Classical Guitar Lessons: Learning As A Child Versus Learning As An Adult
The guitar is a widely popular instrument. Parents enroll their kids in guitar classes as soon as they are old enough to hold the guitar! But sometimes, we grow up and then realize we like the instrument and wonder whether we would be able to accomplish our dream of learning guitar. Well, age is not a constraint but there are certain roadblocks you must overcome if you are preparing to go down that path.
Learning as an adult
Set a goal and stick to it
Ask yourself “Why am I learning guitar?”. The answer might tell you whether you want to pursue it for personal enjoyment or if you want to make a career out of it. Your age is of no importance. Hard work and passion can help you attain great heights. Anyone can learn guitar at any age.
Start at the beginning
Most people, who come to learn guitar at an advanced age, find that the usual reason they want to learn is because they loved it at a certain movie or musical. Attempting to reproduce that at your beginning classes is a huge no. Start from the beginning and work steadily to reach your goals. And you will be able to reproduce that piece of work perfectly one day! Trying to play a popular pieces you like can lead to frustration and discouragement, especially if you are a beginner and do not know the basics well enough yet.
Self-consciousness
Adults are generally more self-conscious than kids. Kids, at that age, play for the fun of it. Adults are more worried about what the others are thinking about his/her skill. This can act as a block and thus, lower the learning speed. The person picks up slow because they are concentrating more on what others are thinking, which then leads to embarrassment as they lag behind due to this. Concentrate on learning and focus on the love you have for the instrument.
Enjoy learning
You loved the instrument which is why you started learning it in the first place! There are bound to be setbacks, but instead of getting frustrated, try to celebrate the fact that you have come a long way. Play for your friends or family in the evenings and that is bound to add to your practice and fun.
Learning as a kid
Easier motivations
Adults look for reproducing a piece of musical they loved, and nothing less than that would satisfy them. Kids tend to celebrate smaller victories than adults. This is clearly the way to go. Take one step at a time and feel proud of yourself at achieving that.
Do not force kids
As adults, we selected to learn guitar based on our interests. But sometimes, kids are forced to learn by their parents. This is not a healthy practice. If the child does not like it, you are going to have wasted a lot of time and money on this.
More time and flexibility
We just cannot deny that a child has fewer responsibilities than an adult has. She/he might be able to put in more hours and practice to perfect his technique, while an adult, no matter how much dedicated, will definitely have other work cutting into his practice time. As practice is the key to playing flawlessly, it is less of a surprise that kids pick up faster than adults.
Guitar, or any musical instrument for that matter, can be learned at any age. All you need is the dedication and the passion for learning and playing. To know what to expect from beginner’s guitar lesson, check out this link: http://guitarlessonssingapore.com/what-to-expect-from-beginner-classical-guitar-lessons/. For more on classical guitars, you can refer to www.guitarlessonssingapore.com.