Playing an instrument

Did anyone see the report on the news last week about the increase in people taking up musical instruments since the credit crunch began? I was surprised by this, but when I thought about it a bit more it did make perfect sense. Playing an instrument can be very relaxing, satisfying and a great antidote to the stresses and strains of modern life. The initial cost of buying an instrument can be considerable, but once you have it, there it is, just waiting for you to make your beautiful music. Beautiful to your own ears at least, even if to no-one else's! JoannaPiano As you will probably guess ... more

As a guitarist, singer, song-writer with a home-studio who sometimes still gets up at open mike evenings to entertain, I'm obviously someone keen on playing an instrument. Would I recommend people to take it up? That depends on the person. I've found over the years that some people of my acquaintance let the whole process of playing and singing into their lives so that if sits naturally with who they are and becomes part of them. This is the sort of person who will rest a guitar on their lap in a conversation and appear to ignore it. They might not even play it particularly but it's as ... more

There are books and books written about this subject: on how to play, on technique, on performance practice, and so on. Academics and performers and all sorts have had their say about the matter, and this year as part of my masters course I'm going to get to document my own attempts to learn Cuban piano and have my say as well. This review though doesn't claim to be nearly quite so grand; it is simply a few of my own thoughts on starting to play an instrument, and will hopefully prove a useful guide for children and adults alike. Why Should I Learn An Instrument? Here are some good reasons ... more

Playing musical instruments is such a broad subject, as there are so many hundreds (probably thousands) of musical instruments to choose, and so many styles of music to choose to play with your instrument. This is what makes this hobby so exciting. MY EXPERIENCE: I began seriously playing music aged 8, when my Dad bought me a nylon-stringed acoustic guitar. Being a good guitarist he taught me the basics, and I joined my infant schools' guitar group to learn from a teacher. I gave this hobby up after about a year and a half because physically, I found it very demanding. I have a mild hand ... more

Playing an instrument has many different advantages, couple with many disadvantages although they all counteract each other. OK, so I have also just confused myself by let's just crack on! First off, lets have a look at the diasdvantages. Although I play the keyboard now, I started off playing the violin. I used to do this when I was only about 8, but oyu don't have to worry about what age you start at - just so long as it is something that you want to do. But of course, it is OK to want to do something but the first problem is actually doing something about it. One disadvantage is not ... more