Music has become a powerful medium for self-expression. Whether you prefer listening to music, dancing with it, creating your own music, or learning to play an instrument, they all give you the sense of freedom to express yourself through your craft.
Once a person decides to learn to play a new instrument, it would require a different level of discipline, patience, and dedication to succeed. Each musical instrument has its technicalities depending on what kind of instrument it is. As a beginner, here are some tips on how to quickly learn a new instrument.
Tips on How to Quickly Learn a New Instrument
Choose Your Instrument Wisely
Choosing a musical instrument is the core foundation of learning a new one. You might have heard someone you look up to who plays that instrument, admire how the instrument sounds, or just decided to learn a new skill. Whatever your reason is, you must understand how you would be able to put your heart into learning that instrument.
Once you have chosen the musical instrument you want to learn to play, you have the option to rent or purchase the instrument you would be practicing with. Though you might be very passionate about playing the instrument and decide on purchasing your own, it is advisable to buy the most economical option, a low-cost one with good quality.
Set Realistic Goals
Setting your goals in accomplishing just about anything, in this case, learning a new instrument, is as crucial as choosing your new instrument. It is important to set realistic goals and take into consideration the time you can allot for practicing the instrument. For example, you can say that you want to do it in a week but know that you have school, work, or other priorities, then that is not realistic at all.
To set realistic goals, you must be aware of your learning curve and the duration of practice you can incorporate into your daily routine. Renting or owning an instrument is also a factor in the goals you are about to set. You might have the discipline and dedication to learn it faster but keep in mind the other factors or priorities you have. Being realistic with your goals allows you to enjoy the whole learning process.
Take Lessons
While the internet allows access to possible resources for learning a new instrument on your own, it is always best to take lessons. May it be your music teacher in school, an online coach, or a professional music school that offers lessons for playing specific instruments, a tutor or coach will definitely equip you with the right knowledge and essential techniques for you to learn the instrument as efficiently as possible.
Start Slow
There’s no point in rushing. Each of us has our own learning curve and in learning to play a new instrument, the principles tend to be the same. You must not pressure yourself in trying to learn complicated pieces when you are just starting to avoid frustration on your end. Upon learning the basics of playing your new musical instrument, you can start learning to play beginner pieces which are often slower and uncomplicated. From there, you can gradually improve and explore even more with your newly acquired skills.
Be Patient
Learning to play a new instrument takes time and effort. You must be patient with yourself while keeping an eye on your goals. Remember that patience is essential in learning. It goes along with all the discipline and dedication you have set your mind to put in learning a new musical instrument. Since you have set your goals realistically, you must be patient enough to follow through with the goal of learning to play a new instrument.
Practice As Much As You Can
Practice makes progress. The more you practice, the better you get at playing your new musical instrument. In practicing though, you must be aware of your attention span to know how much time you should allot to practicing. You can incorporate time for practicing in your daily routine and set a preferable time in which you know you can absorb the learnings better.
Some people would prefer to do it in the morning when the mind is fresh from rest, while some would prefer to practice in the evening when their brain is all warmed up from all the day’s work. You know your body better than anyone else; hence, you are responsible for the time you will be setting in order to learn your new instrument and the duration you will practice while keeping in mind the amount of rest your body needs.
Take Notes
Taking notes while practicing alone is as important as taking notes from the lessons your coach is teaching you. You are being taught important points in learning the instrument, which you automatically take note of, but you also need to take notes on the progress you are seeing from yourself. While practicing, you will encounter difficulties in some aspects, which you can research further afterward to overcome that hurdle. You will be surprised how these notes will help you in your journey.
Get In A Group
Getting in a group doesn’t necessarily mean playing the instrument with other people. It could also be a support group of other people playing the same instrument. In this age of social media, there would definitely be a group out there that can help you learn and improve on your craft. You can set practice sessions with them as well and share techniques that would help you in playing your new instrument. It would also be fun to add a few more friends in your circle too.
Demonstrate Your Skill For Feedback
Once you get a grasp of the fundamentals of playing your new instrument, you need to work up the courage to play it in front of other people. May it be your family and friends, a group of musicians, or a small audience of strangers, it is good to demonstrate your new skill for feedback. By getting feedback, you can note your progress in the eyes of others and improve on things they have noticed on your playing. Constructive criticism is always a good tool in mastering your craft.
Learn To Improve and Invest In Your Craft
Going through your realistic goals, you will eventually notice the improvement you have in playing your new instrument. You might have succeeded in learning a few beginner pieces and worked through all the hurdles of a beginner. This is the time you decide to learn more complicated pieces and take playing to the next level. You can ask for more advanced lessons from your coach and purchase a new instrument with better specifications. This will allow you to improve and invest in your craft as you become a better musician.