Playing other instruments: yes or not?

[Jose EB5AGV]

Well, here I am again with another existential question 😅

 

As I (slowly) progress on my keyboard playing, I am starting to see farther in my music adventure. As I have told you several times (sorry, but for sure someone reading this won't know), I began playing keys just 5 years ago, a month before my 50th birthday. So, well, now at almost 55, presumably I don't have that much time left... (I mean it is not like when you are 20 or 30 and think you have plenty of time to develop any skill)

 

Now, let's go to the question: is it wise to learn to play other instruments, in parallel with my keyboard/piano learning?. I am thinking mainly in guitar and drums. But, as a first one, guitar.

 

My reasoning to do it is that, besides playing that new instrument alone, which is on itself a funny thing to do, I would enjoy to be able to put down some tracks using as many instruments as I could play on them... And, right now, I can only barely play keys 😆

 

Some ages ago... when I was 16-20, I played basic chords on Spanish guitars. In all these years, I have basically not played it again. But yesterday I got the urge to try... And, yes, I can still play some chords on it!. And the prospect of getting a Les Paul clone was so sweet that I grabbed an incredibly well kept and cheap Epiphone Special 2 which will arrive this week.

 

So, again, do you think diverting some time to guitar playing will hurt my developing keyboard playing, or would it be the other way, helping on my general musicianship?

 

I know this may be a question with lots of IFs... But would like to know your opinion 🙏🏻

 

Thanks!

 

Jose

[Baldwin Funster]

Yeah if you got time in the day to practice another fiddle go for it. Guitar is a very physical instrument with calluses and finger pain involved so you'll have to push through that. You'll need a fuzz pedal or distortion box. 

[ElmerJFudd]

Playing other instruments broadens the way you think about music and music making in general. Many instrumentalists play piano and other instruments.  Many composers dabble on multiple instruments even if they are only good at one or none. 
 

That said, how much time do you have to devote to playing?  Becoming a confident, competent player on any instrument  takes time.  So if your time is limited, perhaps it’s better to focus. If you have the time - do what keeps you excited about learning and brings you joy. 

[lsj]

jack of all trades but master at none.  too much to learn on one instrument.

[D. Gauss]

depends on your headspace.  i play a lot of instruments (guitar, bass, drums, sax, keys, harmonica, mandolin, banjolele), and except for harmonica, get paid to do so on gigs.  however, i'm a master of none of them (yeah, that old sayin').  I consider myself a "musician/songwriter," not a "guitarist"  or a "keyboardist," etc.  In that sense i've never strived to be the absolute best on an instrument as a devoted "pianist" might.  that to me would require many years of absolute dedication/woodshedding, forgoing a social life, etc.  however, as a songwriter/producer/engineer, i feel the more you know about other instruments only helps you understand songs better and communicate more easily with other musicians.  go for it.  

[Jose EB5AGV]

5 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

depends on your headspace.  i play a lot of instruments (guitar, bass, drums, sax, keys, harmonica, mandolin, banjolele), and except for harmonica, get paid to do so on gigs.  however, i'm a master of none of them (yeah, that old sayin').  I consider myself a "musician/songwriter," not a "guitarist"  or a "keyboardist," etc.  In that sense i've never strived to be the absolute best on an instrument as a devoted "pianist" might.  that to me would require many years of absolute dedication/woodshedding, forgoing a social life, etc.  however, as a songwriter/producer/engineer, i feel the more you know about other instruments only helps you understand songs better and communicate more easily with other musicians.  go for it.  

 

I would say this depicts what I pursue, EXCEPT that I don't necessarily want to be paid for playing (I have a daily job which, incidentally, develop at my electronics home lab, which makes practising available at almost any time I can; just the tme I save not commuting could be enough daily practice time for one instrument!)

 

Thanks!

 

Jose

[Jose EB5AGV]

12 minutes ago, lsj said:

jack of all trades but master at none.  too much to learn on one instrument.

 

Yes, that is one of my doubts... But also, when you are practising, let's say, two hours on keyboard and change for some time on the guitar, instead of stopping practicing at all, that should not interfere, I hope.

