Tips

5 Tips for Anyone Who Wants to Learn to Play an Instrument

Learning to play a musical instrument is a fascinating thing, requiring both effort and dedication. Anyone can do it, regardless of age, the important thing is to start studying. In this article, you will find some essential tips to start playing an instrument. Check it out!

Woman playing guitar

Learning to play a musical instrument can be pretty challenging. Regardless of the difficulty, you must dedicate yourself to your studies, have patience, and practice to the fullest. Contrary to what many people think, even the most famous musicians started from scratch and needed to study to stand out in the artistic world. Anyone can learn to play an instrument, as long as they choose the one that sparks their passion and develops their skills.

Now that we know the difficulties and challenges faced at the beginning of this learning journey, here are 5 tips to make the path easier and more enjoyable. Let's go!

1. Choose a Musical Instrument

Have you ever thought about choosing an instrument according to the style of music you most enjoy listening to? Giving it some thought is a great starting point to determine which instrument you will play. In this case, it is important that you keep in mind that you need an instrument that will support all the knowledge you will acquire.

For starters, one of the best options is to choose an instrument that is relatively easy to play. Consider that each musical instrument has a certain degree of difficulty. Therefore, depending on their specific characteristics, some may be easier to learn than others.

However, choosing an instrument of your preference is crucial for your progress. Playing what you have always wanted can be a decisive factor in your performance!

2. Define How You Will Study

After choosing the instrument you want to learn, the next step is to decide the study method that suits your needs and routine.

Some people prefer to learn to play an instrument independently and can resort to some free or paid online support resources. The Moises App, for example, is a great partner when studying. With it, you can identify what is happening in a song, its chords and keys, and remove the vocals to focus only on the instrumental tracks. Plus, you can learn from your favorite artist and study your favorite songs.

Yes, you can be self-taught and choose to learn to play an instrument at home through online content. However, although the internet is rich in information, learning from a teacher makes all the difference, especially in art and music. The fact is that without the help of a professional, you cannot see all your mistakes, or see the finer details and improve your technique in the right way.

That's why some people prioritize going to school, taking music lessons, and having the help of a teacher. One of the benefits of studying in a school is living with several professionals in the artistic field. Getting to know opinions, works, musical groups, and having contact with teachers and students allows you to see music from other perspectives and gain a greater musical sensibility to play your own instrument.

3. Focus on Music Theory Learning

When learning an instrument, it is common to think that practice alone is enough to master it. But whoever thinks that way is wrong. Except for the few geniuses in the history of music, to become a good instrumentalist, it is necessary to know the norms that determine the spelling of sounds and the values that establish communication through music.

If you want to start playing instruments the right way, you need to begin your musical studies with theory. Not that this is a must, but focusing on learning theory is an excellent way to understand how the structure of this unique language works and to develop an improved musical awareness in the future.

Just think of the process of learning a new language. You may even learn to speak long before you know the theory, but the more you study and expand your knowledge, the greater your ability to articulate ideas and thoughts.

From this perspective, music theory takes your creativity to another level. It enables you to develop your style concerning chord characterization, note structure, transitions, and many other music-related things.

In addition to all this, if you want to learn to play an instrument, looking for a good music school to study theory is an excellent way to start.

4. Practice and Persist

The whole process requires time and continuity. It is common for people to give up in the first few weeks or months because they believe that playing a complete song is impossible. But it isn't! Before you create high expectations for getting a good sound out of the instrument, you need to be understanding of yourself and know that it will take time and patience.

The first chords and notes will require a lot of training, but they will bring you a lot of satisfaction and a feeling of achievement once you’ve mastered them.

What will get you to perform the songs wholly and correctly is practice. Without it, you won't be able to develop, or you will spend too much time playing the same songs over and over. Stick to your studies and do basic exercises to develop yourself little by little. Because, as mentioned above, part of the success in learning to play a musical instrument is your training and effort.

To achieve a more refined technique, it is important that, in addition to classes, you dedicate a few hours a day to studies. If time is an issue, take 10 or 15 minutes a day to maintain minimal contact with your instrument. Practicing in your spare time can also be a fun and pleasurable habit that can be held daily.

You can count on the Moises App to help you in your practice sessions. With it, you can generate metronome counts, change the speed of a song, remove or isolate vocals and instruments, and much more. Creative control is all yours!

If learning an instrument is your goal, embrace the cause and persist a little longer! A good tip when you’re feeling discouraged is to listen to your favorite artist and try to play your favorite songs.

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5. Find a Motivation

It may sound cliché, but finding the motivation to continue the journey is of utmost importance at the beginning. Each person develops their own ways of motivating themselves - you may be inspired by a famous instrumentalist or musician, want to stick out in your circle of friends, or are simply looking for the benefits of playing an instrument.

To keep yourself excited, try to visualize what your goal is with practicing your chosen instrument. Why did you start playing drums or guitar, for example? What motivated you to buy the instrument? Why do you want to learn to play a musical instrument?

Take the time to answer these questions and recapture the excitement of when you started. Find these answers and use them to increase your motivation!

Set Goals and Objectives

Another way to stay motivated is to set short, medium, and long-term goals. You can set defined goals such as: wanting to attend a certain amount of classes in two months, give a live presentation in six months, and so on.

In addition to notes taken in class, use a specific notebook to keep track of your practice goals and discoveries throughout your workouts. This is an efficient way to stay excited and also keep track of your progress by date.

Now that you know where to start when learning to play an instrument, begin your studies and share your journey with us!

Amanda Medeiros

Content & SEO Manager at Moises

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