How to Start Playing a Musical Instrument

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 15:55:56 +0000

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SleepyGamer from our live community is a musician. He wants all of us to realize that learning to properly play an instrument takes work and dedication. There are “right” and “wrong” ways to learn. Here are his tips to get you started.

When buying an instrument for the first time, don’t buy a really expensive one. It’s a lot smarter to buy something cheap, so that if you decide it’s not for you, you haven’t wasted a ton a money on something that you will never use! If the instrument doesn’t play very well (like a guitar or bass), have the shop assistant set it up for you, they might do this as part of the buying deal, or at a minimal extra fee.
Get a teacher. This isn’t necessary, but some people respond to a teacher better than others. Some private teachers offer a free first lesson, so that you can see how you like it and get along with them.
Learn at your own pace. There’s no need to blaze ahead and try and start playing things that you just aren’t ready for yet. I remember trying to learn how to sweep pick on guitar after just playing for a few months! It gave me a really bad technique that I had to shake off before learning it properly.
Learn songs that you like. If you start to learn songs by artists that you like, you will develop your technique, and it will give you insight into how to compose music for yourself. But remember not to advance along to songs that you aren’t ready for yet, and start off by playing them slowly. This way, when you speed it up to the original speed, your fingers will already know what to play, and will be better prepared for playing it, than if you had started at full speed!
Develop your own style. You don’t want to sound exactly like another artist, otherwise people just might say, “Oh, you sound a bit like so and so…” and look past you. Whereas if you sound new and original, you will be more likely to become popular!
Don’t get GAS! GAS is Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. This is a terrible disorder that forces your hard earned money out of your wallet, purse or bank account, and converts it into a few pieces of wood that are cleverly stuck together in a nice way, with some metal bits and strings attached!

Here are some more tips, sent in by saxophonemaniak:

Choosing your Instrument When you consider buying an instrument, the most important thing is not to buy what most people consider the easiest or most popular. Choose the instrument that you have heard being played and have always wanted to try. However, such obstacles as price can become something that might stop you from buying an instrument. So, you must consider whether you really want to work on the instrument, or if it is just a hobby. For a hobbyist, there are cheaper models known as “student models”. These instruments are usually less than 600$, but are not as good as professional models. For enthusiasts or people that really want to work on their instrument, you should consider professional models later on. Professional models are usually $800-$40,000, depending on what you want. An important thing to know is that instruments will last a long time, be lots of fun to learn and won’t have to be upgraded within the next year.
Lessons? Learning to play an instrument without lessons is definitely possible. You will learn faster and more efficiently with a teacher. A teacher can help you learn difficult techniques that are required to play an instrument. For instance, the trumpet requires the buzzing of the lips to produce sound. A teacher can also supply you with proper learning materials based on your skill level, and slowly make things harder as you progress. Teachers can also show you how music works. If you do not have any experience with music notation, a teacher is required. All in all, if you want to get a good start into learning your instrument without the migraines, get a teacher.
Why don’t I sound like Coltrane? (the famous Jazz musician) Usually when you first play your instrument for your friends or family, they will almost 100% of the time will gasp or cringe. Keep in mind they are used to hearing professionals play. They will assume that’s how you will sound at first. Don’t let this get you down. Have them give your instrument a try, so they can see for themselves how hard it is.
Ugh Practicing! Possibly the most hated part of learning to play an instrument would be practicing. Nobody likes to do anything repetitive, and that is what practicing is essentially. However, practicing is required to get better at any instrument. To make practicing fun, you have to have a passion for the instrument and want to get better at it. Even sitting down for 15 minutes to play your instrument would be considered practicing. When you practice, you should always warm up with scales, which are basically organized notes. The main thing about practicing is that you should want to do it and not be scared that other people might hear you.
Fine Tuning Your Skills Just because you know the fingerings (specific finger positions to change the pitch) or have a good embouchure (mouth position to play instrument)… doesn’t mean you’re finished learning the instrument. There are several things that you must master before you have become a “pro” at the instrument. Such things as Tone ( the sound of your instrument), air control ( how long you can blow into your instrument) or Speed can be important factors that could dramatically change the way you play, if you improve on them. These skills take time though, so much practice is required. These skills are worth the effort.

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How to Start Playing a Musical Instrument

How to Take Care of your Guitar like a Hero

Chris Pirillo — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:46:27 +0000

How to Take Care of your Guitar like a Hero

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Here is a great top five list sent in by a community member, who says this can also apply to most any musical instrument. It’s very important to take good care of your instruments, as repairs can be very expensive.

Store your instrument in a temperature controlled room. Putting your guitar in a room that has constantly changing temperatures and humidity levels can be bad for it. Remember that a guitar is basically just a piece of wood, so it’s sensitive to humidity and the like. The consequence may be as little as the strings getting out of tune, but it may be as severe as the neck of the guitar warping, which is very hard if not impossible to fix.
Clean the fretboard regularly. When you play your guitar, dust and dead skin can fall onto the frets which can get stuck in the grooves in the wood. Over time, it builds up and will look very bad. Sweat and other things may build up as well. I’ve seen a guitar which had some sort of black buildup on the frets and it was very disgusting. I would never have played a guitar in such a condition. Buildup like this could potentially block the strings if it gets too high.
Change the strings regularly. Changing the strings is just like changing the tires on your car. Would you want to drive around on a very old and worn out set of tires? No, you wouldn’t. While old strings aren’t quite as dangerous, they can rust and potentially snap off and hit you in the face, which is never a pleasant experience. By changing the strings, you will also improve the quality of the sound your guitar will produce. Rock stars don’t change the strings on their guitars before every show just for the fun of it after all! Old strings can get out of tune a lot faster than new ones. Also, make sure you buy the correct gauge of strings. Changing to a gauge that’s significantly higher than the previous one can have negative effects on the neck: such as bending, warping, or even cracks developing in the wood.
Invest in a good case and/or stand for your instrument. Buying a cheap case or stand is never a good idea. Why spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a guitar when you’re going to put it into a $10 case which may fall apart as you’re holding it? Your investment may just crash down to the ground. A good stand is also useful. I hadn’t even thought of this until recently when i went out and bought a new stand for my guitar. How the stand is built can have positive or negative effects on the instrument. Things like where the guitar is being supported can affect the guitar negatively. By getting a stand that hangs the guitar from the headstock rather than one that it sits on is better for the neck joint, which is a very sensitive part of the guitar.
This one is a bit subjective, but a good thing to do is to invest in guitar cleaners and polishes. The lacquer on an instrument can wear off over time, and it may not wear evenly so you may end up with a strangely painted guitar. Using a guitar cleaner and polish can help prevent this, as well as make your guitar look nicer. Having a clean instrument makes you look more professional.

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How to Take Care of your Guitar like a Hero

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How to Start Playing a Musical Instrument

How to Take Care of your Guitar like a Hero