 

Jose

[Jose EB5AGV]

15 minutes ago, ElmerJFudd said:

Playing other instruments broadens the way you think about music and music making in general. Many instrumentalists play piano and other instruments.  Many composers dabble on multiple instruments even if they are only good at one or none. 
 

That said, how much time do you have to devote to playing?  Becoming a confident, competent player on any instrument  takes time.  So if your time is limited, perhaps it’s better to focus. If you have the time - do what keeps you excited about learning and brings you joy. 

 

Thanks!

 

I can devote 2-3 hours daily to practice most days, I think it should be enough

 

Jose

[CEB]

I play a lot of stuff. However I came from a family of players and been a mult-instrumentalist since childhood. 
 

So I don’t know.  I guess it depends on if your goals are mastery or self enjoyment and what you enjoy.   The Jack of all trades is a good comment. I’ve done this since age 6 and I’m pretty good on several instruments but I don’t consider myself a master of anything.  But I have gotten a lot of work as an utility player. 

[ElmerJFudd]

Just now, CEB said:

I play a lot of stuff. However I came from a family of players and been a mult-instrumentalist since childhood. 
 

So I don’t know.  I guess it depends on if your goals are mastery or self enjoyment and what you enjoy.   The Jack of all trades is a good comment. I’ve done this since age 6 and I’m pretty good on several instruments but I don’t consider myself a master of anything.  But I have gotten a lot of work as an utility player. 

Of course. “Useful” people in every trade will always find work. As a musician if you ad singing to the mix, it’s always a win. 

[KuruPrionz]

I play guitar, it's my primary instrument. Electric guitar is my home base but I've always had an acoustic guitar and play 6 and 12 string, also nylon string. They are instruments with many similarities and some differences. They all sound different.

 

I'm not very good on keyboards, I don't spend much time practicing. I have a Fishman Triple Play pickup system on one of my guitars so I can play any keyboard, orchestral or percussive plugin with a guitar. It is more prone to "glitchy" behavior than keyboards, I have to play carefully to use it. I've found I can just use the MIDI track created in Triple Play and drop a variety of plugins on that to get more sounds. 

 

I like strings, there's something about having your hands on the actual sound generator that I love.

I do play bass, I can lock a groove and keep things lively. I don't play bass like I play guitar, it is a different skill set. Bass has secret powers, if you change the key it is now in the new key because bass. If you change the style, same thing. Playing bass has gotten me gigs (I played bass once for Bo Diddley when he was on tour) and it's been extremely useful working on recordings. 

 

As someone mentioned above, I'm also a songwriter/singer and have a humble home recording studio. Playing different instruments gives me the ability to create diverse and different sounding recordings by using different instruments and styles. I also do a bit of percussion but lately I've focused on getting as much as I can out of drum plugins. 

 

[TommyRude]

2 hours ago, EB5AGV said:

Playing other instruments: yes or not?

Give it a try.. what's the worst that can happen if it doesn't work out?

 

And, if you pick guitar, a side benefit is that you will be more attractive.

[marino]

In the course of many years, I have tried my hands at the clarinet, soprano sax, guitar (electric and acoustic), drums, violin (ulp) - without reaching anything close to a good level on any of them.

 

I did it out of curiosity, to better understand how music is put together and to have an idea of the technique and language of the different instruments.

 

I could have practiced some of them more, but as Joe Zawinul said to me once, "You only have one life".

Finding the time to play the piano, play and program the electronic instruments, writing music, and of course teaching (that's how I make - barely - a living today), leaves little time to live one's own existence, let alone playing other instruments. Even my piano playing is not nearly what it was 15-20 years ago.

 

Was it useful? Absolutely, in every way. And of course a lot of fun. (I have a story about practicing the violin that I have to tell you sometimes )

I always encourage my students to learn other instruments - and to do it while they're young!

