5 Easiest Instruments to Play in a Rock Band

If you want to learn how to rock out and you’re looking to join a band, take a look at our list of 5 easiest instruments to play in a rock band.

The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, AC/DC (and way too many more to count) are just a few names I think of when I hear “rock band.” Rock music has stood the test of time in America. The greats are still just as great now as they were decades ago. I’ve always thought being in a rock band just looks so cool. Aside from the drugs and alcohol, it seems like something that would be a lot of fun, plus they usually have the most interesting and unique outfits. However, I don’t really know how to play any instruments (or sing for that matter) that could potentially land me in a band. I attempted to learn how to play the acoustic guitar at one point in my life and can strum a few chords and songs. I also played percussion instruments in my middle school’s band, but it obviously takes a lot more than my elementary-level skills to even think about joining a band. If you count the video game “Rock Band,” that’s the closest I’ll probably ever get in my life to being a “member of the band.”

There are tons of different types of instruments that exist all over the world, ranging in levels of difficulty. That means there are many options to pick from if you’re looking to pick up a new hobby. However, there is usually a common set of instruments played in traditional rock bands, like the drums, guitar, keyboard and bass. But, if rock’s not your vibe, you may be interested in our list of 10 easiest instruments to learn how to play. Let’s be real, I probably should also stick with something simple, as any “rock” quality instruments never worked out for me before.

These days, it shouldn’t be too hard to pick up enough skills to learn a new musical instrument as the internet provides so many resources — many that are free. If you have the time and the money (a good instrument is not cheap) to learn or teach yourself how to play an instrument with hopes of joining the next big band, you’ve come to the right place.

In order to create our rockin’ list of easy rock band instruments, we used Yahoo Answers, Girls Ask Boys and Harmonix as our sources to see what are the easiest instruments to play in a rock band. We looked at other people’s opinions to see which instruments they find easier to play in a rock band and we sorted them by their difficulty level.

Without out further ado let’s crowd surf our way onto a list of 5 easiest instruments to play in a rock band.

5. Drums

Drums are taking the last place on our list because compared to other instruments you are using both arms and legs in order to play and you need to know how to synchronize them. Also, they require some fitness to keep up the rhythm. Despite that, you’ll also need to be the most precise member of the band with rhythm because you are keeping it for the whole band.

4. Keyboard

The keyboard lands itself at number 4 on our list of 5 easiest instruments to play in a rock band.A keyboard like any instrument is very hard to play but when it comes to playing it in a rock band, it’s not as hard because it doesn’t have a major role, like drums that are keeping the rhythm of the band. Also, compared to other musical genres, it isn’t very hard to play keyboard in a rock band.

3. Guitar

If you want to learn how to play the guitar professionally, you need to practice a lot and invest quite a bit of time and effort in it. It is one of the most recognized instruments when it comes to rock bands and is necessary for a rock band. There are many rock bands that even have two guitars. If you are looking for an easier role, we would recommend you to start with the rhythm guitar, rather than the lead guitar for obvious reasons.

2. Mouth Harmonica

The mouth harmonica, the next one on our list of easiest instruments to play in a rock band isn’t typically a must-have instrument in a rock band. In the beginning, it will take some time to figure out how it functions, but once you learn the basics you will realize it is very easy to play. One of the easier rock songs to start with on your learning journey is “Love Me Do” by The Beatles.

1. Bass

Bass is also a must have an instrument in a rock band and it is taking first place on our list as the easiest instrument to play. Compared to the guitar which has six strings, the bass has four, making the learning process a little easier. Often, in order to learn how to play bass, you’ll mainly need to learn your scales, where with the guitar you would also need to learn the chords.

This was our list of 5 easiest instruments to play in a rock band. We hope we managed to help you decide what instrument to start learning how to play.