It Really Is Time to Pick Up an Instrument!

When we think of music lessons, we tend to think of childhood. Music lessons are something that people encourage their children to attend in the hopes that their little one might be this generation’s Beethoven or Chopin if they have classical tastes, or John Lennon or Jimi Hendrix if they’re a little more modern. It is generally considered that if you don’t pick up an instrument in your formative years, there’s no chance that you ever will. But it’s important to remember that this isn’t anything to do with adults’ learning capabilities. It’s more to do with preconceptions (and more importantly, misconceptions) that we have regarding learning an instrument as an adult. This is a shame, as there are so many adults out there who are interested in music but never attempt to play an instrument because they assume they won’t be competent enough! This is bizarre!

Especially considering there are so many people out there who have successfully picked up an instrument in their mature years. So, bear in mind that while learning to play an instrument as an adult may a little more difficult than learning as a child, it is by no means impossible and if you have been toying with the idea of learning an instrument, it really is time to start now!

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Choose an Instrument
First things first, you want to choose an instrument. While you can always change your mind later down the line, it’s a good idea to do a little in-depth research before investing in anything, as you are inevitably going to have to buy an instrument to practice on and don’t want to waste your money on two or three different options before finally finding what suits you through trial and error, when a simple search into the different instruments would have eliminated certain ones for you to start with. Make things simple for yourself by opting for one of the families of instruments - string, woodwind, brass, or percussion. You can then whittle your options down from this point on.

Make Use of Free Resources
Learning an instrument doesn’t have to be a costly venture. There are so many free resources out there that you can easily access and make use of! If you’re picking up the ukulele, check out https://www.musicianauthority.com​ rather than buying a book filled with music. If you’re learning the piano, there are pages with print outs that can be cut out and stuck to keys to help you remember which key strikes which note.

Take It Easy
It’s easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself when you’re learning to play an instrument. Most of us expect immediate results and beat ourselves up when we haven’t mastered the instrument within a matter of weeks. But this is a skill that takes patience and persistence. So keep at it and don’t let yourself become downhearted if it takes a little longer than you initially anticipated to play a complete song. You’ll get there eventually!

As you can see, it’s never too late to pick up an instrument. So if one in particular has taken your fancy, make it your mission to learn!

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by Iconic Chica Mag Contributors