{"id":1026,"date":"2020-09-01T21:17:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-02T02:17:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/?p=1026"},"modified":"2020-09-04T05:38:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-04T10:38:14","slug":"instruments-you-can-play-with-one-hand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soundadventurer.com\/instruments-you-can-play-with-one-hand\/","title":{"rendered":"19 Instruments You Can Play With One Hand"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you’re a multi-instrumentalist, or whether you are looking for an instrument due to health reasons, or whether you are just curious–there are dozens of instruments that can be played with only one hand–some may even surprise you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melodic<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Harmonica (No Hands)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The harmonica is an instrument played by breathing through air holes which passes over a reed forming a sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harmonica is in the rare-class of instrument that is hands-free<\/strong> if you have a harmonica stand. Bob Dylan, famous songwriter and singer, used a harmonica mount that rested on his shoulders and neck while he moved his head back and forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harmonica mount is for those wanting to play guitar (or anything else, really), but you can easily play the harmonica while holding it with one hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hands-free harmonica with guitar<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You may see players use both hands to play<\/strong>,and that is simply to modulate and shape the sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One hand is being used to hold the harmonica in place and move it across your mouth, while the other hand is cupped over the sound holes of the harmonica–this hand can be used to alternate the sound between sounding full and thin which provides some interesting dynamics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can do the same with one hand if you have a harmonica mount–the possibilities are endless! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Trumpet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The trumpet, in the brass instrument family, is traditionally is meant to be held with the left hand and the valves are pushed with the other hand (although this can be different for a left-handed design). As any trumpet player knows, though, you can play with one hand by simply holding the instrument with the right hand and using the pinky finger and thumb to grip and hold the instrument while playing with the pointer, middle, and ring fingers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many other options, too– players who have shoulder problems can use a trumpet mount that can attach to the trumpet to facilitate a weight and therefore pressure-free grip. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For normal playing, the trumpet is lightweight enough to be held and played with one hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Furthermore, plastic trumpets (such as the pTrumpet) have an incredibly good sound which most people can’t immediately tell the difference are even more <\/strong>lightweight, making these an excellent <\/strong>choice for one-handed playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be noticing there are two places for fingers, one for the right pinky finger and another for the left ring finger. Technically, many professional musicians will adjust one of the valves as they play to prevent a couple out-of-tune notes, but this is an advanced technique that isn’t necessary and there are other ways to get around this problem that shouldn’t hinder you. (I’ve heard of a device that could adjust this valve with a thumb button so everything could be done with one hand)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One common myth people have is that because the trumpet has 3 valves that it is easier to play than other instruments. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The trumpet is actually a difficult instrument to learn because the sound is only shaped by the valves, but the actual sound is emanating from the players lips (which shape and form is called the embouchure).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I’m getting at here is that the trumpet is a serious instrument and requires constant practice to maintain the fragile embouchure. If you are looking for an instrument that can easily sustain a music career that is also playable with one hand with no limitations<\/strong>, than trumpet <\/strong>is worthy of thinking about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Trombone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Man, I love the sound of the trombone, it’s such a rich and powerful sound! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A trombone is a brass instrument that is played by adjusting the length of the tubing by pushing and pulling a slide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trombone is designed to be held with one hand, and then played with the other, <\/strong>but that doesn’t mean you can’t play with one hand. <\/p>\n\n\n

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One-armed trombone playing.<\/div><\/div>
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