What it's like to learn a musical instrument.

The nature of a blog is that the person blogging writes something worth reading.  There are, of course, endless topics and subjects that one can cover.  

In this space I will usually write about things relating to music, teaching, learning and related topics that pertain to my area of expertise.  My goal is to make it interesting and informative enough for you to want to read it and take away something that you can use.

So...for this one...let’s talk about what it’s like to learn a musical instrument.

As I teach, I sit across from many, many students from all walks of life.  Inasmuch as everyone is different, everyone has the same thing in mind - “I want to learn to play this instrument!”  

The goal in itself is fairly simple, with many deeper levels of complexity that most students don’t think about.  After all, most people that start learning an instrument for the first time are usually just “hanging on by the skin of their teeth” for the first few months....or more.  If there is an equivalent to Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs in the musical world, most students are at the lower end of the pyramid just seeking survival.

Peak experiences are not even part of the students’ thinking and honestly will not be for quite some time.

In fact, I have told many an adult learner that starting a program of learning a stringed instrument is going to be uncomfortable at best, for a few months.  The reason for this is that, as an adult, one already does most everything pretty well on a daily basis....most of it taken for granted.  Think about it...you get up, take a shower, get dressed, have something to eat, drive to work, do your job, come home, fix dinner, write emails, do chores, etc. etc.  Each one of those things has an unlimited number of aspects involved with it that takes a huge amount of ability that we don’t even think about.  If you think I’m wrong,  just ask a cybernetics engineer who programs robotics....those things would take billions (maybe trillions) of lines of code to do...and still wouldn’t be as good as a human on a bad day.  SO...when you, as an adult are posed with a problem like playing the violin for the first time, you will probably feel like you are learning to take the first few steps as a toddler and THAT is WAY out of most peoples’ comfort zone.  

In fact, learning an instrument can shake up your self-image without you even being aware of it.  I have had some students confess that they had felt a certain diminished self-worth while in the beginning stages of learning.  This wanes, of course, with the passage of time and gradual progression toward more command of their instrument.

If you have read this far, all this may sound a bit negative and daunting.  WELL...the good news is that once one passes through this awkward stage of learning, the rewards are typically pretty great.  The world expands and new possibilities present themselves that never before existed.  Students begin to think, “Gee...I really might be able to do this....and actually make it sound like music!”  That, in itself is usually a big revelation that makes everybody feel pretty good.  

So, what can you take away from this that will be useful?  

Simple....the bottom line is that you have to stick with it in order to get to the good parts.     I have said many times, “If you can outlast the instrument, then you will learn it.”  This is especially true of the fiddle.  Persistence is a key element in learning a musical instrument as an adult, or child for that matter.  

As an instructor I give advice all day long, some of it followed, some not, but the one thing I can say without reservation is that if you start a learning program with a musical instrument, you will be rewarded with innumerable benefits if you hang in there.

So.....hence my website name:  Stick To Picking!

Next time we’ll touch on the subject of frustration and how to overcome it.

Posted by Robert Bowden at 1/1/2010 11:10 AM
Categories: uncategorized
Tags: mandolin lessons violin learning music learning banjo lessons music lessons fiddle lessons
 

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