Getting "into music"

Ever since I was young I've been drawn to music. Thinking back to my pre-teen and teen years, I was largely a fan of alternative and popular rock of the late 80s and early 90s, judging from what was playing on the radio at the time. When the Internet rolled around, I was able to branch out my tastes, listening to free streaming services, looking at local bands, and the occasional Napster download.

What has lingered through this entire time has been a longing to learn to play music. I've come back to this, and at the ripe age of 22, decided that it was the time to learn, as I didn't want to be one of those people who looks back in twenty, thirty years and regrets not exploring that desire. I believe it's never too late to learn. I've heard the mantra from people that music is 'something you're born with' but I adhere to the philosophy that music, like many skills, can be acquired. It's all in how you approach it.

So I went as far as I could, buying a brand new guitar, decent electronic piano, and all the books that seemed like they'd get me somewhere. Then I practiced. I practiced, banged around, strummed, picked and jammed no end of dissonant sounds from the instruments, and in doing so, 11 months later, started to lean toward the piano as my primary instrument as of late.

The reason is piano is a simpler instrument on which to learn the theory I've been studying. Its linear configuration of musical notes makes it easy to pick out a chord, play it, easily pick up and start playing scales, and also start constructing musical ideas. I have always been a fan of fingerpicking on guitar, and oriented my studies toward that, and learning theory first has been very helpful.

I was always skeptical of why music theory was helpful, and was always afraid to take the first step to studying it. The lesson I learned in this, in starting to play an instrument, and in any venture I've taken as of late is starting is always the hardest part, and what comes later is always easier than I made it out to be.