The Fastest Way to Learn a Musical Instrument Guaranteed

Handheld digital recorders are fast becoming a favorite item for musicians.  There are many musical uses for these handy devices, from recording your practicing to recording rehearsals and archiving your performances.
In the age of Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, personal blogs, and band websites, many musicians are realizing the need to have video as part of their [...]

Yesterday, I attended the American String Teachers Association national conference.  Many music students and beginner musicians don’t realize it, but there are national and international organizations for players and teachers of just about every instrument.  Their conferences allow music teachers to share ideas, learn new teaching techniques, and explore an exhibit hall with all the [...]

In a previous post, Feeling Good vs Sounding Good, I mentioned the necessity of recording yourself practicing to have any hope of really knowing what you sound like.  A portable digital recorder is the best tool for the job.
There are several other uses of digital recorders for musicians, and I recommend that you incorporate a digital recorder [...]

Technologies available today make it easier than ever before for musicians to learn to play their instruments.  From digital recorders, advanced metronomes, and iPhone apps to accompaniment software, YouTube, and web-based learning, musicians have multiple resources that make the learning curve easier to deal with.
There is, however, one big problem with instructional CD-ROMs, teachers’ YouTube [...]

What can you do if your practicing bothers your roommates, family, or neighbors?  Many musicians face this issue daily.
The easiest solution is to find a time of day when you can practice and not bother anyone.  A second approach is to practice at a professional rehearsal studio or in a university/school practice room if either of these is available [...]

How do you know if you sound good when you play?  Most musicians are so busy focusing on playing that they find it difficult to listen to themselves as they play.  Instead, they rely on feeling good about the runthrough.
I’ve had countless students who have said to me during a lesson, “It felt good that [...]

Online music videos are among the technologies readily available for anyone learning to play a musical instrument.  Both live performances and how-to tutorials are waiting for you online–usually for free–and all musicians absolutely must utilize them.
Watching video of music you are currently practicing can have a profound effect on your learning curve and your ability [...]

Whether you’re setting up for a music lesson, practice session, rehearsal, or performance, you should always be to tune your instrument.
There are now apps for the iPhone that act as your tuner-on-the-go.
Here are two tuner apps to try out:
(1) Stay In Tune (by Sonzea)   $3.99
This is a chromatic tuner with a large display.

(2) Cleartune [...]

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 [...]