Learning a new instrument is a goal a lot of us set ourselves. Here are some of the best tips to make sure you stick with it.
Learning a new instrument may seem like a foreign or even a daunting task for older individuals. However, learning a new instrument from a beginner level or even retraining yourself of an instrument is not that hard of a task.
This can be easily accomplished. The main thing to understand as a beginner is that the learning of an instrument is their power and is their choice. In my adolescence, my parents use to push me to study piano.
Being the free spirit that I am, I didn’t want to feel restrained and forced to learn an instrument, as I found practicing boring and not very creative. As time processed, I truly thank my parents for their efforts in pushing me to learn an instrument.
As I continue to strengthen my piano skills, I found much value in learning at my own pace, and with my confidence that I will achieve musical excellence. Here are some tips to make those first months of practicing and learning a new instrument less overwhelming.
A Little at A Time
Learning to read and comprehend music is like learning a new language. Although obtainable, too much work at once can decrease the knowledge absorbed for long-term capabilities.
Whether you are learning piano, bass, or even ukulele, the artist must dedicate a small amount of time every day to practice.
According to ClassicFm.com, it’s important to implement daily practices and musical exercises to retain the information more efficiently. However, if the musical academia is becoming too much, take a break.
Putting the instrument of choice down for a bit, and picking it back up the following couple of days, may help in understanding the instrument more.
Find A Wide Range of Music to Learn
If you are an overachiever like myself at times, then wanting to master challenging pieces first, maybe your ultimate goal. However, it could be not very realistic.
Artists must uphold that love and energetic dedication of learning a new hobby, to not overwhelm themselves to the point of burning out.
For example, mastering Beethoven’s composition of Symphony No.5 may be a bit too difficult and can cause artists to quit much sooner. Starting with easy mainstream music songs from artists such as Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons, and even rock classics such as Nirvana may give that artist the motivation to continue on their instrumental journey!
Popular platforms such as YouTube are a great tool to learn simple songs rapidly.
Take Care of Your Instrument
Imagine if your pet dog became very ill, or lacked much daily exercise and or the ability to produce normal dog functions. Odds are, you will probably venture to the veterinarian for more assistance. This is similar to an instrument.
To avoid technical difficulties, t’s important that an artist maintains proper care of instruments to ensure the best quaintness and performance of their instruments.
If an instrument is sitting on the shelves for years without any use, it will likely need some repairing, tuning, and other updates to make sure the instrument is of good quality.
From an artist’s perspective, there is nothing more heart-breaking than trying to play the piano or the guitar after a long hiatus, realizing that the piano is completely out of key, or a guitar string is missing.
Create Goals to Accomplish
In any realm of life, creating goals is a great way to continue to learn, grow and inspire yourself and other people around you! As an artist, creating goals to work towards, like learning the guitar solo from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody or mastering a Stevie Wonder Song on Piano, give more meaning to your practice.
Another important factor is being able to take those valuable risks to accomplish long-term musical goals. Risks such as signing up for a local band, or music night.
Even auditioning for a beginner’s orchestra. These examples are ways to gain the confidence to teach yourself the instruments that you love!
Remember Your Motivation
There are many times within our lives when we start to negatively questions our abilities and aspirations. In this case, an artist must remind themselves of the reason they are learning the instrument, when things become very difficult. Learning a new instrument is all about enhancing one well-being and continuing personal development. Although lessons are greatly important for musical skills, playing music is primarily about making on happy and doing what they love!
When the “Going” Gets Tough, Keep on Pushing!
Learning an instrument will be hard! It will not be an easy task, but it will be a rewarding task. Determination is what made many greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and even Freddy Mercury, the legendary artists we know and love today!
In all honesty, an artist will have an epic time the first and second time they play.
However, the third, fourth or fifth time might be paired with the occasional groan of disappointment and confusion. A true artist will know to simply just push through this notion.
Don’t Let Fear Hinder Growth
As mentioned before, taking on an instrument surrounds the overall notion of accumulating more joy and satisfaction into your world! If you are an artist, who stepped away from an instrument, desperately wanting to learn the instrument again, this action can be scary at first.
However, an artist may be surprised at the level of information retained and the faster ability to progress at an older age, versus a younger age.
Learning new things in life, improvements are great. But, how do you prioritise what’s best? We’ve got you covered.
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