Before you post another, "Can I learn to play [insert instrument] if I'm [insert age]?" READ THIS. PLEASE. It's not bad to post those, that's the whole point of the beginners' section. If you have questions, ask. That's completely a good thing.
I'm not trying to discourage you, but those posts are usually precisely the same (like posting your age and then asking if it's possible for you to learn an instrument). Instead, post about something specific we'll actually be able to help you with.
I'm by no means an expert. I am a student myself, and I've never taught. However. I do have a few tips for you, from my experience learning and playing my instruments, and from having six teachers over eight years (you learn a lot about their different styles of teaching).
First of all, you can learn ANY instrument at ANY age. Sure, it may take awhile for your muscles to adapt. It will take time and effort. You may not become a concert musician. But it's completely possible for you to learn, casually perform, and perform in your community orchestra, with an instrument. Also know that you won't immediately be a virtuoso, a common misconception I find with adults. Some think they'll immediately be playing some really advanced piece, after only playing for a few months. Not to sound harsh, but you won't. It takes years to get at that level of mastery. Please stick to pieces your level, and yes, challenge yourself, but do it with an open mind.
The first step is to figure out your budget. Where is it on the continuum? Does your budget allow for a decent instrument and a decent teacher, or would it better allow for installments on an instrument and occasional lessons? Make a budget plan.
What instrument do you want to play? You probably already know this, but maybe you'd like to learn multiple instruments. Most people start out on a ukelele, guitar, piano, violin, or flute. If the instrument you want isn't included in that list, that's wonderful. You can start out on a cello, or on a saxophone, or an oboe, or an erhu. Just know that it will probably be more expensive to buy, and more difficult to find, but it is doable. If you don't want to play a common instrument, then don't.
What genre do you want to play? This is more important than you may think. Before I get into that, I do, however, want to say that you can explore different genres before finding one or many that match you. I personally prefer classical and jazz, with the occasional Celtic or other tune. For example, if you want to play classical violin, you won't want to have a fiddle teacher (or vice versa). The techniques are different. I wish now that I had of been able to find a classical violin teacher in my area when I first started, instead of fiddle, because in fiddle, you don't really seem to focus on technique much. Now, music theory and technique may make you inwardly or outwardly groan, but I promise a few months or years down the road, you'll be glad that's what your teacher focused on. A strong foundation in technique is what leads to a better musical experience. Music theory isn't really important for a raw beginner, but you'll also be glad you learned what all those weird symbols mean when you're an intermediate or advanced student. Trust me, it makes advanced life much easier when you can read what's in front of you.
About learning music theory, I always like to kind of give this illustration: you're learning a new language. You move to an area that speaks it, but you don't know the first thing about the language. You try to mingle with the locals to learn. You struggle at first, but eventually you can speak small phrases. A few months later you can carry on a casual conversation. Maybe a couple years later, you can carry on a full conversation. You begin to speak it more naturally.
But you have absolutely no clue what those words are on paper. You can't write in the language. You can't read in it. Which is going to make life unecessarily difficult. You can either continue on, oblivious, or you could start learning reading and writing.
But if you had of learned from the start how to BOTH speak and read the language, you'd have learned much faster, and much more efficiently. You also wouldn't be in the same position as you are in now.
Sure, you can speak it sort of well, but if you can't read it, how are you supposed to live?
It's the same wih music. If you learn to play only, but not theory or technique, down the road, you'll be regretting it. You can't learn some extremely advanced piece by ear as you can Mary Had A Little Lamb. Sure, it works in the beginning, but not later on. That's why classical musicians teach all of that stuff from the start, along with your pieces.
Find a teacher nearby. Many will probably be fine with you paying them on a monthly basis, if that's all your budget will allow for.
Find a music store in your area. Before you jump at the first flute they show you, or the first fiddle, get an experienced player (preferably the teacher you've already found) to try out some different models. They'll probably have a recommendation for you already, but it's nice when you can hear it before you make a purchase. Unless you are 100% certain THIS is the instrument you will be playing on for at least five years, you may want to rent first. This is also better for your budget. Some instruments sound better in the shop than they do at home, and this way, you get it play it for as long as you like to ensure you love it. If not, you can simply stop renting it. There's no commitment. Another beauty part is that you can decide to switch to another instrument if the current one doesn't work out.
