Playing an instrument often seems like something that you should learn to do as a child or at least a teenager. Once you hit adulthood, it can seem too late to really learn to play anything properly, especially if you want to go beyond being able to strum Wonderwall. But just because you’re older, it doesn’t mean it’s too late for you to learn new things. Learning an instrument as an adult is possible, and you never know if you might discover that you have a knack for it. While it helps if you have some previous musical knowledge, it’s definitely not essential.
Get Some Lessons
The beauty of learning an instrument today is that there are so many resources for teaching yourself. However, if you’re really committed to learning a new instrument, don’t overlook the benefit of having lessons. Someone who can guide you, correct your mistakes, and show you different techniques can be invaluable. They can tailor your learning to suit you and respond to your needs. If you want to take advantage of modern technology, online lessons are available too. You can learn through video lessons and sheet music for beginners.
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Start with the Basics
Even though you might want to jump into learning a favourite song or doing something complicated, it’s essential to get a firm grasp of the basics first. That includes things as simple as how to hold your instrument properly. However, it’s also important to learn how to read music, whether it’s learning how to read a score, understanding a guitar tab, or learning about percussion notation. A little bit of music theory can help you so that you can understand things like time signatures or different styles of playing. It’s a good idea to pick up some basic stuff first, so you don’t need to circle back to it later.
Get to Know Your Instrument
Whichever instrument you learn to play, you need to be familiar with your instrument. It’s not necessarily that important to know what each individual part is called, although it depends on the instrument. But you do need to know things like how to put it together, how to keep it clean, and how to maintain it. It’s useful if you know how to tune your guitar and change the strings. You need to be able to know how to clean your flute or polish maintain your violin bow. Plus, learning about your instrument helps you to understand how to get the best sound and feel, and how to make a decision when you’re buying a new instrument.
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Find Some Easy Pieces of Music to Learn
A lot of people start learning a new instrument because they’d like to play some of their favourite music. There’s definitely a possibility of finding some of your favourites that are easy to play, but you could find a lot of them are a bit out of your reach, to begin with. You could set yourself a goal of learning something challenging, but you will likely need to learn some more simple pieces along the way. There are plenty of ideas online or books of simple music to start you off. At https://www.musicianauthority.com/easy-piano-songs/, you can find some easy piano songs that are great for beginners. You can get free guitar tabs from ultimate-guitar.com, or you can just browse your local music shop or online for good books.
Put in the Practice
There are no shortcuts when you’re learning an instrument. You might find that you have a natural talent for it, but you still have to put in the effort to get better. Spending time practicing will help you to improve, and you’ll gradually find that you’re capable of more and more. Make sure you set aside a small amount of time each day or some more dedicated practice time once or twice a week. Even when it gets frustrating, you need to keep going if you want to learn.
Listen to and Watch Others
Don’t forget that you can also learn a lot about playing an instrument by watching other people. Whether you have an instructor who can show you how to do a few things, you find some videos online, or you watch your favourite musicians, you can pick up a lot by watching and listening to other people playing.
It’s never too late to try and learn something new. Try learning an instrument, and you could find that it’s a lot of fun.
