Did you know that you don’t actually need to be talented or have a natural ear for music to play it well? Not having natural abilities does not mean that you won’t be any good. With enough hard work and dedication, anyone with or without prior musical ability can absolutely play an instrument, produce beats, understand theory, and develop and hone their skills.
If you’re eager to travel down this path and immerse yourself in a new, exciting world of music, this comprehensive guide may help you get started:
Understand Why You Want to Learn Music
Before you learn music online or in person with the help of an experienced teacher, take a moment to consider the reason why. Some people learn for fun, so they can pick up a guitar at a party and engage the crowd. Others want to express themselves, and music is an excellent tool.
There are people who want to learn music so they can perform or kickstart their dream career. Others want to gain confidence, develop their skills, provide an escape from work or school, among so many other reasons. No matter what your ‘why’ is, it can help you stay committed to your new goal, even when things get difficult.
Choose Your Musical Path
Music is a broad field, and some areas will grab your attention more than others. For example, you might be drawn to singing and vocals, or your passion could lie in music theory and composition. Instrumental performances are also a popular area, where you can learn a wonderful array of instruments like the guitar, piano, drums, and violin.
The beauty of learning music is that learning one instrument can provide a strong foundation for learning others. Even if you decide that you don’t like one instrument, you can often apply your musical knowledge to others in the future.
If you’ve never learned an instrument before, pick the one that excites you the most. All musical instruments have their benefits and challenges. Many musical professionals recommend starting with piano or guitar, but that is not always sound advice. People thrive when they are most excited about what they are doing.
Learn Music Theory
While some people can play instruments by ear, understanding and learning music is often far easier when you have at least a basic understanding of music theory. Music theory is the study of the fundamental structures and practices of music. Essentially, it’s the grammar or language of how the music works. Core parts of music theory include:
- Reading music and music notation
- Notes and scales
- Rhythm
- Chords and chord progressions
- Key signatures
It’s easy to assume that these are the ‘rules’ of music, but they are more tools that describe how music sounds the way it does. For example, you can learn songs faster and create your own when you understand chord progressions, melody, and notation. If you can’t write or read music, you will have to commit everything to memory, and that is very difficult.
Keys and Key Signatures
A key has two parts: a “home” note, known as the tonic, and a collection of notes used in that key. The key signature is the sets of sharp or flat symbols put at the beginning of a musical section which defines the key. They tell the musician whether a note is sharp or flat throughout the piece consistently, and which note is the tonic. You’ll find key signatures after the clef at the start of a musical piece, and they define the key to play in.
Pitches and Scales
Pitches are the individual sounds that are represented by the letters A to G, as well as sharps and flats. They form the building blocks of melody and harmony in music. When played, a pitch is a single, distinct sound. It can be sharpened or flattened by being raised or lowered by a half step.
A scale is an ordered sequence of these pitches, which can be ascending or descending. T Major scales, consisting of seven notes, tend to sound happy and bright. Minor scales tend to express more darkness or sadness. Each scale has a unique pattern and a combination of whole and half steps, which are the distances (or intervals), between the notes. Different patterns of intervals can convey different emotions, or affects.
Don’t confuse pitches with notes. A pitch is simply the highness or lowness of a sound. When referring to a “note” in music, we are referring to a pitch that also has a duration in time.
Rhythm
Rhythm describes the arrangement of sounds and silences through time in music. It is the sequence of the notes’ durations, or pattern of long and short notes. The key components of rhythm are:
- Beat: Steady heartbeat of music
- Tempo: Speed of the beat, described in beats per minute (BPM)
- Meter: Organization of beats in a pattern
- Time signature: A symbol that defines how many beats are in a measure, in other words the meter
- Rhythm: Combinations of short and long notes played over a beat, or how the notes progress in relation to the beat
Timing refers to the precision, placement, and execution of the rhythm, relative to a steady, underlying beat.
- Precision: How well you synchronize perfectly with a beat or ensemble to make sure notes land where they should.
- Feeling: Good timing can make a performance feel tight, but poor timing can make it feel dragged or rushed. In music that has swing, the feeling can be altered by how long and short the pairs of notes are, such as “hard” and “light” swing.
- Syncopation: Emphasis on in-between or weak beats to create an unexpected rhythmic feeling
Understanding rhythm and timing in music theory learning can take time, as the two components are often interchanged. However, they represent different parts of music. Rhythm revolves more around the ‘what’ of music, referring to the notes you can play. In contrast, timing is about the precision of how you play those patterns in relation to a song’s pulse.
Chords and Chord Progressions
Understanding chords and chord progression is how you develop the harmony of music. Chords describe sets of three or more notes played simultaneously to create harmony, whereas a chord progression is a sequence of those chords played one after another.
Chords are the building blocks of harmony, with the notes normally stacked in thirds. An example would be C-E-G when playing a C major chord or A-C-E when playing an A minor chord. In a chord progression, they are a sequence of chords that move from one to another.
In popular music, they often repeat to form verses or choruses. Unlike chords, chord progressions are often written in Roman numerals to show the scale degree. I-V-vi-IV is one of the most popular chord progressions in rock music and modern pop.
Build a Consistent Practice Routine
Learning music can be daunting, especially when you’re trying to familiarize yourself with terminology you’ve never heard before. However, stick with it and form a consistent practice routine, and you may be surprised by how much progress you make. Aim for daily 20 to 30-minute practice sessions, rather than long, irregular ones. Focus on the following:
- Warm-up exercises, such as scales and finger drills
- Practicing your technique, including improving control and accuracy
- Learning songs or pieces
- Being creative with improvisation or composition
During your regular practice sessions, set realistic goals. For example, you might aim to master a scale within a few days or an entire song within a week.
Develop Your Ear
You often hear people describing talented musicians as having ‘an ear’ for music in the same way an artist has ‘an eye’ for art. While some people undoubtedly have a natural talent for music, you can develop your ear into one of your most important musical skills.
Having an ear for music helps you recognize notes, chords, and melodies by sound, rather than written music. To improve your ear, focus on:
- Playing the melodies you hear
- Identifying whether notes go up or down
- Practicing matching pitch with your instrument or voice
- Actively listening to music and focusing on the different elements
Learn the Songs You Love
You can’t hope to enjoy learning music if you aren’t learning the songs you love. Stay motivated by choosing songs that genuinely grab your attention. When you find a song you want to learn, break it into sections, practice slowly, and focus on accuracy before speed. When you reach difficult parts, repeat them until you perfect them.
Learning music can take time, passion, dedication, and consistency. By identifying your ‘why’, setting goals, and spending time on the fundamentals, it won’t be long until you’re confidently playing the tunes you love.
