Musicians are smarter than non-musicians — especially those who play the hardest instruments to learn.

Frédéric Chopin, Hilary Hahn, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Peart – these musical geniuses make playing the piano, violin, guitar, and drums look so easy when, in fact, they are some of the hardest instruments to learn.

It goes beyond simply playing the recorder in school, messing around with your cool cousin’s guitar, or, if you’re Asian, going to piano class — to really learn how to play a musical instrument requires dedication, discipline, practice, and a certain level of skill.

The technicality of playing and mastering an instrument could take years, a feat that not many people can devote themselves to, especially knowing that playing music does not guarantee a career that pays well.

The harsh realities for musicians and artists

A 2014 article from The Guardian reported that Glenn Dicterow, now former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, earned an annual salary of US$523,647 in 2011 — ” exponentially more than any leader of a British orchestra could ever dream of making,” writes the article. 

But Dicterow is an exception, even more so in the classical music scene.

It’s a much different story in the general music scene.

In 2024, Chartmetric, the platform advancing music through data insights, revealed in its Inaugural Year in Music report that 99% of artists struggle to make it to mid-level recognition, let alone become mainstream or superstars.

Chartmetric ranks artists with an aggregate of various measures of success across different platforms, assigning them a “Career Stage” at the end of it. This includes:

• Legendary: Artists with a lasting legacy and music releases that are over 30 years old
• Superstar: Artists who are widely popular and influential in the industry
• Mainstream: Musicians who have a notable impact and consistent success across various platforms
• Mid-Level: Artists with growing influence
• Developing: Up-and-coming musicians
• Undiscovered: Artists new to the music scene yet to establish a consistent audience and online presence

In Chartmetric’s report, 99.9% of the artists added to Chartmetric in 2023 ended the year in the Undiscovered and Developing categories, while the remaining 0.1% were labelled as Mid-Level, Mainstream, or Superstar.

Worse yet, twice as many Developing artists not only failed to advance to the Mid-Level category but regressed back to Undiscovered status, in contrast to those who ascended to Mainstream or Superstar levels.

Natural talent and hard work will get you somewhere — but even then, that’s not guaranteed.

Take blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, a legend and icon that many look up to in terms of pure skill and dedication to his craft. But even Barker puts in the time and effort, practising an hour minimum on the daily despite already being one of the best in the business. 

So, clearly, there is a big difference between learning to play an instrument and mastering it, though both should be fun. Admittedly, those who possess the ability to play an instrument well have a unique gift.

However, not all instruments are created equal when it comes to difficulty.

Some are as easy as shaking a tambourine (even that can be challenging to keep up with the tempo), while others are more physically demanding.

Why everyone should pick up an instrument or two

Before we dive into the hardest instruments to learn, it’s worth pointing out that musicians have been proven to be smarter than your average non-musician.

While the whole world is veering towards the growth and development of AI and grasping at learning to code, a study conducted at MIT in 2020 reveals that it doesn’t actually help improve math and language skills.

“Understanding computer code seems to be its own thing. It’s not the same as language, and it’s not the same as math and logic,” writes the study.

However, playing the instrument can do what learning to code doesn’t.

“Musicians’ brains were vastly more structurally and functionally connected than non-musicians, especially in areas of the brain responsible for speech and sound (especially the auditory cortices of both hemispheres),” explains a study conducted at the University of Zürich in 2021.

The study goes on to emphasise how the musical group “showed stronger connections from the auditory cortices to other brain areas,” namely those involved in the “control of higher cognitive functions like memory, working memory, and executive functions.”

Now, let’s dive into the hardest instruments to learn, and maybe by mastering even one of them, you’ll find yourself just a little smarter too.

10 of the hardest instruments to learn

Accordion

The accordion is an instrument that uses air pressure to create its notes and tones.

What makes it one of the hardest instruments to learn are the many tasks you should handle in order for it to sound musical, let alone decent. You have to operate its complex system of buttons with one hand and keys with the other, all while working the bellows. The airflow and pressure that comes in and out of the accordion play a big part in the sound that you shape.

