Best Gift Ideas for Music Lovers

Affordable Musical Presents That'l Please Musicians for Under $100

Nov 2, 2008

Musical Instruments for the Choleric Musician , Photo by Jeff Paulson

Shoppers can have fun considering the four personality types and affordable musical instruments for each.

Musical instruments are gifts that show a personal connection. Here are gift ideas for sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and melancholic musicians. Shoppers can mull over the musicians on their gift list, and discover what musical instrument would suit them best.

Instruments for the Sanguine Musician with a Sense of Humor

For musicians who use their talent to make themselves or others laugh, these instruments are bound to bring smiles.

Limberjack -- The limberjack is possibly the most fun percussion instrument. It’s a paddle and a wooden man on a stick. A musician sits on half the paddle and positions the limberjack over the other half. When the musician taps the paddle, the limberjack clogs to the beat. These hilarious percussion instruments are under $20
Jaw harp -- This instrument adds twang to any musician’s tune, if he can make a noise on the thing without breaking his front teeth that is. A great gift for someone who likes a challenge. Mouth harps run around $12
Nose Flute -- Versions of this instrument are found in South America, Polynesia, Africa, China, and India. With a little practice, musicians can get great tunes from their flute. Cheap imitations flood the market for under $5. There are also, believe it or not, fine wooden nose flutes which can be purchased for around $50.

Instruments for the Choleric or Exotic Musician

Percussion and wind instruments aren’t just fun to play, they make great décor. If the special someone is a collector with a flare for the exotic, it’s hard to go wrong with a set of shakers, scrapers, and flutes from the far corners of the earth.

Animal guiros -- Woodcarvers in Thailand have fashioned traditional scrapers in animal shapes including frogs, crickets, and crocodiles for years. Practiced players coax realistic animal sounds from the instruments. These personality packed guiros range in price depending on size from $5 to $75.
Kokarikas -- This clackety instrument from Indonesia is wooden slats strung between two handles. These handles are often carved to resemble a lizard’s head and tail. They can be purchased for under $20.
Angklungs -- Another interesting Indonesian instrument is an anklung. These bamboo chimes can be struck for a brief note or shaken for a sustained pitch. Depending on size, an octave of angklungs will run from $35 to $55.
Mbira -- These African instruments, called thumb pianos, are made of metal tines attached to a soundboard and gourd chamber. Musicians can get fairly complex melodies from mbiras. Depending on their quality and amount of notes, thumb pianos range from $30 to $80.
Shakere -- Shakeres are an African instrument made from a hollowed gourd with beads strung around the outside. When spun in the palm, the shakere makes an interesting percussive sound. Large Sharkeres cost around $25.
Caxixi -- This Brazilian shaker is made of a woven basket attached to a gourd and filled with seeds. Depending on the size, a caxixi can be found for around $15.
Ocarina -- Ocarinas are vessel flutes. Air swirls through an open chamber as opposed to a tube. The thick chamber provides a wide range of shapes including all sorts of animals. Most ocarinas are made from clay and worn around the neck. Primitive cultures all over the world developed their own versions of ocarinas. Prices vary depending on quality and the materials used, Mountain Ocarinas offers high-level instruments for under $100.

Instruments for the Phlegmatic or Down-To-Earth Musician

For someone with simple, acoustic taste, one of these instruments might work especially well.

Musical bones or spoons -- Bones or spoons provide great percussion to many types of folk music. The bones are wooden sticks around eight inches long and costing around $7 a pair. Wooden spoons are played by slapping the instrument between the thigh and hand. A nice set can cost $25.
Harmonica -- For beginners, a diatonic model in the key of C is usually preferred. The Lee Oskar Major Diatonic is the most recommended brand and runs just under $30.
Tin whistle -- Originally from Ireland, these whistles are gaining ground in many folk genres. For under ten dollars, Generation, Oak, Waltons, Clarke, Sweetone, Acorn, and Feadog, all offer great basic whistles. Jerry Freeman tweaks tin whistles to ensure sound and playability for $15 to $35.
Recorder -- Many musicians got their start on this instrument in grade school. For those who take out their plastic whistles every now and then, an upgrade to a wooden recorder is a sentimental and nostalgic gift. A wooden soprano recorder will cost around $50.
Bongos -- Bongos add a fun twist to most folk genres. Latin Percussion and Toca, offer nice sounding sets starting at $50.

Instruments for the Melancholic or Meditative Musician

Some musicians use their hobby to unwind, or decorate with instruments to reflect a connection to their spiritual side. Here are several instruments that might suit this type.

Table chimes -- Table chimes are beautiful desk decorations and cost only around $20.
Singing bowl -- These bronze bowls from Nepal fill a room with their haunting note as a wand is run about the edge. The bowls are available for around $35
Gongs -- Gongs are fun to play and make great decorations. They are capable of various notes depending upon where they’re struck. A gong will start out at around $35.
Native American flute -- These haunting wind instruments make for hours of peaceful play. John Stillwell makes a quality flute for just over $100.
Rain stick -- A piece of bamboo filled with seeds that imitate a gentle rain as they’re tipped from one side to the other. $50 can buy a three and a half foot stick. Shorter sticks decrease in price.
Panpipes -- This ancient woodwind has soothing tones most musicians can master quickly. Quality, handcrafted pipes are available for right at $100.

If a shopper correctly gages the musician on their list, they’ll wrap up a personalized present destined for plenty of use. And, unlike generic gift cards or clothes, that musical instrument is likely to recall fond memories of it’s giver for years down the road.

The copyright of the article Best Gift Ideas for Music Lovers in Musical Instruments is owned by Marcy Paulson. Permission to republish Best Gift Ideas for Music Lovers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.