Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

Basic Music Theory

For fingerings, woodwind players can practice on a pencil. Valve players

can get an old valve casing from an instrument at the pawn shop and

carry that around instead of the whole instrument; or simply do

fingerings on your thumb or palm. String players can find an old

instrument, saw off a five-fret section of the fingerboard and use that to

practice fingering.

These are just a few suggestions. Use your noggin to think up some other

options. There is a lot of “down” time in a day that you can use to

improve yourself.

Another Instrument

Don’t be afraid to switch instruments. If an instrument just isn’t working,
give it a fair chance for two or three months. Then, if you still want to
play, try something else.

I have a wonderful guitar student who began on the trombone. After a
couple months, she decided the trombone wasn’t for her and switched to
guitar. She’s playing very well and is progressing quickly. She was not
good on trombone. She’s becoming an excellent guitar player.
Even if you’re doing well on an instrument you can always pick up
another. Another of my students, a good beginning trumpet player
expressed interest in the flute, so we had a flute lesson and he has decided
to play that as well.
Many famous musicians started on a different instrument and continued
on to learn many others. Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Beck play all the
instruments on their early albums. Beck still does it. Those three are only
a few. There are many more. Nowhere is there a rule that says you can
only play one instrument. Heck, learn ‘em all if you want to. A new
instrument can light the fire inside you again.
And if you can read music, learning songs on a new instrument is much
much easier.
Speaking of reading music, let’s get back to it!