Advice on taking up an instrument?

Question

I don't know how to read music and I've never properly learnt an instrument before, but it is something that I have always wanted to do. The problem is that I'm not certain on what instrument to take up (I know that whatever I choose won't be easy and I'm prepared to work hard at it!).
 I looked at learning the piano but I have no space to get one (no means of practising). I've also thought about the guitar and maybe the keyboard...

I would greatly appreciate any suggestions or advice that anyone has for me :)

? · Accepted Answer

Efficient use of practice time and having a good teacher is the best advice I have to offer. Also outside of practice do mental practice eg) studying scores, counting and clapping rhythms, theory and practicing hand shape .Listen to more than one version of the music you are playing before developing your interpretation. Also work on your technique eg scales etc.
I don't know about guitar but Richter is the only good self taught pianist I know. You'll pick up lots of bad habits and you won't know it- usually only more advanced musicians will be able to pick up mistakes like this.
These mistakes can take years to fix, sometimes even a whole lifetime and they can cause injuries also so be very careful.
Do not do hours and hours of practice a day unless you are seeing your teacher more than once a week. Beginners usually will practice 10-20 minutes a day max so if you do 3 hours in one day you have already done the equivalent to 9-18 days unsupervised by a teacher... let alone a whole week. If you want to progress faster through practice, listen very carefully to your teacher's advice and do a maximum of an hour. You can gradually build your practice up over the years (I do 4-6 hours now of actual instrument practice and I don't like to do any less but I started on 20 minutes for a year or so before upping it to 30, then 45 etc.).
Just make sure that you are doing good practice in that time. Do not keep going over the easy stuff and neglecting the hard stuff. It's a waste of your time and effort.

? · Answer

Keyboard is actually a great start to getting a piano. That's how I started! If possible, get a keyboard with weighted keys. It's not quite the same as an acoustic piano, but it'll definitely help you learn concepts you otherwise wouldn't on just a regular midi keyboard.

One thing you can do if you aren't yet ready to invest in an instrument is begin learning how to read music. You can go here for note reading flashcards:
http://makingmusicfun.net/pdf/lesson_resources/flash-cards-bc.pdf
http://makingmusicfun.net/pdf/lesson_resources/flash-cards-tc.pdf

If you learn just three notes a day, you'll be able to read music notes in less than two weeks. The great thing about both piano and guitar is you can sing along with either of them. They're both great solo instruments, and easy to join a group as well. You really can't go wrong with either of them.

If you happen to have an iPad and need help starting out with piano, check out the app Singspiel. It's an app that helps beginning pianists approach and learn piano in a fun way.

If you have any more specific questions, please feel free to ask me. I'd love to give any advice I can!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/singspiel-piano-free-app-that/id826732411?mt=8

Sun · Answer

As somebody who's tried to learn both of them, I stuck with the guitar, mainly because I enjoyed it more. Try both of them, I'm pretty sure you can do trail lessons and have a see which one you prefer! But I did the wrong thing of not playing mine for over a year and now I'm really struggling in reading music and playing

Trending News

Advice on taking up an instrument?

3 Answers