5 tech tricks for learning a musical instrument

Whether you want to pursue a music career or just enjoy the wonderful sounds that only you can hear, learning to play musical instruments is one of the most popular ways to share your melody with the world. This can feel like a difficult and frustrating task, but technology can help you overcome your learning curve.

As a musician with four years of experience in music tutoring, I never forgot to record and review my ability to practice classes repeatedly, and decided how important it is to learn guitar as a teenager. Repeated, deliberate practice can help you learn faster and more effectively, and without recording, I don’t think I will be able to improve my skills as I did before.

Whatever your ultimate goal is, playing music provides a huge cognitive benefit for children and adults, and the following tools you should consider when embarking on your music journey.

Learn musical instrument skills using the app

Mastering instrumental skills is the most boring part of the learning process. The Musical Instrument Tips app helps you practice while maintaining engagement.

At about 17 years old, I started learning piano, The One Smart Piano app (for Android and iOS, free) helped me master fingering and learn how to play with my hands. The app is developed by a music-focused company that combines software and hardware. You can install the program on your phone, computer or tablet and then use a cable to connect your device to one of the company's electronic pianos (sold separately). These instruments have built-in indicators on their keys, which lights up when you select a song from the app, indicating which keys you need to play. Thousands of songs are available for free, and the rest are available for purchase. If you have a piano, you can also use the app with a regular piano. This helped me start playing music without having to withstand the pressure of reading the score and pressing the correct keys at the same time, which I learned later.

[Related: A study reinforces the idea that music is ubiquitous]

You can find many similar apps, such as Yousician (for Android and iOS, free, with an additional subscription starting at $20) or online platforms like OnlinePianist (starting at $5 per month, but there are also limited free Android and iOS apps). There is also the Hoffman Academy for kids (there are free videos on YouTube, but more features require a subscription). All of these programs will help you learn instrumental skills – just search for programs that suit your preferences.

Looking for tools that can hone your listening training

Hearing training can help you develop hearing about music—the ability to connect musical elements to your mind. With a good hearing, you can connect chords, scales, pitches, intervals, and more at any time. It also makes it easier to play instruments without relying on other tools such as reading scores. Auditory preparation can help you develop the musical “instinct”, allowing you to play naturally, improvise incredible solos and write songs.

I did a lot of listening training exercises when I first started learning, but the listening training app helped me perfect my abilities. Tools such as IWasDoingAllRight (for iOS or the web, free) generate various music elements in a way that helps learners better hear each line. I'll sing the notes first and then play them on my piano or guitar. Singing helps me internalize the sound of each note and assures me that I hear it very clearly because I can sing the right notes.

Of course, there are other apps you might find more convenient, such as Teoria (free), TrainYourEars ($58), and My Ear Trainer (free for web, Android and iOS, free with in-app purchases) .

Get some music production software

Learning to play musical instruments requires a lot of practice. Music making software helped me hone my skills at home when I took classes to learn to play different instruments (including guitars). After recording my exercises, I edit and evaluate them in the software while exploring various virtual instruments and editing tools. As a result, I saw my creativity burst and my skills improved.

Music production software provides sampling instruments, effects, synthesizers, etc. on one platform. You can use these with orchestration tools and sequencers to help create a complete track from scratch. There is no doubt that the tool you choose will depend on the music you make. You can choose from different companies, but the best music production software can be run in your digital audio workstation (DAW) or as standalone software.

Many companies offer music production software, such as PreSonus Studio One, Native and Bitwig Studio. If you can't afford the initial cost, you can also find free music production software, including Audacity, Komplete Start, and LMMS. These are equally great, but they lack the capabilities that some of the more expensive software has. Personally, Komplete Start has helped me a lot.

Watch YouTube videos

You can learn almost anything on YouTube and its instrumental tutorial helped me when I learned to play. I watched Hoffman Academy videos to learn how to play piano and learn how to hold guitar from channels like Justin Sandercoe.

[Related: Gibson builds a lab to give the new electric guitar a retro look and feel]

Better yet: access thousands of instructional videos on YouTube, you only need a good internet connection. For those who can’t afford a music teacher, these courses are easy to watch and affordable (of course, they are free). But remember that despite YouTube's extensive profile, it can only take you so far. If you find that your training has reached a bottleneck, you may want to consider hiring a mentor.

Make your own video

Let your instructor guide you through your music journey is a great way to stay on track and learn skills that will continue as you grow. Mentors can also help you improve your skills faster and if you want to pursue a music career, you can help build your connections, keep you motivated, encourage you and strengthen your confidence. But before easy-to-share videos appear, you must live near the instructor of your choice. This is not the case these days – no matter where we are in the world, videos help my mentors see how I play while I practice at home. They then evaluate my practice and provide suggestions for improvement. I used to use file transfer to share large files with friends and family, and sometimes asked what they like most about my music performance.

You can also try making videos for your own use while playing instruments. When you shoot videos you practice, the most important thing is to get high-quality audio. You can use any type of device as long as the audio sounds good. If you want to show it to a friend or instructor, you can also try recording the audio separately and then adding the audio to your favorite video. For best results, use a dynamic microphone designed for recording music so that the background noise is not picked up. The microphone I recommend for recording guitars is the Shure SM-57. After making the videos, you can hand them over to your music teacher or private tutor. Even if you work alone, watching your own performance may help.

While technology undoubtedly makes things easier, try not to rely entirely on apps or a series of videos to turn you into the musician you want to be. Music is the best when it’s unique and with your soul.

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