It has been shown that listening to music can reduce stress, increase creativity, and improve your mood. Besides reducing stress:<ul><li>Listening to music can also improve memory, especially when it is combined with physical activity.</li><li>Listening to classical music while exercising improves brain function and performance.</li><li>Helps raise your oxytocin levels, also known as the cuddle hormone, and releases dopamine, known as the happy hormone.</li></ul>

Listening to music is a great way to relax and enjoy yourself

Listening to music while exercising can help distract you from the pain or exhaustion that comes with physical activity. It also keeps your rhythm, which helps improve performance!You can also go to a dance class or yoga session! This way, you will have fun and release those feel-good endorphins as well as challenge yourself in new ways.

1. Exercise or go to the gym.

Listening to music while studying can help you relax and focus on the task at hand.Tips:<ul><li>Classical or instrumental music works best for this purpose because it won’t distract your mind as much as other types of songs might.</li><li>Make sure you have a list of study-friendly tracks so you don’t waste time searching through your library. You could even try making different playlists dedicated to certain topics, such as business or literature studies.</li><li>If you’re easily distracted by voices then listening to white noise is probably better for concentration purposes.</li></ul>

2. Study

Listening to music while cleaning your house is a great way to have fun and relax. It gives you something else to focus on instead of the monotony that comes with doing chores.You could also listen to podcasts or radio shows if they interest you! This will help pass time faster as well as give you information about things relevant in today’s society.Cleaning might not be everyone’s favorite thing but it has many benefits including improving mood, increasing mindfulness, releasing tension and stress and there’s no better way to do clean than listening to your favorite tunes.

3. Cleaning and house chores

Listening to music while walking is also great because it helps distract your mind from physical activity, which can be tiring and difficult at times.You might even consider jogging or hiking if you want to challenge yourself further or try some outdoor activities like kayaking, or cycling! Just try to avoid crowded places and traffic jams. If you have noise-canceling headphones make sure you’re <a href="https://descriptive.audio/headphones-that-let-you-hear-your-surroundings/">aware of your surroundings</a>.

4. Take a walk

If you have a dog then why not take it out for a walk while listening to your favorite tunes? This is especially great if the weather outside is nice!It’s also really fun and rewarding when your pet gets excited every time they hear music. Some dogs even start dancing!

5. Walk your dog

Gardening is another category of house chores that many people like. It’s fun, relaxing and you get to enjoy the outdoors!Gardening is a great way to exercise your hands and arms, as well as help nature grow, which makes us feel good about ourselves for helping out in some small way.Let the music inspire you to create your own mini-heaven in the form of a flower bed or vegetable patch! You’ll be able to let go and be yourself, away from others…

6. Gardening

Sometimes video games are fun because of the music that plays in the background. It helps you get into another world, one filled with bright colors and interesting people to interact with!But other times you can enjoy your favorite music bands or singers while running around killing zombies or solving puzzles online.

7. Play video games

Listening to music while reading a book is another thing that people enjoy:<ul><li>It can help you get into the world of your favorite characters and feel like part of the story! </li><li>Classical music is usually recommended for this because of its soothing nature.</li></ul>However, if you’re trying to read for school or study purposes then it might be better to not listen to any music. You want all your attention on learning something new so why take away from that by also listening?

8. Read a book

A great way to relax is taking a bath! You get the benefit of both worlds: you can enjoy your favorite music while also relaxing in warm water.It’s good for the body, mind, and soul. Plus it’ll help ease any stress or anxiety so you feel refreshed afterward…A portable, water-resistant Bluetooth speaker would be the best thing to bring into a bathtub. This way you’ll have music with you wherever you go, no matter how wet it gets!

9. Take a relaxing bath

Driving is a popular activity for many people. It gives you the ability to get from one place to another, as well as enjoy time by yourself or with friends and family! And many of us have to drive many hours per day to commute to work…So why not make the drive more bearable by listening to your favorite music? You can sing along while driving or just sit back and relax! Just don’t go full Toretto and risk getting into an accident, okay?

10. Go for a drive

Cooking is a great way to relax and feel good about yourself because you’re creating something new! There’s also the added benefit of eating what you cook which makes it even better 😀However, with music playing in the background it might help lift your spirits so that you have more energy to do all those dishes or knead dough! You’ll get lost in the moment and time will pass without notice until someone asks if dinner’s ready.

11. Cook delicious food

Music can help you relax and sit still for a bit. For some of us, it’s hard to do this because we have so much energy or want to always be doing something!But if you give yourself time to just chill then your mind will feel more refreshed afterward. It’ll allow all those ideas that are swirling around in there to come together into one big thought bubble.Sometimes crashing on the couch with a good song is the best way to relax after a stressful day.

12. Sit down and relax

Drinking alcohol is another fun activity for many people! And there are plenty of times when listening to music goes with drinking too – whether it’s at home alone while cooking dinner, out with friends at a bar/club, or just hanging around in someone’s backyard…So why not listen to tunes while enjoying a beverage? You could pick songs that fit specific emotions based on what kind of drink you’re having (i.e.: upbeat and lively if you have tequila shots).Note: Starting to drink alcohol at a young age can hinder the development of the brain's structure and functioning.

