Are there any instruments where it is impossible to self-teach?

[Fassa Albrecht]

Are there any instruments you cannot teach yourself?

My vote would be the violin or harp, With the violin you need someone to teach you the correct positions and bowing technique. With the harp the sheer size and complexity of the instrument would be an issue.

[sulu]

I saw a sitar in someone's house once. I went over to it and had no clue as to how to make a proper sound.

[hey]

Definitely Violin. No way in hell would I be playing one now if it weren't for an instructor.

[Parabolic Box]

Yes, definitely those fretless, wooden things that you play with a bow.

[funkalicious101]

Probably tablas. You can make so many different sounds and use so many different techniques it would be very hard to figure them all out by yourself.

[Planets Collide]

i said tabla, but it was like a half hour after you said tabla.

[Munjibunga]

Bassoon would be challenging, I'm sure.

[GeneralElectric]

I'm self taught at violin, viola, cello, and upright. Its all about having a good ear and knowing how notes relate to eachother when you do chords. The hardest part is the bowing technique, which was daily practice for me, several hours a day, for about 3 years before I felt comfortable playing in front of people.

Piano was always really hard for me, and still is, since you're using both hands at once playing two different things. Its a totally different mindset than a string or horn instrument.

[mikeboth]

Unless you are very flexible, skin flute.

[Sneckumhaw]

No. I would say there are no instruments where it is impossible to self-teach. Every instrument in this thread so far, at least, has had people playing it without formal training. The tabla and sitar would be very challenging though.

[stewart8980]

sitar?

[uethanian]

+1

i think just about anyone could teach themselves a western instrument, given the amount of resources available. but with world instruments (and india is a good example because the system is very complex), you really need some help. i'm sure a guitarist/bassist could pick up a sitar and noodle on it and sound ok, but there's so much unfamiliar music theory that goes along with it, you'd need a pro to teach you.

[Marcus Johnson]

Surgical instruments.

[Chickencha]

Somebody had to be the first person to play every instrument. Seems pretty likely that each of those people were self-taught. And of course in many cases, playing has probably evolved significantly since the instrument was first introduced. But at some point, someone had to be the first to do something.

[T.O.Bass]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Bassoon would be challenging, I'm sure.

+1

I had a friend in university who could skillfully play pretty much ANY western instrument, modern or classical (yes, strings, woodwinds, brass, i mean anything) who claimed that the one instrument that he simply couldn't nail down was bassoon. Something to do with finger positions and technique, I believe he mentioned. I remember him saying something like there are not only open and closed fingering positions for the holes, but there are *partially* closed positions as well, and that you're required to combine them all to acheive certain notes. Google bassoon finger charts and you'll see what I mean.

[palm grease]

vocals

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

Bassoon would be challenging, I'm sure.

Your right thumb alone has 13 different possibilities.

[dmq89]

Bagpipes.

Unless you have proper instruction, you will NEVER get the proper breathing (blowing) technique down; same goes for the chanter fingering and grace notes, slurs, etc.

Sure, you could make it sound decent enough to a layperson, but a REAL piper would know the difference.

[Fassa Albrecht]

I'd also say the shamisen- not because of anything to do with the instrument itself but its function. The styling of the music is INCREDIBLY formal and there are lots of theory ideas specifically connected with Japanese culture and mythology.

Even if you COULD learn the instrument, you'd have to know Japanese and live in Japan, somewhere like Kyoto where traditional arts are preformed.

[WyrdoBass]

cello.
say hello to carpal tunnel!