learning an instrument (1 Viewer)

magicbastarder

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better to go for lessons or are there any decent online courses? i can't play music and have a tin ear, but know plenty of people who are very talented muscically (including my wife, who is in a choir and was a choral scholar in trinity), so am jealous.
my wife used to teach piano to kids when she was younger, so there's that option. i have a piano and guitars available to me.
what's the best way to start?
 
Get mates to show you some basics. Maybe you'll find out if you're willing to put the effort in,then figure out if you need lessons etc.
I reckon to get much out of YouTube you still need some of those basics first,and maybe someone in the real world to help with more specific things or point out mistakes you are making. A mate could fill that need,but sometimes mates aren't the best teachers long term.

And if you have someone to play music with,it's a huge help.
 
Cheers, I guess your spouse teaching you an instrument is not the same as them teaching you to drive, easier to pull the keys from the ignition. Just don't know if she'd have the patience for me...
 
Cheers, I guess your spouse teaching you an instrument is not the same as them teaching you to drive, easier to pull the keys from the ignition. Just don't know if she'd have the patience for me...
I tried to reach my now wife the guitar, not particularly successful (although she is still my wife, so not complete disaster).

Second the learning from a mate thing, but the structure of classes or something might be good as well??
 
Cheers, I guess your spouse teaching you an instrument is not the same as them teaching you to drive, easier to pull the keys from the ignition. Just don't know if she'd have the patience for me...
not the same thing but I'm trying to learn the missuses language and not a hope in hell I was gonna get her to teach me. To keep the peace at home I avail of the services of someone else.
 
i'm just curious how much my brain is set in stone now i'm more than halfway into my 40s. it didn't excel at music even when i was in my teens. i tried playing guitar back then but was lazy and sold my guitar when the music didn't start flowing magically from my fingertips.
 
I bought a banjo and lap steel many years ago and still haven't learned to play them. I get frustrated at my lack of skill and just revert to playing guitar.
I gave away a double bass for the same reason.
 
About 10 years ago I did about 6 or 8 months of fiddle lessons. I improved a little but not much and I've barely touched the thing since. It's too loud and shrill, unpleasant for me and anyone in the vicinity.
 
@magicbastarder piano is way too hard for a first instrument, takes years to get any good at it

I'd say ukulele is your best bet. It's easy enough to learn, fun to play* on your own, and there are loads of ukulele groups around if you want to do it socially (and playing socially is the best part of being a musician). You can get a playable one for under 50 quid, and it's supposed to be possible to become proficient on it in 20 hours

* like really fun to play. There are just so few options that you don't have to worry about playing it well, you just horse into it
 
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Tuning is different, so chords you learn on one won't be playable on the other. Probably similarly easy to play, but honestly I'd say you're better off with the uke just because they're more common and ukulele groups exist
 
my hands are a bit beat up and sore (woodworking and wall building) so really not the best evening to be practicing barre chords. ow.
 
my hands are a bit beat up and sore (woodworking and wall building) so really not the best evening to be practicing barre chords. ow.
If your hand are sore maybe a woodwind or brass instrument might be an idea?
Or
 

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The main thing is practice imo. If you get lessons you should be given a practice schedule/homework too. Don't think it's ever too late to learn. I've played bass for years (badly) and only got my head around guitar and bass in a better way in my 30s/40s.
 
On a somewhat related note, can you "learn" piano by thinking in shapes like a big guitar dummy?
 

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