I would not state it as a beginner instrument at all. It is my fourth wind instrument after mouth organ, ocarina and recorder. Quite a different one; however, the fingering is similar, moreover, easier than a recorder's. The two octaves range is a big advantage, more or less it works as well - you can get a variety of sounds out from it. The drawback is that without good hearing (relative pitch) no way to cope with problematic halftones - they can be adjusted by changing blow speed, buccal volume etc. effectively. Despite its surprisingly small size it is very loud; sounds quite nice in spacious, reverberant halls, chambers (in small, dead rooms - according to roommates - awfully). To sum up, I'm satisfied with the instrument - if you ask me, it is a practical alternative to soprano saxophone. I hope that one day an alto version will also be available. One more thing: the resin reed - well, it works but nothing more. I needed to buy 2,5 size regular reeds - after switching, it feels and sounds like a miracle.