Many people have a dream of being able to play their favorite music, or at least be proficient in another instrument, like the guitar. There are many ways you can learn how to play an instrument beyond just listening to lessons for hours on end!

There are several resources available online that offer free and paid lessons via video or text chat apps. These lesson plans are great because they are easy to follow and even easier to understand when you finish them.

Many of these sites also offer interactive exercises and games to hone your skills more quickly. The only thing you will need is someone who knows what they are doing to help you achieve your goal.

Playing an instrument has so many benefits such as improving your hand-eye coordination, self-confidence, and creativity. It is a fun way to spend time if you are ever struggling to find something to do.

Record yourself playing the instrument

The next step is to choose your song, genre, and instrument!

Once you have recorded your performance, you can now edit it and enhance its quality. If you are looking to learn how to play an instrument or want to improve upon your current skill set, then editing the recording is important.

You will need to reduce the volume of the music slightly so that you can listen to it easily. You may also want to lower the pitch of the note being played so that it sounds smoother.

Some people like to use software such as YouTube to do this for you. There are many ways to do this and depending on what instrument you are trying to perfect, there is a way to achieve this.

Slow down your recording

When playing an instrument, your speed or rhythm is very important! If you are too fast, then you will not be able to hear all of the notes clearly due to overproduction.

If you are too slow, then some of the other players around you will become annoyed. They may even stop listening if you take too long to play your part or wait for you to finish before their own parts.

By being aware of this, you can control how quickly you play by yourself. You should only need one or two minutes to complete each piece, so try and limit yourself to that time frame.

Then once you have mastered that timing, you can slowly increase it to see what effects that has on your music.

Listen to yourself and get tips

As we mentioned before, musical talent is very diverse and comes in many forms- not just limited to playing an instrument! If you are looking to learn how to play the guitar or any other instrument, there are plenty of ways to do so.

One way to begin learning how to play your chosen instrument is by listening to music that feature the notes for the song as well as the chords used in the song. By ear training, you will be able to identify what note each letter of the word ‘music’ sounds like.

By doing this, you will also be able to recognize the notes and chords being played in a piece, which will help you start playing along. You can even tell who the composer was if you are skilled in art.

Another helpful tip is to listen to songs with similar instruments to see how they use their instrument and what techniques they include. There are several apps and sites where you can find such information.

Practice often

Even if you have no idea what your instrument is, you can still play it! That’s why practicing musical instruments is so important. You should try to practice at least half an hour every day, even if you don’t feel like it.

Music theory and technique are some of the most fundamental things that aspiring musicians must learn. Luckily, these lessons are easily accessible via YouTube.

You can find music theory courses as well as how-to videos for beginners on almost any instrument. While learning the basics of music theory will definitely help you become more familiar with the instrument, watching someone play a few notes will also do you some good.

Practice makes perfect, and this is true not only of playing instruments but of anything else – from swimming to baking. Once you get into the rhythm of rehearsing, you’ll notice your skill improving rapidly.

Communicate with your friend

Now that you have tuned into each other’s music, it is time to communicate! Before starting any lessons, make sure both people are listening to the same song and matching rhythm patterns. This way, they will know what tone and tempo to use when playing along!

Having this communication done ahead of time will help you play together more smoothly. Also, if one person stops responding, it may be because they are no longer able to keep up with the speed or quality of the notes being played.

It is best to start by talking about how you learned how to play your instrument as a child before moving onto practicing together. This way, there is not need for confusion over which technique should be used or whether or not someone else’s method works better than yours.

If needed, you can also discuss things like musical styles, favorite songs, etc. To really get the most out of these lessons, though, you must be willing to put in some work.

Enjoy yourself

Having fun with musical instruments is an excellent way to learn how to play them. If you are not passionate about music, this can be very difficult to do. Whether you are learning piano, violin or guitar, being motivated to practice and spend time developing your skills will go a long way.

Having fun while practicing is important to keep track of. You should enjoy what you are doing, so if you are feeling tired or bored with a section, try to find a solution to make it more enjoyable.

Practice makes perfect, so don’t worry too much about whether or not you are playing well already. Just focus on having fun and keeping at it!

Music theory is also tricky terminology that takes some time to understand. There are many great resources available via YouTube and other sites which could help you along.

Record yourself again

The second way to learn how to play an instrument is by recording yourself playing what you already know! This can be done virtually via a device or software program such as YouTube, FaceTune, or Audacity.

By listening to your recordings, people will be able to see if you actually have the skills that you say you do and then they can judge whether you are really self-taught or not. Because of this, it is very important to record yourself being productive so that others cannot help but believe in you.

Recorded lessons are also great because you will get someone else to correct your mistakes while you are making them.

Keep practicing

Even if you have practiced for hours, there will be times when you just cannot seem to get the tone or luscious rhythm of your instrument. This is totally normal!

Practicing is like washing yourself- every time you do it, it feels better than before but still, some days are more challenging than others. That’s how it is with music too!

If you need help mastering a song, try listening to it along with good quality headphones/earbuds. Or maybe look into using YouTube as a practice space? There could be someone else who has done what you want to learn already so you can watch their technique.

In addition to keeping up with regular practices, try doing something different to hone your skills. For example, instead of practicing scales on the bass guitar, try playing through tunes or songs.

Charlie K

Charlie K is a music writer and blogger for Sounds of Gold. He also composes background music for a range of web-based businesses.