Hardest musical instruments to master

Every musician knows the grueling hours of practice required to transition from producing screeching noises to crafting beautiful melodies, but some instruments are undeniably more unforgiving than others. Whether it is the microscopic precision needed to play a fretless violin, the dizzying breath control demanded by the French horn, or the mind-bending coordination required for a multi-manual pipe organ, the journey to mastery is a steep hill to climb. To settle the age-old debate of which instrument truly tests a musician's sanity and physical limits, we have put together the ultimate tier list, ranking them from "Deceptively Simple" to the absolute peak of "Impossibly Brutal." Now, it is your turn to step up to the conductor’s podium and voice your opinion on where these musical beasts truly belong. Do you think the oboe is criminally underrated in its difficulty, or do you believe the piano deserves a much higher spot for its complex polyphony? Scroll down to our interactive ranking tool, drag and drop the instruments into the tiers that best fit your experience, and submit your very own list to see how your musical judgment compares to players around the world!