 

[Docbop]

Well similar to OP being piano is my other instrument I started at 70 YO.   I  played guitar or bass before that.   I think playing multiple instruments helps understand the music better from seeing/hearing it from many POV.    It helps you think of instruments just tools to work on music and how to pick the right tool(s) for the current project.    

 

 

Now for me I never played multiple instruments at once, I would switch instruments for years at and time.  That help see the world of music from the point of view of the current instrument I was on.   

[The Real MC]

I can play secondary instruments like bass guitar and drums confidently.  Those skills made me a valuable asset.  These days I prefer to play keyboards, I don't want to be known as a bass player or guitar player.

[EricBarker]

I definitely dabble in quite a lot of instruments. I’m strongest on piano and trumpet, but can sub in on bass for rock gigs, and get a band through a rehearsal on drums.

 

I’ve consciously made the decision NOT to play guitar, because I’m surrounded by guitarists and figure the world doesn’t need another. That said, from a employment standpoint, having a keyboardist who can jump on guitar for the occasional AC/DC or Priest song isn’t a bad prospect.

 

however, I say you can’t go wrong learning a horn: Sax, Trumpet mostly. I often grab my trumpet and do horn parts on the real deal instead of synth horns, and it makes a huge improvement. Way more fun for the audience, and way more fun for me. My replacement in my old band plays violin, and he does the same. But violin is a task and a half to get good at.

[GovernorSilver]

 

If you have no real reason to not buy that guitar, I'd say buy it.

 

You will be able to continue improving at both instruments, just not as quickly as focusing your development on one instrument.  But it really only "hurts" if your goal is to become a concert pianist on the level of a Yuja Wang - and you would have to give up the time spent on non-classical music like your beloved rock and roll too.

 

So just buy the guitar already.  It'll live rent-free in your head until you do.

[David Emm]

I can echo most of the other comments, while adding this: you can probably loosely tell if taking up secondary instruments will work for you. Its a mild gut feeling. That practice can't really be "bad" unless you can see that its diverting your energy & focus unproductively. Otherwise, the experience will most likely have cumulative benefits, in that you will get a better grip on different ANGLES of musicality. That means not only different instruments, but how playing both keys and guitar will lead you to chords or progressions you wouldn't considered otherwise. 

 

Since you're not seeking a pro level of capability, no time spent on a side road will hurt you in any macro sense. Play does partly mean *play*, unless you get overwrought and turn it into nasty ol' WORK! Let the unbridled pleasure of just noodling clarify things for you, because it will usually do so. Non-pitched finger drumming led me to better pitched, mallet-based percussion, which added to my keyboarding and synth-ing chops. 3 more cents to consider. 

[Dave Bryce]

3 hours ago, TommyRude said:

Give it a try.. what's the worst that can happen if it doesn't work out?

 

Couldn’t agree more.

 

My main instrument is keys, but I play guitar, bass and drums passably and really enjoy picking them up.  I typically try to play some guitar pretty much every day.  Just got a mandolin recently as well. I love to sing, too…and yes, that counts as another instrument.  Used to play some horns (what I learned in school bands), but haven’t gone there in a while.

 

 

3 hours ago, TommyRude said:

And, if you pick guitar, a side benefit is that you will be more attractive.

 

 

dB

[surfergirl]

I say yes if you have the time. Besides guitar I play ukulele and a little bass. I really don't have time to devote to another instrument now. Maybe when I'm to old to surf. Of course my Grandpa is 70 and still surfs 4 or 5 times a week, so not sure when that will be.

[RABid]

For me, I've started piano around 8 years of age. Started drums as a freshman in high school. That gave me a very good basis for learning other instruments. Reading piano music while playing with both hands, and getting my timing down. What I learned when taking on other instruments is that they did not affect my piano playing as much as synth playing. Started playing trumpet and sax as a senior in high school because graduation decimated our horn section. I picked them up very fast. I already knew how to play music, I just needed to learn to finger the notes. Sometime later it was guitar and bass. Every time I learned an instrument it gave me something to strive for on synth. How to growl. How to slur notes effectively. In general, how to be more expressive on the keys.

