How can I become a better musician?

1. Discipline in practicing.

I dare say obliging yourself to regularly practicing every day is directly proportional to your progress, even if you have no more than fifteen minutes a day to practice and will play an undeniable role in making one professional.

2. Concentrate on your practices.

When working on a new piece of music, try not to lose your concentration and not play the parts you already know how to play well. The new piece is indeed your new lesson. You don’t have to think about your inability to play the new piece during practice. Indeed, it is your first time practicing the lesson, and it would be normal to make mistakes.

3. Avoid too many sources for learning.

Just find one appropriate source for learning and concentrate on it. You may even seek your teacher’s advice and proceed according to their advice. Using multiple books and going from one source to another will make you perplexed.

4. Be patient.

Learning music requires much patience and a great deal of industry. You will never be able to advance if you are disappointed by just one practice failure. Take your time and let your mind and hands communicate with the instrument. If you really want to learn music, then never give in to failure.

5. Be obsessive about speed and timing.

Music is all about rhythm and order. You have to pay attention to the rhythm even before you learn to play the notes correctly. Learning the notes is the first step to take toward learning music and how to play instruments. After that, you should know ‘rhythm’ well. Understanding ‘rhythm’ is done through the hearing sense and is among the best practices for learning how to play.

6. Do not tend to play fast.

To play fast is the last phase of playing. You have to consider more important points before that. Let your fingers become fast themselves by sufficient practice. It will require a great deal of preparation before you become a highly skilled musician. Too much speed in practicing can slow down your progress. Only at high levels of music do people play fast. So first, try and learn how to play perfectly before you practice playing fast.

7. Do not hide.

Playing before others and in the company of friends will improve your playing skills. Do not worry about failing or playing badly or about whether others will like your way of playing. Be selfish and help yourself progress by playing in the company of others. Keep in mind that your friends will be proud of you when you become a skilled musician.

8. Take the theory seriously.

Unfortunately, many musicians have no academic and theoretical education in music, especially those with imperfect knowledge of the theoretical background. Therefore, remember to learn music theory alongside learning how to play an instrument. This will be of considerable help to your progress.

9. Do not expect miracles.

Be sensible. Progress in line with your own abilities. Do not expect to play as proficiently as John Williams or Joe Satriani in a year. Proceed step by step. Take your time and just try and learn the music correctly.

10. Practice regularly and have a goal.

Let your unique musician’s personality form properly. Constant practice is always the best thing to do before becoming a musician.

11. Care about your instrument being in tune.

Make sure your instrument is tuned before practicing. Making sure your instrument is in tune will help the songs sound pleasant to you, and you’ll hear the correct pitches during your practices.

12. Principles

The rules and principles of music constitute the basis of music. Practicing the pitches with harmonic instruments and the techniques for making coordination between the hands and feet, etc., are among the musts you should never forget.

13. Improvising

Among the prominent distinctions between professional and other musicians is the ability to improvise in individual and team practices, which may enhance the team practices and ensemble. By making slight changes to the tunes and techniques you practice every day, with due regard to the tonality, you may step outside the framework and make innovations.

14. Time

Music is the art of the time. Unlike the other arts, the whole value of music consists of adherence to time. So practicing with a metronome and playing in tune steadfastly seems to be among the most critical principles of practicing.

15. Team practicing

Doing the practice individually may prove boring many times. Ask another performer or singer friend to assist you in practice. Or, you could use backtracking or ready-made sounds, which are good accompaniments.

Remember, becoming a better musician is a lifelong journey. Enjoy the process, be patient with yourself, and celebrate every milestone along the way. Keep practicing, exploring, and nurturing your love for music.