How To Motivate Yourself to Learn a Musical Instrument

Learning a musical instrument is a popular option for people looking to pick up a new skill. As an adult, many of us regret the choices we made as kids to either not learn, or quit the instrument our parents encouraged us to learn. 

However, as an adult, having some musical skill will open up a range of unique experiences and opportunities that you may not have had otherwise. 

So whether you’re looking to play an instrument for personal pleasure or you want to use it as an opportunity to make friends in a music group, learning an instrument and sticking to the dedication required to be a success can be quite challenging- particularly when you have adult responsibilities that can tend to get in the way of practices 

If you want to learn a musical instrument as an adult, here are some top tips to help you to stay motivated. 

Why do you want to learn a musical instrument now? 

Maybe you had a few lessons when you were a kid, or you always wanted to play but never had the opportunity. Perhaps you’ve just always thought it would be cool to play a particular instrument, or your favourite song has a great melody on piano, guitar, flute, saxophone, tuba, ukulele, whatever it is. 

Maybe 2020 taught you that life was too short to spend all of your time either working or sleeping and you want a more fulfilling hobby to impact your life.

There are so many reasons why people may choose to pick up an instrument as an adult.

Don’t spend too money much on an instrument when you start out 

Musical instruments are expensive. Many people looking to motivate themselves to play will spend a few extra $$ on their instruments to force themselves to play. However, if learning the instrument doesn’t fit in with their lifestyle then that is a lot of money wasted that could have been spent elsewhere. 

This is a bad way to motivate yourself. If you’re not 100% certain you will stick the playing the instrument, there are also options to hire one until you’re ready to make the investment. 

Pick a method of learning that suits you 

Thanks to technology, there are a number of apps available that encourage you with learning an instrument. Most importantly, you start learning with what you have. If, for example, you want to play the piano or keyboard, you can easily learn digitally via app. 

There are a number of online courses that take you though the basics of how to play an instrument and how to read sheet music, which will give you a solid foundation when it comes to playing any song you like later on down the road. 

Of course, traditional teaching works well, too. Even during the pandemic many teachers are able to offer their students one to one lessons via video call. Teachers are able to give you live feedback so you know just how well you’re getting on and the areas you can improve on.