Learning music can be beneficial in many ways, including being therapeutic and helping you gain a new skill, broadening your horizon. Thankfully, you can learn music at home by yourself. Perhaps you’ve always wanted to master your most-loved instrument but don’t have the money or time to join a class or hire a tutor. With dedication and discipline, you can easily self-study your favorite music form or instrument. Plus, you go at your preferred pace and explore your interest. The following tips can help you start self-studying music right now.
-
Know your why
Like any field of study, you need to know and understand why you want to devote your time to studying music. Your reason must be personal, deep, and meaningful enough. Why is this important? Because, like any other study, the experience will be tough at some point, and you’ll have to rely on your reasons to continue studying and stay motivated. Unlike joining a music class or hiring a tutor, you’ll have only yourself to hold you accountable. And it’s easy to lose interest, focus, and even give up without anyone holding you accountable. You need to be able to push yourself, work hard on your own, and remain disciplined, and the only way you can do this is if you have a meaningful reason for wanting to study music.
-
Find resources online
The internet will be of massive help to you when self-studying. It doesn’t matter what type of music or instrument; you can find almost all the resources you need online, whether free or paid. There are blogs, learning materials, and online videos with tons of information you can use, some free and others at a very affordable cost. Youtube, for instance, is packed with countless helpful videos, and they’re all free. You can also find many people or experts online you can use as reference points and learn a lot from, depending on the type of instrument you want to master. Such experts can also be of massive help if you want to carve a career path through music. For example, you can learn to play video game music online from classical guitarists such as Jone Ruiz, if that’s where your interest lies.
-
Manage your expectations
Remember, you’re learning by yourself and mostly on your own. That means it might take much time to acquire the skills you need compared to someone learning with a tutor. But slow progress does not mean you’re not doing well, so remember to manage your expectations. It’s also important to have a positive mindset throughout your learning process and not give up when it gets tough. You’ll also need to make enough time and practice twice as hard.
-
Actively seek feedback
It helps to seek regular feedback during every stage of your self-studying journey, as you may not know how well or otherwise you’re progressing without a tutor. One of the best ways to get reliable feedback is to record your progress and compositions and share them with friends, family, or other musicians. But be ready to accept constructive criticism and learn from them to improve.
