If there is one thing that most people have in common, it’s that they love to listen to music. This is why you and so many others hold musicians in such high esteem. After all, it can be an incredible feeling to create such beautiful tunes and melodies. Well, if you have ever wished that you were one of those artists performing up on a stage or creating an album, this is certainly something you should work on.
In case you feel that you are too old or just don’t have the time, look at all the benefits that you can gain by learning how to play an instrument:
Boost Your Brain Power
When most people think of improving their brain, they typically think of reading or solving various brain puzzles. While all of these may help, research shows that they may not be nearly as effective as mastering a musical instrument. Don’t believe the hype? Just take a look at what playing an instrument does to your brain.
Now, one of the reasons that playing music is such a good workout for your brain is because it activates so many different parts of it. For a moment, just imagine that you are strumming a guitar. In this scenario, your brain has to coordinate hand-eye movements, listen to the notes that are being played, and perhaps, even read music at the same time.
To top it all off, you also have to think about the notes you will be playing in a short while as well. If you continue to provide your brain with this kind of activity, you can be quite certain that it will get better at doing all this simultaneously. With just this information alone, you should be ready to go out and pick up your own instrument.
If you don’t feel like you have a great memory and are constantly forgetting things, there could be a way to help you out with this. See, there is a great deal of research showing that becoming skilled at a musical instrument can actually help to improve your verbal memory. This means that you are more likely to remember what is being said to you in the long run.
Makes It Easier for You to Chill Out
After a long, tiring day at work or school, you probably unwind by playing your favorite tunes. Most people find it easier to relax when listening to music because it helps to regulate emotions. For starters, it helps bring your heart rate and blood pressure down which, as you can imagine, makes it easier to calm down. Playing an instrument can actually help turn off your body’s stress response which, in turn, puts your mind and body at ease.
What’s more, learning how to play an instrument can also distract you from a bad or stressful day. It will help you focus on something more productive. And, if you manage to master a particular technique or progress in any way, you can also enjoy that sense of achievement to boot.
You May Gain a Virtue
As most people would attest, learning a skill is no simple task. It takes time, effort, and lots of patience. If you find that you don’t have a lot of tolerance for the people you interact with on a daily basis, then you could use some fine-tuning. Well, picking up an instrument is a great way to do this. After all, you will realize in time that it is only with dedication and perseverance that you will actually be able to get better. So, by being patient, you will automatically learn how to be more easy-going in other areas of your life as well.
Increase Your Creativity Levels
Now, on the one hand, you may be wondering just what could be so creative about learning how to play a musical instrument. After all, doesn’t it revolve around mimicking your music teacher or just learning some chords or notes? It is only once you start playing an instrument that you will realize just how much it can help you boost your creativity.
See, once you have mastered the basics, you will actually be a lot more open to finding your own sound. In fact, lots of musicians notice that even when they are simply recreating other artists’ songs, they can’t help but put their own stamp on it. This is something you will come to do as well. Not to mention, when you figure out how a musical instrument should be played, it gives you the opportunity to compose your own music as well. This will certainly help to take your creativity to the next level.
You Get to Enjoy Music More
If you already love listening to music every day, just imagine being able to enhance this experience even further! Well, this is precisely what mastering an instrument can do. Experts have found out that picking up this particular skill changes the way you hear sounds. To be more specific, it makes you more aware of other sounds and tones.
As mentioned before, when you are learning how to play an instrument, you are essentially training your brain to function in a different way. One of the results is that you begin to hear and process sounds at a greater level. This means that the songs you are so familiar with can actually sound quite a bit different – in a good way, of course. You will also be able to pick out all of the subtle notes and melodies.
Allows You to Age Gracefully
It isn’t necessarily getting older that is so intimidating. Rather, it is the idea of cognitive decline and losing your senses along the way that is truly scary. So, just imagine if you could do something to considerably reduce the chances of this happening. As you are well aware, music has an amazing and positive impact on your brain. In fact, it can go so far as to increase the level of grey and white matter in your brain.
What is perhaps even more impressive, though, is that these changes can last a really long time. This means that even if you are well into your senior years and haven’t picked up a musical instrument in ages, you don’t need to worry. All of the benefits you earned in the first place will continue to stay with you for the rest of your life.
This will help you remember things better and you won’t experience as much cognitive decline as non-musicians. Furthermore, there is even evidence that suggests that you can enjoy certain auditory advantages.
The best news, though, comes with studies that prove that it is never too late to start your musical education. So, even if you are well into your twenties, thirties, or even middle-aged, you can still reap all of these benefits.
You Get to Make New Friends
Are you looking to widen your social circle a bit? If so, you will find that improving your musical skills can make this easier for you. This is because, during the course of your musical journey, you will come across lots of interesting new people. For instance, if you choose to take lessons, you can do so in a group lesson so that you get to hang out with a whole new group of people. Even if you decide to take one-on-one lessons, your instructor will become a valuable companion.
You will also notice that you quickly find kindred spirits once you start telling people that you are learning the guitar, drums, or any other instrument. Before you know it, you will be scheduling jam sessions or simply meeting up to practice together.
Not to mention, learning how to play an instrument also gives you the option of starting your very own band. You can then go on a hunt for band members, and this will give you the opportunity to meet various individuals with similar interests.
You Have a Cool Party Trick
Everybody needs their signature hobby or trait – and your musical instrument can be yours. This is especially true if you pick an instrument that is portable and can be easily carried around. You can then play at parties, organize sing-alongs around a campfire, or be an instant entertainer, anywhere, really.
This is also a useful skill to have if you are trying to impress a potential partner. Serenading them with a popular love song is a surefire way to pique their interest. Furthermore, composing a sweet song for a birthday or anniversary can also earn you some serious brownie points.
As you can see, there are a number of reasons why you should learn to play an instrument, and they are all extremely beneficial. Of course, the next step would be to find a teacher who can help you get started. While it may take a little bit of time and effort on your part, you can be quite certain that it will pay off in the long run.
