Play them all! I play soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone. I have an F Mezzo soprano and C Melody also that I play on occasion. (Those are both a little less common) I hope to have a bass soon! Once you learn one, you can play them all. The fingerings are basically the same, but the embrochures are different. Soprano is the hardest and requires the most embrochure control. I'd have to say tenor is probably the easiest. I play tenor most often. As for brands, I prefer vintage Conns, but if you ask 20 people, you're likely to get 20 different answers. It's really a matter of preference. Buy a good horn that will last you. Don't buy one of the cheap Chinese horns for less than $300 that fall apart in a year!