Back to Homepage I want to play an instrument, now what? 1. Select an Instrument you want to play. The happier you are with your instrument, the more likely you’ll be to stick with it. Make your decision on the sound of the instrument, and the styles of music that instrument typically plays. Don’t fall into the “I’m quiet, so I should play a quiet instrument” way of thinking. You might be surprised to know how many thrashing screaming rock god guitarists are really shy and reserved away from their instrument. Look at the different videos on the pages of this website to get the feel and “vibe” for each instrument. Then play what you like, but remember... 2. The instrument you start on might not be the instrument you end up with. Many musicians will list for you the instruments they went through before they landed on the one they decided to stick with. For this reason, we suggest you either rent your first instrument or purchase an inexpensive instrument. Some musicians keep studying all the different instruments they try, or you may just pick one to focus on. Many professional musicians are “doublers”, they play more than one instrument, sometimes several. These are usually divided by instrument category: A woodwind doubler will usually play Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, and maybe double reed instruments as well. A drummer may also play percussion instruments. Then there’s the musician that bounces all over the place: maybe piano, viola, and rock guitar. Everyone’s different, so try to follow the instruments that interest you the most. To do that... Buy or Rent a Quality Instrument. As a beginner, you will have a hard enough time getting your fingers, hands, etc., to start making music. A bad instrument sabotages all of your hard work. Many cheap instruments are already unplayable, even though they’re brand new and all shiny. Stick with recommendations from your teachers and others that are knowledgable in the field. As you progress, you’ll be able to tell when it’s you having problems, or the instrument. To help with that... Find a Teacher. Nothing will help you progress faster than a good teacher. Also, you don’t want to develop bad playing habits, which a teacher will help you avoid. Whatever your goal is for your performing on your instrument, your teacher will help construct the building blocks of practice to attain your goals. Nothing else you do will allow you to progress faster than the help of a good teacher. Every good teacher will insist that you should... 4. Listen to the masters of your Instrument. Often. For whatever reason, this tends to be one of the most overlooked areas for new musicians. You are following a long tradition of accomplished players. You need to be a musical sponge, and constantly soak up the sound, technique, and influences of those great players. Listening to recordings is great, especially from the masters no longer with us. But nothing will inhabit your soul like hearing music performed live. Make it part of your practice routine to go out and hear quality live music regularly. You’ll be a much better musician for it. When you hear live music, it should always inspire you to... 5. Practice. Every day. Seriously. Without internet, texting, the TV, or anything else going on while you’re practicing. Focus on your music, your instrument, and what you’re trying to accomplish. You’re training your body to do new things, and nothing will train your body except repetition. 45 minutes every day beats 2 hours every other day. And don’t even think about going more than two days without practicing. Make the time, like you make time for other things that are important. You’ll be very happy with the fast progress that you’ll make. And if you’re like us, it will just inspire you to practice that much more. Speaking of being like us... You’re part of a community, reach out. Reach out to people that play the same instrument as you, and to people that play other instruments. Learn from each other, support each other, make music with each other. Across town or in another country,(okay, now you can use the internet), talk about your likes and dislikes. Get together with friends to play music for nothing other than the fun of playing music. The whole purpose of spending those hours practicing are to give you the joy of making music with others. Ready? Set? Go...