I have heard it so many times from many of my friends and acquaintances, that I think this needs a clarification once and for all.
So, many people ask me: Do you think I can start playing at my age? How long would it take me to learn and to actually be able to play an instrument? I have always wanted to learn how to play the piano, where should I start?
The majority of people I know, are interested in learning how to play an instrument, and it’s not only because I am a music educator. Research confirms that 2 out of 3 people would love to learn how to play an instrument. (*)
Playing an instrument is the best hobby you can have! It will give you the opportunity to nurture a fantastic form of self-expression, calm your nerves, create and compose something for you and the people you love,and play along with friends letting them embrace their dreams of becoming a singer for the night.
So that’s it, I am doing it! Here’s the ultimate list tackling all those excuses people have about actually trying to learn an instrument. Because those barriers are actually much smaller than what people think.
1)Time (or the argument of “I would love to but I don’t have time for it”)
Many people think that learning an instrument will take hours of practice every day. They are probably imagining the likes of Lang Lang, Horowitz or Bill Evans, when it comes to playing an instrument.
And yes, they are right! It will take hours of practice (some say 10, 000) to become a professional musician. But honestly, are you really planning on becoming a professional pianist/ instrumentalist, touring the world’s concert-halls? If not, relax and think it over! It takes less time than you think to achieve a satisfying level of playing an instrument and I am convinced that anyone can spare a couple of hours a week to embrace music. So why don’t you get started and wake up the musical talent inside you?
2)Money (or the argument of “It’s too expensive”)
Assuming that you don’t have a friend or family member who can lend you a guitar or a piano, here is some good news. An entry level instrument can be as affordable as €90. And the lessons? This really depends on the way you want to learn, but what if I told you, that you can actually spend less than €10 per month on professional piano-education? (…Just keep reading…)
3)Commitment (or the argument: “I am not good at committing to something, I know I will quit after a short period”)
Well, of course, if you don’t like something enough to keep doing it, it is very likely that you will quit. But why is it that we choose to commit to some things and to others we don’t? Have you ever decided to stop catching up with your best friend or voluntarily stopped watching your favourite movie? Or have you ever quit reading an amazing book because you had an unstoppable desire to do the dishes? If yes, please come and visit my kitchen! 😉 Well, the key to commitment is motivation and motivation is based on a simple mechanism: An activity is self-motivated when you get more reward out of it than the energy you put in.
So how does this translate to learning a musical instrument? Well, everyone I know, who has ever experienced producing beautiful music through their own hands will agree that it is one of the most rewarding activities out there. You may think it takes lots of commitment to achieve this, but believe me, every minute you spend practicing will turn into hours of reward. Try it yourself and I can assure you, that playing an instrument is one of the most fulfilling activities you will ever experience.
Okay, so now that we have busted these myths regarding some of the major barriers to learning an instrument, what are you waiting for?
The guys over here at Skoove have some great news for you:
Do you want to know how it feels to play the piano even if you don’t have a piano? You can start today! Go and check out Skoove, you can try it with your PC-keyboard!
Just to prove my view of myth one and two: Skoove can actually teach you to play the piano at your own pace and without spending a fortune. You can login to Skoove whenever you feel like you want to practice or learn. Skoove has developed a system that can get you playing your first melody within minutes using the right technique and from the comfort of your room, with real time feedback that guides you to play correctly and on tempo. At the same time, Skoove teaches you how to sight-read notes.
Oh, and did I mention that the the premium version of Skoove costs less than €10 per month?
If you have always wanted to learn to play an instrument, that’s it, no more excuses. You can really do it in an affordable and effective way. Start now and make your musical dreams come true.
* Base: Population, Weighted average USA, UK, Australia, Germany Sources: GFK (2012), Gallup Poll (2009), Nexus (2007), OECD
