Playing a musical instrument takes your mind on a rewarding adventure. Even just by experimenting a little without knowing much about music theory, it’s possible to make nice sounds from an instrument. Many times the instrument contributes to the quality of a performance, but it’s the player who must rise to various musical challenges to ensure a smooth presentation. Here’s a look at compelling reasons to learn a musical instrument.
1. Create Your Own Entertainment
The best reason to learn a musical instrument is to use it as a tool to generate pleasing sonic sensations. You never have to play for an audience if you prefer to use it for private experiences. It can be a motivator and a mood escalator. The beauty of any instrument is that it empowers you to express yourself as an individual through the universal language of music. Each instrument has a certain character that the musician can expand upon and offer their own personal touch.
2. Entertain Friends and Family
Another reason to learn to play an instrument is to provide the gift of entertainment to friends and family. Giving personalized living room performances creates memorable moments. You can bring positive energy through music to your immediate circle, which makes a great stable nucleus if you choose to build a following. Learning to play familiar melodies as a solo artist helps build your musical profile with your most devoted fans.
3. Become a Professional Musician
From guitars, keyboards, and violins to horns, bass, and drums, musical instruments can impact the mood and energy level of a room full of music lovers. Even passive crowds can be affected by music. By becoming a pro musician you create a potential collection of revenue streams for yourself. One way to develop as a local music figure is to get hired regularly at nightclubs, which often want cover bands. In addition to getting paid for live gigs, you can earn revenue from digital downloads, streaming, and teaching a music course online.
4. Get Paid as a Session Musician
One of the highest paying opportunities for a musician is to get hired by a recording artist to lay down tracks in the production of songs and albums. Moving to music industry cities such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Nashville opens up more possibilities since endless major recordings are made there. The more talented you are on an instrument, the better chance you have of standing out in the competitive market.
5. Develop a Local Following
Once you become a proficient musician who can perform comfortably for an audience you can begin to nurture a local following. The key to building a following is building a steadily-growing email marketing list. Developing an interesting website, running diverse email marketing campaigns, and finding fans through social media platforms are the most important digital marketing vehicles for developing a local community of music fans. Commanding a loyal following will open many pathways to success.
6. Write and Own Songs
Although it’s not necessary to learn an instrument to become a songwriter, it certainly helps. The more you understand an instrument or group of instruments, the more you’ll be able to venture into arranging, which involves working with multiple sounds. Songwriting is a great exercise for exploring creative ideas in music and lyrics. Creating music allows you to own the copyright and decide how to license the song’s use.
7. Exercise Your Mind
Playing a musical instrument elevates awareness, which is why the best musicians are often called geniuses. Awareness of tones and timing is the key to constructing a musical presentation that holds the attention of an audience. Tones are sounds that can be varied with pitch (frequency), timber or tone color (warm, bright), texture (thickness), amplitude, and duration. Many musicians develop through experimentation, learning which notes and chords go well together.
Conclusion
You can simply play an instrument for fun, use it for wellness enhancement, or make a career out of it. Playing an instrument helps build self-confidence and awareness of how music is tied to both logic and emotion. Portable instruments that can be taken anywhere are deeply satisfying for traveling musicians.
One way to expand your knowledge about instruments is to explore sites like music-oriented websites. It’s a great starting point for learning about which instrument models are appropriate for beginner, intermediate, advanced, and professional musicians.