THINGS YOU CAN LEARN IN MUSIC
When people first start learning to play an instrument they are often introduced to the idea they are 'learning music' rather than learning lots of different things at once about many different concepts in music. You may find it useful to think of these separately, and then put them back together.

INSTRUMENT TECHNIQUE
There is a mechanical or technical side to learning to produce noises from any instrument. This is a whole part of music. When people first learn an instrument they usually learn this first. A lot of people actually give up playing before they have realised this is only one part of making music. You learn patterns and ways of holding your body, fingers, mouth etc to produce the various sounds.

EAR TRAINING
Some people have 'an ear for music'! A lot of people think recognising pitch with the ear is some amazing talent a few special people are born with. Sorry to disappoint you but it is all learned, just like learning to recognise speech. Don't take my word on it, there are heaps of books on the subject and a lot of research to back this. A big part of learning music is to train your ear to recognise subtlety in sound. Hours of playing scales will teach the most 'tone deaf' people amongst us to recognise pitch, intervals, scales, and harmony. Just make sure your instrument is in perfect tune because your ears will learn what they hear!

SINGING
Most improvising musicians sing lines in their head. They translate what they are listening to onto their instrument with the technical skills they have practised so often they are second nature. Turning that into singing out loud is just some technique and practice. If you include singing in your regular musical practice it will help all of your musical development. Have you ever though about getting a few months of singing lessons?

THEORY
I have heard a lot of people say they don't believe in theory, they just play by ear! Charlie Parker once said 'learn to play everything everyone else has played on your instrument, then forget it and just play'. Learning about theory fits in here. You can speed up you learning by getting some theory under your belt. How much? Well if you ask BB King he regrets not having a university education in music and spends time every day learning more about music theory. He was 73 when he said that!
 

TEACHER / TUTOR INDEX
If you've ever wondered about getting some lessons, but are not sure where to go, or what you want to get out of it, this section will help you.

Who Says This is Better Than That?
Is there any such thing as bad music?
My First Teacher
If at first you don't succeed, try a different angle.
Get What You Want
In order to get what you want, you first have to know exactly what you want, and what you'll have when you get it.
Take Action
None of your plans are going to work out if you don't make it happen.
Persist and Practise!
Perfect practise makes perfect.
"Learning Music"
Learning about music is a never-ending process, better get started!
Music Tutor Contact Details
This page contains a list of music tutors you can contact.

See a list of Musical Tutors.

MELODY AND HARMONY
The relationship of melody to harmony and both of these to theory is something you can learn a lot about. Spending some time in the theory books learning about this can progress you very quickly. It doesn't take long before you can have a lot of fun playing against a melody.

RHYTHM
There are many different classical rhythms which form the basis of much modern music. The subtleties between them provide massive opportunity for creativity. If you don't realise there is a lot to learn here, get hold of a music teacher who teaches drums and enrol for a few lessons (assuming you're not a drum player! If you are a drum player you will know this well).

CREATIVITY
When it all comes down to it, music is all about self-expression and creativity. It provides you with a framework and a set of rules within which you can play with other people. You don't have to be superman before you become creative. Just do it! Record it. Listen to it. Do it again if you like it. Do it different if you don't. Enjoy. There are no rules (once you have learned them and forgotten them).