No feeling in the world compares to how you feel when making music.
Sure, you can go to a symphony and let yourself be completely immersed in the sound. It is, without a doubt, a breathtaking experience.
Yet it isn’t quite the same as being one of the players on stage making the magic happen. It is a much more personal experience. You have control over the sound. You get to interact with the other musicians to affect how the music is played. It is much more difficult to let your mind wander when there are so many technical aspects demanding your attention.
If you’ve ever wanted to connect with music on a deeper level, consider taking a more direct approach by picking up an instrument.
How does one decide which instrument to play? How do you know which one is right for you? It can be difficult to know for sure until you’ve tried a few and played them for some time. However, you can narrow down the search by considering a few things about each instrument such as their strengths, weaknesses and typical roles in the band.
Several musicians below share their experiences with their respective instruments and the difficulty they had getting started.
Greg Maiocco is a retired music teacher who now gives lessons to student musicians. His primary instrument is saxophone.
“Every instrument is intimidating at the beginning,” Maiocco says. While this can sound off-putting, it is really an encouraging statement. It takes off some of the pressure of choosing a first instrument.
What he likes about the saxophone is its sound and how flexible it is. It can fit many situations and play in many styles. One of its drawbacks is that the key placements can be difficult to learn. Saxophones are often used to support the main part of the music (also known as the melody), but they also often have the melody.
Samantha Gallo is a high school student and clarinet player.
She says it was difficult to figure out how to form her mouth and position her fingers on her instrument at first, but she had a much easier time after her initial confusion.
She enjoys how clarinet can sound enjoyable and be fun to play in multiple styles, much like saxophone. Something that she doesn’t enjoy is how much the instrument’s sound relies on the reed, the wooden part of the instrument that goes in the mouth. Clarinets often have the melody but can also be found in supporting roles.
Tim Hering is a college student and trumpet player.
He says that it took some time to get used to his instrument, but it wasn’t overly difficult to get a sound out of it.
Once he got a better grasp of trumpet, he loved how bright and bold it sounded. However, he notes that he does not like to play higher notes loudly on the instrument. Trumpets usually have the melody in pieces, so it is the perfect instrument for those who like to be heard and shine in the spotlight.
These are only a few of the most commonly seen instruments. There are so many more to choose from or to switch to if you end up not liking your choice. You could even play several if that best suits your personality.
While it can be difficult to find the perfect fit or get comfortable with your instrument, it is well worth it when you finally get to make music with other great players.
Musical Musings 
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