What Instrument Should I Play Quiz

How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- A dedicated keyboard station I can sit down at whenever I practice
- A keyboard in one room, even if I sometimes wish it were easier to move
- A compact instrument I can move between rooms or take to friends
- An instrument designed around breath, bowing, or percussive movement
- I would enjoy refining the motion and listening for tiny improvements
- I could stay patient if the exercise clearly improves my tone
- I would tolerate it briefly but want faster progress into complete tunes
- I would prefer an instrument with a more immediate beginner sound
- A reasonable tradeoff for playing an instrument whose tone I love
- A manageable habit once it becomes part of the practice routine
- A minor drawback that could influence my choice if another instrument feels equally good
- More upkeep than I want for a regular musical hobby
What Instrument Should I Play Quiz - Description and methodology of the test
Choosing an instrument works best when the starting point matches how you want to make music, practise, and participate with others. The What Instrument Should I Play Quiz is intended for beginners, returning musicians, and curious listeners who want a current affinity profile rather than a definitive recommendation. For someone asking what instrument should I learn through this quiz, its highest score indicates the strongest current affinity, while close scores suggest a blended result.
What This Assessment Explores
Questions cover technique, sound, and roles across five dimensions. Anyone asking what band instrument should I play in this quiz sees attraction to each instrument’s demands, not proven skill.
The dimensions are:
- Drums (0-12) measures pull toward pulse, coordination, and group momentum.
- Guitar (0-12) measures interest in fretted strings, chords, and portability.
- Piano (0-12) measures appeal of keyboard layout, harmony, and two-handed play.
- Saxophone (0-12) measures attraction to breath-shaped tone, articulation, and melodic phrasing.
- Violin (0-12) measures interest in bowed tone, pitch control, and expression.
Drums, Guitar, Piano, and Saxophone use Other paths may fit (0-4), Worth exploring (5-8), and Strong affinity (9-12). Violin uses Low fit (0-4), Potential fit (5-8), and Strong fit (9-12). The highest score shows the strongest affinity; scores within one point suggest a blend.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
As a preference-based self-report, each item presents a musical situation with four choices about practice, technique, sound, coordination, portability, or ensemble role. The alternatives express different attractions rather than performance levels, and the questionnaire reports five affinity scores that the displayed interpretation compares. The situations also cover practice setup, instrument care, body coordination, portability, tone production, and roles within a group.
The questionnaire is conceptually consistent with the study by Mateos-Moreno and Hoglert on instrument choice and the band-instrument-selection review by Millican, but it is not a direct adaptation of either work.
The displayed bands are descriptive affinity categories used to compare the five results, so read the profile as a starting hypothesis rather than an objective verdict. For someone asking which instrument should I play in this quiz, the profile can suggest a starting point; a lesson or rehearsal tests the fit against technique, sound, and equipment demands. Self-report may shift with mood, prior exposure, self-awareness, and access, and the result does not establish talent or commitment.
- Mateos-Moreno, Daniel, and Anders Hoglert. (2024). Why did you (not) choose your main musical instrument? Exploring the motivation behind the choice. British Journal of Music Education, 41(1), 74-85. DOI 10.1017/S0265051723000025
- Millican, J. Si. (2017). Band Instrument Selection and Assignment: A Review of the Literature. Update: Applications of Research in Music Education, 35(2), 46-53. DOI 10.1177/8755123315610174
- Waterman, Morgan James. (2021). What Does Your Musical Instrument Say About You: Analyzing Musical Instrument Preference and the Big 5 Personality Traits. University of California, Riverside Undergraduate Research Journal, 15, 77-84.
- Cattell, Raymond B., and David R. Saunders. (1954). Musical Preferences and Personality Diagnosis: I. A Factorization of One Hundred and Twenty Themes. The Journal of Social Psychology, 39(1), 3-24. DOI 10.1080/00224545.1954.9919099
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