As we grow older the prospect and opportunity to learn a new skill becomes less possible. Work and life in general are hectic and responsibilities come in the way of trying out a new hobby. Due to lockdown and the current epidemic we have been spending more time indoors and have been forced to take time off. Now is the perfect time to start learning a new skill, in particular learning how to play an instrument. But how do you know what instrument is good for you? From easy to difficult, we’ve compiled this list for helping you to choose the right instrument.
Commit To Practising Once A Day
Learning an instrument takes time. Don’t expect to become Mozart overnight, we all need practice. Dedicating a specific time per day, whether its 20 minutes or 10, playing your chosen instrument daily will benefit you and learning that new skill. Consistency is key to learning a new instrument so remember to be patient and practice every day without fail. Over the course of a couple of weeks and months you’ll be able to see your progress and improvement every day. Frustration will play a part in your learning, but that’s expected, just try again the next day.
Play Music That You Enjoy
Choosing music to learn and play with your new instrument will bring your skill forward and improve your knowledge further. Pick out music that you enjoy and can easily learn. “Playing music that you find boring or uninteresting will not inspire you and you won’t want to learn it as well. It can be tempting to launch straight into learning detailed sheet music or longer musical acts. Shop around first, the internet is full of free sheet music to download. Start with beginners’ books, they will aid you the most. Choose something that you can simply follow but will give you a new challenge every day.
Set Goals
Setting goals for learning any new skill is essential for your progress, whether it’s learning a specific piece of music in a day, a new set of chords, or just learning to play a song without looking at your sheet music. Setting these goals adds up to your final goals of perfecting that instrument. Make sure that the goals you set for yourself are achievable. Make short term goals and long-term goals separate. Setting goals will give you something to look forward to and once you have completed them you will feel a sense of achievement, which everyone needs when learning a new skill. Give yourself a reward after you have achieved one of your goals and remember to be patient with every new goal you set. Failure and learning from failure are what will help you learn.
Persistence
Don’t give up on your new instrument, learning takes times. You may be disheartened with your progress and easily frustrated, learning a new skill, a new instrument, will take a little longer compared to when you were younger but what you have now is life experience.
“Life experience trumps any other experience. As we are older, learning something new can have its challenges but then again, we’ve had to experience other things, real life problems. Problem solving, persevering through tough times, learning how to work and have a life balance, these are skills we adapt to as we grow older. We’ve had to learn to have persistence in our more mature lives, this will help learning a new instrument”
David C. Smith, lifestyle blogger at Writinity and Researchpapersuk.
Find A Teacher
Whether it’s online, a family member or friend, finding someone to learn and practise with will help you further in learning your new instrument. Not only will they be able to help you in your progress to becoming a seasoned player, but you’ll be able to collaborate and learn how to play your instrument better than before. A teacher can guide you to picking the right music and how to play better, watch what you might be doing wrong and correct your mistakes. A teacher will also help you better reach your goals.
With this advice in mind, why not pick up your instrument today and get practicing today. You’ll never regret starting something new and challenging your mind. Keeping your brain stimulated and learning a new hobby will help you along and having the reward of knowing how to play a new instrument will be priceless.
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