One instrument vs many instruments

[Jessi Tayylor]

I know how to play the piano, bass, drums, guitar and a little bit of the harmonica. And while that sounds really cool to hear, it does not actually mean that I have mastered all those instruments. If anything, I only know the basics to average-knowledge of these instruments. It’s better to be focused on one instrument to get started at least.

[RandomOccurrence]

Having played trombone in school (playing in a few honor bands here and there), getting to a level of competence on one instrument is difficult indeed. We don’t always notice it, but the as your level of knowledge and skill grows, so does the amount of practice needed to maintain that skill level. So much so that beyond being “good” (sort of nebulous as it applies to the arts), I’m not sure that it’s a bad thing to not have mastered an instrument.

Just as long as you play the music you like, you don’t necessarily need mastery to have fun.

I'll also say that depending on the instruments you learn, knowing how to play one can help with the others. I personally picked up the trumpet after having learned how to play trombone.