When I was thirteen or so I got interested in playing guitar after seeing various rock bands in the Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert show.
This was an American television music show during the 1970s and early 1980s.
It featured top acts of the time like Alice Cooper, Steve Miller Band, Joe Walsh etc. and they all fascinated me with their enormous talent and cool looks.
In those days if you wanted to learn the great songs, other than take expensive lessons you had to try to figure out the chords and licks of the music by ear.
Image by Mike Wall from Pixabay
My cousin who was a bit older than me actually played so I got him one night to sit down and show me a few chords. One of the best ways to really learn fast is to sit down with musicians that know more than you.
Human interaction and the investment in time and energy in learning to play music must come before the results.
He taught me the major chords A, D, C, E and F and some strumming patterns on an old flat top guitar that I managed to buy second hand.
Since then my musical hobby has progressed into playing in different country and rock bands and later on in life learning to play a few different instruments such as bass guitar, bodhran, mandolin and piano, the latter of which I am taking online lessons and finding it the most fun to learn.
Just like any hobby that one is passionate about, I have found too that playing an instrument brings you a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Also you get to associate with some very talented people.
Some of the known benefits of playing music are:
- Reduces Stress
- Increases Memory Function
- Helps Increase Coordination
- Makes You More Creative and Develop Patience
- Strengthens the Immune System
- More Socially Active
- Builds Your Self Confidence
Plus the ability for you to meet, interact and have fun with new people having a common interest is priceless.
I think my life would be pretty ordinary if I had not picked up that old flat top guitar and learned those few chords many years ago.
These are just a few of my experiences and you too can also reap the benefits of learning to play an instrument.
Today there are countless tutorials online today that can get you playing just about any instrument with a little practice and patience so why not go for it.
If you like piano for example HD Piano is a good place to start.
It’s an easy and accurate fun way to learn hundreds of popular songs.
I got a portable keyboard as a Christmas gift one year and went from there.
It doesn’t have to be too expensive as long as the keys are the normal size.
Also if you prefer, there are more formal courses from Udemy which is a US based open online learning provider.
We hope this gets your toes tapping!
- Learning to play any musical instrument has lasting benefits and can greatly increase your overall health and quality of life
- Learning to play has never been easier with the online approach to teaching/learning and the abundance of new course material available
