How to Get Good at Music (According to the Experts)

According to Liberty Park Music, one of the most important things you can do is to give yourself one or more tasks which push you toward a particular outcome. They suggest the SMART method. This means your goal should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. In other words, give yourself a particular target to achieve, one which you can see progress on, that you can conceivable attain, that you want to attain, and that you can put time restraints on.

But just as important (arguably moreso) is practicing consistently. Ideally, you want to block off 30 minutes or more per day. But even ten minutes a day will make a massive difference over inconsistent rehearsal. There are limits, of course. If you spend too much time practicing, there will be diminishing returns, you will exhaust yourself, and burnout will become inevitable. Regardless, keeping at it every day is key to improving your abilities.

Once you’ve gotten past the basics of your instrument, it may seem counter-intuitive to backtrack. But to keep yourself sharp and to be sure you’re going to be able to take things to the next stage, you should go back to basics as a warm-up for your current progress level. Whether this means vocal exercises or running dexterity tests or simply playing scales, you’ll build up your focus and control, as well as prevent strain.

One of the best ways to accomplish the self-assessment we mentioned before is to record yourself and then listen back. Sometimes we are so focused on, for instance, finger placement and strum pattern that we can’t perceive when and where and how we are deviating from the ideal. It is much easier to identify areas of improvement if you can hear yourself playing without having to focus on the mechanical aspects of playing itself.

Clearly, taking lessons on your chosen instrument is one way to advance your skills, but can you get as far on your own? The Cross-Eyed Pianist shared an excellent blog by Jessica Yeartie which breaks down all the external factors and internal reasons why someone might choose to teach themselves versus why they might decide on taking lessons from a professional instructor. Much of the discussion centers around the individual abilities and learning style of the student.

Of course, finances are a major factor for some folks (and indeed the author of the aforementioned blog herself). However, there is a feeling of obligation which develops when one is paying for lessons which may act as an additional motivation to excel. But outside of that, because teaching oneself requires the ability to self-motivate and self-evaluate, one must be of a very particular disposition for this to even be an option. On top of that, you have no foundation upon which you’re able to build: that of the years of education received by the instructor.

It is easy to pick up bad habits in the form of poor finger placement or improper vocal technique which may cause literal physical damage to yourself, let alone lessen your ability to perform at a peak level. You’re unable to receive any feedback on your play-style and progress, which can hamstring your progress, heavily.

If you scan through old music forums, you will find countless different examples of individuals advocating for professional lessons, wishing they hadn’t quit taking lessons, or bemoaning the fact that they didn’t take lessons at all. Of course some advocate for self-teaching, but the counterarguments are too strong against this method for far too many reasons (if you want to get good, that is).

So, if you’re ready to begin your musical journey for any of these reasons or so many more, head to Silversound’s website to check out your options!

Have a topic you want us to tackle? Email info@silversoundguitar.com with the subject line “The Soundboard Suggestion”. We cannot promise every request will be run, but we 100% want to hear what matters to you.