How to Learn Music at Home During a Pandemic

There is something about music that makes it admirable for anybody at any age. It almost seems like people start loving music from the exact time when they obtain their sense of hearing. The magical power of music is able to lift our spirits providing an endless source of inspiration. Or it can fuel our hearts with a strong will to go out there and do things vigorously.

While many people like to listen to music, others actually play musical instruments passionately. And it doesn’t really matter whether the performance was held for the general public or just for a small circle of friends or family – the joy is equal.

The ability to play music has many benefits. Probably one of the most valuable benefits people get from playing music (in addition to having lots of fun) is significant memory and muscle coordination improvement. Those people who learned music from a very young age have stronger memory and tend to focus better on the given tasks.

Do you know what else is so great about music? The answer is: music can be learned at any age! You can learn music completely from scratch now without even leaving the house. Thanks to digital technologies. There are plenty of websites for learning music online and music online courses available today for beginners. So, if you’re a beginner, read this post to find out the best way to start learning music!

Step 1. Decide what music you’d like to play

The thing is that when it comes down to music styles, some styles are easier to get started with than the others. For example, learning how to play popular pop or rock songs can definitely be easier for a starter compared to classical music pieces.

Once you make up your mind with a music style, choose an instrument that most appeals to you. If you narrow down your choice, the kind of music you want to play will probably reduce the options. Do some research and figure out what instrument would be easier to get started with and more gratifying at an early stage (eg. piano vs. violin).

Step 2. Set realistic goals for yourself and learn music online

Start off by reviewing the daily scheduler that you currently have and determine how much time you actually can dedicate to music practice. Don’t omit the importance of having your set of goals all written out or at least defined in your mind. This way you’ll have a more clear picture of what you want to focus on and how to track improvements as you move along in your daily practice. We recommend trying a so-called “SMART” system that should make the process of setting goals a lot easier:

Specify. Make sure that you always set specific goals avoiding unrealistic assumptions. You can do that by telling yourself the following: my goal is to learn how to play the four chords of my favorite pop song, my goal is to learn how to play a tricky ten-measure section with no mistakes, etc.
Measure. Remember, by having a set of measurable goals you will be able to track improvements whenever the goal was met.
Achieve. Be realistic and keep your goals to your actual level of skills, so you’ll have a much better chance of achieving them. The sense of achievement is very important during the process of learning. It will keep you motivated for learning more.
Relevance. Keep your practice goals aligned with your overall goals. For example, ask yourself: Do I need to learn how to read guitar tabs for playing piano for my best buddies?
Time. Set target dates for your goals for learning music. For example, set a specific period of time (like one week) for memorizing note names.

Step 2. Teach yourself music theory

Music theory is incredibly important, and learning it helps your practical ability if it’s done properly. Here are some benefits to having good knowledge of music theory. Without music theory knowledge, you cannot read sheet music. Since in the process of learning music online all by yourself you have to rely heavily on learning videos or an online coach who guides you through the notes and rhythm, your practices become more efficient if you know the theory.

For those learners who understand music theory and can figure out the notes and rhythms on their own, it is much easier to decide what fingerings to use or how to play the notes by themselves. Thus, the music is practiced more mindfully. Lacking this music theory knowledge would mean that you can try learning it through music online courses offered by eLearning platforms like Udemy or Grinfer. Most of these video tutorials will let you learn at your own pace. Basically, you’ll be able to learn at whatever speed you choose – faster or slower. Also, with such courses, you’ll be able to get over lots of guessing, like “do I use the right finger?” or “Is this the right note?” So, try online music courses created by professional musicians who won’t let you develop bad habits.

Step 3. Learn how to play music basics

Depending on the instrument, you might be able to get started by yourself relatively easily. Browse around the Internet and find some good free websites that have beginner methods. Some of the web resources have a really good setup and will give you a good pathway to success (check websites – justinguitar.com, pianotv.net). Some people might prefer real tutors, books, or mobile apps – all are complementary and useful.

Don’t aim to play like the record! Keep your level of motivation up, stay consistent with your music practice exercises. Eventually, you will be able to interpret the song to even make it your own!

Check video tutorials on Youtube because they’re also pretty useful. Or you can browse Grinfer to find the right-for-you online course. Find tutorials that will show you exactly how to play a given song (search “how to play song name on instrument”, or “song name instrument tutorial”). You can also find song chords online or in cheapish books at music shops.