Make sure you have a quiet place to practice. It gets irritating for you and for those you live with. Not everybody has this problem, and it can be worked to your advantage, but I still say, your family won't like it every time you practice, and you won't like the constant interruptions. So that quiet place is probably your bedroom, or maybe an office. Whatever feels the most natural.
I love finding new blogs, websites, and YouTube channels that are about music. A lot can be learned from them
Another thing. My teachers never did this with me. Most of mine just wanted me to learn a piece, practicing like I'm performing, and move on once I could play it well. So that's what I did, until I started reading blog posts and such, and found deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is so much better than mindless practice. Because if you are just going through the motions, you're basically wasting your time. Deliberate practice means you take a couple of measures of the music, and you master them. You move on, doing that until you get to the end. Now, some teachers will ONLY do this method, and then expect you to play the full piece wonderfully the first time, especially during an actual performance.
I don't. I find that notion absurd.
In one practice session, I like to play a piece both ways. Say, I'm practicing three pieces (Für Elise, Rondo Alla Turca, and a Chopin Nocturne) and a Hanon exercise. This would be my one-hour practice session:
- Hanon exercise to warmup, probably to speed.
- Five minutes deliberately practicing Rondo Alla Turca
- Five minutes playing through Für Elise
- Five minutes Hanon, slowed down. I like to work on hand independence during this.
- Five minutes Chopin Nocturne, deliberately.
- Five minutes Rondo, played through
- Five minutes Für Elise, slowed down and played deliberately
- Five-ten minutes improvisation. You don't have to do this, I just like to.
- Five minutes Chopin, played through
- Five minutes technique. This could be hand independence, dynamics, trills, or anything, really.
- Then I either pretend I'm actually performing, or I just do whatever I feel like doing. Sometimes I practice with a piece playing on my phone. Sometimes I repeat a piece, sometimes I end practice early.
The point is, work smarter, not harder, in whatever way that suits you. Your practice routine will probably grow to be different than someone else's, and that's good. You're growing as a musician and finding your own style.
Find some other musicians around. It can be a great experience playing with others (like mingling with the locals in that illustration). You can learn a lot from them, and with them. You can improve a great deal this way, and plus, it's fun.
Some teachers and musicians will pressure you to perform. My second piano teacher did, constantly. He'd be going on about how you aren't a musician if you don't perform. Poppycock. You are a musician when you play an instrument. If you perform, you are a performing musician. If you perform for profit, you are a working musician. In any case, you're still a musician, end of story.
Anoher thing my teachers have done, is drop a recital on me a month before the date. They gave me no previous warning, no previous preparation. And I went along with it. I was also only eight or nine at the time. The first piano performance I gave was okay but not great. I was only at level two, and played one page of a level five piece, something I'd have no difficulty with now, but I did then. I wasn't ready. Then I went to another teacher a couple of years later, and she wanted me to perform. Again, she dropped it on me a couple weeks before, expecting me to be ready, and I did it, but it wasn't great. I wasn't ready. Then last year, there was this casual get-together a bunch of our friends had. The night before, I randomly joked about how I should bring my violin and play. My mom completely agreed, and I guess I felt like if I didn't, I'd be disappointing her and everyone else. So I did it. And guess what? I wasn't ready. FINALLY, in August, I was thinking of casually performing at a little fair in my area, and I was going to do it. Then I decided, nope. I'm not ready to yet. Now, I'm preparing for a recital in May, and I think I will be ready.
So perform if and when YOU are ready to, not when others start expecting it of you.
In hindsight, I'm glad I did do those performances, because I've learned from them.
Anyway, best of luck. Don't give up on your dreams and goals. You'll get frustrated along your journey, you'll want to give up. Just remember that life isn't just about the highs. It'd get pretty boring if it was. It's also about the lows and everything on between. One path will take so many twists and turns you'll be confused by the end of it. It's how you view it that makes the difference. What's the difference between a straight path and a crooked one? The crooked one is much more entertaining. Don't give up unless you're really certain that's what's best for you.
