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The Best Way to Learn Music

Music is a language that people learn to speak before learning to read or write it. According to Children Music Workshop, children who learn music at an early age will have enhanced reasoning skills that are necessary for science and math. The different approaches to learning music have advantages and disadvantages, so you should choose the one that fits your style and personal needs.

Instructions

    • 1

      Learn music by sight-reading. It is the ability to read previously unrehearsed and unseen music. Sight-reading involves learning to read and play notes on a piano sheet. Each individual note on a line represents a specific key on the piano. Learning specific notes will give an idea of how long to hold a note, how soft to play it and what notes to play with it. Notes on a piano sheet represent three things, which are the melody, harmonies and rhythm. Sight-reading is a good method for learning music depending on the reason for learning it. If you want to become a singer, then learning to read music by sight is not necessary because singers can learn by ear. However, a classical singer's career will flourish with knowledge of sight-reading.

    • 2

      Learn music by ear. This involves playing and figuring out the way something might sound without writing or reading notes. This method is common for blues singers or people who make up music at the spur of the moment. Blues singers put more attention on how to play the chords and harmonies. They will also make up the lead lines of a song or learn it by listening to someone play. Playing by ear is the best method for auditory learners. They will learn best by hearing. If you are a slow reader or like to read out loud, then you are an auditory learner.

    • 3

      Learn music by chord theory. It is learning by a combination of sight-reading and ear. The learning process involves playing a melody by sight-reading and making up the harmonies, solos and accompaniments to go with it. The factors to consider while using this method are which song key, harmonies of the chord and how the chords come together. The building blocks of a song are the harmony and melody. Determine how to play them together to get the right sound. Chord theory is a good learning style because you learn to play, write and read melodies and notes as written. You also will have the knowledge of how to change the arrangement and style of the song.

    • 4

      Listen to other artists as way to learn and get inspiration. According to Guitar Noise, if you are an aspiring musician and want to improve, then you should listen to the music from the great musicians in your genre. Listening to music of music icons will help with understanding instruments and gaining inspiration. Music icons fuel the desire to work harder and encourage creativity in your music. Michael Jackson is an example of a music icon who has inspired many of the top singers in pop and R&B.

Music Basics

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