Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that buying a new instrument is no easy task. There is a lot of thought that needs to go behind the purchase, especially because instruments aren’t cheap and you cannot afford to spend oodles of money on a model or type that may not work out for you.
On top of that, if you want to be a talented musician, you need to have an instrument that suits you well, in terms of comfort, convenience, and more. A lot of the time, people end up purchasing a model that is too advanced for them or doesn’t have the features they need, which we all know isn’t the best thing to happen.
In this article, we’re telling you 5 important things that you should remember before you buy an instrument for yourself.
- Keep Your Skill Level and Fluency in Mind
The first thing to remember before you buy an instrument is your expertise and how fluent you are. Companies manufacture the same model in several versions, with varying features, so that musicians can find the version that fits their requirements and skill the most. So it is crucial that you keep this in mind and go shopping with a clear idea of your skill level and what features you need. A general idea to keep in mind is that if you’re a beginner, start small. Large instruments with lots of bells and whistles will be hard to adjust to when you’re starting, and they can make the learning process harder than usual.
- Do Your Research
One of the worst things you could do when buying an instrument is going into the store without any research of your own. It’s no new news that instruments are expensive, and if you don’t do your own bit of research and study, you’re most likely going to be persuaded to purchase an expensive model, without much thought into whether it fits your needs or not. You can always visit the company website to get an idea of the various features of their instruments, but checking out musical instrument reviews by reputed blogs is also great. YouTube is filled with review videos which you can refer to as well.
- Price Is (Not) Always Right!
Shopping with a clear budget in mind, with a defined idea of how much you want to spend and how is crucial to getting an instrument that suits you. Buying a fancy piece of equipment can seem tempting, but it’s not really what you should do. The idea that the more expensive the better isn’t always right because even if you do buy a costly instrument, you may not be able to play well on it if it doesn’t meet other criteria. However, at the same time, try and keep a little bit of wiggle room so that you can extend your budget if need be.
- Check Out Other Alternatives
Before you steadfastly decide to purchase an instrument, make sure that you have evaluated other alternatives first. For instance, renting is always a great option, especially if you’re a beginner and there is the question of whether you will continue to play or not. For bigger instruments like pianos or harps, renting can help you save a lot of money and even prevent you from incurring a future loss if you do decide to give up learning. There is also the option of buying second-hand. If you’re lucky, you can get a really good deal from people who are moving and want to leave their instruments behind.
- Try It Before You Buy It
Buying online can give you some really good deals, there’s no doubt about it. But even if you’re buying through their website or an online merchant, make sure that you go to a store and try out the model by yourself once. Feel out the instrument, try playing a song or a few notes and see how comparable it is for you to use it. Remember to keep in mind how long you’ll have to use it for as well. A lot of instruments tend to look great at first glance, but end up not being the best when you get the feel of them. On top of that, visiting a store will also allow you to get some valuable advice from the staff that you might not have been privy to otherwise.
*As always, we appreciate the content from our partners. The views and sites presented here do not necessarily match those of Ear to the Ground Music or its editors.
Discover more from Ear To The Ground Music
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
