How do YOU learn an instrument?

Hello.
 
I think teaching yourself at the outset is good, it shows me how committed I'm going to be to the instrument, will normally take you far enough to produce some little pleasant passages and gives you enough knowledge to be able to select a good teacher from there.
 
Then again my main instrument is drums so it's likely I don't count. I played drums for 4 or 5 years and made out pretty well but got locked into some pretty deep ruts with my playing so eventually did some intensive coaching with some really good players.
 
If I didn't have some self-gained knowledge already though I wouldn't have known what the REAL questions were, where I was getting stuck, and conversely what my strengths were.

All a teacher is going to do (for the most part) is guide you, and force you to do the basics. Essentially, you always teach yourself. The teacher simply makes you do it....and can provide some handy tips and info to ease the path. 

I bought a mandolin a while back. It came with a chord/lesson book. That's all I needed. 

Sit down, put some music on that is compatible with a mandolin and experiment..... look up the chords in the book, try to remember the chords.... play the song again... repeat...... focus on the solo..... listen to some other mandolin players who are pro's..... try to pick up some licks...... try to replicate on the mando..... repeat..... repeat...... repeat...... do the same thing tomorrow..... 

yeah... self taught for me.

davdud101
when you first get a new instrument that you haven't experienced before, how you YOU like to learn it?

 
I think I would like to "esperience it" on my own, without any preconceived ideas ... for example ... I like my bass the way it is, and I can come up with bits and pieces that I can probably tell you a small story ... about my feel at that moment when I hear it ... it's not a song, or anything ... but it is something that I can do ... and good, bad, horrific, not a song, or bs ... is not important to me, because the feeling was there at that moment and tomorrow will be different.
 
But this is hard to do in music, and with other folks around, because so few folks are taught, to "discover" something new, and most of them think that the only time they can discover what they know/have inside, is AFTER you know the notes, the chords and what not ... and the very feeling you had, might have absolutely nothing to do with that whatsoever! I get criticized a bit for that now and then ... but it is the only way I can describe it ... I love it when someone wants to describe a moment in time, as a creative moment, and then ... on the next sentence, they work on invalidating that information because they can't repeat it ... sometimes it the "process" for learning about that moment in time, is NOT to know the notes, chords and timing ... but to simply play it as you feel it, and let it become "known" to you ... and the rest is easy for you and all of us.
 
I do this in writing all the time! and sometimes, the reason why I use ... is called  "thinking pause" in poetry, and in theater a "pregnant pause" ... but in a DAW ... a stupid waste of space and time! See the difference? ... now you lose a whole other bit and piece that woulc/could/should make a difference ... but it is not considered. You lose the ability to "color" the moment of the playing ... because it has become all too mechanical!
 
At that point, based on my experience with actors on the stage and film, you do not need 5 hours of practice a night ... all you need is "concentration", and the "pure'r" that concentration is, the better you will play it or read it, or love it, or hate it. But as you get older, sometimes the fingers don't move as well, or the legs or the teeth, and you have to limber up some ... but I'm not sure this is "practice" as much as it is just plain old ... loosen up! To help you do what you need to do. 
 
Daevid Allen used to talk about these in his guitar/spiritual seminars! And you still wonder how he has all that boundless energy on stage as he approaches 70 ...   and still does glissando better than anyone out there! ...
 
If you feel it, and get to know it ... the rest is easy and doesn't matter! You might get fussier about your setup, though, so you can get it right!

Book a gig with it and see how concentrated you can get.  

I use the Affleck method.

Link

Define "learn..."

Jonbouy

yorolpal


That certainly used to be the case Mod, ol pal.  But today I'm not sure that not knowing how to actually play your instrument disqualifies you to perform in public;-)

Even in them ol' days, nay especially in them ol' days, I've performed plenty of times in public without even having an instrument at my disposal.

Because your disposal was in the kitchen sink and you were out on the streets?  Ya?
(Am I right?)

 I don't do well with a structured lesson program. When I learned to play piano I spent hours of playing things that weren't music and eventually after hours and hours and hours sometimes playing the same things over and over...what I did started to sound like real music..

