Learning music is beautiful. It’s not just fun and fulfilling. It is also super cool! You can entertain yourself and your friends. You can create sounds and soundtracks for plays and student movies. You can replicate the works of your favorite musicians and build on them. The possibilities are limitless.
Many of us worry that we lack the talent or the inborn gifts to make music. We feel those we look up to in the musical world have skills they were born with. Skills which, to us mere mortals are well out of reach. Not true! Most of the successful musicians you see today got where they are by trying. What we mean is, they worked their way up. If that is indeed the case, which it is! So can you!
We’re going to list six bare essentials. If you’ve got these, it is only a matter of time before you start on your way to becoming an adept musician.
The Will
The first thing you need before anything else is the will! Do you love music? Does it do something for you? What drives you to want to create it. Answer these questions and connect with your inner desire to learn. It is your will that is going to keep you steady and committed. If you lack the will, there really is no way!
The Regularity
Many 80’s and 90’s rock n roll videos make one huge mistake. They depict a rock star as being a degenerate teenager who is needlessly rebellious and good for about nothing. They proceed to follow narratives where said useless teenager stumbles upon a guitar and suddenly solo shreds himself to stardom! This is the furthest thing from reality possible. Even those with musical talent would we nowhere if they did not practice. Practice regularly and when you can for it is the only way to get good at anything.
The Patience
Leaning any new skill requires patience. You won’t start making music like those you inspire you right at the start. Hell you might not even manage that a year in. For starters you might even have to navigate through a bunch of unfamiliar musical terminology as well! What we’re trying to say here is be patient with yourself. Understand that skills, and internalizing them takes time. Keep practicing and eventually you WILL see results.
The Humility
When learning music, there are often times when you suddenly figure out how to play a certain riff, tune or melody. It is important to enjoy these small victories but it is also important to stay humble. Remember, stepping onto the boarding platform of a space rocket does not mean you’ve walked the moon yet!
The Love
The first three necessities become easy if you’ve got this one. The love for all things musical will automatically generate a genuine interest in what you’re learning. It will drive you to spend more time learning and exploring musical possibilities. It will also make practice hours that can sometimes be rough more manageable.
The Equipment
The best things in life are truly free, but sadly when it comes to music you do need to shell out a bit on equipment. Whether you’re purchasing a guitar or spinning tables, you will incur costs. The equipment is however necessary. Having your own gear means you can practice when you want and as much as you want uninterrupted!
Conclusion
If you’ve got the six things we have mentioned above then what are you waiting for? Pick up that equipment and get started! If you’re already playing and want to amp your composition possibilities check out our Music Notation and Composing Software! One click should get you started!
Music Jotter is an easy to use music notation program that allows you to create, analyze, sample and play back music via realistic playback or semi-real time recording.
