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3 Free Courses if You Want to Get Started in Music
Most people get into music from a very young age. Both formal schooling and self-education usually start at some point around middle school.
21:15 12 January 2021
But that doesn’t mean that your age can prevent you from getting into music. On the contrary - learning to play musical instruments can become a great hobby to help you deal with the stress of your regular job. All you really need to get started is a desire to learn, some free time, and a personal instrument.
It is very hard to replace live sessions with a tutor. But if you are dead set on self-education - there are decent alternatives. After all - the internet gives you access to a virtually endless library of knowledge. You will surely be able to find instructions on how to master your musical instrument of choice. In order for you to save some time trying to look for suitable tutorials - here are some of the best free online courses you can start with as a complete beginner.
Skillshare
Just like any craft, music requires plenty of practice. You will have to spend hours upon hours before you are able to shred like Jimi Hendrix. Persistence is key but time is a rather limited resource. Especially when you are busy with college. If you really need some extra time to practice your sick solo - EssayHelp can take care of your written assignments. Do try to maintain a balance between your primary and side activities at all times.
Skillshare can offer you a huge database of courses on virtually any subject you can think of. And aspiring musicians can easily find plenty of interesting material to study. Whether you need to work on your music theory, vocals, or fingerstyle - there is definitely something for you out there. The difficulty levels of the available courses vary greatly so you will be able to maintain a good learning curve without even having to leave the website.
Back to Basics
Everyone wants to play like their favorite musicians. They make it seem so easy. But in reality, godlike music skills are pretty hard to attain. And unless you are a self-taught prodigy, you will have to deal with a thing called music theory sooner or later. It is the invisible backbone that holds the performance together. It is proof that musical prowess is not something you are born with but rather something you can work towards.
Learning theory may look pretty boring. It also may seem like it has nothing to do with actually playing the instrument. But the time spent studying it is very well worth the effort. It will help you understand the connection between sounds. It will help you introduce some semblance of order to the otherwise chaotic art of sound.
It can also serve as a sort of language. Musical grammar can help you have a much easier time trying to understand and be understood by other musicians around the world. This factor in and of itself can greatly accelerate your learning process and help connect with like-minded individuals.
There are plenty of music theory lessons available online. They vary from pretty easy tutorials like how to read notes to unfathomably advanced and unnecessarily complicated stuff like experimental jazz harmony. But if you are a beginner you don’t really need to worry about the latter for now. MusicTheory.net has a nice selection of easy to understand free basic theoretical material that you can study at your own pace.
YouTube
Youtube is an amazing place to get started. It can’t offer the cohesion and depth of some of the more advanced sources of musical knowledge. But it has a myriad of advantages that make it a perfect platform to kick-start your newly found hobby:
- Ease of use;
- Visual information;
- Variety of genres and instruments;
- Inspirational materials.
Virtually everyone uses Youtube to watch videos in their spare time. This familiarity with the platform will help you search for the materials you need quickly and efficiently. Since the information you get from Youtube is represented visually, you will have a much easier time digesting it. Even if you are not familiar with musical theory you’ll have no trouble finding videos with clearly visible musician’s hands to try and play along.
Picking Youtube as your starting platform also has the benefit of keeping your morale up throughout the learning sessions. If you ever find yourself in need of some additional inspiration - the recordings of your favorite musicians are only a few clicks away.
Final Words
Music skills are oftentimes treated like a gift from above that can not be learned. But while having an aptitude does help a bit, there is nothing stopping you from learning to play or sing like you always wanted to. Great musicians we admire didn’t just pop up overnight. They slowly worked towards their goals to become what they are. The main question here is whether you are willing to work just as hard.