Trend instrument: the keyboard is back

Music - Trend instrument: the keyboard is back

So big, so expensive - and yet the piano has been by far the most popular instrument in many music schools for years. Especially during the peak phase of the pandemic with lockdown and restrictions on many leisure activities, many people tried it out at home and bought keyboard instruments, reports the SOMM - Society Of Music Merchants.

The piano's little brother, the keyboard, was particularly popular with specialist retailers organized in the industry association of manufacturers and retailers of musical instruments and equipment. "Many retailers report that the keyboard has sold well - it has boomed compared to previous years," says SOMM Managing Director Daniel Knöll to the German Press Agency.

The small keyboard instrument is inexpensive compared to a piano and is easy to transport. "It is particularly suitable for beginners, as it is relatively easy to play," says Knöll.

However, this pandemic effect has already slowed down again in the course of 2023. Everything has become more expensive - and less is being invested. Knöll reports that his industry is also feeling these effects. "And when people do invest, it tends to be in travel again. People no longer want to sit at home." As a result, many instruments that were bought during the pandemic can now be found on the second-hand market.

Trend: making or listening to music together with others

The same applies to home recording equipment: everything you need to record your own music or stream it to networks, such as microphones or software, was booming at the height of the pandemic, says Knöll. "Only one product in this area is still doing well at the moment, but it's going through the roof: large Bluetooth sound boxes," he reports. People are taking them with them - outside, to parties, to parks to listen to music with others.

In southern Germany, there is another coronavirus catch-up effect: in 2023, brass instruments - such as the trumpet or flute - sold well at the specialist retailers that Knöll surveyed.

This is because musicians tended to invest less in these instruments during the peak phase of the pandemic with restrictions on orchestras. "There was also a fear of blowing the horn because of the aerosols," reports Knöll on the experiences of music dealers.

The musicians are now making up for this: they are playing together again and investing in new flutes, tubas, trumpets and trombones at the same time. "This is the first time that there are noticeable regional differences," says Knöll.