Best portable musical instrument?

February 4, 2007 12:25 AM

What do you think is the best inexpensive ($50 or less) pocketable musical instrument?
posted by archagon to Media & Arts (43 answers total)

Harmonica, probably. Possibly one of those plastic nose flutes; I was always really good at those. Or learn to whistle.
posted by rossination at 12:32 AM on February 4, 2007

Kazoo? Comb and tissue paper?

Really, I can't think of anything but a harmonica that qualifies as an actual instrument, and fits in a pocket. (Other than percussion instruments.)

Maybe a recorder, but it's long. Pan flute? That's probably expensive. Good luck.
posted by The Deej at 12:46 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: Well, there's always the Jew's Harp. But I think most people would prefer a harmonica.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 1:16 AM on February 4, 2007

Doesn't the answer depend on your definition of "pocketable"?
posted by AmbroseChapel at 2:03 AM on February 4, 2007

Hands down, it's the harmonica. If you want to put in the time to learn a "better" instrument, go ahead. But for under 50 bucks, a harmonica will get you out of a lot of jams.
posted by Caper's Ghost at 2:17 AM on February 4, 2007

I think you'll be hard pressed to get more entertainment out of a pocketable instrument than a harmonica. Everyone enjoys a harmonica.
posted by MetaMonkey at 2:39 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: If we're talking coat pocket, I'll endorse the mbira (thumb piano), pocket trumpet and/or fife. But it should really depend on what you're comfortable with (no pun intended).
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:38 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: Oh, and let's not forget the ocarina.
posted by Smart Dalek at 3:39 AM on February 4, 2007

Melodica!
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 4:03 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: Stylophone!
posted by armoured-ant at 4:15 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: I've never tried it, but the pocket saxophone seems interesting.

Also, check out Lark in the Morning for a large collection of unique musical instruments, both small and large.
posted by ciocarlia at 4:30 AM on February 4, 2007

The higher-end plastic soprano recorders from Yamaha and Aulos have a very nice sound--I wouldn't pocket the wooden ones because they're too affected by changes in temperature and humidity.
posted by Jeanne at 4:45 AM on February 4, 2007

Harmonica. You just need to listen to Dylan to understand that.
posted by devilsbrigade at 5:09 AM on February 4, 2007

African thumb piano, (Mbira.)
posted by DenOfSizer at 5:13 AM on February 4, 2007

FYI, y'all, the expression "thumb piano" for the mbira (of which there are many different varieties, not all pocket-sized) is considered insulting by Africans. Read Paul Berliner's amazing ethnography Soul of Mbira to understand why. The piano ain't got shit on the mbira for technical difficulty or the musical complexity of its repertoire.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:37 AM on February 4, 2007

Pair of spoons?
posted by afx237vi at 6:37 AM on February 4, 2007

I love my diatonic harmonica! It was about $4 from the local toy-and-candy store, and I keep it in my coat pocket and play it while waiting for the bus. Most diatonics would be well inside your price range, as would a Hohner Chrometta 8 (about $40), but nicer chromatics run $60 and up.
posted by nonane at 6:38 AM on February 4, 2007

I'm a fan of the penny whistle. Lovely instrument.
posted by Astro Zombie at 6:43 AM on February 4, 2007

I've seen sectional whistles what would fit in your pocket. A harmonica would be easier to find though.
posted by beowulf573 at 6:54 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: There are some really nice chromatic harmonicas that will give you more of a challenge than a cheap diatonic harmonica. You can probably find a nice one for $30-50 -- try hohner

Also consider electronic instruments -- I think there are some small portable drum machines that are playable and pocketable.
posted by Alabaster at 6:59 AM on February 4, 2007

If you think that harmonica sounds like a small animal being slowly and cruelly tortured, you could instead opt for spoons.
posted by alms at 7:14 AM on February 4, 2007

I play harmonica, and am going to advise against it. it takes a lot of practice to get good, but only a little practice to start thinking you're good; dangerous combination.

sounds like this guy's cheap line of ocarinas might be what you're looking for.
posted by bryak at 7:54 AM on February 4, 2007 [2 favorites]

I'm going to go with recorder or duct flute. Inexpensive, simple to learn, capable of playing beautiful, versatile music.
posted by zia at 8:07 AM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: I'm also a big fan of the pennywhistle (also called the tinwhistle, but they're not mostly made of tin these days.) You can play Irish traditional music on them, and there's also a lot of South African pennywhistle music. (I've heard, though, that it's harder to play South African penny whistle music on the whistles that are available today.) The place to go for all your penny whistle information needs is Chiff and Fipple, which is run by Dale Wisely, the self-proclaimed undisputed king of internet whistle journalism. Their inexpensive whistle page is exhaustive.
posted by craichead at 8:08 AM on February 4, 2007 [1 favorite]

