only sensible spare though is that synthesiser with its 61 keys and synth action. In the synth's defence, it was never sold as a piano. My music teacher had a very ordinary acoustic upright that I used in yer lessons. It didn't need her to advise me to get a proper piano keyboard ... by the time she did, I'd already concluded the same. Any piano keyboard of a similar standard would have been OK ... Yamaha, Roland, Nord, Korg. The cheaper Casios have a great reputation, a Yamaha hybrid grand is not going to happen
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.
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I just got an Ibanez AF55L hollow body guitar. $350 brand new.
It is very plain looking; no fancy inlays, no fancy tonewood and a satin finish. All of the money goes into making a solid, playable instrument and that it is.
Byron Dickens BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency. https://soundcloud.com/athanorsoundlabs
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I just got an Ibanez AF55L hollow body guitar. $350 brand new.
It is very plain looking; no fancy inlays, no fancy tonewood and a satin finish. All of the money goes into making a solid, playable instrument and that it is.
All except one of my guitars are under $350 and some under $150. The one exception was a Casio MG 510 strat MIDI controller that I bought back in the 1980s. It doesn't matter if I'm playing on a $100 guitar or a $3,000 guitar I always sound like me! I hope that is a good thing!
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Definitely the one that interests/attract you & your ear.
In terms of my exposure ...I chose bass because a high school band needed a bass player...I had to buy it on "lay-by" across three months to cover the full $75 in 1974. It kept me very happy until I'd played in a couple of live groups and the need for a full scale bass became apparent.
Bass is easy to start on, relatively easy to get okay at but hard to master. I have five and none cost more than AUS $400 but the 2nd I bought, $112 dollar newie in 1980, is def. worth more.
From there I added:
Guitar is easy to start on, fairly easy to get so so on, (I survived writing with just a dozen chords for twenty or so years), and hard to master.I've not spent more than $375 on one but I do have a more expensive one, (an insurance replacement for an old thing that couldn't be directly replaced), that sits in its case.
Cello is easy to start on WITH a tutor and impossible to master. They can be bought fairly cheaply though getting the bridge set up, fine tuners and such will add a bit to that.
Piano/generic keyboard is easy to start on and really hard to master. The world is filled with cheap and cheap sounding keyboards to learn on - my wife had a 110 year old parlour grand that was lovely but preferred her cheap knocked about upright.
These days a stringed instrument and a tuner will get almost anyone started...a tutor makes an huge difference but the RIGHT tutor is the issue.
The downside of a uke or banjo is the effort required to transfer chord shapes to guitar/mandolin etc.
BUT if you do want to write songs something you can play chords with will help as you'll have "instant harmony".
I'm a poor player on bass, guitar, cello etc. BUT I enjoy them all and they all help me write & record songs.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Whatever you start with, my recommendation is to get a good teacher.
You don't have to keep the teacher if you like self-learning, but in the beginning, a teacher can spot bad habits and/or teach good habits that will make playing easier to you for the rest of your life.
Insights and incites by Notes ♫
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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...a tutor makes an huge difference but the RIGHT tutor is the issue. That's an important factor, I think, I started with a tutor who was fine in her own way, but was just not right for me or my musical tastes/aspirations. If one wants to play rock or funk or jazz or similar, a classically-oriented tutor may well be a bad choice. If you want to play classical, the reverse would probably apply. It isn't just a case of the styles of music, it's often down to the type of play ... formal, informal, improvisation and so on. I'm afraid there are few shortcuts.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.
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[quote=rayc]....................
If one wants to play rock or funk or jazz or similar, a classically-oriented tutor may well be a bad choice. If you want to play classical, the reverse would probably apply.
............................
I'm afraid there are few shortcuts.
One of the dumbest mistakes I ever made was to quit taking piano lessons! I took lessons from our church's organist. I wanted to play Jerry Lee Lewis and he taught via hymns and classical piano; a complete mismatch! There are no shortcuts IF you really want to play the instrument.
I'm in a fitness protection program. I'm been hiding from exercise.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Season's Greetings!
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!
The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.
Team PG
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®
With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!
Video: New User Interface (GUI)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Watch the video.
You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
We've just released XPro Styles PAK 10 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) with 100 brand new RealStyles, plus 28 RealTracks and RealDrums!
Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
Introducing Xtra Styles PAK 21 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Windows & Mac Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher) is here with 200 brand new RealStyles!
We're excited to bring you our latest Xtra Styles PAK installment—the all new Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box version 2025 (and higher)!
Rejoice, one and all, for Xtra Styles PAK 21 for Band-in-a-Box® is here! We’re serving up 200 brand spankin’ new styles to delight your musical taste buds! The first three courses are the classics you’ve come to know and love, including offerings from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, but, not to be outdone, this year’s fourth course is bro country! A wide ranging genre, you can find everything from hip-hop, uptempo outlaw country, hard hitting rock, funk, and even electronica, all with that familiar bro country flair. The dinner bell has been rung, pickup up Xtra Styles PAK 21 today!
In this PAK you’ll discover: Energetic folk rock, raucous train beats, fast country boogies, acid jazz grooves, laid-back funky jams, a bevy of breezy jazz waltzes, calm electro funk, indie synth pop, industrial synth metal, and more bro country than could possibly fit in the back of a pickup truck!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the Xtra Styles PAKs 1 - 21 are on special for only $29 each (reg $49), or get all 21 PAKs for $199 (reg $399)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of the Xtra Styles PAK 21.
Video: Xtra Styles PAK 21 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
Note: The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 21 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version because they need the RealTracks from the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.
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