Museum of Musical Instruments — Attraction in Berlin

The most unfriendly Museum I've visited and badly laid out. I was really looking forward to visiting this museum but was very disappointed with it's bad lay out and over bias towards piano type instruments and violins.

I'd say 90% of the exhibits belong to the piano, violin or flute families.

There are token electric guitars (about 6 or so), no bass guitars and the saxophone section consists of about 5 instruments hidden away to the left of the place you get your tickets.....They aren't even in the main body of the exhibition (why not?) and seem like a complete afterthought....very poor! I missed them alltogther and only saw them through the window after we left! WTF!!!!

I think there was 1 token drum kit!. The electronic section had a few good instruments like a Theremin which was fun to play on and a few synthesizers, but needed expanding.

Unfortunately the staff were very officious and unfriendly making you put your coats and bags away and then hovering around you as you go round the museum, telling you off for minor things such as letting your phone "touch" the glass of an exhibit case as you take a photo. You felt they were just waiting to tell you off for something, which does not create a good atmosphere.

Also the museums multimedia exhibits are entirely in German which makes is non-accessible to non German speakers.

On the plus side the museum building itself was really lovely and the cafe area downstairs very nice.

One of the highlights was the exhibition is the huge organ that looks like it's been removed from a cathedral. It must be two storeys tall!

There are some areas upstairs for kids to do activities (hope the staff don't tell them off!).

I think this museum is a massive missed opportunity. It's got the space but needs a more balanced selection of instruments. It needs some sections expanding and moving into the main exhibition area (saxophones). Space can be created by removing some of the many pianos and violins.....then the entry price would be worth it.

Very...

I must admit I had high expectations and I've already visited a few instrument musea in the past, so my review might be coloured by this.

The museum was okay. It showed a decent collection but mostly classical (European) instruments (big part were key instruments) and / or multiples of the same instruments that weren't special in any way other than being old. Even though there were some cool highlights like the Wurlitzer. Ground floor was well organized, first floor was a bit overcrowded by key instruments.

What I liked a lot was that they tried to make it more interactive by providing some real instruments to play (theremin, guitar, mandolin, ..) or midi-keyboards that simulate the sound of a instrument. Of the latter a few midi-keyboards weren't working which is a bit of a shame. Even though they offered some interaction, I feel like there is still room for more f.e. a piano, clavicord (that isn't old and needs to be preserved). Another downside on this part was that there were some newly made things (like a mechanism) which couldn't be touched without a tour or by which it was unclear whether you could touch it or not. For me this feels weird and anything that isn't old, very expensive (and easy to break) and/or needs to be preserved should be playable.

About the staff, everyone was friendly, but I understand some other reviews saying they felt tightly watched by security. A way to lessen this feeling I think could be using more clear signs clarifying whether or not a instrument/installation can be touched.

About the ticket price, we used the museumpass so in that regard we can't complain and it was worth the visit as it was free. 10 euro however feels a bit high to me in comparison with other musea in Berlin.

In short: okay museum with a lot of potential and the same issues as most musical instrument musea. Worth a visit if you really love looking at (the usual) instruments, haven't visited a music instrument museum before, really want to view one of the highlights and/or have...

We had came as we fancied a change of pace. We had already visited many incredible art galleries and museums on our way to Berlin and though this offered an experience we hadn't seen before. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was amazing.

The entry is affordable and audible experience, perhaps the best part, is free, just bring your phone and (ideally good) headphones. Me and my partner shared my pair so we could listen at the same time as we explored the museum. As you go round you can listen to specific instruments, some of which 400ish years old. Many of them were entirely new to me or interesting variations on instruments we see today. There a lot of harpsichords, which makes me think they were probably a more popular instrument in the past than I had imagined.

While we wondered round there was a organ being played as some sort of experience. We weren't part of the group talking directly to the organist (sadly, we do not speak German) but the sound periodically filled the museum. It was quite incredible, gave me goosebumps.

It would be cool to see a little more background on each item or maybe just the history of the specific instructions. Some, like a instrument called the serpent was given a explanation and it felt interested to see how the aesthetics of a instrument seemed more important in the past then it is today. I'm unsure how much we missed due to the language barrier but most information did offer a English translation thankfully.

It doesn't take up too much time and you can really take it at your own pace. No need to listen to everything (again, there are a lot of harpsichord recordings).

I would recommend this to anyone with an hour or two in the area. It's just a walk from a lot of galleries and monuments so it's very convenient if you've already planned a visit to some...