In any career, it is important to be as multifaceted as possible. Especially in your career as a musician, it would be beneficial to your career if you add on an instrument to your repertoire. Whether you already play an instrument or strictly sing, learning a new instrument will open up even more opportunities for you and will inspire you to create different styles of music once you’ve mastered this new skill.

With the large variety of instruments available to the public, it can be challenging to narrow down which one you’d like to explore further. However, there are a few factors that can help you determine which instrument you’d like to learn.

What Style of Music Are You Drawn To?

One of the easiest ways to determine which instruments you should pursue lessons in is by figuring out what is typically used in your genre. For instance, guitar, piano and drums are typically used in pop music. A lot of times, pop singers might already have guitar skills and may decide to branch out into piano music to create some melodic pieces. Let’s say you’re a jazz singer who already has piano skills. It might benefit you to purchase a saxophone and teach yourself how to play it. This could broaden your horizons and inspire you to write tunes with a jazzier feel than normal. Before investing your time and money into learning a new instrument, it would be wise to determine what would fit in best with your musical style and goals.

Determine Your Budget

A lot of times, the price can be a debilitating factor in deciding whether to pursue an instrument or not. If you do not have the means to pay for a certain instrument, you may want to consider picking a less expensive one to pursue that is still tied to your genre in some way. Maybe a guitar is too big of an investment for you at the moment, and you’d rather teach yourself the ukelele. Figure out your limitations before getting invested in an idea you cannot afford.

What is Your Practice Space Like?

Even though practicing your instrument is crucial to your success as a musician, you must still have respect for your neighbors, especially if you are living in an apartment without soundproof walls. If you live in an apartment and are up until late hours in the morning practicing drums or the electric guitar, your neighbors might not be so fond of you. Even if you want to pursue this type of instrument, it would be best to first find a space where you can practice it without offending others.

There are a number of other factors to consider when choosing which instrument to pursue. However, if you have your heart set on an instrument, you should find some way to learn how to play it. As a musician, there is nothing more important than continuing to excel in your skills and pursuing instruments and styles that you enjoy.