Hope this helps, though it's long.
I'm not trying to discourage you, but those posts are usually precisely the same (like posting your age and then asking if it's possible for you to learn an instrument). Instead, post about something specific we'll actually be able to help you with.
I'm by no means an expert. I am a student myself, and I've never taught. However. I do have a few tips for you, from my experience learning and playing my instruments, and from having six teachers over eight years (you learn a lot about their different styles of teaching).
First of all, you can learn ANY instrument at ANY age. Sure, it may take awhile for your muscles to adapt. It will take time and effort. You may not become a concert musician. But it's completely possible for you to learn, casually perform, and perform in your community orchestra, with an instrument. Also know that you won't immediately be a virtuoso, a common misconception I find with adults. Some think they'll immediately be playing some really advanced piece, after only playing for a few months. Not to sound harsh, but you won't. It takes years to get at that level of mastery. Please stick to pieces your level, and yes, challenge yourself, but do it with an open mind.
The first step is to figure out your budget. Where is it on the continuum? Does your budget allow for a decent instrument and a decent teacher, or would it better allow for installments on an instrument and occasional lessons? Make a budget plan.
What instrument do you want to play? You probably already know this, but maybe you'd like to learn multiple instruments. Most people start out on a ukelele, guitar, piano, violin, or flute. If the instrument you want isn't included in that list, that's wonderful. You can start out on a cello, or on a saxophone, or an oboe, or an erhu. Just know that it will probably be more expensive to buy, and more difficult to find, but it is doable. If you don't want to play a common instrument, then don't.
What genre do you want to play? This is more important than you may think. Before I get into that, I do, however, want to say that you can explore different genres before finding one or many that match you. I personally prefer classical and jazz, with the occasional Celtic or other tune. For example, if you want to play classical violin, you won't want to have a fiddle teacher (or vice versa). The techniques are different. I wish now that I had of been able to find a classical violin teacher in my area when I first started, instead of fiddle, because in fiddle, you don't really seem to focus on technique much. Now, music theory and technique may make you inwardly or outwardly groan, but I promise a few months or years down the road, you'll be glad that's what your teacher focused on. A strong foundation in technique is what leads to a better musical experience. Music theory isn't really important for a raw beginner, but you'll also be glad you learned what all those weird symbols mean when you're an intermediate or advanced student. Trust me, it makes advanced life much easier when you can read what's in front of you.
About learning music theory, I always like to kind of give this illustration: you're learning a new language. You move to an area that speaks it, but you don't know the first thing about the language. You try to mingle with the locals to learn. You struggle at first, but eventually you can speak small phrases. A few months later you can carry on a casual conversation. Maybe a couple years later, you can carry on a full conversation. You begin to speak it more naturally.
But you have absolutely no clue what those words are on paper. You can't write in the language. You can't read in it. Which is going to make life unecessarily difficult. You can either continue on, oblivious, or you could start learning reading and writing.
But if you had of learned from the start how to BOTH speak and read the language, you'd have learned much faster, and much more efficiently. You also wouldn't be in the same position as you are in now.
Sure, you can speak it sort of well, but if you can't read it, how are you supposed to live?
It's the same wih music. If you learn to play only, but not theory or technique, down the road, you'll be regretting it. You can't learn some extremely advanced piece by ear as you can Mary Had A Little Lamb. Sure, it works in the beginning, but not later on. That's why classical musicians teach all of that stuff from the start, along with your pieces.
Find a teacher nearby. Many will probably be fine with you paying them on a monthly basis, if that's all your budget will allow for.
Find a music store in your area. Before you jump at the first flute they show you, or the first fiddle, get an experienced player (preferably the teacher you've already found) to try out some different models. They'll probably have a recommendation for you already, but it's nice when you can hear it before you make a purchase. Unless you are 100% certain THIS is the instrument you will be playing on for at least five years, you may want to rent first. This is also better for your budget. Some instruments sound better in the shop than they do at home, and this way, you get it play it for as long as you like to ensure you love it. If not, you can simply stop renting it. There's no commitment. Another beauty part is that you can decide to switch to another instrument if the current one doesn't work out.
