WHAT DOES IT REALLY TAKE TO LEARN MUSIC?

…It's probably not what you think.

Have you ever thought to yourself "I'm not talented enough" or "My child isn't musical"? Or have other people said you or your child are "tone-deaf" or cannot keep a rhythm?

What if I told you all these things are actually trainable skills rather than inherit abilities?

Having said that, it's true that some people are indeed born without the ability to hear pitches or tap out rhythms, but it has been shown that this condition known as amusia is incredibly rare, less than 4% of the population. Then again, with musical immersion and training, even individuals with amusia have shown improvement.

So what does it really take to learn music?

It's quite simple. You must want to learn music.

Notice the emphasis on learn. Because everyone loves to play music, that comes quite naturally to anyone of all abilities. We all have fantasies of being able to play the most exquisite songs as easily as counting one-two-three, or jumping in on a jam session without a second thought. But playing music is the goal. And setting goals is unfortunately the easy part.

To truly learn music is to be able to embrace practice.

To put it in another way, there are largely two groups of students: those who find the time to practice and those who don't.

For those who take regular lessons but struggle to practice outside of lessons, don't despair. You are actually in the majority. You are still improving, but at a slower pace. You're muscles and your musical ears are still subject to the rigors of teacher guidance on a weekly basis. Think of it like tennis or swimming. Most people, and their children, might sign up for weekly lessons and wouldn't think twice about training in between.

"Leave that for the professionals! I'm okay with being able to hit a few balls or swimming a casual freestyle."

But let's say you or your child takes just a few extra minutes throughout the week to practice what you've learnt in the previous lesson. You probably won't suddenly turn into the next Mozart, but you will find that every repetition brings you closer to mastering the particular technique, melody, chord, or rhythm you're working on.

Does it sound boring? You bet it does! And I'll let you in on a secret: you are in good company if you don't like to practice. It is quite literally homework. Granted, some people love to practice or they've found some way of finding enjoyment in practice, like treating it as a meditative exercise.

Because proper practice involves mindful repetition of something you are not good at. How terrible!

But practice isn't all doom and gloom. A proper session should include mindful repetitive practice in the beginning, then "fun" time at the end. It's like taking the time to fine-tune the parts of a racing car then taking it out for a spin on the track afterwards to test if it really goes the way you want. Here are some examples of how you might go about it in your next practice session:

- Is the elaborate ending of a solo piano piece tripping you up all the time? Isolate that section and practice it over and over. Then go ahead and play the entire piece to see if you nail the ending.

- Does a specific rhythm always baffle you? It might be good to hear it (ask your teacher to record it for you) and clap the rhythm first. If you can clap the rhythm, then you've internalized it. Then proceed to play it on your instrument.

- Do the left hand chords get gnarly in the middle of a pop song? Practice just the left hand chords with a metronome until it feels comfortable, add in the right hand, and then at the end, run through the piece to see if your practice has paid off.

- Does the staccato right hand passage never quite sound or feel correct? Practice some scales in staccato to make sure you have the technique right. Then try to play the right hand passage with the correct technique, and then run through the whole song.

I say with confidence that the joy of playing something effortlessly after proper practice is well worth it. And guess what? If you've spent enough time mindfully practicing something, it more or less stays with you for a long time and will provide a solid foundation for you to improve more advanced skills. You will surprise yourself with what you can truly achieve.

And there you have it. Anyone can play music, but it takes a certain mindset to learn music. Go on, try it and you'll unlock the path to a lifetime of musical pleasure.