Amazon’s coolest instruments for under $60
I would hazard to say that a lot of people have tried their hand at it, but few stick with it for the long haul. One thing that stops a lot of us from investing more time and effort into it is that musical instruments can be pretty expensive: In fact, even though my first ever guitar was a second-hand, no-brand name electric, it still cost me about $150 – and then, of course, another $120 or so for the amp and $30 for cables, strings and picks, so the whole thing came to about $300.
Thankfully, nowadays we have modern technology and global shipping, so not only is it way cheaper to get music instruments to try your hand at, there are some really cool and interesting ones made more available by modern production techniques.
So let’s check out some cool instruments you can be on the cheap.
Stylophone Retro Pocket Synth
Stylophone
amazon.com
$34.95
If you’re a fan of 80’s and 90’s synthwave music, then this little instrument should be right up your alley. Rather than having to buy an expensive mono or polysynth, you get this little baby, with two octaves to play with, and the ability to switch up and down a set of octaves as well.
It’s also deceptively simple-looking, but you can actually do quite a lot with it if you’re willing to put the time to master it. Just check out what a possible career in Stylophone playing would have in store for you:
Ocarina 6 Hole Strawfire Triforce Ocarina – Legend of Zelda Ceramic Ocarina
WOGOD
amazon.com
$12.99
Yes, this is the instrument from Zelda. No, this isn’t something that somebody came up with from the game because they thought it was cool. This is an actual wind instrument, and it’s been around for way longer than Zelda the game has. In fact, some believe that it’s as old as 12,000 years.
Oh, and there’s a 6-hole ocarina if you feel that the 12-hole one is a bit too complicated for you. It’s a great way to get started before moving on to the more advanced ones.
REGIS Alloy Steel Tongue Drum
REGIS
amazon.com
$39.99
If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ve probably seen an Instagram or Tik Tok vid of somebody playing the larger size version of these drums. Well, for those who don’t have nearly $500 bucks, but still like the sound of them, this is a cheaper alternative at a tenth of the price.
They still produce a sweet and ethereal sound, and if you’re willing to put some effort into learning, you can actually create some really sweet-sounding music with these.
Japanese Electronic Musical Instrument Portable Synthesizer
Otamatone
amazon.com
$34.99
Alright, listen, I know this looks kinda stupid at first glance, but this is a legitimate instrument that has been used in actual music. It wasn’t even originally made as a meme, but as a musical toy, and is essentially like a mini synth or theremin.
It functions pretty simply: you slide your finger up and down the stem to control the pitch, and then squeeze the mouth to open and produce sound. You can even produce a varied sound depending on how hard you squeeze on the mouth, so there are some legitimate techniques used here.
Kalimba Thumb Piano 17 Keys Musical Instruments
Shiyinvie
amazon.com
$15.99
This is the sort of instrument that fits into the same category as the tongue drum and the Ocarina, in that it can produce really dulcet sounds and tones. In fact, you could actually pair the instruments together, and have some fun with them.
If not, well the kalimba can function as its own instrument, especially the larger, fancier versions that are decidedly more expensive. You can also get ones that are turned to a different key, the same way that you can with harmonicas, and those are certainly used a lot in music.
Either way, this is certainly an instrument you can get into and develop skills for.
Donner DLH-001 Lyre Harp Mahogany
Donner
amazon.com
$75.99
Larger harps can weigh several pounds and cost thousands of dollars. Instead, you get a miniature version of that with 7 strings to start yourself out of.
This can very much function as a beginner harp if you’re interested in getting into that, and there’s even a 10 and 16 string version of it as well. I will say that this isn’t technically the same thing as one of those big harps you might be familiar with, in that a violin and viola are still different instruments, even though they’re relatively similar.
Jaw Harp by MUARO P.Potkin in Dark Wooden Case (Mouth Harp)
MUARO
amazon.com
$21.50
This one is a little bit out there, and both the name and how it’s used sound a bit silly, but don’t let that put you off. It’s actually a pretty simple instrument: You put it in your mouth and pluck at a piece of metal, which produces a sound in your mouth, using it as a resonant chamber as you’d see with an acoustic guitar. You then alter the shape of your mouth and your throat to produce different pitches.
Again, it sounds silly, but it can actually be a lot of fun, especially if you’re just playing around with more experienced musicians and want to contribute when doing casual jams. After all, it’s an easy thing to carry in your pocket and pull out at a moment’s notice!
MUSICUBE 10 Keys Accordion
MUSICUBE
amazon.com
$34.99
Accordians are awfully weird instruments: Are they wind instruments? Are they string instruments? Are they percussion instruments? I can’t tell, they’re like the platypus of the instrument world.
Nonetheless, they’re cool, and what’s interesting about these ones is that they’re small and don’t cost you several thousand dollars. If you’ve ever seen an accordion and always wanted to try one out, this is actually a reasonably good facsimile and will give you an idea of whether you want to get into it or not
Soprano Melodica Air Piano Keyboard
Eastar
amazon.com
$22.99
Another instrument that is both from the 80s/90s era and hard to put in a class, the Melodica is a fun little instrument to play around with. It’s technically not a piano and won’t give you a piano sound, being closer to something like a mix between a flute and harmonica (which sort of makes sense since you blow into it to get it to work).
Nonetheless, it’s actually a legitimate instrument, given that it has 37 keys, and therefore 3 octaves to play in. You could probably bang out some cool jazz tunes with this, or at the very least, have some fun jamming with friends and learn some chords along the way.