Make sure you have a quiet place to practice. It gets irritating for you and for those you live with. Not everybody has this problem, and it can be worked to your advantage, but I still say, your family won't like it every time you practice, and you won't like the constant interruptions. So that quiet place is probably your bedroom, or maybe an office. Whatever feels the most natural.
I love finding new blogs, websites, and YouTube channels that are about music. A lot can be learned from them
Another thing. My teachers never did this with me. Most of mine just wanted me to learn a piece, practicing like I'm performing, and move on once I could play it well. So that's what I did, until I started reading blog posts and such, and found deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is so much better than mindless practice. Because if you are just going through the motions, you're basically wasting your time. Deliberate practice means you take a couple of measures of the music, and you master them. You move on, doing that until you get to the end. Now, some teachers will ONLY do this method, and then expect you to play the full piece wonderfully the first time, especially during an actual performance.
I don't. I find that notion absurd.
In one practice session, I like to play a piece both ways. Say, I'm practicing three pieces (Für Elise, Rondo Alla Turca, and a Chopin Nocturne) and a Hanon exercise. This would be my one-hour practice session:
- Hanon exercise to warmup, probably to speed.
- Five minutes deliberately practicing Rondo Alla Turca
- Five minutes playing through Für Elise
- Five minutes Hanon, slowed down. I like to work on hand independence during this.
- Five minutes Chopin Nocturne, deliberately.
- Five minutes Rondo, played through
- Five minutes Für Elise, slowed down and played deliberately
- Five-ten minutes improvisation. You don't have to do this, I just like to.
- Five minutes Chopin, played through
- Five minutes technique. This could be hand independence, dynamics, trills, or anything, really.
- Then I either pretend I'm actually performing, or I just do whatever I feel like doing. Sometimes I practice with a piece playing on my phone. Sometimes I repeat a piece, sometimes I end practice early.
The point is, work smarter, not harder, in whatever way that suits you. Your practice routine will probably grow to be different than someone else's, and that's good. You're growing as a musician and finding your own style.
Find some other musicians around. It can be a great experience playing with others (like mingling with the locals in that illustration). You can learn a lot from them, and with them. You can improve a great deal this way, and plus, it's fun.
Some teachers and musicians will pressure you to perform. My second piano teacher did, constantly. He'd be going on about how you aren't a musician if you don't perform. Poppycock. You are a musician when you play an instrument. If you perform, you are a performing musician. If you perform for profit, you are a working musician. In any case, you're still a musician, end of story.
Anoher thing my teachers have done, is drop a recital on me a month before the date. They gave me no previous warning, no previous preparation. And I went along with it. I was also only eight or nine at the time. The first piano performance I gave was okay but not great. I was only at level two, and played one page of a level five piece, something I'd have no difficulty with now, but I did then. I wasn't ready. Then I went to another teacher a couple of years later, and she wanted me to perform. Again, she dropped it on me a couple weeks before, expecting me to be ready, and I did it, but it wasn't great. I wasn't ready. Then last year, there was this casual get-together a bunch of our friends had. The night before, I randomly joked about how I should bring my violin and play. My mom completely agreed, and I guess I felt like if I didn't, I'd be disappointing her and everyone else. So I did it. And guess what? I wasn't ready. FINALLY, in August, I was thinking of casually performing at a little fair in my area, and I was going to do it. Then I decided, nope. I'm not ready to yet. Now, I'm preparing for a recital in May, and I think I will be ready.
So perform if and when YOU are ready to, not when others start expecting it of you.
In hindsight, I'm glad I did do those performances, because I've learned from them.
Anyway, best of luck. Don't give up on your dreams and goals. You'll get frustrated along your journey, you'll want to give up. Just remember that life isn't just about the highs. It'd get pretty boring if it was. It's also about the lows and everything on between. One path will take so many twists and turns you'll be confused by the end of it. It's how you view it that makes the difference. What's the difference between a straight path and a crooked one? The crooked one is much more entertaining. Don't give up unless you're really certain that's what's best for you.
Hope this helps, though it's long.