Why a Digital Wind Instrument Is a Great Hobby for Adults
🌐 Read this article in Japanese（この記事を日本語で読む）
Hi, I'm Shuko — a music blogger from Japan.
I'd like to start playing an instrument. But which one would suit me?
Have you ever thought something like that? Many adults played the recorder at school and have never learned another instrument since.
Starting an instrument as an adult can feel harder than it sounds. There is the volume, the weight, the cost, and the time it takes to get to a lesson. If you live in an apartment, noise and vibration are a worry too.
This is where a digital wind instrument (also called an electronic saxophone) fits. In this article, I will explain why this kind of instrument suits an adult hobby, based on my own experience with the Roland Aerophone.
One thing before we start. I had never played a wind instrument before. I did not arrive here from the saxophone. In 2022 I was looking for an instrument I could practice at home without disturbing anyone, and a digital wind instrument was the answer. That starting point is why this blog exists.
- "I want to start an instrument, but I don't know which one."
→ A digital wind instrument has simple fingering and plays many different sounds. - "The recorder is the only instrument I have ever played."
→ Blowing it feels close to a recorder. - "I live in an apartment, so I worry about the noise."
→ With headphones it is almost silent, even late at night. - "Going to lessons feels like a big step."
→ An official app covers the basics, so you can start today and decide about lessons later.
By the end of this article, I hope you will think, "I could do this." Feel free to jump to any section from the table of contents below.
Contents
What Is a Digital Wind Instrument?
Let's start with the basics, in case the term is new to you.
A digital wind instrument is an electronic instrument that you play by blowing into a mouthpiece. You press and release keys to play a melody. You may also see it called an electronic wind instrument, an electronic saxophone, or a wind synthesizer ("wind synth" for short).
Most models are shaped like an acoustic wind instrument, such as a saxophone or a recorder. Three makers come up most often when people compare them.
- AKAI EWI → the name most people think of first when they hear "wind synth"
- Yamaha YDS (Digital Saxophone) → the closest feel to an acoustic saxophone
- Roland Aerophone → known above all for the number of built-in sounds
Deciding between them is not easy. I compare the three in detail in another article, including how I made my own choice.
How I Found the Aerophone
Let me tell you a little about how I found digital wind instruments.
It started during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going out was restricted, and I was spending far more time at home. At first I filled the hours with games, TV, and YouTube. But six months passed, then a year, and I was growing tired of the same things. I already had a digital piano, and one thought kept coming back: I wanted to learn a new instrument.
I had one condition. It had to make almost no sound, so that I could practice at home. That ruled out acoustic instruments entirely. What remained were a Yamaha Silent Violin, a Yamaha Silent Guitar, and a digital wind instrument.
Then I learned that a digital wind instrument makes a sound as soon as you blow into it. Even a beginner could manage that, I thought. In June 2022 I bought a Roland Aerophone AE-20. I started lessons the following month, and I have been playing ever since.
There is one more part to this story. In September 2022, I started a Silent Guitar as well. I kept it up for about six months and then stopped. I was teaching myself, and I had no way to tell whether I was doing it right, or whether I was getting any better. My motivation ran out before I found out.
So I began two instruments within a few months of each other, under the same conditions. Only one of them lasted. Two things kept me going: the instrument itself, and having a teacher.
Reason 1: It's Easy to Start
Here are the three reasons I would recommend a digital wind instrument as an adult hobby, based on four years of playing one. The first is the one that matters most at the very beginning: how easy it is to get started.
Making a sound is easy
The biggest attraction is that you can make a sound on your first try. Even if the recorder is the only instrument you have ever played, you put the mouthpiece in your mouth, blow, and a note comes out.
The fingering is close to a recorder as well. On the Aerophone the default is saxophone fingering, but the feel is familiar. I still remember my first time: I covered the keys, lifted my fingers one by one from the bottom, and a scale came out. I was thrilled.
You can practice quietly
Just as valuable as the easy sound is how quiet it is. Plug in headphones and you never have to worry about who can hear you.
Acoustic instruments like the saxophone or guitar make sound by their nature. A digital piano or electronic drum kit is quiet, but the vibration can still travel through the floor. With a digital wind instrument you can practice early in the morning or late at night, without thinking about the neighbors at all.
It's light and easy to handle
Saxophones are heavy. The weight varies by maker and model, but a soprano is roughly 1–2 kg, an alto 2–3 kg, a tenor 3–4 kg, and a baritone can reach 6–8 kg. That weight goes on your neck and shoulders.
You wear a digital wind instrument on a neck strap too, but the AE-20 weighs 1.1 kg with batteries. My shoulders have always been stiff, so this matters to me more than it might to someone else. Less weight on the body means less to put up with while you play.
Roland Aerophone AE-20
See full specs and details on the official page:
Roland Aerophone AE-20 — Official Product Page
Reason 2: There Are Many Ways to Enjoy It
The second reason is the one that keeps a hobby going: there are many different ways to enjoy it. For something you want to stay with for years, I think this matters more than anything.
Over 260 built-in sounds
The AE-20 has more than 260 built-in sounds. Saxophones of course, but also other wind instruments like the flute, and beyond that piano, drums, violin, and guitar.
The saxophones alone cover soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. You can switch to whatever suits your mood, or play sheet music written for an instrument other than the saxophone. There is always another way to enjoy it.
It connects to your phone or computer
The Aerophone connects to a computer, smartphone, or tablet. You can play along with backing tracks you have loaded, or practice with a metronome, without anyone around you hearing a thing.
You can also play out loud through the speakers, of course. Being able to choose depending on the day and the place is genuinely useful.
An app to help you practice
The first thing I did when my Aerophone arrived was open an app called Aerophone Lesson. You connect it to your smartphone over Bluetooth, and it walks you through how to use the instrument, how to play it, and how to look after it. There are fingering exercises and practice pieces as well.
The app is available in English, so you can use it wherever you are.
Between the app and the instrument itself, there is enough to enjoy from the day it arrives.
Reason 3: You Can Play It Almost Anywhere
The third reason becomes clear once you have played for a while: you are not limited to one place. A digital wind instrument works at home, and it works outside the house too.
It connects to an amp or speaker
When you play in front of other people, the built-in speakers are sometimes not loud enough.
Connect an amplifier and you have all the volume you need. Being able to match the volume to the room — a recital hall, a small gathering — takes a lot of worry out of playing for an audience.
It runs on batteries
The Aerophone runs on batteries, so you can play outdoors or anywhere without a power outlet. At home, it means you can play in whichever room you like.
Pair a battery-powered Aerophone with a battery-powered amp, and you can play at full volume outdoors, or in a large space with no power nearby.
One thing to know: the AE-20 takes six rechargeable Ni-MH AA batteries, sold separately. Alkaline batteries will not work.
Features you can grow into
The Aerophone supports MIDI, and an app called Aerophone Pro Editor lets you build your own sounds.
The longer I play, the more I find. This is an instrument you can stay with. As an adult hobby, it is one you can keep growing into, at your own pace.
Summary
This article covered why a digital wind instrument makes a good hobby for an adult. It is easy to make a sound, quiet to practice, and light to hold, so a beginner can start without much standing in the way.
Beyond that, the range of sounds and the connections to a phone or an amplifier mean the ways you can enjoy it keep opening up.
If you want to start an instrument, and you need to practice at home without disturbing anyone, a digital wind instrument is worth looking at. I started from zero, and I am still playing four years later.
There is a lot to discover, wherever in the world you are.