[Anderton]

I don't think playing other instruments means you need to be a virtuoso. Learning ANY instrument, on ANY level, will feed your music and whatever comes out of your primary instrument. I doi think it's a lot easier for a guitarist to pick up keyboards, due to MIDI's editability. You can compose with MIDI, it's very much like scoring. You can't reach the same level trying to compose on guitar, unless you're a guitar player.

 

One of my favorite instruments is blues harp. Decades ago I got a Marine Band harmonica for the hell of it, and took an immediate liking to it. I now consider myself almost as good on blues harp as on guitar. 

 

I can play electric bass (and not like a guitar player, LOL), but prefer keyboard bass. However, I don't think my keyboard bass parts would be any good if I didn't play electric bass.

 

So it's all variables, and different for everyone. My main recommendation would be don't put any pressure on yourself. Practice enough so that you can have fun while you play. Anything beyond that is optional   If it's not fun, drop it.

[GRollins]

As soon as I started reading this thread people started talking at me, so apologies if this point was made above and I missed it.

 

So...you have some time to play/practice. You pick up/sit down at/lay hands on your "main" instrument, only to find that you don't feel inspired today. It's just not happening. Yeah, you can push through and play/practice that instrument anyway, but my feeling is that it's nice to have a Plan B (and a Plan C and a Plan D and...). If your keys aren't talking to you, pick up your guitar. If your guitar isn't talking to you, pick up a flute or a viola or a whatever else is within reach. The important thing is that you're doing music. It will exercise the same part of your mind, regardless of where/how the notes originate.

 

And should you come up with a cool riff, you may find that the melody leads you to think that a certain other instrument would fit in like this thereby possibly leading you right back to where you "should have been" from the git-go.

 

Through an unlikely chain of events, I find currently find myself looking at tabla drums. Don't ask. It's just me being silly. I've already got at least seven different kinds of instruments and I'm probably missing some. They're everywhere. It's friggin' wonderful.

 

Never feel guilty about playing music. It's one of the few unalloyed pleasures we have in life, and it's one of the few we can directly share with others.

 

(Those with dirty minds should keep their thoughts to themselves regarding pleasures we can share with others...DM me instead...<ahem>)

 

Grey

[jeffincltnc]

I don't suck at bass, and find that what I think through with my left hand translates well to the frets of a bass.  I will sing a little.  I can stand up and play accordion, harmonica or percussion and do what I need to do in a band context.

[MathOfInsects]

My read is that having the question itself is also the answer to it. And you never know, it could be that your five-year piano odyssey was just to get the engine warm for whatever becomes "your" instrument after this. Or you could be good at both. Or you could buy the guitar and never touch it again after the first week and it's what makes you double down on piano. But all roads run through at least checking it out, particularly now that you've had the thought. 

[TommyRude]

Pick up drums if you want to be a better keyboardist. Pick up guitar if you want to get chicks. 

[KuruPrionz]

14 hours ago, TommyRude said:

Pick up drums if you want to be a better keyboardist. Pick up guitar if you want to get chicks. 

Or if expression is a priority. 

Stretch one note a step and a half and add vibrato on a piano while holding two other notes at pitch and get back to me. 😇

[dsteinschneider]

I think the OP's question is missing some context. If you're learning new instruments for personal challenge and self fulfillment then why not add guitar and drums.

 

It's a different story If you're on a mission to get good enough at that instrument to play in a rock cover band. Years ago, I was playing bass in a band with a drummer who tended to rush and get loud. It wasn't the first time I encountered that problem and I decided to take some drum lessons to find out why that problem was common in weekend warrior bands. My instructor was fantastic, and I stayed with the lessons for several years. I learned that keeping the tempo and dynamics in check wasn't difficult which has been helpful when playing with such drummers.  I can learn songs and get through a rehearsal filling in for a drummer, but I don't think I have the skills and stamina to play a four-hour gig on drums. That would take a lot more work. 

