Instruments
Beginner's guides for instruments hobbies — gear that matters, gear that doesn't, and a real plan for your first month.
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Acoustic Guitar
The good news: you don't need an expensive guitar to learn on, and you don't need lessons to start. The bad news: most beginners quit because they bought a $50 plywood guitar that physically hurts to play. Buy one decent instrument, a clip-on tuner, a pack of picks, and you're set for the next two years.
Read the Acoustic Guitar guide → -
Digital Piano
An acoustic upright piano costs $3,000+ and weighs 400 pounds. The good news: a $500 digital piano with weighted keys plays close enough that no beginner will outgrow it for years. The trick is buying the right one — not all 'digital pianos' are actually pianos.
Read the Digital Piano guide → -
Electric Guitar
An electric guitar is a four-piece system: the guitar, an amp, a cable, and a tuner. Skip any one and the whole thing fails. The good news: a complete starter rig — guitar, small amp, cable, tuner, picks, strap — is around $400 and will hold up for two solid years of playing.
Read the Electric Guitar guide → -
Ukulele
The ukulele is the most beginner-friendly instrument in the popular music canon. Four nylon strings, a tiny body, simple chord shapes you can play with one finger. The trick is buying a real ukulele instead of a $20 toy that won't stay in tune for an entire song.
Read the Ukulele guide →
