Not everyone is born with a harp on their arm, or a piano under their hands.

For many of us, musical pursuits come later in life.

That doesn’t mean it’s too late to start learning about music or even take up a musical instrument that could eventually become a lifelong pursuit.

If you’ve never pursued music before, aside from the occasional playing of “Guitar Hero,” what is the best way for you to get started?

There are a few instruments you may enjoy:

The Piano.

The piano was one of the primary instruments of composers like Mozart, Beethoven, and even frequently used in classic rock and today’s pop songs.  It’s perhaps the most versatile instrument out there, but there’s one more thing about the piano that makes it great for beginners:  it’s the perfect instrument for learning music.

 

The piano displays all of the notes in a visual pattern, helping you to make connections between sounds and visual notes.  Also, knowing how to play a basic music keyboard like the one you see on the piano means you can easily transfer those skills to other keyboard-based instruments like the harpsichord, the organ, and even electronic instruments.

The Drums.

Drums are the “piano” of percussion, a great way to learn about how musical rhythm and tempo fuel how songs sound to our ears.  Drums don’t always play musical notes (although drums like the Timpani can), but if you want to learn about what makes a song’s beat the way it is, learning the drums is a great way to start.

 

The drums are great for beginners because they’re relatively simple to understand – bang the tom, and get a certain sound!

The Acoustic Guitar.

Guitars aren’t always easy to master, but if you learn a few chords, you’ll find out how easy it is to strum some songs by your favorite acoustic musician.  Learning a guitar like the acoustic guitar usually means learning chords – or sets of three notes – and the more chords you understand, the better you’ll understand the music that you listen to.

How do you choose?

If you want to pick up an instrument, take an attitude of “try it before you buy it.”

Find a cheap acoustic guitar on a web site like eBay or Craigslist and try it out for a few weeks – if you enjoy it, you can stick with it.

The more you enjoy an instrument, the more likely you are to practice, which means you’ll pick it up faster.  Which instrument do you enjoy the most?