[obxa]

I

4 hours ago, dsteinschneider said:

I decided to take some drum lessons to find out why that problem was common in weekend warrior bands. My instructor was fantastic, and I stayed with the lessons for several years. I learned that keeping the tempo and dynamics in check wasn't difficult which has been helpful when playing with such drummers

One of the best things I've ever done was take a year of drum lessons.  Not to play drums, so much as getting a better understanding  of hand/foot independence,  how drummers think,  and most importantly: reading and playing rhythm without it being connected to melody.  That last one made a huge impact about groove and the rhythm section for me.

 

Have forgotten more than I remember of orchestration classes, but the idea was you had to have a basic idea of how instruments work if you're going to write or arrange for them.    Same idea as functional piano for non-pianists. I think being exposed to other instruments is great, though playing keys is hard enough.  So yes, it's about how many hours in a day you have.  But having a working understanding of other things is always helpful and fun.

 

 Besides broadening musicianship,  I've  mainly approached other instruments more as a survivalist full timer.   

 

What 's on my business card  (besides Piano & Organ) is some subset of the keyboard family and harp.   Accordion, Melodica, Harmonium.  Anything to help make yourself more marketable.  All those subsets are instruments of their own,  take some effort to really translate.  Or play for pay.   I was always primarily a pianist, and selling myself as a "legit" organ player and being able to do nothing but on a gig, continues to be an ongoing learning experience.  "Legit" being the key word. 

 

Done a ton of Accordion recording sessions, but far from a legit player.  The times been asked to do a short restaurant or ceremony gig,  had to really consider if my 8 song repertoire was enough before I'd refer a friend.    For some hilarious perspective, read Harpo Marx's biography- he used to do country club gigs on piano, and knew only 2 songs!

 

23 hours ago, Anderton said:

One of my favorite instruments is blues harp. Decades ago I got a Marine Band harmonica for the hell of it, and took an immediate liking to it. I now consider myself almost as good on blues harp as on guitar. 

 

  Been playing harp forever, and have always loved it too.   Definitely no John Papa, but have gotten gigs based on being able to do harp or fiddle parts on harp along with keys.   That led to investing in better harps and harp rig.   It's a fun diversion and flavor, same as accordion or melodica on the gig.   Never done an entire gig just on harp, and wouldn't want to.   I also love harp because you can practice in the car. 

 

Played a bunch of other instruments, but hedged my bets long ago thinking there were plenty of guitar players and not enough keyboardists.   Bass in HS Jazz Band because no one else was available. Improved my bass clef reading.   Continued on & off during college.   Did tons of coffee house gigs on acoustic guitar.   Those periods in the biz where keyboards weren't cool, so I'd pick up those gigs.     Fast forward to now,  I play bass (and harp) with a bluegrass band once or twice a month.   Got that gig because again, no one else was available.    Money is not great, but love the light load-in and just doing something different.  It puts my brain in that different headspace and it's fun happy easy music I'm learning more about.   Because of that gig I've been offered other bass gigs.  Could probably shed a setlist and pull those off.  But even on a bar gig, I'd feel ill-equipped and amateur if they went off the set list   So fun, but not legit.  Or in the words of Brother Where Art Thou: not "Bonafide". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I

[Jose EB5AGV]

4 hours ago, dsteinschneider said:

I think the OP's question is missing some context. If you're learning new instruments for personal challenge and self fulfillment then why not add guitar and drums.

 

It's a different story If you're on a mission to get good enough at that instrument to play in a rock cover band. Years ago, I was playing bass in a band with a drummer who tended to rush and get loud. It wasn't the first time I encountered that problem and I decided to take some drum lessons to find out why that problem was common in weekend warrior bands. My instructor was fantastic, and I stayed with the lessons for several years. I learned that keeping the tempo and dynamics in check wasn't difficult which has been helpful when playing with such drummers.  I can learn songs and get through a rehearsal filling in for a drummer, but I don't think I have the skills and stamina to play a four-hour gig on drums. That would take a lot more work. 

 

My aim is for personal challenge, keeping the keyboard as my main instrument and playing it on the band, which has already a good drummer and also a nice guitar player.

 

But at my home studio, I am the band 😄