Why is the universal children's instrument also universally horrible? Got right out of bed and instantly started playing it.

  • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]
    ·
    2 months ago

    i love this site. "my kid is making an awful racket with his musical instrument!" "clearly the only solution is more musical instruments."

    screm unlimited ruckus on the first world jazz-passion

    • booty [he/him]
      ·
      2 months ago

      well its good that the kid's interested in learning how to make music, so it would benefit everyone if the kid were working with a better instrument that doesn't sound so unpleasant lol

    • SnowySkyes [she/her]
      ·
      2 months ago

      What can I say? The arts are underrated by too many and should be encouraged whenever and wherever they can.

  • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]
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    2 months ago

    Why is the universal children's instrument also universally horrible?

    They're plastic and cheap as fuck to make. RIP to your ears. Maybe you can ocarina-pill your kiddo.

    Edit: I got mine a ukulele since she kept dragging guitars and banjos around the house. Still a little too young to learn to play it, but she enjoys it shrug-outta-hecks

    The bass recorder is dope as hell, though.

    • SpiderFarmer [he/him]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Fr. Woodwinds are amazing, but cheap recorders suck and giving any kind of flute to a hyperactive kid is a generally poor decision.

      That's why I was the cool uncle for giving my nephew a harmonica. /s

      But seriously, I gave him both a harmonica and a train whistle and I'm pretty sure my sister wanted to kill me for it.

    • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]
      ·
      2 months ago

      higher quality recorders sound much better than the injection molded ones they give to kids.

      Also consider a melodica. The cheap ones still sound okay, plus you can play chords!

      • LaGG_3 [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 months ago

        Also consider a melodica. The cheap ones still sound okay, plus you can play chords!

        Bonus points if you get your kid listening to Augustus Pablo lol

  • Gorb [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    As a kid I hated kids playing the recorder but that was because everyone in my class learnt the same hot cross buns tune and each individual person had to play it at the front of the class one by one. After the 20th time I wanted to jump out the window.

  • sappho [she/her]
    ·
    2 months ago

    Kalimbas are cool. Cheap and they sound lovely like a music box even if you don't know what you are doing. The sound is so nice that my cat has several times fallen asleep right beside me while I've played

    • Dickey_Butts [none/use name]
      ·
      2 months ago

      I got interested in kalimbas after googling "instruments what a dumbass could play" and they seem very cool. I was also considering a melodica.

      • tombruzzo [none/use name]
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        2 months ago

        There are a bunch of instruments locked into a scale like the kalimba so you can never play a 'bad' note. I've got a tongue drum, some xylophones, and a ocarina for my kids to eventually start playing which are all like that

        • Dickey_Butts [none/use name]
          ·
          2 months ago

          Oh yeah xylophone also is underrated I think for sure. I don't even know what a tongue drum is.

  • Alaskaball [comrade/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    Fucking awesome lmao

    Also concider getting 'em an Irish penny whistle, a harmonica, or a jawharp for an extra fun time waking up every day to the music.

      • Alaskaball [comrade/them]
        ·
        2 months ago

        I would make my alarm music, but I'm afraid I'll either grow to hate it or sleep through it, so I just have a recording of some dude screaming "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE THE FUCK UP" as my alarm.

  • CloutAtlas [he/him]
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    2 months ago

    This is an act of aggression by the school. Obviously the only answer is to give your child bagpipes with the condition that they must only play it at school.

    • Dessa [she/her]
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      2 months ago

      Give them an omatone. Double points if they're tone-deaf

  • Hexbear2 [any]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I play multiple woodwinds, including recorder. Kids aren't taught how to play it right and the recorders they give the kids are kinda junky so they sound bad. The recorder is a quiet instrument, one doesn't "blow" through it, they touch it to their lips and exhale, least amount of air to sound the note is always the right way to play it, it fell out of favor because it's dynamic range is so limited.

    This one is one of the best, and I've tried nearly all of them since they are so cheap:

    https://earlymusicshop.com/products/mollenhauer-prima-soprano-recorder-in-blue-plastic-and-pearwood

    Recorder is a gateway to other woodwinds, flute, saxophone, and clarinet, in particular.

  • anonochronomus [comrade/them]
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    2 months ago

    I saw a band a while back where the bandleader played the recorder. He was CRAZY good at it. It sounded almost like a sine wave from a synthesizer. I had no clue the standard plastic recorder could sound so good.

  • infuziSporg [e/em/eir]
    ·
    2 months ago

    TOOT TOOT

    play an mp3 of my heart will go on around your kid so he gets the idea to learn it

    Seriously though, a kid taking the initiative to jam is great to see.

  • SSJ2Marx
    ·
    2 months ago

    Listening to someone else practice an instrument always sucks, but lemme tell ya I heard my eleven year old brother playing (a simplified version of) Megalovania on piano after about a year of lessons and it was pretty awesome.

  • Acute_Engles [he/him, any]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I mastered the ability to play with my nose back in the day. I bet my parents were proud