If you are considering buying a musical instrument, no doubt you have been confronted with so much choice and information that your head is swimming. Sales people will usually guide you to the most profitable product for them or sell you on the many benefits of a product you may not be ready for. So how do you choose the best musical instrument for your needs if you aren't an expert?
The first step toward purchasing a musical instrument is to assess your needs. What do you want the instrument to do for you? How do you want to use it? How experienced are you currently? What is your track record with purchasing and using musical instruments? Is the instrument for you or someone else? Will they still be using it in a year's time? In two year's time?
Once you have evaluated your needs, begin to research your alternatives. What are the differences between products and prices? Will an expensive product be necessary or can you gain the same benefits with a lower priced product? Make a list of potential products and prices and then phone a number of teachers of that instrument and ask them for their recommendations and if there are any products you should avoid, being careful to let them know your current level of skill.
If you are purchasing for a child you will need to remember that many instruments are sized for the child's height or finger reach and will need to be regularly replaced as the child grows. It would be a waste of money to spend a great deal on these training instruments unless your child is a virtuoso.
If you are a beginner, you may want to consider a lower cost instrument as an introduction to playing until you are confident you will continue and you are ready to benefit from a higher quality instrument. However, if you would prefer a higher quality instrument but don't want to spend the money to buy it new, you can often purchase good quality instruments second hand as many people purchase instruments and then don't use them. However, if the instrument has broken strings or is out of tune you may need to pay someone to set it up for you which is an additional cost. When you purchase a new instrument from a reliable retailer the instrument will be properly set up and in tune when you purchase it and you can start playing it straight away.
There are two ways to look at the quality issue. First, a good quality instrument will sound better and consequently encourage a learner to stick with lessons and practice. During the initial phases of learning, a student will be practicing scales and often boring pieces of music, which can be discouraging if played on a poor quality instrument. Second, an expensive instrument can be a waste of money for a learner if they give up and do not continue with it.
It should be said here that even inexpensive instruments are often quite good and more than adequate for learners, however, they will not last long beyond the beginning phase and will need to be replaced. Nevertheless, your first instrument will have done its job and you will be better able to choose your permanent instrument from experience and knowledge.
Once you have made these academic decisions, it is time to take a few different instruments for a trial run. Sit down in showrooms and play the instruments. It doesn't matter whether or not you can really play and don't be embarrassed by what other people may think; you'll probably never see them again. An instrument needs to feel good as you play it. You have to be comfortable and you have to like the sound. If you don't like your instrument you won't play it. If you are purchasing a guitar, violin, viola, cello or any other stringed instrument make sure you can comfortably get your hand around the neck and reach the strings with your fingers.
If you take the time to assess your needs, research your options and try a number of instruments before you buy, you will find that you will be able to find a comfortable instrument with a sound you like that is within your budget.
Unlikely as it may seem, recent scientific research suggests this hypothesis might actually be true. It appears studying music can, in fact, impact the development of the human personality, especially in the area of socialization. In particular, music education encourages self-discipline and diligence, traits which carry over into other areas.
According to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who can be classified as 'disruptive' (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the same criteria as 'disruptive'.
Neurobiologist Norman Weinberger reports on another research study by Martin Gardiner of Brown University. According to Weinberger, writing in the Winter 2000 Issue of MuSICA Research Notes, Gardiner's study checked the relationship between arrest records of teenagers and their degree of involvement in music. He analyzed a large-scale data base that included information gathered over a period of many years for more than a thousand residents of Rhode Island.
Gardiner tracked people from birth through the age of thirty, and found that the greater the involvement in music, the lower the arrest record. Teens who had music education were less likely to get into trouble than students who didn't. However, those who were also involved in playing a musical instrument had even fewer brushes with the law. Those who had the most experience, including good sight-reading ability, had a negligible arrest record.
Gardiner's study, which took place in 2000, is backed by others. The National Association for Music Education publishes a fact sheet on its website which quotes the Texas Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse Report. According to the January 1998 report, secondary students who participated in band or orchestra reported the lowest lifetime - and current - use of all substances (alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs).
And a 1990 study at the National Arts Education Research Center, concluded that students who participated in arts programs in selected elementary and middle schools in New York City showed significant increases in self-esteem and thinking skills.
The results of studies such as these are promising for the future of our society, especially in the light of a 2003 Gallup Poll Survey showing record numbers of Americans now play musical instruments.
This survey - conducted by the Gallup Organization (commissioned by NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants) - found that Americans are playing musical instruments at the highest levels since 1978.
Just over half, (54 percent), of households surveyed had a member who plays a musical instrument. And in 48 percent of households where at least one person played an instrument, there were two or more additional members who also played.
Ninety-seven percent of respondents agreed that playing a musical instrument provides a sense of accomplishment and encourages expression, and 85 percent believe it makes someone smarter. An equal number regretted not learning to play an instrument and 67 percent said they would still like to learn.
Interestingly, the survey also showed that an increasing number of young people are becoming involved in music, with the percentage of people ages of 5 to 17 who play an instrument at 31 percent, up from 25 percent in 1985.
Of the total respondents a further 27 percent were between the ages of 18 to 24.
Most of those questioned began their music education before their teens with 64 percent saying they started music study between the ages of 5 to 11 and 18 percent between the ages of 12 to 14.
In his highly acclaimed book, A Users Guide to the Brain, Ratey John J, MD notes: "The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, style, rhythm, phrasing and feeling - training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence and an ability for self-knowledge and expression."
Good citizens require many of these same skills in order to live harmoniously with other human beings. So as you move to a new town or take up a new job, it could just be worth enquiring if your neighbors and colleagues are musicians.
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