Blog / 10 Pro Tips for Becoming a Better Musician
Everyone knows that becoming a better musician requires practice. But beyond practicing chords, scales – the “not so fun” stuff – what can a budding musician do to see improvement and become a better player? Here’s our list of 10 pro tips for becoming a better musician. Whether your instrument is guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, or vocals, these are great strategies to keep you excited about music and help make you a more well-rounded musician!
Change Instruments: Guitarist? Try drums. Drums? Try bass. Playing an instrument out of your comfort zone can change your perception on your own instrument, and music as a whole.
Record Yourself: Playing keeps you in the moment, but listening back to a recorded version of yourself give you the opportunity for an honest critique. You’re able to really hear areas where you excel, and where you need improvement.
Book a Gig: Self-motivation can be hard, but committing to playing for an audience is great motivation to practice.
Play Slow: Speed comes with precision, and the best way to play with precision is to play slowly and really focus. Speed will come naturally after you are precise at a slower tempo.
White a Song: It doesn’t have to be great, and you don’t even have to share it. Writing a song forces you to think about how music is constructed, and how your instrument “fits” into the mix.
Play With Others: You can learn a ton by seeing and hearing how others play their instruments. Even more beneficial, try to play with people who are better or more experienced than you. There’s no end to what you can learn and apply to your own playing.
Take A Lesson: You’ll never know everything about music, and taking lessons, or even just one, will give you new outlook and new things to practice.
Learn a Song Note-For-Note: You’ll focus on playing your instrument precisely, see how another musician approaches their parts, and gain a better understanding of things like song structure.
Practice with a Metronome: It might not be fun, and could be difficult at first, but a metronome allows you to focus on tempo and WILL make you a more solid player if you stick with it. Metronomes will also give you a measure your progress if you’re working on speed.
Start a Band: You’ll set regular rehearsal, regular gigs, learn from your band mates, and have built-in accountability to other musicians. All things that will keep you practicing and improving!