Step 4. Get in the habit of practicing music consistently

Yes, music theory is useful to aid your performance. However, even though you’ll have the best music theory knowledge in the world, you can still be a terrible player, if you don’t put enough hours into practice.

Here is a quick outline of how you can practice effectively:

Start with one rhythm instrument. Rhythm is what keeps the beat in the music. Something that is repeating over time to form a melodious base. The backbone from where you can go for guitar or piano.
Learn basic major and minor chords. And actually understanding how a combination of two or more notes forms a chord. What is the reason for that single chord to give such a feeling? For example, all major chords would sound happy while all minors would feel sad. The difference between them might be of a single note only but has such a great impact on the entire feel of the chord.
Move on to learning scales and modes. These are necessary for solos and creating music. Your skills are tested here as to how well you know a scale and play it.

Keep your practice sessions not more than half an hour a day so you won’t be overwhelmed. But make sure that you stick to the scheduler. Make them fun and set them up as “music breaks” just to reset your mind between your other daily routine tasks. Odds are music breaks will become something that makes your other pressing tasks less stressful. That’s the power of setting the mind on a positive vibe through music.

Step 5. Learn to perform for other people

If you picture yourself in the future as a good performer and musician, then you have to learn how to perform for crowds. This can be really difficult because if your music style will be copied from someone else, then people won’t follow you. People like authentic musicians and so much everybody else who copies them.

In reality shows, we see a lot of good singers but do not get that much fame after the show even if they can sing difficult songs. So, to copy someone is a bad idea and to create your own identity one would have to create his or her own style. In order to do so, one must have to wait and work hard for success.

Step 6. Learn music with online courses on Grinfer

Piano Lessons For Beginners

Always dreamt about playing the piano but didn’t have time or money to go to a tutor? Not a problem! Learn how to play the piano with an awesome online video course created by a professional music educator, Todd Porter. Todd has been teaching folks professionally for 15+ years to play different musical instruments. He had his own music debut album at the top 10 on the Canadian College radio Jazz charts in 2008. Todd has also won numerous music awards and has been acknowledged by a big number of music societies in Canada and the USA.

In Todd’s online course, you will learn the right technique to play the notes of the piano with your right and left hand easily, you’ll start playing your first chords, the A section structure with different rhythms, and the B section chord progression. Also, this course teaches how to play the one octave G major scale in the right hand, play your second scale pattern, and more!

After taking this course, you’ll perform your first solo and will know exactly how to put all the sections together to play the whole song. Take the course today and get to the dream of playing the piano!

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The Musicarta Hanon Finger Exercises for Piano

Can’t get enough of practicing playing the piano? Take an awesome online course on Grinfer and put the famous Hanon finger exercises for pianists into practice! All exercises provided in this course are super useful and will help you to build and maintain your technique effectively.

After taking this course, you’ll be playing challenging variations like canon and two-handed syncopation. This course will show you how to keep stimulating and foster pure keyboard creativity with an effective Hanon finger technique.

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Bass Guitar Lessons For Beginners

If bass guitar riffs sound like heaven to you and you want to learn how to play it, then this online course will get you started. Practice only half an hour per week, watch practice videos included in the course, and rock the heck out of those four strings!

In this course, you will learn string names and the basic setup of a bass guitar. Also, you’ll learn the notes that make up the A section of the song, first bass part for the A section of the song using different note values. You will be able to connect melodies with your bass part, know notes for the B section of the song, the G major scale, know how to play A and B sections of the melody, and more!

By the end of this course, you’ll get your first solo going and have fun at the jam room playing with a virtual band! So, take this opportunity today and get on this path of playing the bass like a rock star with bass guitar lessons for beginners available on Grinfer.

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Bottom-line

So, these are the basics to get your embedded into music. Once you master these basics, then you will be able to play all kinds of music on an instrument of your choice. Remember, learning “music” and learning “notation” are two very different things. It may seem daunting at first, but it’s just like with any language you make an effort to start and then you go on. First, start off by learning the alphabet and basic words. Then you’ll build up your vocabulary enough to be able to read, say, a newspaper in that language. If you follow the right steps with learning music, it will come to you naturally. And you will be able to read music fluently after a while.

The more any learning process will be encountered and built up around a willing personal experience, the more effective it gets over time. So, keep building your knowledge with some of the cool online music courses that you’ll find on the Grinfer learning platform. Benefit from the good teaching systems that do originate from the actual practical experience!

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