The Fastest Way to Learn a Musical Instrument Guaranteed

Yesterday’s post listed some online metronomes available for musicians.  Today’s post takes learning music one step deeper into current technology: iPhone apps.
There are many apps available for musicians and music lovers.  Some of these apps are just for fun, and others are true tools that make musicians’ lives easier.
Here are two metronome applications available for [...]

When you learn music–whether it’s how to play piano, how to learn guitar, mastering the trumpet, learning drums and percussion, or whichever instrument you choose–being able to keep a steady count is one of the most important skills to develop.
Using a metronome during your practicing will help you with this skill.  If you practice with [...]

Most musicians focus on their technique when they want to improve their musical phrasing.  They try to figure out how to manipulate their instruments to create the right sound for each phrase.
This approach works, but it is very time-consuming and doesn’t allow musicians to be creative. 
There’s another way to go about creating expressive phrases:
Instead of [...]

Yesterday’s post gave a list of tips to help you get the most from a first music lesson.  Those tips all had to do with musical goals and your instrument. 
Today’s list deals with more general and practical issues.  These issues are important for having a successful initial music lesson:
1.  Confirm the date and time with [...]

If you’re about to take your first music lesson, there are a few things you can do to prepare.  By following this list, you’ll get more out of the lesson and enjoy the experience more.
1.  If you’ve been self-taught or studying with another teacher, and have been using some music books for guidance, take these books [...]

In a recent post, I mentioned some difficult performance situations that had a devastating effect on musicians.
Let’s discuss what you can do in the practice room to prepare yourself for these situations.
In a nutshell, you want to create some discomfort in your practice space.  You need to know that you can deal with a bad [...]

Although it’s important to have a specific practice space where you feel comfortable, it’s also important to be realistic about the demands of performance spaces.
All kinds of issues can come up during a performance, including bad lighting (including having a spotlight in your eyes), extremes of temperature, terrible acoustics, audience noise, and not being able [...]

If you are breaking down your music into sections, you give yourself attainable goals, help the memorization process, and learn everything faster.
However, you should be aware of one common issue with practicing sections: making a smooth transition from one section to the next.
Here’s a look at the unsuccessful process of learning sections for most musicians:
1.  [...]

As a culture, we need to emphasize sportsmanship more for musicians.   I said “sportsmanship” instead of “musicianship” because we don’t really have a word for courteous behavior in the performing arts.
“Musicianship” is defined by the Random House Dictionary as “knowledge, skill, and artistic sensitivity in performing music.”
These are undeniably important factors in creating a great [...]

 
In a recent post, I wrote about the SMART Goals system and how musicians can use this system to achieve their musical goals.
One of the five points in this system is to have Attainable Goals.  When your goals are clearly achievable, forward momentum rushes into your life, pushing you to achieve more and more.  This is [...]