Becoming A Musician

String Theory Studios LLC presents

"Becoming A Musician"

-By Rick Belleville

Welcome!

It's good to see you here! My name is Rick Belleville and I'm excited to be the person to help you get started on becoming a musician! Is playing music something you've always dreamed about, but never "had the time?" Have you told yourself that you wish you could play an instrument but you are just not talented, gifted or coordinated enough? Well guess what, you are wrong!

This may be a surprise to you considering you probably go through your life being right about a ton of things you do, things you've learned to do and now you can do without even thinking about them. These are not all simple tasks either, they are very coordinated and even dangerous tasks you do without much primary thought, like driving your car, swimming, riding a bike and many workplace tasks!

That's right, YOU are amazing! As a human being you are able to learn and accomplish amazing things and all it takes is a strength we all have inside of us that grows stronger throughout our lifetime; Strength of Will. Becoming a musician is simply learning to use that Willpower against your fears of the unknown and just get started!

Getting Started...

All you need to do is listen to your favorite music and your ear will tell you what instrument you want to play. It will be what you hear the most or even multiple instruments may peak your interest. Now there are many instruments to explore and try. Some fun instruments for a musician to get started playing with are the classic rock band instruments: Guitar, Piano, Vocals or Drums! Now go listen to your favorite songs and think on what instrument you love the most; which one is really pulling at your soul? There it is, your Instrument of Choice!

Don't worry! You can still try a new instrument or switch it up later. You can even learn more exotic instruments later on, you're an amazing human being! In order to get something started, decisions must be made but you can always change things up later! Pick your new instrument and let's rock! \../,

Let's Rock! \../,

You've picked what instrument you want and now you have to go acquiring! Your mind is now telling you that you need a certain brand or more knowledge before you buy your first instrument, but you do not. What you need is simply a working instrument. Visit some pawn shops, local music stores or go online and check out some entry level instruments! Used in good condition or new will be the ideal but if it holds pitch then you're in business, you don't have to be too picky! Upgrading is a lot of fun once you get a handle on your new instrument and know more, so for now just enjoy the process, get an entry level instrument and save money for upgrading later! To help get you started I've listed a few starter packages and some gear from reliable brands like Fender, Alesis, Pearl, Yamaha, Shure, and Boss Roland.

For All Musicians,

Some simple things can become invaluable to have around like a Portable Music Stand, Music Folder, Manuscript Paper, Mechanical Pencils and a Clip-On Book Light. There is also some tech you might want to consider or even all ready have that can become invaluable tools like a quality Laptop, Headphones, and a Smartphone. Laptops have amazing programs for recording, practicing & performing and you can even use your laptop, headphones and webcam to take lessons online here at String Theory Studios! Your smartphone will be the ultimate companion in your journey to becoming a musician with amazing apps like Ultimate-Guitar, Chord AI, Guitar Pro 8, Moises, Complete Ear-Trainer and tons of instrument emulators & digital audio work stations to choose from, you might have to remind yourself just to put it down!

For those becoming Guitarists,

This Fender® Squier Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar - Sunburst Learn-to-Play Bundle might be just what you're looking for and includes everything you need to play! If you are thinking of a bit more electricity then check out these Fender® Squier Stratocaster Electric Guitar All-In-One Bundles that will get you rockin'! Don't forget a SNARK Chromatic Digital Tuner, Fender Guitar Picks, Fender TS Cables, Portable Guitar Stand, Guitar Foot Stool, and a Gator Gig Bag to protect & carry it all. For even more fun, try this LEKATO WS-100 Wireless Guitar System that'll free you from cables! There are also a ton of guitar pedals and effect units to explore like this BOSS GT-1 Multi-Effects Processor that has a ton of modules, pedal emulators, and a phrase looper in an all-in-one portable steel chassis!

For those becoming Pianists,

You may be the luckiest of the lot with digital keyboards now being full of connectivity, functioning MIDI controllers, multi-effects, educational material and much more from light-up interactive keyboards to beautiful digital pianos that can be shipped straight to your door! Check out this Yamaha 61-Key Portable Keyboard to get you started right away! If you want more of a classic piano feel, sit down in front of the amazing Yamaha Arius Series Digital Console 88-Key Piano! Don't forget a comfortable Piano Bench like this one with built-in storage!

For those becoming Vocalists,

Look no further than the most reliable microphone in music history! The Shure SM58 is a legendary vocal microphone that's easy to use and durable enough to last a lifetime! Don't forget to grab a Mic Stand & XLR Cables or try this Shure Stage Performance Kit that includes everything you need to get started! You may also consider buying an Audio Interface like this PreSonus AudioBox GO or this Shure MVX2U XLR-to-USB for connectivity between laptops and more.

