OK, so I'm gonna take up a real instrument. I have a question.

I play the drums; the transition from Rock Band drums to real drums is fairly easy, so I figured, hey, why not give it a shot? I've found that being able to play on expert in Rock Band makes one qualified to be an intermediate-level drummer, and playing the real thing is just so fun.

Though I haven't played the keyboard or bass, I would imagine that the keyboard would be more intuitive to play (only needing to press one button to make a sound, as opposed to needing to hold the string in the correct place and pluck the correct string), so unless I'm wrong about that, I would imagine it would be better for a beginner. And if you wait until Rock Band 3 comes out, you can use the keyboard controller and the pro mode to help you learn the keyboard.

But let me just say something about this whole "why don't you pick up a real instrument" idea: as long as you aren't practicing with your Rock Band instrument the way one would practice with a real instrument (with the sole intent of getting better), there's nothing wrong with playing a plastic instrument. It's a fun game, and when a game is fun, one tends to play it a lot, and when one does something a lot, one gets good at it; thus, because Rock Band is fun, people are likely to get very good at it if they play for long enough, so there's no shame in "wasting" your time on a plastic instrument. That said, as long as you are learning a real instrument because you want to, then I say go for it!

 

I don't really know about other instruments, but the keyboard probably gives as good a grounding to branch out to other instruments from as you can get. It won't just happen though—you'll need lots of patience~.

 

Keyboard is definately one of the easiest instruments I've played. I started it in second grade haha. Its been great for me to have learned it because it helped me get used to reading music, different kinds of music, etc. However guitar/bass, I still haven't been able to figure out. Its alot more complicated. So keyboard is a good start I think
Plus switching from Rock Band/Guitar Hero bass to a real one is going to be more difficult, trust me.

 

Maybe it's just me, but I find keyboard so much harder than any string instrument.

 

You should be like Geddy Lee and learn both. As a multi-instrumentalist myself I can say that every new instrument you learn, it opens so much more possibilities.

 

i played the piano first, you get a good idea about music structure and the things you learn will translate over to other instruments. I also play the violin and guitar. I say go for the keyboard first because at the very least you don't have to learn to tune a keyboard

 

Piano is to instruments as Latin is to Romance Languages.

 

I think he means the basis of everything. I kind of wish I learnt piano.

I suggest learning a woodwind instrument due to my massive bias towards them. But anything you play, practice is the key and also making that practice enjoyable. You need to be able to push yourself the early days when everything sounds like crap and you can't play anything, but keep working! It's one of the most rewarding things you can do.

 

piano is more versatile. you can do a heck of alot more on a piano than you can a guitar. plus, with a piano, you dont require calluses. those hurt to build up.

 

Keyboard. You could play so many different genres of music with keyboard.

 

i play guitar, but i recommend learning the piano. Unless you're gonna join a band (unlikely given you would have to practise along time before you were good enough), the bass is probably not a very fun instrument to play on your own. The piano could be much more satisfying. Its also probably a less complicated instrument than a guitar, nearly everyone already knows how you go about playing a piano, even if they can't actually do it. Where as i have found, whilst many people think they know how to play guitar, if you give them one, they actually have no idea

so yeah, learn piano i would say, you can always come back to the bass later.

Also, just in my experience rock band/guitar hero, make playing guitar more difficult, as they teach you hand shapes that in no way represent the sound you need to make

 

Yup! The keyboard/piano is a very good base for any music. It helps with rhythm, reading music, playing music/play by ear kinda stuff as well and you get a good idea of instruments and stuff. Some music pieces may have a base melody that may cover instruments that would be in the orchestrated version or what not, so it really is a good base for music/learning an instrument. Bass is nice if you really really feel you should go bass, then it really is up to you. I would say that you try both instruments and see whether or not you like them, and weigh in the factors!

 

This. A thousand times this.
I'm a bass player and I still haven't learned theory yet. Piano is better conceptionally to learn and implement theory with. Though, I'll tell you right now, piano takes much more patience than bass. Requires you to use both of your hands and will be harder to grasp than bass. With bass though, it's easy to pick up and start playing but it's an absolute bitch to master. Take your pick though.

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Also, I love you. I lol'd

 

Eek! You are wrong about that, although keyboard intstruments are great for all levels of music.

There are chords, intervals, argeggios, runs, trills, scales and more to play on the keyboard and an even longer list of technical dynamics to apply to them: tempo rubato, length of the note (amendable with added stoccato, tenuto, sostenuto, legato et al.), volume ... that's at a glance, anyhow. It isn't simply pressing the keys. There is a lot to it.