Frequently asked questions

The one whose sound you already like, filtered through four practical constraints: can the player physically reach it, can it be played in the house at the hours they are free, does the complete purchase fit the budget, and will the first month be rewarding enough to reach the second. We work through all four in what instrument should I learn.

The ukulele. Four nylon strings under low tension, a short scale, and several chords that need one finger, which means a recognizable song in the first sitting. Nothing else combines all four advantages. The full ranking is in the easiest instruments to learn.

Under about eight, a ukulele or a 3-string guitar — both can be held and played by a small child with almost no hand strength. From about seven, add keyboard and a correctly sized guitar. Drums work at any age given a kit sized so the pedals are reachable. See the best first instrument for a child.

It depends on the instrument, and every one has its own page here. What is consistent is the framework: there is an honest floor below which the instrument fails at something the player needs, and a point above which more money buys capability a beginner cannot use. Start with the guitar version — reading one teaches you how to read the rest.

No, and this is the most common mistake in the whole category. A child who cannot form a chord shape or reach a pedal does not conclude the instrument is too big — they conclude they are bad at it, and then they stop. Buy the size that fits now. Children’s instruments resell easily because every family hits this.

Roughly: 1/4 size for ages 4 to 6, 1/2 for 5 to 7, 3/4 for 8 to 12, and full size from about 12 or once they pass five feet tall. Height beats age. The chart and a ten-second fit test are in guitar sizes for kids.

For the first year or two, yes — beginner method books rarely run past five octaves. It becomes a real limit once classical repertoire starts using the outer registers. The larger question is usually key action rather than key count, because 61-key instruments are almost always unweighted. See 61 vs 88 keys.

Only if an acoustic piano is in their future. If lessons will be on a real piano, weighted keys build the finger strength it demands. If the goal is playing keyboards or writing music, unweighted is fine and much lighter. See weighted vs unweighted keys.

Electrics are physically easier — thinner strings, lower action. Acoustics are cheaper to complete because there is no amplifier to fund. Both matter less than which sound the player actually wants. One surprise: the electric is the quieter instrument for a household, because it can be played through headphones. Full comparison in acoustic vs electric.

Cheap is fine; too cheap is not, and the line is mechanical rather than snobbish. On a guitar it is sealed tuners, a bone-substitute nut and an adjustable truss rod. On a keyboard it is touch response and full-size keys. On a ukulele it is the nut, saddle and geared tuners. Each has its own page — start with are cheap guitars worth it.

An acoustic kit, yes — published measurements put a kit well above the level treated as safe for prolonged exposure, and there is no way to play one quietly. A mesh-head electronic kit with headphones solves it, with the caveat that the kick pedal still thumps through the floor. Numbers and options in how loud are drums.

A 16 inch bass drum suits roughly ages 3 to 6, 18 to 20 inch suits 6 to 10, and a full-size 22 inch kit suits about 11 and up. The bass drum diameter is the number that matters because it sets how far forward the pedal sits. See drum set sizes by age.

Measure their left arm from the side of the neck to the middle of the palm, extended straight out to the side. Roughly 17.5 to 20 inches is a 1/4, 20 to 22 inches is a 1/2, 22 to 23.5 inches is a 3/4, and above that is full size. Age is a weak proxy. See beginner violins.

Rent in year one, essentially always. Band directors commonly reassign students between instruments in the first months, rental usually covers maintenance, and a purchase turns a routine reassignment into an expensive one. See choosing a school band instrument.

No, and we say so on every roundup. There is no test lab and no review-unit shelf. What we do instead is read manufacturer specifications and manuals, cite every one, and do the arithmetic against what a beginner physically needs. The method is published in full on how we pick.

Against a four-band framework we call the Starter Path: below the floor, the honest floor, enough, and where overspending starts. The bands are defined by specifications rather than by price, because prices drift and specifications do not. Every pick states which band it sits in.

Live from the retailer, displayed with the date they were checked. When a figure is older than 48 hours the site shows “check price” rather than a number. There is no code path on this site that can render a hardcoded price.

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Because there is no honest source for them. Chord & Case is a young publisher with no customers to quote, so any testimonial here would be invented. A page with none is correct.

Tell us. Email info@chordandcase.com or use the contact form with the page URL and the specification you think is wrong. We check it against the manufacturer’s current documentation and correct the page if it is wrong.