 Learning the basic theory behind chords and scales was a big help. I'm not there yet totally but I can play pretty much what I want to play most of the time.

 Now I'm playing(or trying to ) guitar...same thing. I sit in a room and watch Youtube. Subscribed to one of those guitar lesson web sites. I go off the path all the time playing fun instead of what I should. I'm getting the hang of it. Making myself learn muscle memory. I have played out a few times and no one threw any thing at me, so it must not have been THAT bad. Working on guitar scales is a PITA but it seems to be helping some....I won't give up until I either learn to play or die whichever comes first. 

 I once felt a pang of guilt for not playing a left handed guitar but I like the way the thing feels playing righty...so now I am perfectly comfortable with it. Even seems to be an advantage in some cases.

craigb

Moshkiae


Hi,

Question for CraigB ...

"I play teaspoons in EVERY single album I have!" (And I'm pretty sure I took no lessons on them!)

Who am I?

The coke-fiend producer?

Someone who doesn't play an instrument but knows how to learn one and give advice on it?

I had to teach myself how to play the guitar, lessons would have cost £25 for half an hour which was not affordable for my parents having 4 kids. Stupidly I never did music at School which is a big regret for me as I have a pretty limited music theory and can only read guitar tabs. So for me i just practiced at any given opportunity I had and still do, I also like jamming with people that are more technically gifted than me as I tend to try and do stuff that I wouldn't normally do.

Stupidly I never did music at School which is a big regret for me as I have a pretty limited music theory and can only read guitar tabs.

 
Dangars, Groove3 has a music theory video if you want the basics on the cheap. http://www.groove3.com/str/music-theory-explained.html
 
They have a "music theory" catagory with some other vids too.
 
J

Many hours of practice, having a natural talent and a lot of dedication helps, for example,  

When I was teaching piano in the 1980's there was this one student who's heart was not into learning music and did not show much progress whereas his sister at age 10 was a natural and loves playing music and showed incredible progress (already advanced; final year) much like other students. 

And because of their love and wanting to learn they never failed to consistently do all their homework without fail. I got a lot of praise for that but I always told their parents it's because they are dedicated. 

Funny, I found that to be true with musicians in bands as sometimes you find the odd one who simply prefers to put other priorities such as; sports ahead of music and having a show coming up did not seem to change their attitude. Point is; all it takes is one loose cog in the chain to let the rest of the band down.

Other problems I found was for example; a drummer who could not get his mind off the girls in the band, he was always flirting with them. I got too many complaints from the girls and saw first-hand (for example; he deliberately enter their changing room.)  I had find a replacement.  Another drummer (aged 19) got a 14 year old pregnant, he had to go. 

Yet another problem, a guitarist who simply did not have the time to get his performances down pat due to having more dedication to sports and his self-employed floor coverings business. He was always showing up late with the same old excuse. Sorry, I run a tight ship like I said; all it takes is one loose cog in the chain to spoil it for the rest of the band. 

I spent all my entire life totally dedicated to music, spent school lunch breaks in the music room and did what ever it took to avoid sports and social events. I hardly had much of a social life and still prefer to work on music rather than hang out at the tavern with friends.  My wife is much the same as I.  

But there's another cost to all this, the risk of burn-out having to juggle long days along with working at night till early hours of the morning.  Sleep, was is that?... (that's what I would always say)!!  The other cost is technology; some musicians can be very prejudice and jealous, saying the most ridiculous things. Funny, I never got that response until I decided to change my music direction to from Classic Rock to Pop. 

Moshkiae

Beagle

craigb

Moshkiae


Hi,

Question for CraigB ...

"I play teaspoons in EVERY single album I have!" (And I'm pretty sure I took no lessons on them!)

Who am I?

The coke-fiend producer?

Someone who doesn't play an instrument but knows how to learn one and give advice on it?

You're both incorrect so far ... in fact this guy plays almost all of the instruments ... so your music theory is not complete!

it's almost like Sheldon....8 for 28!!!