How to Stay Motivated Learning an Instrument

You’ve bitten the bullet. You’ve decided to learn that musical instrument you always wanted to play, whether it be the piano, guitar, violin, flute, or ukelele. The beginning of the process is usually positive, as you’re brimming with dreams of the possibilities of what you can accomplish. Your motivation is high for learning an instrument.

But as you get down in the trenches, you realize that it’s not as easy as you may have imagined. Your fingers won’t cooperate. You don’t quite have the rhythm you think you ought to. Memorizing notes on a page is tedious. Before you know it, frustration can creep in and rob you of that initial joy.

I was listening to a speaker the other day who described taking guitar lessons when he was young. He said he realized he just didn’t “have what it takes” to play the instrument, so gave up in about a month. As a private teacher of many years, I was shaking my head and cringing a bit. I’m a firm believer that anyone can play an instrument if the desire is there.

It’s true that some people seem to have an innate knack for picking up instruments, while others struggle. However, if you set realistic goals for yourself and create a plan to follow that is practical, you can successfully learn an instrument. The key is to stay motivated while learning.

So how can you stay motivated learning an instrument? Read on for some helpful tips to help you conquer that instrument you always wanted to learn while avoiding frustration.

1. Be Realistic When Learning an Instrument

The Time Factor

While it is true that a person can learn an instrument at any age, the later you wait to start, the less you have time on your side. The reason starting young is advised is because a child who sticks with an instrument for many years while carrying on with school studies and other activities has invested a lot of time. The child may advance quite slowly, but the more time you put into learning a skill, the better you will be at that skill.

A student who has put years into practice, alongside being passionate about the instrument, can potentially be “great” at it, such as Chet Atkins, who started the guitar at the tender age of 6. There have also been plenty of students who start later than that and still achieve a high level of success. For example, Eddie Van Halen began playing the guitar at age 11, Eric Clapton at 13, and Jimi Hendrix at 15.

When looking at realistic goals for yourself, time is a factor for sure. Your age and the amount of time you are willing to commit to practice will play a part in how successful you can be. However, don’t allow it to stop you. It’s my belief that it’s never too late to learn an instrument. That being said, look at the issue realistically so that your goals are practical.

The Talent Factor

I’d love to say that a little talent does not go a long way for those who may not have an inborn musical ability – but it does make a difference. Some musicians appear to be gifted and take their talents to extreme heights. There are also musicians who may have to work harder at it but can also be great at what they do.

I had two male students of guitar that I taught at a private school who both started in the first or 2nd grade and took lessons with me till high school age. Neither of them, initially, seemed to be particularly talented. One boy was highly motivated, as his mother shared, always practicing without being forced to. By middle school, he was a terrific electric guitarist and was put in the high school jazz band.

Meanwhile, the other boy struggled a lot with note reading, rhythm, and such early on. But his mother would tell me how much he loved music. Eventually, something clicked in him, and he took off. He later picked up the bass and was a member of the same jazz band, and later he and the other boy were in a high school garage band together.

While one boy may have had more raw talent than the other, both were excelling instrumentalists by high school. Don’t get in your head about whether or not you have the talent you think you should have. Passion is as much of a driving force as talent.

Setting Achievable Goals

The biggest enemy to keeping yourself motivated when learning an instrument is having unrealistic goals. You may be learning an instrument as an adult and don’t have a lot of free time for practice. Or, you just weren’t born tapping your foot in time to radio tunes. Be honest with yourself, and create a plan to reach a goal that is practical when learning an instrument.

So how do you do that? Try the following:

• Assess your time. How much time can you invest in weekly practice? Create a plan by finding pockets of time where you can sit down and practice. Put it in an electronic calendar or pencil it in the old-fashioned way.
• Evaluate what you want to do with the instrument. You may want to be able to play hymns on the piano for your local church, strum a guitar around the campfire while others sing, or be in a cover band. Have a clear direction in mind when learning an instrument.
• Ask yourself if the goal is realistic. Be honest with yourself. Can you put the needed time and energy into the goal you wish to achieve? If not, you may want to set an easier goal to start with.
• Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself grace if you get off the schedule you set for yourself, or if your goal seems harder to achieve than you thought it would be. As they say, slow and steady wins the race.

2. Develop a Consistent Practice Routine

The way you practice can play a big part in the progress you make. There are certain best practices that can help you achieve musical goals more quickly and efficiently.

Tune Your Instrument

When you’re just starting out, it may be hard for you to tell whether or not your instrument is in tune. However, tuning is a regular part of playing an instrument. It’s good to form a habit of always tuning your instrument before beginning.

