Piano vs Guitar – Learn piano or guitar?
Planning to play a musical instrument, and down to these two instruments?
I can understand the dilemma for most prospective students, who are not sure whether to play piano or guitar.
Well, ultimately the choice is yours, but here are some of my experiences.
Depends on Personality
It's difficult to generalize but if you have an outgoing personality, you may be well suited for guitar. If you are a bit on the introvert side, then you will mostly choose the piano/keyboard.
This is what at least I've observed looking at my friends, who play either of these instruments. It may not be totally accurate, but to some extent it seems to be the case.
Piano is Expensive to Learn
The difference in cost is not much if you are okay to begin learning piano on an electronic music keyboard.
But if you want to learn proper piano, then getting a decent piano with nice weighted action will cost you much more than getting a decent guitar.
If you own an acoustic piano, then you will also have recurring maintenance costs.
You get expensive digital pianos that can double up as an important piece of furniture and can also act as a music player, wherein it plays the songs just like your home stereo.
Looks much more classy!
Guitar is Fun and Portable
Heading out over the weekend for a picnic/mini vacation with friends? You can take along the guitar and accompany your friends while singing some fun songs.
And if you have a few more in the group who can play the guitar, you guys will have a blast.
It's difficult to do this with a piano/keyboard because of its structure!
Piano Difficult to Learn than Guitar?
Lot of prospective students feel that the Guitar is easier to learn and the Piano is a lot tougher.
I think the reason most students feel this way is because they find playing the piano with two hands daunting, compared to playing the guitar.
But that's definitely not the case. Maybe you need to be a bit more patient initially on the piano, but most students do get it. It also depends on how your teacher introduces the use of left hand in your piano playing.
I also know many students who have picked up the piano quite fast but struggled with the guitar.
Chord Based Learning
Basic guitar involves learning and memorizing chords, which is easy. As you start playing solo, it becomes difficult and more skill is needed.
A similar approach could help on piano, with your left hand playing basic chords initially and then moving on to more complex parts.
Composition is Instrument Independent
If you want to compose your own music, then it really does not matter what instrument you play - Piano or Guitar. You can play any musical instrument and come up with good musical compositions.
Note: Knowing basics of keyboard can help you, since you can do all your musical creation on a computer.
Conclusion – Piano vs. Guitar
In most cases, prospective students like a particular instrument depending on its sound, or if they have heard someone play that instrument, or if they have heard popular songs that has substantial parts utilizing that particular instrument.
In case you have already bought a musical instrument and you don't seem to be enjoying it, ask yourself if it is because of lack of commitment, which usually is the primary reason.
If not, then it's better to try out the other instrument as well, but it will be a bit too much if you try to learn them both at the same time. Over the long-term, you can also set a goal to learn both instruments - Piano and the Guitar.
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