0

In general, is it more common for a top orchestral musicians (say, in the top 500 players in the world for a given instrument) to have played multiple instruments as a very young child (3-6 years old) or is it more common for such players to have specialized right away?

Wayne Gretzky has regularly emphasized the importance of early generalization in sports. However, the accomplished orchestral musicians I know started exclusively playing the instrument they specialize in at very early age.

What do the stats (so to speak) say? Is it more common to see early generalization or specialization?

Hal
  • 111
  • 4
  • Where do you get the "top 500" list and what is it based on? Most money earned, or most favorable reviews, or what? Why should it matter? Is this what music and life are about? – piiperi Reinstate Monica Dec 03 '23 at 01:46
  • More loosely, I meant elite players. Those playing in notable orchestras. – Hal Dec 03 '23 at 02:49
  • 3
    This question is highly speculative. Unless someone is aware of an in-depth survey of professional musicians on this subject it cannot be answered accurately, – John Belzaguy Dec 03 '23 at 06:19
  • The answer to this seems different the moment you switch the topic to rock or metal musicians. There are several one-man metal bands on YouTube who record their own guitar, bass, and (for some of them) drums. – Dekkadeci Dec 03 '23 at 07:51
  • Can you name one such elite player as an example of what you mean? – piiperi Reinstate Monica Dec 03 '23 at 13:33

4 Answers4

4

As a child, you normally begin with just one instrument.

Still, almost any professional classical orchestra musician (and most skilled musicians in general) learned basic elements of another instrument at some point in their career, possibly a few years after beginning to play their instrument - assuming they didn't change their preference.

This is not a rule, though.

String, percussion and wind players probably studied piano for a short period of time (statistically, between 2 and 5 years), because that's the convention for professional music courses in those families. But this normally happens at least 3-4 years after beginning their path as musicians.

The reason behind it is that those instrument families lack some important aspects of music learning: most importantly, better knowledge, understanding and self-awareness about polyphony. Knowing more about these aspects normally improves their capabilities in their own instrument(s).

Piano players sometimes learn to play another instrument, but it's not the norm: it is mostly up to their choice, the suggestions of their teachers, or the possible requirement of their courses.

This is often the case for harp, organ and guitar too.

Be aware, though: learning another instrument is not a guarantee of becoming a better musician. I know some musicians that have studied other instruments, and are no better than other fellow musicians that only studied their own instrument, or just another "extra" one.
I've also met a few that even took degrees for many other instruments, but that clearly didn't make them better in any way.

Learning to play another instrument, especially in young age, is certainly an important added aspect to the knowledge and experience of what could become an highly skilled musician.
But it doesn't automatically make them better musicians, and not even make them in the "top 500" (whatever that may mean).

musicamante
  • 6,664
  • 1
  • 17
  • 37
  • One thing is that graduates with music degrees from accredited American universities probably had to take brief surveys of all sections of the orchestra (winds, brass, strings, and percussion) plus basic keyboard and vocal skills classes in order to get their bachelor's degrees. – Todd Wilcox Dec 03 '23 at 03:11
  • @ToddWilcox Yes, that is quite common in most accredited music institutes all over the world - and for good reasons. For example, in italian conservatories (at least, following the "old regulation", before it became compared to university), piano was a course inconsistently mandatory: all strings (except double-bass), sax, singing, percussion and harp (!!!) but, weirdly, not for classical wind instruments (weeds and brass). In state music high schools, a second instrument is obligatory (normally a polyphonic instrument when choosing a main instrument that is monophonic, and vice versa). – musicamante Dec 03 '23 at 03:25
  • This answer seems to concentrate on much older players - the question is about much younger ones. – Tim Dec 03 '23 at 13:27
2

In general very young children start on one instrument only. A child might change instruments after a couple of years when they decide that the new instrument is the one they really want to play. After a couple of years they might add a second instrument (particularly piano if it's not already their first instrument). Playing multiple instruments (i.e. more than two) would be very unusual.

PiedPiper
  • 21,253
  • 2
  • 47
  • 95
1

Not had chance to ask many (any!) of those 500, logic says that a very young child (which is what the question points to) will usually come from a musical family, and will fancy a particular instrument, having seen a parent or sibling playing the same.

Up to puberty, they will most likely stick to that one instrument, until another may appeal as well or instead of. But by then, said child will have become rather good on the original, and that will be the 'chosen' one for performances.

Later, at college/uni, another instrument is expected to be studied - usually a polyphonic one, i.e. piano. For various reasons, harmony and theory being just two.

It's common for players of, say, reed instruments to able to perform well on sax, clarinet and flute, and often brass instruments will be doubled. But not at 3-5 yrs old! So basic guess ('cos that's all it will ever be) is that at a young and tender age, one instrument will be pursued for at least a fair time, long enough for the child to become 'good' enough to consider another. At that point, of course, half of te job has already been achieved - i.e. knowing music; the only thing to do is to familiarise with the new instrument...

Tim
  • 192,860
  • 17
  • 187
  • 471
0

Children, whether destined for musical greatness or not, generally settle pretty quickly on just one instrument, or one plus piano, i think.

Laurence
  • 92,867
  • 5
  • 62
  • 200