Music is one of the most fundamental human pursuits, an ancient art form and a modern fascination alike. It stands to reason, then, that many people find themselves entranced by what music can be and what it can do, and these people often want to attempt to become musicians themselves. Doing so will require a lot of hard work, but these tips can help you get started.
Modern musicians have more tricks of the trade available to them than ever before, and the final product thereof is all the more diverse as a result. Regardless of what your setup looks like, you’re going to need to at least have your instrument or instruments of choice. A band will need a group of band members and a place to practice. Garage bands are so named because they play or used to play in a garage or other relatively small space. This can necessitate whole house surge protection in order to prevent your practice sessions from bringing down the house with the use of electrical equipment. Some musicians, still yet, use a computer in lieu of traditional instruments, and electrical concerns are even more prescient. Many of these things won’t be for you, but your needs and desires will likely change as your skill or that of your band develops. The important thing is not necessarily to strive for a certain ideal but to live in the moment and work around your existing needs. Think carefully about the resources you have at your disposal and how to leverage them effectively, as well as what you need and can reasonably obtain.
Practice makes perfect, or as close as anybody can really get. What you might not realize is that even natural talent needs to be supplemented with frequent, regular practice. This will accomplish a couple of important things for any skill. First and foremost, practicing on a consistent basis will keep your muscle memory fresh in your mind, allowing you to pick up and play when it counts. On the other hand, practice of any kind will inherently help you to improve your playing. This is especially true when it comes to more targeted exercises that target your specific weaknesses and broaden your horizons. This is not only true of your skills at playing an instrument, but also your ability to compose music andwrite lyrics. Generally speaking, you should always be meeting up with bandmates at least once a week, while a solo act can more easily fit a small amount of practice in virtually any part of their schedule.
Samuel Johnson once claimed that any good writer must also be an avid reader, and the same applies to any art form. By exposing yourself to the works of others, you can better learn the language of the art form. As with practice, listening to the music of others is something that must be done regularly. However, simply listening to music won’t do the trick. You need to devote your entire focus to a piece in order to really hear it on every level, and that’s the kind of analytical perspective you’ll need to have in order to internalize styles and techniques from which to build your own. While you might think that this counters originality, it has to be said that originality is somewhat of a myth. You arrange old parts in new ways, but coming up with a wholly new idea is a rare and legendary honor. For the most part, artists of all kinds “steal” from other artists and use those stolen ideas to forge new ones.
Becoming a superstar is a lofty goal to aim for, but you know what they say: shoot for the moon, and you’ll land among the stars. Honing your craft and dedicating yourself to your goals will take you a long way, and these tips will help you get started.