So, one awkward move, and you will sound like a fartbag. Not to mention that the accordion is a heavy instrument, so playing gets tiring quickly.

Bagpipes

Similar to the accordion, bagpipes depend on air pressure for it to make a sound. The only difference is that you are the one providing the air to the instrument.

You need to constantly supply a large amount of air by blowing into the pipe, which can be quite overwhelming for a beginner. Players must maintain steady air pressure, coordinate finger movements, and control the drones, all while maintaining proper posture.

No wonder Ross from “Friends” could not figure out how to learn the bagpipe in one episode.

Bassoon

Another woodwind instrument that is one of the hardest instruments to learn is the bassoon.

Categorised among the double reed instruments, they are usually in the tenor and bass ranges – the former sounds piercingly high, and the latter buzzes in lower notes.

What makes it difficult is its fingering system where you use all 10 fingers, including both thumbs, to play.

Drums

If you think playing the drums is just banging on the instrument, you thought wrong.

Drums are often underestimated for their level of complexity. Granted, you do not have to think about the pitch, scales, and harmony, but your responsibility is far more important, like keeping the time and tempo. If a drummer does not have impeccable timing, consistent tempo, and rhythm, the consequences are severe.

On top of that, playing the drums requires intense coordination because three of your limbs – both hands and a foot – will be hitting different parts of the drums at different counts. Metal drummers even use the other foot to play double pedals in more aggressive songs.

French horn

You may think that learning to play a French horn, which has only three valves, will be easy. Think again.

A French horn is among the hardest instruments to learn because it requires a steady flow of air through its valves. It does not help that its mouthpiece is small, so blowing through it requires more lip and muscle control.

It is easy to be terrible at playing the French horn. Not only do you need to maintain balanced air going in, but you also need to perfect your mouth position (also called the embouchure) to get the correct pitch.

Harp

Unlike other hardest instruments to learn, the harp does not require you to perform different tasks simultaneously or balance your movements for the right sound.

However, you do need to play 47 strings that are closely placed together. Learning the exact position of each string and plucking it without touching its neighbouring string requires precision and care.

Then there are the practical concerns. From tuning each string to transporting the instrument (a standard harp can weigh around 30 to 40 kg), learning to be good at the harp can be a hassle.

Oboe

Like the previous woodwind instruments mentioned, the oboe requires you to control multiple things simultaneously. From the mouth, lips, and tongue to finger placement, playing the oboe demands attention to detail that can be difficult to master but will result in the most beautiful sound you will hear.

Another challenge is that the oboist must get used to breathing in through their nose while breathing out through their mouth. It sounds like a simple breathing exercise, but it takes a bit to get used to.

Learning how to play the oboe is as difficult as maintaining it. It is one of the most high-maintenance instruments that you have to treat with extra care and discipline. Hence, its high demand in orchestras, making an oboist the highest-paid member in the ensemble.

Organ

If you think playing the organ is similar to playing the piano, you thought wrong.

Sure, the organ uses many of the same pianistic finger techniques, but add controlling multiple pedals that come with it, and you will feel the pressure of perfecting playing the age-old instrument.

Like the drums, learning to coordinate both hands and feet can be a challenging task, making the organ one of the hardest instruments to learn.

Theremin

Those alien-like noises you hear in science fiction films, usually when a UFO is ascending or descending, come from a rare electronic instrument called the theremin.

A theremin is one of the hardest instruments to learn because, one, you play without touching it. And two, since it is sensitive to specific hand movements, one slight loss of control will sound very obvious.

Setting it up is also a hassle too. Since it operates over an electromagnetic circuit, a theremin player is required to keep a distance of at least a metre from other band members so they do not disrupt the sensitivity of this weird but unique instrument.

Violin

Finally, we come to quite possibly the hardest instrument to learn ever: the violin.

When played right, the violin can produce some of the most beautiful and haunting melodies. If not, it can sound like a strangled squeal. As a fretless instrument, a violinist must have incredibly precise finger placement, bow control, and a keen sense of pitch.

Without a fret, there is no guide when playing, so you have to make all the notes yourself, which is no small feat. That is why some of the best violinists take years to master the instrument, some even starting at the ripe age of four.