want to learn a new instrument

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

I used to play the button accordian/banjo when i was younger, but once I started drinking and engaging in other activities I kinda left them in the garage and forgot all about them. I'd like to start playing music again, but I don't want to go near the button accordian. it's not that I hate the instrument or anything, it's just that I have the notes of songs I don't even remember burned into my head from years and years of playing them every weekend and i'm afraid i'll start having flashbacks to fleadh ceoils or willy clancy weeks.

I'm thinking either the guitar or violin, I tried to learn the guitar when i was a teenager but at the time that was only because I was big into metal and I was too much of a lazy twit to put the effort into practicing. I gave it up pretty quickly. I also played the violin a little bit when i was even younger, but because the only violin in the house was my aunts old one from when she was a child I wasn't allowed at it too often and by the time I was old enough to be trusted with it I had outgrown it and the aforementioned accordian was deemed to be 'enough'. I did enjoy the violin but most of the music I would listen to and love would feature guitars, which would likely be an easier instrument to get the hang of too.

Is it possible/adviseable to teach yourself the violin? I'll be able to afford an instrument,but there is no way in sin i'll be able to afford weekly or even monthly lessons. At least with the guitar there are plenty of resources online to guide you in the right direction, and it's never that difficult to find someone you know who plays one to help you along if you're stuck. Should I just go with the guitar and leave any hopes of learning the violin until I can afford proper lessons?

Podman

Depends where your heart is in my opinion.

If you prefer guitar music, then that is the direction I would go. You can always get a violin later on and play them both.. or vise-versa.

Like you say, it's true there are a lot more lessons and songs online for guitarists than for violinists, and that allows for more musical scope.

I play guitar myself, and a bit of piano years ago, so that's where I'm coming from with this.

I've never played a violin so I can't really say if its easy to learn at home or not. But if it were me, I would get a few lessons early on to make sure I'm doing it right, then practice for a good while, then get more lessons, etc.

Online Guitar Tuner
Online Violin Tuner
Guitar Lessons
Guitar Lessons (videos)
Violin Lessons
Guitar chords, tabs and popular music (search by band or song, etc)

Good luck.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

cool, thanks for all the links

would anyone have any info on whether a tanglewood tw-360 is a guitar worth getting? It'd be second hand, 14 years old. It's on adverts and it's in my town, but I don't have a clue what guitars are good and I can't find much about it online

Michael1987

I'd go with the guitar - it's much easier to stay motivated and sounds a lot nicer when you're starting off than the violin! I taught myself guitar, and play the piano and flute, but my brother played violin, and for years it sounds really really bad! the amount of tabs available for the guitar is a great help too.

JonathanAnon

I play both the guitar (well) and violin (badly, started last year)... and I think you should start with the guitar...

- guitar is a lot easier... even if the thing is out of tune you are still learning the proper fret positions.. with the violin, you have no frets to guide you (unless you paint, stick them on) and the thing has to be properly in tune (or you will have a tendency to move your fingers to the wrong positions to play in tune..)
- Guitar is easier to tune, which is a big deal when you are starting to work with a stringed instrument.. Guitars have robust metal tuners... Violins :mad: have horrible plastic tuning pegs that keep slipping.. I literally had to take a hammer to my own to get the pegs to stop moving..
- Violin is really only for playing melody WITH accompaniment. You can play chords (with melody when you get good), and sing along with it WITHOUT requiring accompaniment.
- There's always usually a guitar hanging round somewhere at a party, if you get asked to do your party piece.... never is there a violin (or anybody interested in listening to it)... but DONT fukn learn off Wonderwall, for the love of god ......

So, in short... get a guitar.. loads of cheap ones on ebay, gumtree etc cos half the country is emigrating.

Podman

Get someone to show you what to look for when buying an instrument from the small ads..

-Make sure the neck/fretboard is dead straight. Occasionally if the strings are too heavy they can bow the neck.
-Make sure the bodywork has no big cracks, and is in reasonable condition for the price.
-Make sure none of the components rattles during playing, the last thing you need is an annoying buzz when serenading your julie.
-Make sure the frets and fretboard are still in good condition, you'll be buying something to play the same day, and not a restoration project.
etc..

thewintermute

Cheap, easy to get going, lots of fun and very portable.

www.ukeireland.com
www.ukulelehunt.com

busfare_home

One of these is what you want.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keytar

Ps, if you do decide to pick up guitar, DON'T learn Wonderwall, Zombie or Galway Girl. Please

Moonbeam

older tangle wood guitars are lovely:)
Violin is a lot more painful to learn then guitar.