Do Some Warm-up Exercises

Get your finger muscles loosened up with some exercises, whether they be scales, arpeggios, or intricate brain-teasing activities. Your songs will sound better from the start if you give yourself a few minutes of warm-up time.

Tackle Your Song in Sections

The least effective thing you can do when practicing a song is to just play (or sing) it through over and over from beginning to end. You must flesh out the areas of the song that cause you to stumble. One strategy you can use is practicing four measures or so at a time. If they are fine, stack four more on. If you have a difficult passage, focus your energy there. Make sure you can comfortably play through the problem area before moving on. This method will ensure that you are making the most of your practice time.

Play Something You Know Well

Once you’ve practiced something difficult that may feel monotonous, switch out for a song that you have had success at or that you love. This will remind you that you have achieved goals in your music studies. It will also keep older material fresh so that you build up a repertoire. If you put down a song once you’ve “mastered” it and don’t play it again for a period of time, you may have to spend some time relearning it.

3. Strategies to Stay Motivated

Below we’ll look at various tips on how to keep oneself motivated when learning an instrument.

Find Some Musical Muses

There’s hardly a great motivator in learning than having an “idol.” Especially in the music world, there are hordes of multi-talented music legends to choose one when it comes to finding a music muse. I had two muses that guided me. I studied classical guitar on inspiration from the music of John Michael Talbot. I was equally inspired by Joni Mitchell–her songwriting skills and guitar accompaniments in alternate tunings were highly influential on my guitar playing. Find a couple of great musicians and try to learn works they created.

Take Private Lessons

Not only are private lessons valuable to help you learn music more efficiently and form good playing habits – lessons will make you accountable. Knowing that in a week’s time you’ll be demonstrating what you practiced or learned to an instructor is a motivator to work at learning an instrument. In college when I studied classical guitar and piano, there was no greater feeling than walking into a lesson and being able to play a song well. On the flip side, not putting the work in resulted in some embarrassment on my part. But that feeling spurred me on to do better next time.

Break Up and Change Up Your Practice Time

Some folks “binge-practice,” trying to sit for an hour or more practicing. That can wear out your fingers and your back. Practice smart by working in blocks of time like 20-30 minutes, then breaking. You’ll feel more refreshed and less burdened when you sit back down the next time.

You can also try changing your location for practice. When learning an instrument, a change of environment can be motivating, whether it be practicing in a different room of the house than you usually do, or even practicing outside on a patio or at a local park. I once took my banjo to a state park and sat beside a walking trail and practiced. A few interested folks struck up conversations with me. If you’re a pianist, try to find a church piano or one in a community center to play on once in a while. A change of scenery can lift your spirits.

Practice Recordings

Almost everyone has a recording device on their smartphone nowadays. Recording yourself playing can help you identify areas of a song or exercise that need improvement. If you are taking private lessons, you may want to play a recording for your teacher to allow he/she to hear how you sounded when playing in a relaxed environment. I’ve had many students tell me that they played the song better at home. In that case, prove it by sharing a recording.

Another way you can use a recording device is to play along with a backing track. You can ask your teacher to record a background accompaniment to what you’re playing so that you can practice with it. You can have one track at a slower speed, then once you’ve mastered playing along, have one created at a faster speed to push yourself.

Utilizing Music Tools and Gadgets

Time-keeping devices like metronomes have been around for decades. They’ll help you work on your rhythm skills as you practice with them. Another strategy that I find more effective if I’m studying popular music genres is to play with a drum machine or drum track. Some drum machines include a bassline that you can adjust to the key you’re playing in. Suddenly, you can have your own personal backup band.

For stringed instruments, you can find motivation in hooking them up to different types of amplifiers or using pedals. Playing with varied types of sound can create an inspiring atmosphere while learning an instrument. Even trying different picks or other accessories like slapping on a capo and playing the song in a higher key can make practice time more interesting.

Grant Yourself a Reward

Nothing says “job well done” like a nice reward! Set a goal of practicing so many hours in a week, or nailing a difficult section of a song, and then celebrate when you reach that goal. A reward could be as simple as a cup of joe at your favorite coffee shop, a new music book, or a night out hearing some live music.

Rewards can be very effective with children as well. Help motivate them to practice with the promise of a reward rather than the threat of a punishment and you’ll likely find them much more willing to cooperate.

Jam With a Friend

Learning an instrument doesn’t have to be all about structured practice. Find a friend who is learning or already plays the same instrument or who plays a different one that compliments yours. Plan some time to sit and jam together. This can foster excitement and be an inspiring activity that gives you even more motivation when you sit down to practice alone.