taking up a new instrument
 

im looking to take up a new musical instrument.. i play a little guitar, and a fair amount of piano.. however, neither of these are what id consider to be all that portable.. guitar sure.. but theyre still fairly large, heavy and piano.. forget about it, and i also play some bagpipes, but bagpipes can only play 9 notes and it just lacks the range to really play whatever i want.. its restrictive

so im looking for an instrument thats easy to carry around, take with me wherever i go, so my first criteria is it has to be portable, easy to carry around

second criteria, well it needs to be capable of atleast 2 full octaves so i can play anything from sheet music

and something that can play in staccato end legato with a focus more on melody than harmony but i wouldnt be opposed to something that can play both

so.. any suggestions?.. what ive been looking at most have been various woodwind instruments (different flutes, clarinets, pennywhistle which is a good start to uilleann pipes later on).. ive never tried this on a reed instrument.. and the only reed instrument i have are bagpipes, but is it possible to alter the sound and get more grit or clarity by using different types or materials for the reed?.. other instruments ive considered include accordian (since i already play piano) and the smaller lighter concertina

the accordian has been interesting me more and more lately.. playing only melody with one hand on the accordian it can actually blend pretty well with other instruments, an instrument i found that has a lot of potential and one that could easily break the stereotype of it being a polka instrument

so yeah, looking for some people that are knowledgeable and could provide more information, advice, or ideas for a new route to go

If you are interested in flute, I can definitely help you with that. I've been playing flute for quite some time now. The standard tranverse concert flute is pitched in C and has a range of 3 to 3 1/2 octaves - middle C (C4) all the way up to C7, and more advanced players can reach F7 or even C8.

I know a little bit about clarinet and saxophone as well, but not a whole lot.

well im not opposed to flute, at this point im leaning towards all options.. how many octaves in the keyless flutes.. such as irish flutes?

i remember studying neanderthals that in one of the caves they discovered a 40,000 year old flute carved from a bear bone.. interesting, would make the flute one of the oldest instruments

any other suggestions?

How about becoming a vocalist?

I started playing mandolin earlier this year and it could suit your needs at least in terms of portability. I don't think it has the octave range you're looking for, but as it's tuned the same as a violin you would easily be able to play any violin part. Plus if you like to play out in public, you'll get some curious looks because it's one of those instruments that most people don't know about, especially if you get an F-style.

an instrument i thought about getting once was an octave mandolin.. really loved the sound, but i also considered replacing the nut and saddle on a guitar to make it a 5-string tuned CGDAE to have an octave mandoline and a mandocello in one instrument which would also be a great bridge between learning guitar and something like violin and cello which would use the same scales

so ive thought about that route as well, im mostly learning towards woodwinds and free-reed aerophones like the accordian and concertina though.. not sure i want another stringed instrument yet and i havent heard a brass instrument i really liked.. they all sound too similar

ive been looking into a variety of instruments now, including folk instruments too..

does anyone know of any instruments that have sort of that bagpipe sound without actually being bagpipes that can cover atleast 2 octaves?.. bagpipes are double reed instruments, same as the oboe but i have heard enough of the oboe to really know what it can do