Hardest instruments to learn, and why

No one can prove which instrument is the hardest. Teachers and players often name the same few, though: the French horn, the oboe, the violin, the bassoon, the harp, and the pipe organ. Each is hard in a different way. This page explains what makes the start slow on each one, and why a child who loves the sound can still choose it.

Two kinds of hard

Hard to start. On some instruments, the first good sound takes weeks. The oboe and the French horn are like this.

Hard to master. On others, a child plays a tune in the first lesson, and the climb comes later. The piano and the drums are like this.

No instrument is easy to play well. All of them take years.

Six that teachers often name

Instrument	What makes it hard
French horn	The notes sit close together, so a small slip of the lips gives a wrong note
Oboe	The double reed needs strong, steady breath and a firm mouth
Violin	No frets, no keys, and a bow to control
Bassoon	Many keys, with a large share of them for the thumbs
Harp	47 strings and seven pedals
Pipe organ	Both hands and both feet play at once

French horn

A brass player changes notes with the lips as well as with the valves. On the horn, the notes that the lips can pick are packed close together in the range where the horn plays most. A player aims for one note and can land on its neighbor. Even professionals crack a note now and then.

Read the French horn for kids.

Oboe

The oboe’s reed is two thin blades of cane with a tiny gap between them. The player blows with strong, steady pressure, and only a little air gets through. The first sounds can be rough. Older players learn to shape and adjust their own reeds.

Read the oboe for kids.

Violin

A piano key gives the right note every time. On the violin, the player has to find each note on a bare string, and a finger that is a hair off sounds out of tune. The bow adds a second job: its speed, weight, and place on the string all change the sound.

Read the violin for kids.

Bassoon

The bassoon is a long tube folded in half, with keys spread along it. The left thumb alone works a cluster of keys. The instrument is large and heavy for a child, and it uses a double reed, as the oboe does.

Read the bassoon for kids.

Harp

A concert harp has 47 strings, and they look much alike. The C strings are red, and the F strings are black or blue, which helps. Seven pedals at the base change the notes, and the player works them with both feet while both hands pluck.

Read the harp for kids.

Pipe organ

An organist plays several keyboards with the hands and one more with the feet. The player also pulls knobs called stops to change the sound. Many organists learn the piano first.

Read the pipe organ for kids.

What about the piano and the drums?

The piano is among the easiest instruments to start, since every key gives a good note. It grows hard later. The two hands play different things at once, and the player reads two lines of music.

The drum kit is the same. A first beat comes fast. Then the hands and feet have to work apart from each other.

Read the easiest instruments for a child to learn.

Why hard is not a reason to say no

• Love of the sound. A child who wants to play the horn has a reason to practice the horn.
• Need. Few children choose the oboe, the bassoon, or the French horn. Bands and orchestras are glad to have them, and schools often lend these instruments.
• Good teaching. A teacher who knows the instrument can get a beginner past the slow first months.
• The right age. Some of these are easier at ten or twelve than at six. Many players start on something else and switch.

What helps on a hard instrument

1. A teacher from the start. Bad habits are harder to fix later.
2. The right size. Violins come in small sizes, and so do some horns and bassoons.
3. Short, daily practice. A few minutes each day is the usual advice.
4. Patience with the sound. The first months are for making a steady tone. Tunes come after.
5. Hearing the goal. Play recordings of great players on the instrument.

Read when practice ends in tears and how to choose a first instrument.

Things to do together

Buzz like a horn player. Press your lips together and buzz. Try to make the buzz go higher and lower with no hands.

Find the note. Stretch a rubber band over a box. Press it at different places to find a tune, with no marks to guide you.

Hands and feet. Pat your head, rub your stomach, and tap one foot, all at once. An organist does something like that.

Hear the six. Play one minute of each of the six instruments. Ask which sound your child likes most.

Print and play

Try the instrument picker quiz. Mark each day of practice on a weekly practice chart. Read how to choose a band instrument and starting an instrument at 10, 12, or 14.