***Why a musical instrument?***
*There are different ways to express oneself. When some express themselves the best by writing, when some do it by painting, some take up a musical instrument. In short, any musical instrument is for "**expressing oneself**"
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***Is it going to be a big commitment? ****That depends on the person. You could play it just for yourself and your family / friends, have fun during weekends or get-togethers. In that case, it is not going to be a big commitment. If you want to get good to such a level that you entertain lots with on-stage performances, yes a lot of commitment would be required. So it depends on one’s goals.
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***Which instrument? ****The choice is based on the style of music that one likes. But even the most famous musicians have explored with various instruments before settling with the one they like the most. So you can just pick it up and try.*
***Self Learning vs Teacher ****Whether one goes to a teacher to learn or not, self-learning must always be there when one learns an instrument. Teacher would only be a guide to show the path. Without a teacher, one might make a lot of mistakes at the start and spend a lot of time correcting the mistakes whereas with the teacher one learns good techniques of playing, right away. But having said that, making mistakes is a good way to learn, and also learning from a teacher can " restrict ". Self-learning is great, as it teaches one how to "explore" with the instrument. When one goes to a teacher he/she should understand that the teacher’s lessons aren’t the only lessons, and not lose the "exploring" attitude.
****Youtube for learning: ****Lots can be learnt from youtube. There are three main ways of learning.
(1) Watch and learn(2) Read and learn(3) Listen and learn
In youtube, you can watch and learn. and accomapany it with notations and books on how to read-music. Listening to a song and trying it out on an instrument is the best way of learning, but well that comes with experience.
****When to buy an instrument? ****I’d suggest that the instrument is bought, right when one is excited to learn. Age is never a factor.
****How to choose? ****Should play and check how it sounds. Thats the most important thing while choosing one. So if you you can play a bit, you can try it out youself and check if you "love" the sound.
Then comes the playability. Atleast with respect to guitars there are ones that are so hard to play for a beginner( due to the’action’)and ones that go so smooth
**If you are not sure if you can test it right, by yourself, take with you some one who is experienced. Or certain shops have good musician to guide you. You can ask that person to play and show.
**Don’t buy it unless you love the sound. Even if it means going to so many different shops and lots of checking out.
Also, I’d say a big "no" to buying a second hand one if you are a beginner. A second hand one may be cheaper but might be low on playability. so one loses interest as a result. Thats the last thing that one wants to happen.
****Cheaper one vs Costiler one: ****The cost doesn’t always play correspond to "how good" it sounds and the playability. So if you find an instrument low-priced but sounds extremely good and also looks playable, consider yourself lucky and buy it without hesitation. Remember- "costlier ones sound better" is not true all the time. They often sound better, but not always.*
***So what various things can you do with an instrument? ****You can.
play for your lover
play for your kids, at night, at bed.
play the little ad song that comes up on the tv and have fun
jam with your friends.
"compose" tunes, or little songs, then add https://lyrics.
record your compostions and listen to them whenever u feel like
teach others when you get good
make stage performances or make business out of your skills
This list is just endless, but again its about "feeling good" while playing and being able to "express yourself the best".
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***"Performing on an instrument is like a birthright, and I think everybody should do it. Being on stage with tremendous musicians is really an honour. It excites me! " - Steve Vai***
*Have fun playing!*