For those becoming Drummers,

The modern day has created many amazing ways for you to get started without having to buy an entire acoustic drum kit, like this awesome Pearl 5-Piece Drum Kit, though if you have the space to be loud, you definitely should! For most of us, however, you may find an electric drum kit, like this Alesis Nitro Max Electric Kit, to be a far superior way to learn drums with it's built-in educational material, rhythms and patterns for hours of play anytime with the comfort of headphones! Don't forget to buy some reliable Headphones, Drumsticks and most importantly: a Drum Throne!

Time To Roll!

Now all you have to do is get on a roll with it! That's right, play it everyday and do not put it away out-of-sight; keep your instrument at the ready on a proper floor stand or wall mount and not under your bed or in a closet! Consider it an amazing piece of art, because it is! Your instrument is a beautiful medium between you and a new found self-expression that will from this day forward help you through some of the hardest things in life. You will now be able to laugh, joke, mourn, celebrate and cry with it. You will be able to connect and inspire not only other people, but yourself.

Learning Your New Instrument...

You will be using an amazing skill we all have access to and use everyday, Muscle Memory. Your muscle memory is always on record in sort of a cache memory mode, seeking out motions you do daily and programming them deep into the subconscious as you R.E.M. cycle during sleep. The motions and tasks you do daily become so ingrained that you eventually can do these tasks with little attention dedicated to them; that is your muscle memory working!

Learning a new skill or how to play an instrument has one basic fundamental rule: Practice. As you practice remember your true goal is activating and using your Muscle Memory; stay controlled and create a method you can repeat in the exact same slow, consistent motion. The fewer mistakes logged into your muscle memory cache the faster it will program the proper movement you want and you can always speed things up after they are memorized and can be executed smoothly.

Remember, the best time to practice is daily, but especially right before bed and shortly after waking up. It is also better to have two short practice sessions instead of a single long session. Try breaking those one hour practices into two 30m sessions until you gain more experience, this will help you achieve much more during practice and the ease of learning will amount to a greater level of enjoyment! It is extremely important to seek a professional teacher and learn the basics right from the start, so you do not develop bad habits in your muscle memory. We all know that bad habits are easy to create and hard to correct, it is best to avoid this all together.

My Golden Rule Of Practice!

"Practice For At least 1 minute, Every Single Day. If you play longer that's great, but if a minute is all you do then, hey, you picked it up today and you are still doing great!"

What To Start Learning First?

1.) Start with the basics on how to posture yourself while sitting ready at or holding your instrument. Learn to make this position comfortable and avoid back pain by using a quality performance seat, bench or drum throne.

2.) Learn to tune your new instrument or set-up properly. This can be a bit more tricky of a task without proper instruction, it is recommended to seek out music lessons to help get you started. Also, get comfortable on how to hold any mediums such as guitar plectrums or drum sticks you may be using; even carry them around everyday and make them your new daily fidget toy.

3.) If you're learning Guitar or Piano, you will want to start with your basic I, IV, V or I, V, vi, IV progressions in the Key of C; these will get you working on vital chord transitions you hear everyday on the radio and you'll be starting with the most common chords you will use most often. The chords you will want to learn first are C Major, F Major, G Major and A Minor. Memorize these four chords and how to transition between them and then add two more chords to your arsenal: D Major & E Minor. Congratulations!!!! You have just learned the chords needed to play over a million songs! Don't believe me? Check out this YouTube Video by The Axes Of Awesome. Consider going through a quality method book like this Mel Bay's Modern Guitar Method or this Hal Leonard Piano Method and memorizing your Major, Minor & Pentatonic scales.

If you're learning Vocals, you will want to to learn to use solfeggio and learn your Major and Minor scales. Discover your Vocal Range and practice solfege everyday! You can start by practicing singing common children songs and nursery rhymes. You may use a piano or guitar to help you match the proper pitch or you can connect a microphone to your laptop, open up a digital audio workstation and use a tuner to see your pitch. You can even record yourself, practice over backing tracks and have a lot of fun modulating, pitch correcting and trying tons of effects on your vocals! A Vocal Instructor can help you discover how to properly breathe, control your voice, extend your range and much more!

If you're learning Drums, you will want to start carrying those sticks everywhere and hit everything. Learn how to properly hold them and use them, even while away from your kit to practice patterns and beats. You can even learn to twirl them and watch cool "how-to spin drum stick" videos on YouTube! In all seriousness, you will need to learn fun patterns and practice them to a metronome everyday. Many electric drum kits come with built-in educational material and books like Stick Control, Progressive Steps To Syncopation, and the Mini-Monster Book of Rock Drumming are amazing resources to start working through, however, nothing can get you jamming like proper lessons with a certified teacher.

Congratulations!

You are now a Musician! You can choose to enjoy your instrument at home or create a solo setlist to share with others! You might seek to band together with friends to perform or you might love teaching music to others. Maybe you just love singing alone on a beautiful day, either way you've unlocked an amazing tool for stress management and you can now spread inspiration and joy using your new found skills!

Have Fun!

-Rick Belleville, Founder of String Theory Studios

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