Tips for Learning a String Instrument

Learning an instrument -- any instrument -- requires hours and hours of hard work and dedicated practice. Having said that, there are always ways to make the process a little bit easier. Here's a list of five of the best ways to speed your learning along:

Choose the right instrument.

If you've already spent years practicing, this piece of advice might be a bit late for you, but if you're just starting out then it's worth considering the type of string instrument you choose. If you're looking to go down the classical music route, something like a violin or viola might be your best bet; if, on the other hand, you're more keen to rock out with your friends in a band, you'll probably be more interested in picking up a guitar...

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The Hidden Value of Private Lessons

It's easy to think that the benefits of private lessons stop with the subject itself. After all, can having extra-curricular classes really affect your life that much beyond the specific subject you're learning?

The short answer? Yes. The slightly longer answer? Absolutely. There are benefits to having extra, private lessons that you may not even have considered. Here are just a few to think about.

Private lessons can broaden your interests.

There's a whole world of experience out there, and sometimes it's difficult to know where to start. One of the advantages of having a private tutor -- especially one for a subject you might previously have avoided paying any more attention to than absolutely necessary -- is that they're usually pretty knowledgeable about the wide variety of topics that subject contains...

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The Value of a Guitar Education

Like a lot of kids of my generation, I chose to take up the guitar in my early teens. I had dreams of becoming some sort of rock god by the age of sixteen and touring the country, gathering adulation everywhere I went. Needless to say, it didn't quite work out like that, but that's not to say that I didn't get far more out of my guitar lessons than I'd previously thought possible.

It's fun.

Unlike a lot of people who were pushed to learn violin or piano or the tuba by their parents, I absolutely loved playing the guitar. Every lesson was a complete joy, and practice time was less of a chore and more of a pleasure...

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