The Fastest Way to Learn a Musical Instrument Guaranteed

In last week’s post on pricing when you buy musical instruments, I mentioned that you need to negotiate when you purchase instruments and accessories.  It’s important to think of the retail price in a music store the same way you’d think of the sticker price of a new car: an imaginary number that has nothing [...]

Today’s post is specifically aimed at people new to the world of buying musical instruments and accessories.  If you’re purchasing your first instrument, or you’re a parent of a child about to start music lessons, there’s something you need to know about the purchase process: The price is highly negotiable. Many people walk into a [...]

In recent posts, I’ve discussed the usefulness of hand-held digital recorders and digital video recorders for musicians, music students, and music teachers. In another sign of the rising popularity of these devices, Music Inc., a trade magazine for music retailers, included an article in its May 2010 issue on the importance of these products for [...]

The world doesn’t work the way musicians think it does.  Here’s a typical thought process of musicians about their chances of success: If I work hard and get really good on my instrument, there will be plenty of gigs for me.  With this music degree from a prestigious university or conservatory, I’ll get hired to [...]

Music students often set themselves up for feelings of failure when they tackle a new task.  They think the task will be easy, and, when they find out that it’s actually quite challenging, they question their own abilities rather than rationally looking at the difficulty of the task itself. Here’s a perfect example: transcribing.  For anyone unfamiliar [...]