Can You Master Playing Musical Instruments As An Adult?

Not everyone grew up being able to learn to play their music instrument of choice.

15:35 02 September 2022

Not everyone grew up being able to learn to play their music instrument of choice. Some are not even able to afford music lessons when they were younger. As an adult now, you finally have a lot more ability to learn music lessons, and fulfil your goals of being either a professional musician or perhaps even just a hobbyist musician. However, some people are worried whether it is too late for them to master learning music and playing a musical instrument in adulthood. They are worried mostly about stiff fingers and learning ability. Let us dispel some of those myths today.

 

First of all, although the media loves only talking about child prodigies, the truth is that many students of music instruments such as the violin are actually adults – at least in Singapore’s context. That is a reason why violin lessons Singapore for adults have been so popular. This is because in countries with similar cultures as Singapore’s, students were very busy as a teenager or child with their school work and after school tuition classes. They barely had any time left to practice on their music instrument. And to some parents in Singapore, learning music is seen as a form of luxury, not a necessity. So, many people in Singapore simply only learn music after they are already adults. If learning to play and master a musical instrument as an adult were not possible, then there would be no continued demand for adult music lessons in Singapore. The fact that such music classes such as for the violin or perhaps even other string instruments such as cello lessons Singapore were, and continue to be popular in Singapore means that clearly, adults are able to master playing of these instruments. You can still master playing of instruments such as violin or cello even if you started classes as an adult.

 

Second of all, you will need to learn at least a basic to intermediate amounts of music theory to be able to best perform and play the physical music instrument. As an adult, you will definitely have greater ability to understand and learn music theories than you did as a child – as long as you put in the effort and learn from a good music teacher. Because of this, adult students tend to pick up and master the music theory side much quicker than younger students actually. In this aspect, adult music students have a big advantage.

 

Third of all, there is a myth that adult students have much stiffer fingers than younger music students. That cannot be falser. Unless you have some kind of finger or hand disability, you have no inherent disadvantage versus that of a younger learner. Why? Playing musical instruments is not a test of finger or hand flexibility. You need both strength and flexibility in your fingers and wrists to play musical instruments – but 99.99% of adults have no problems with this. Adults having overly stiff fingers and therefore cannot be great musicians is a myth perpetuated by people who quit on their goals to be a musician, and want aspiring musicians like you to give up too. It is all about practice. And as long as you take classes from a good music teacher, practice hard and often, you can become a great musician too.