Easy To Learn Band Instrument

With the Band: Nerve-Shocking Armband Could Help Amateur Musicians Play Like Pros

An armband loaded with 28 tiny electrodes could help amateur guitarists learn to play like pros. The device, called PossessedHand , sends pulses of electricity through the skin and into the nerves that power the fingers. And by varying the timing and intensity of the shocks, it could help beginners channel their favorite rockers -- dead or alive.

PossessedHand is still under development by scientists at the University of Tokyo and Sony Computer Science Laboratories. It's not the first gadget to move muscles using electricity -- similar devices have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help people with paralysis . But because PossessedHand can bend several joints simultaneously or in sequence, it could be the first to coax fingers into tackling a tune.

"What's novel about this is they can control finger movement at multiple joints at the same time, and then program when those movements occur," said Dr. Preeti Raghavan, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center.

The result, PossessedHand developers say, is a series of movements that could help people learn to strum a song. But some musicians argue that learning to play an instrument takes more than a flick of the fingers.

"While it looks very innovative, and I'm a big fan of science, music really is a human experience and there's no way around that," said Dan Smith, a New York City guitar teacher . "Making music is a mindset that goes beyond putting your fingers in the right place."

But getting those fingers in the right place -- especially the pinky -- for many, isn't easy.

"You know your hand, and you have to experiment with what works," Smith said. "There's no one right way to do it. There are just ways that, generally speaking, tend to work best."

The signals that move the muscles normally come from the brain. But when a stroke or spinal cord injury causes a break in the neural circuitry, the same nerve-stimulating technology tapped by PossessedHand can help people move an otherwise paralyzed limb. The devices currently available, however, fall short when it comes to power and coordination.

"As the flexor muscles of our hands contract, the extensor muscles relax, and all the other surrounding muscles tense or relax to support the movement," said Dr. Brian Greenwald, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at New York City's Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "There's an amazing orchestration that occurs when we're flexing our fingers or our wrist. And it's that orchestration that gives us power.

Which Musical Instrument is Recommended for Beginners? « Personal ...

Cheapest to buy when starting out.

Which musical instruments are easy to learn and which are difficult to learn?

The easiest musical instruments to learn from the list above are: Guitars, Drums and Recorders.

Guitar

The guitar should be easy to pick a few chords and you can almost start strumming and playing a simple tune from your first lesson. It is best advised to learn the classical guitar first as it has nylon strings and will be easier on the fingers than a steel strung electric or acoustic guitar.

Drums

Drums are fairly easy to learn as well. The important thing is to feel the rhythm, once you have this, everything else should be easy to pick up.

Recorder

The recorder is probably the easiest of all musical instruments to learn. Most children at school take up this instrument before progressing on to the clarinet, flute or saxophone which is much more difficult to learn.

The most difficult musical instruments to learn from the list above are: Oboe, French horn, Trumpet and Piano.

The Oboe

The Oboe is probably the most difficult musical instrument to learn. It is very difficult to even produce a sound at first, let alone a musical note. This instrument can take many years to master

The French Horn

The French horn also takes quite a while to get the hang of. The sound is produced not only by blowing, but by creating an embouchure and buzzing the lips to control the air stream, which in turn creates the correct pitch to produce the note. Then the correct valves that correspond to the right pitch have to be learnt. The hand is also used to help the quality of sound by placing in the bell. Wow! Perhaps this is not a great instrument for beginners!

The Trumpet

The trumpet is considered difficult to learn initially because of the techniques needed (similar to the French horn but without using the hand in the bell). The difficult thing about the trumpet is trying to make a nice sound which can take a few years to perfect.

The Piano

Although it is easy to make a sound on a piano, just by pressing any note you sound like a professional, the piano is very difficult when you need to play more than one note at a time.

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