Learning to play an instrument need not be tedious. Here are five practice tips for new musicians that are designed to expedite your skills while keeping learning fun!
1) Keep an instrument close by
Regardless of the instrument you’re learning, keep one close by; for example, keep a guitar on a stand in the living room – and don’t keep the keyboard down in the basement, but rather put it in the living room! Having an instrument near your traffic area will encourage our next tip: play with frequency.
Music lessons should be FUN!!
2) Practice in small, frequent increments
Studies show that you’ll learn more quickly if you practice in smaller chunks; for example in three 10-minute intervals rather than a single half-hour session. And having your instrument close by encourages those frequent sessions. I used to grab an unplugged electric guitar and play while watching TV every night – it really helped me with getting very comfortable with the guitar.
3) ‘Practice’ and ‘Playing’ are essentially one and the same
I tell my students not to stress about practicing, just play. “Just playing” builds skills almost as quickly as focused practicing, and is a lot more fun and less stressful. If someone is set on learning a specific song or technique, they’ll practice. For all other times, just play and enjoy it; after all, learning an instrument should be fun!
4) Record your new material often
It’s hard to gauge your own progress as it happens slowly (but steadily) over hours and days. When you first learn a new song or strum pattern, record yourself doing it, even if you’re playing it badly. After you’ve played it for a week or so, listen back. You’ll be amazed (and encouraged) with your progress, and will likely chuckle as you listen to yourself as you stumbled through your early attempts at something that comes quite easy now!
5) Perform for others
We believe that music should be shared. We offer our students monthly free recital performance opportunities. There are many benefits to performing your music for others, including: goal setting, focused practicing, building confidence, etc.. In addition to all of the benefits to the musician, the audience gets to enjoy your music – it’s a win-win!
We hope you enjoyed these five practice tips for new musicians, and can take advantage of one or all of them! If you’re not a current student and would like more information on our music or voice lessons, click HERE.