Best answer: If you go down the whistle road, you might consider trying to find a piccolo recorder, which is the smallest instrument in the recorder family. It has a sweet, chirpy sound making it great for folksy kind of music, and, if your fingers aren't too large, is a very forgiving instrument.
posted by jimfl at 8:16 AM on February 4, 2007

seconding the tin whistle! a staple at any irish party.
posted by bruce at 9:21 AM on February 4, 2007

Please, not a harmonica. It's an evil, evil instrument. I am not alone in this belief. Caper's Ghost got it right when he (possibly inadvertantly) said "...a harmonica will get you out of a lot of jams." Yes, it will get you kicked out of the jam. Nothing puts a damper on a good jam like a harmonica.
posted by wsg at 10:04 AM on February 4, 2007

The piano ain't got shit on the mbira for technical difficulty or the musical complexity of its repertoire.

I find that hard to believe.
posted by bshort at 10:12 AM on February 4, 2007

I'm with bshort. I think somebody's overselling the mriba.
posted by codswallop at 10:56 AM on February 4, 2007

Um. Mbira I mean. Whoops.
posted by codswallop at 11:07 AM on February 4, 2007

"The piano ain't got shit on the mbira for technical difficulty or the musical complexity of its repertoire."

I'm also going to recommend the thumb piano, specifically the amplified handmade version hawked by the folks in Nomo at their shows.
And I'm gonna call it a thumb piano, because it's an instrument that shows up in many, many African cultures, who all have different names for it (and some are anoyed by Zimbabwe's claims of authorship). More people know what you're refering to if you say thumb piano.
posted by klangklangston at 12:11 PM on February 4, 2007

Harmonica
posted by magikker at 12:31 PM on February 4, 2007

slidewhistle? i like microtones.
posted by lgyre at 12:34 PM on February 4, 2007

Become a manualist.
posted by horsewithnoname at 1:26 PM on February 4, 2007

What's pocketable? With a the right case, and a pair of cargo pants or a jacket or something, you could probably carry a flute around.

And where do your musical tastes lie? Somebody who would greatly enjoy using a Buddha Machine, or a GameBoy Advance and the Europe-only Pocket Music game/music creation tool, might be less likely to enjoy a harmonica or thumb piano, and vice versa.
posted by box at 1:55 PM on February 4, 2007

Best answer: Well, if you get a plastic recorder, get yamaha, and don't get 'student' anything. Thanks to misguieded school programs, the world is butt-deep in awful plastic recorders. And wood recorders are too delicate for anyone's pockets.

Recorders also use lots of cross-fingerings, and a little thumbnail trick to get the higher octave, which generally requires filing a little groove into the thumb-hole (on wood recorders, your thumbnail digs the groove, eventually). And don't blow so hard!

If you aren't already a wind player, I would recommend a penny whistle.
posted by hexatron at 2:12 PM on February 4, 2007

It won't be under $50, but there is always the pocket trumpet. I can't see fitting one in anything less than a large hoodie pocket, but I'd be remiss not to mention it.
posted by ssg at 3:49 PM on February 4, 2007

bshort and codswollop, read Berliner's Soul of Mbira, then get back to me. I'm a classically trained composer and cellist. I'm not talking out my ass about this.
posted by fourcheesemac at 1:59 PM on February 5, 2007

bshort and codswollop, read Berliner's Soul of Mbira, then get back to me. I'm a classically trained composer and cellist. I'm not talking out my ass about this.

Uh, yeah, that's not going to happen. I'd be happy to read some sort of link, if you can provide one, or a cogent argument, if you can formulate one, but I'm not going to read an entire book that theoretically proves your point. I'm sure it's a fine book, but you've got to be kidding.

Also, to answer the question, I'd vote for the ocarina, at least because the sound it produces is so much more pleasing than the harmonica.
posted by bshort at 2:13 PM on February 5, 2007

There are, by the way, several other major academic monographs on the structure of mbira music and the mathematical complexity of Shona polyphony, but most are in German. And they aren't online either.
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:40 AM on February 6, 2007

But here is a link to an English abstract of Gerd Grupe's monograph on Mbira.
posted by fourcheesemac at 6:05 AM on February 6, 2007

Mod note: please take any further mbira derails to email or metatalk
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 8:02 AM on February 6, 2007

Why not a simple percussion instrument, for example, spoons or bones?
posted by QIbHom at 8:42 PM on February 6, 2007