34 Little Music Lessons

On my birthday, I rounded up 34 lessons I learned (or relearned) over the course of the year. Given that I view myself as a musician first, I thought, “Can I think of 34 music-specific lessons? I don’t think I can.”

*15 minutes later*

“…Oh. I can.”

Second to breathing and existing (both very important things), I’ve probably spent more time thinking about or playing or listening to or writing music more than anything else. When I spend too much time away from my guitar, I become unpleasant to be around. Which is part of why I practice: to keep the people around me from going mad.

Anyway. Here are 34 lessons for the musicians out there:

  1. Listen to more music. I know it’s obvious, but it needs to be stated. Especially because we can be consuming just about anything we want at anytime. Don’t let music slide away.

  2. Listen to the music you love even more. Again, obvious. But important.

  3. Learn songs. We have a habit of learning half of a song or part of a song. but you should learn the whole song.

  4. Review the songs you know regularly. Otherwise, you will forget them.

  5. Keep a practice journal. It helps improve your playing.

  6. Set goals. It almost doesn’t matter if you reach your goals, but you need to focus on something.

  7. Find a teacher. Nothing will accelerate your playing like a good teacher.

  8. Play with other people - ideally better than you are. The best way to get better is to challenge yourself.

  9. Learn songs by ear. If you can transcribe (play by ear), the world opens itself up to you. Plus tabs, though helpful, are often wrong.

  10. Learn to read music. Guitarists don’t really need to read, but it’s a fun skill. And in some cases, you really do need to be able to read.

  11. If you want to know something, teach it. Even if it’s just to yourself, try to explain or show what you’ve learned.

  12. Don’t ignore the classics. They’re classics for a reason.

  13. Learn multiple styles. Chances are, you like more than one style of music so go learn how to play it.

  14. But you don’t have to learn every style. If you don’t like it, don’t play it.

  15. Learn to sing. It helps with so many things: ear training, getting gigs, keeping a band together, personal enjoyment - the list goes on.

  16. Learn to read music even if you don’t really think you need to. This is on here twice for a reason.

  17. Learn the melodies of songs on guitar. If you’re just starting out, single notes are easier than chords, and it will help you to learn the song better,

  18. Record your practice sessions. And listen back. You’ll improve.

  19. Don’t spend all your time on technical exercises. They are important, but it’s like productivity: you don’t be productive for the sake of being productive. You want to learn how to be productive so you can spend more time doing what matters to you.

  20. Music theory is worth knowing. It will not hurt your creativity. It will only increase your understanding of music.

  21. When improvising, leave more space than you think you need. Trust me. Just do this. You and your bandmates will be happier for it.

  22. Cliches are cliches for a reason. Use them.

  23. To test how well you know a song, change the key. And if you’re a guitarist, don’t use the capo. See if you really know the chords beyond their shapes and positions.

  24. It’s never too late to learn an instrument. I promise.

  25. Sing in a community chorus for a bit. You’ll get better at harmonizing and meet some lovely people.

  26. Learn basic maintenance for your instrument. And perform it - change your strings!

  27. Always tune! Always! Did I say always? I mean always!

  28. There’s a reason piano is used to teach and talk about theory. It’s very visual and simple to approach. String instruments and horns and woodwinds don’t have that luxury.

  29. Think about how other instruments approach how they play and incorporate that into your own playing. It will make you sound better.

  30. Remind yourself regularly why you want to play an instrument. This isn’t a slog. This is enrichment.

  31. Spend time in silence. You need silence. Just like your solos need space, your ears and brain need space and silence to process all the stuff you’ve learned.

  32. Learn the notes on the fretboard for better playing in general. Guitarists are one of the few that can “get away” without knowing the notes. But only for so long.

  33. You will not always see or hear progress but if you’re practicing the right stuff it will happen. Music takes time. Remember that.

  34. Have fun! We call it playing music for a reason. It’s not “toiling away at music.”

That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope you found these helpful!

Yours in music,
Amy

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