How Long Does It Take To Learn to Play Instrument ?

It is a question which is asked by almost every beginner, from young students to adults. It is natural to want to know how long will it take to be able to play an instrument. However, most people often forget the fact that it is their practice time and commitment towards the instrument that will determine their progress. Then again, there are some other factors as well which shapes up the duration of their progress. We usually have two different age  groups of students, namely young students and adult beginners. Let’s discuss these two groups individually under specific parameters.

Young Students (Aged 8 years to 12 years) 

Approach to Learning: Young beginners should have fun with their instrument. As they are just getting to know the instrument and the skills they can achieve while learning it, it is very important that it excites them and inspires them to work toward progress. As they are young, theories and basic reading should be introduced in a progressive and practical way so that they can take in the details and master one aspect at a time.

Objective: Their objective should be to perform in about a year with the knowledge they have gathered during that time. They should be able to connect with their instrument and play the tunes they want to play. Once they can execute the music they hear, there is a sense of achievement that inspires them to learn further and therefore accelerates their learning progress as the instrument has catches their interest.

Duration: If you are a complete beginner and aged between 8-12 years, it may take you about 6-9 months to have a strong command over the basics, especially certain techniques such as chord shifting, pitch change and the coordination of both hands or hands and feet (as this requires advanced motor techniques), etc. Students aged above 12 has the capacity to take more information and process a bit quicker, so they might be able to have better command on basics in 4-6 months.

Adults

Approach to Learning: As an adult, there is an interest to learn and play the instrument that has been there a long time but you haven’t found time or you had other commitments. There are also cases of adults who’d learn from the ever-growing internet but are either unsure due to too much information or stuck at a point where their progress has been constant for a long time (they don’t know where to go next). First as a working adult, you have to decide what you want out of it. Is it just to play in front of friends (as a hobby) or gather knowledge to be able to play in a band or release your own compositions, or for therapeutic, stress release or other reasons. Whatever the reason is, you should ensure that where ever you are learning from (teacher or institute), should be flexible enough to suit your timings as well as your goal. So, it should be goal or result oriented approach.

Objective: The objective should be able to measure your progress and layout a practice schedule that works for you. Keep in mind what you want to achieve and spend time on that. Try to excite and inspire yourself during practice which will help you commit to the instrument more. Keep playing the songs you love other than just the exercises your teacher might have given you for your improvement and make a conscious effort to understand what you are executing.

Duration: If you are just beginning, it will take you at least 3-4 months to have good command over the basics and then further take it to the level where you will be able to play along with certain songs and even hum it yourself. It also matters how you see yourself playing the instrument, if you expect yourself to be able to jam along with other instruments, it will take a little longer especially if your just beginning to learn your instrument.

The duration is just an assumption, and not always true but it is the average time one takes to finally understand their instrument based on our experience. There are other factors that determine how long it takes to progress including daily practice of the exercises and lessons given to improve muscle memory. So, make sure that you set your goals and follow them with plenty of regular practise and commitment to achieve them in the duration.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

References

http://www.bucktownmusic.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-learn-an-instrument-tips-for-success

4 Ways to Choose Your First Instrument

Are you the few ones who are eager to learn a music instrument but torn between which instrument to pick up? You want to emulate your idol and play like them? Or you want to compose your own music but not sure about which instrument will help you realising your dream? 

Here is our guide to the various factors to consider while choosing an instrument to begin your Music Journey.

1. Your Interest

First of all, what interests you? What are the kind of songs that you love to listen to and would love to play yourself? Which instrument excites you the most? This can help you decide which instrument would best suit you.  Piano/Keyboard is very versatile and can help you compose without any limitations, whereas Guitar is the most compatible instrument you can learn. Drums would take some space but if you are a fan of hard hitting, letting your groove out on a beat, that’s the instrument for you. There are certainly many other instruments, but let’s talk about the common and popular ones. It completely depends on what you are looking for through music. You could learn vocals if you enjoy singing your heart out and humming to tunes.

           

2. Preference of Music Genres

If you are into Rock and Roll, Guitar might be the most popular choice but if you want to create rocking beats, you might as well go for Drums. Or, You are in to Pop, or electronic music, then Piano or Keyboard is the smartest choice for you. If lyrics is what interests you most, then Vocals is a good choice. Every genre of music is dominated by an instrument or two, so do the research on your favourite songs and artists, learn about the process of making and you might discover love for a particular instrument. Which part of your favourite song would you like to imitate or learn? That will let you know what you really want to learn and play.

3. Practice Limitations

Before you begin to learn an instrument, map out your schedule. See, how you would manage the time for your regular activities and learning an instrument. Understand how much time you can dedicate to learning an instrument, what kind of space you have for practice? If you are learning drums, make sure you have the space to set up your drum kit and insulate your room with basic sound proofing so that neighbours aren’t disturbed. Also, if you are eager to learn vocals, you have to practice in a room where you can move around and sing with a loud open voice. There are many affordable ways to soundproof your room, a lot of information is available online for the same. At the beginner level, learning guitar may take some time, so make sure you have the time to regularly practice guitar. Keyboard/Piano are relatively easy in the beginning, however as you advance through higher levels, you will have to give time for any instrument to master the skills that is required to play the instrument to its fullest capability.

4. Budget

Different instruments would cost you varying amounts. Although this shouldn’t be the deciding factor that prevents you from learning the instrument you want to, we will still discuss different instrument cost. The cheapest would be learning vocals as it doesn’t require any instruments in the beginning, as you begin to perform regularly, you might want to buy a microphone that would help you understand the dynamics of singing on a mic. Guitars can be very affordable, especially in the recent times with big brands producing low budget guitars with very decent quality, and it can serve you for a long time as well. Pianos are costly, however keyboards can be found in affordable prices but to get a good quality, long lasting instrument, you might have to cash in a little bit, but for composers, this is must have! The costliest of all the beginner instruments is the drums. Although you can easily purchase pre-owned affordable drum sets, if you are looking to invest, this is an instrument that will last for a long time. As we discussed, budget should not be a factor in deciding what instrument you want to learn, as the investment you are making will serve you for far more benefits than loss if you are really interested in learning and playing the instrument. One thing is for sure, if you have the desire to learn, you will not regret doing the investment on the instrument you would love to learn.

We hope these factors will help you take an informed decision about what instrument you decide to learn. Whether it is enjoying playing your favourite tunes, jamming with friends at a party, becoming a professional musician or sound engineer; one thing we can assure you is that you will never regret learning music. So, don't wait, choose the instrument your heart desires and begin your Musical Journey today!

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.