| Brief Guide to buying a musical instrument |
| Buying a musical instrument |
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Whether you're a professional musician or a parent buying a first instrument for your under-10, buying a musical instrument can be a stressful experience! Buying a first instrument for you or your child is particularly complicated, however, since you're unlikely to have a lot of knowledge about your needs, how to determine instrument quality, where to buy from and even who to trust to make recommendations.
Since this guide is not specific to one family of instruments, it will not clear up all your technical queries immediately; what it will do, however, is give you an idea of general buying guidelines and suggest how to pursue more technical queries further. |
| Determine your needs |
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Probably the most important step in buying an instrument is determining your needs. There is little point in spending thousands of pounds on a top-of-the-range new instrument if you suspect that you or your child may not take to playing it, but equally buying the cheapest instrument available may not be the most economical option in the long run.
Presuming you or your child has a teacher you can trust, consult with them over what sort of thing you are looking for. Before you even think about making a purchase, ask yourself and your teacher the following:
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| A word on instrument quality |
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Many beginners succumb to the temptation of buying the cheapest instrument available to them, whether it is from a car boot sale or from the virtual car boot sale that is eBay. After all, why not: all trumpets/flutes/whatever are more or less the same, right?
This is absolutely not the case. Whilst the difference between a £500 instrument and an identical-looking one costing £5000 may be negligible to all but the most experienced musicians, the difference between a well-made beginner or intermediate instrument and a mass-produced model bought off eBay is very significant. Musical instruments are highly sensitive and delicate pieces of equipment, and their sound is not the only manifestation of the difference in quality. The cheap mass-produced instruments that have flooded the market over the past few years largely come from factories in Asia where the cheapest materials and production methods ensure a low price and an even lower quality. It can be very frustrating for a beginner coming to grips with the basics to struggle with am inferior-quality instrument. This is undoubtedly one of the major causes of many students giving up their instrument, since poor mechanisms and poor sound quality add to the already considerable effort needed to learn to play. Moreover, it is not possible to get replacement parts for many very cheap instruments and some repairers refuse to work on them; in any case, a repair or service bill could come to the same amount as the instrument itself! |
| But I can't afford a Stradivarius! |
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Don't panic! Although there are many cheap and inferior-quality instruments on the market, there are also many excellent value student and intermediate models available.
Buying a recognised brand name (consult your music teacher, or do some further research on the internet to discover what these are for the various instrument families) from an established dealer is by far the best way to ensure you get a good deal. If possible, buy from a dealer who specialises in your specific instrument family, since they will undoubtedly have the most knowledge about their products. You wouldn't buy meat from a baker, and similarly you shouldn't buy a trumpet from a shop which specialises in guitars, if you can help it. |
| Buying second-hand |
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Depending on your standard and budget, buying a second-hand instrument can be a very good option. Since good instruments don't significantly deteriorate in quality (so long as they have been properly look after), buying second-hand should allow you to buy a better instrument than the equivalent budget would allow you if you were to buy new.
As with buying anything second-hand, however, it is important to do some research into what it is you're buying and certainly to try and inspect (and ideally play) the instrument before you buy. If buying privately, ask the seller why they are selling the instrument, and if it has been serviced recently. Look for any dents or sticking valves or keys, and if possible, buy off a reputable seller i.e. a specialist shop or professional musician. |
| Hiring |
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Another option for the beginner on a budget is to hire an instrument. Many reputable retailers will happily sell you an instrument on a hire-purchase scheme, which is a great option if you are unsure whether you or your child will lose interest with the instrument. If you do, then you only pay for the months you have had it, and if you decide to take it more seriously, you can buy the instrument at any time, or it automatically becomes your property after you have paid a certain number of months' worth of hire charges.
The great thing about this option is that it gives you access to a better-quality instrument than you might otherwise be able to afford. Most retailers will also include a service package with the rental scheme, so you are also assured of a great after-sales service - something which can be very frustrating otherwise. |
| A personal choice |
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Despite the above warnings, buying a musical instrument is very much about personal choice, so long as this choice also reflects your needs and budget.
Actually playing an instrument before you buy it is by far the best way to determine your purchase, especially if you are not an absolute beginner. As with everything, don't be too swayed by gimmicks; there is no substitute for solid build and playability, no matter how many extra buttons or widgets another may have. That said, modern student instruments often offer fun gimmicks which help maintain children's interest; trumpets with unusual coloured lacquer, flavoured reeds and see-through mouthpieces are just some of the new products available. These are great so long as they don't affect the sound or playability significantly. Remember, too, that whilst that funky red trumpet might look great now, it might not be so cool 5 years down the line when you're playing in a symphony orchestra! See these things as they are - gimmicks - and act accordingly. It's worth remembering that whilst on two instruments may look identical and have the same specifications, they may play entirely differently, so where possible, buy a specific instrument rather than just a specific model. Since playing is an innately physical activity, every instrument will be as different as every player, so finding an instrument that you are comfortable with is far more important than buying on recommendation alone. That said, you should also be aware that if you have been playing for a while and are upgrading your instrument, it can be easy to exaggerate the difference. You will be accustomed to the look, sound and feel of your old instrument and your muscles will be trained in a very specific way, so try not to get too carried away when a new instrument feels entirely different: after a few weeks of 'playing it in', this novelty will be gone, so make sure you are happy with more than just novelty value! |
| All the 'extras' |
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Whilst most beginner instruments come with everything the beginner needs to get going - a bow and resin for violin, or mouthpiece and valve oil for trumpet, for example - do be aware that it is quite common for these additional items not to be included in the package, so always ask.
Do some research into what items are essential for playing and maintaining the instrument and which can be bought later; with brass instruments, for example, a suitable mouthpiece and oil/lubricant are essential, whilst items such as mutes can be bought when the need arises. These can add significantly to the final cost, so it's important to establish this early on to ensure hassle-free buying. |
| Summary |
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Before you do anything, determine your needs as a player. Once you've worked out whether you are just starting out or expect to play in the Albert Hall within a year, follow this simple rule:
'Buy the best you can afford' It's really as simple as that! You don't need to splash out and spend thousands of pounds on the very latest top-of-the-range instrument - in fact this can sometimes be counter-productive, as many high-end instruments are designed with professionals in mind, and can be harder to play than their beginner or intermediate equivalent - but you should also remember that buying the cheapest will almost certainly cost you more in the long run, or at the very least cause you major problems if you are a beginner. Consult, if possible, with a teacher or an experienced musician and where possible buy an established brand from a reputable source. Don't be afraid of buying second-hand, but do be aware of the pitfalls of doing so. Consider using a hire-purchase scheme if you are unsure if interest in the instrument will last. Above all, remember that instruments are there to be played, so try to play the instrument before you buy it - it's a lot more fun that way, and you can be guaranteed a lot more satisfaction than simply choosing it from a catalogue like you might for a vacuum cleaner! |
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