What Instrument Should I Learn – 32 Instruments to Start

How it works

Want to play but not sure what? Press the button for one of 32 instruments you can take lessons on, from piano and ukulele to trombone and cajón.

Read the full guide

Pick for your life, not only the sound

After your first press, the list beside the button narrows the draw. Easy to carry suits a small room or a bus ride, Quiet practice suits flats and late nights, and For a band or For an orchestra shows where each instrument has a seat.

What instrument should I play in a band?

Filter to For a band. Bass guitar and drums hold a band's rhythm together, and nearly every rock or pop band needs both; guitar, keyboard and saxophone carry the tunes.

Tips

Rent before you buy: many music shops rent violins, clarinets and trumpets by the month.

Questions and answers

What is the easiest instrument to learn?

The ukulele, recorder and keyboard are gentle starts: small chord shapes, simple fingering or notes laid out in a row. Easy to start is not easy to master, so pick the sound you love.

What instrument should I learn if I want to join an orchestra?

Filter to For an orchestra. Violins make up its largest section, so there are more places for violinists than for any other player, but every section, from viola to tuba, takes beginners in youth and community orchestras.

Can adults learn an instrument from scratch?

Yes. Many teachers take adult beginners, and piano, guitar and voice have the most lessons and books written for adults. Practicing a little every day matters more than starting young.

All 32 instruments

Strings 11

Acoustic guitar Six strings for strumming chords and singing along.
Banjo A drum-like body gives it a bright, twangy sound.
Bass guitar Usually four strings; it locks in with the drums and every band needs one.
Cello Played seated with the cello between your knees; a deep, warm voice.
Double bass The biggest bowed string; plucked in jazz, bowed in orchestras.
Electric guitar Needs an amplifier, which can take headphones for quiet practice.
Harp Strings plucked with the fingers; concert harps use pedals to change key.
Mandolin Eight strings in four pairs, tuned like a violin.
Ukulele Four nylon strings and small chord shapes; one of the easiest to start.
Viola A little larger and lower than the violin, reading the alto clef.
Violin Played with a bow and no frets, so your ear finds each note.

Keys 4

Accordion Squeeze the bellows and press keys or buttons; a whole band on your chest.
Keyboard Lighter and cheaper than a piano, with built-in sounds and rhythms.
Organ Keys for the hands and often pedals for the feet.
Piano 88 keys and both hands; it teaches how music fits together better than almost anything.

Show all 32 instruments (17 more)

Woodwind 7

Bassoon A long, folded tube with a double reed and a low, gentle voice.
Clarinet A single reed and a wide range, from low and dark to high and bright.
Flute Held sideways and blown across a hole, with no reed.
Harmonica Fits in a pocket; you play notes by blowing and by drawing breath in.
Oboe A double reed; the orchestra tunes to its A.
Recorder Blow straight in and cover holes; often the first instrument at school.
Saxophone Made of brass but played with a reed, so it counts as a woodwind.

Brass 4

French horn A coiled tube played with one hand inside the bell.
Trombone A slide instead of valves, so notes can glide into each other.
Trumpet Three valves and your lips make every note; bright and loud.
Tuba The lowest brass instrument, the base of a brass band.

Drums and percussion 5

Cajón A box drum from Peru that you sit on and play with your hands.
Djembe A goblet-shaped hand drum from West Africa.
Drum kit Drums and cymbals played with sticks and pedals; loud, so think about the neighbors.
Electronic drums Rubber or mesh pads that you can hear through headphones.
Xylophone Wooden bars struck with mallets, laid out like a piano keyboard.

Easy to carry 1

Voice The one instrument you already own: lessons train breath, pitch and tone.

How this list was compiled: 32 instruments to learn, each line checked on 2026-09-23 against the English Wikipedia article in x.src (the fact word each check looked for is in scratchpad rg3/instr.py). The groups are ours: Easy to carry means it fits in a case you can carry on a bus; Quiet practice means it can be played through headphones or at a low volume; band and orchestra mean the instrument has a usual seat in one. Licence: own work