13. Drink wine or beer

For many people, music is a major part of their relationship. This could be due to the emotional connections they have with certain songs or because it somehow enhances intimacy…It’s definitely not for everyone but if you’re into this kind of thing then why not try having some fun? You can take turns picking tunes that best fit your mood and see where things go from there. It might lead to something wild or romantic – who knows!

14. Have an intimate moment with your partner

Shopping is one of those activities that rarely gets me excited. My wallet hates me every time I head out the door so all my money disappears like magic :))Others enjoy shopping though and it can be a very fun experience! It definitely beats getting dragged around by kids all day long. And if you listen to music then it might help pass the time more quickly (or distract your attention from how much money’s flowing right out of your wallet).

15. Go shopping

Many board games don’t require much in the way of interaction except to roll a dice or move your token. So you can just sit back and relax while listening to music!Whether it’s classics like Monopoly, Yahtzee, Sorry!, Scrabble, Clue, or even playing trivia games with friends, all these can be combined with great tunes which will make them that much better.The whole family can get involved too – it’s great for bonding and will help kids learn to listen (and follow) along with music more.

16. Playing board games

Meditation has been known for centuries as a good method of relaxation and reflection. And many people meditate with music as it can help keep their minds focused and on track. White noise is also often used for this purpose since the sound is consistent and blocks out distractions.If you’re curious about this then why not give it a try? It’s pretty simple to do: just sit or lie down, turn on some tunes, close your eyes, and focus only on the sounds around you. You might be surprised by what’s going through your head…

17. Meditate

Writing is something many people struggle with. I’m sure all of us have had moments where we want to bang our heads against a wall out of frustration because words aren’t coming together properly.If writing is one of those activities that you struggle with, maybe listening to music will help you along. The right tunes could be the spark you need to get your thoughts onto paper…Similar to studying and reading, relaxing/classical music is often recommended for writers; or music that has a steady beat to keep you focused.

18. Write

Dancing is something people love doing whether it’s in a club or at home alone! It can help release tension, stress, and makes for some fun times with friends. And if music helps then why not turn that into an activity?Just put down whatever you’re doing when you want to dance – no one cares. Then find songs that make you feel good and start grooving 😀 If this turns out to be really fun who knows where it might go! You’ll definitely leave feeling amazing after a good cardio session.

19. Dance around your house/apartment

Surfing the web is always a great way to kill some time! Whereas you’re buying stuff, reading an interesting article, learning a new skill, or just watching cute cat videos – the list of possibilities is endless!Fire that music playlist back up and enjoy yourself. Make sure you grab a cup of coffee and a comfortable chair though since you never know how long the next video will be!

20. Surf the web

Art is something we all have inside us… But it can be hard to release especially if you’re not creative and don’t know where to start. You could just look at other people’s work for inspiration or get into a community that helps improve your skills (art communities, art classes, YouTube tutorials).It doesn’t matter what kind of art you do either – drawing/painting, writing poems/stories, sculpting claymation figures/action figures; even cooking food in weird shapes! Just make sure you enjoy yourself while doing whatever activity makes it possible.

21. Create some Art

Music is a great way to express yourself and enjoy life! Whether you’re singing in the shower, dancing around your house, or jamming out with friends – it should always be fun.Sometimes you just need to sit down and put your full attention on the music. Close your eyes, relax, and enjoy. Discover all of the sounds and instruments that are playing in the background. And who knows maybe you’ll even start to like a new genre of music!

22. Enjoy the music!

Music expresses who we are as individuals so why not enjoy listening to and sharing your favorite tunes? Whether alone or among friends – let your spirit fly high!

Here are 22 creative things to do while listening to music you might haven't thought of. Listening to music has many benefits.

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Music

22 Things to do while listening to music

The Beatles were an English rock band that formed in Liverpool in 1960. With members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, they became widely regarded as the greatest and most influential act of the rock era.

Who were the 4 Beatles?

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The Beatles - Wikipedia

Almost every modern piano has 52 white keys and 36 black keys for a total of 88 keys (seven octaves plus a minor third, from A0 to C8). Many older pianos only have 85 keys (seven octaves from A0 to A7). Some piano manufacturers extend the range further in one or both directions.

How many white keys are there on a piano?

Piano - Wikipedia

Some researchers point out that the choice of music in advertisements plays a vital role in convincing consumers that a product is green and that they should purchase it. A 2022 study found that using major-mode music with a fast templo in advertising helps consumers to buy the product. Modes are scale patterns with different melodic characteristics. The tempo is the speed of a piece. Major scales are usually associated with happiness while minor scales are perceived as more melancholy.

Sustainable green purchases

Advertising music can play a vital role in driving consumers to purchase green products. Researchers found that music with a major scale pattern of over 94 beats per minute made consumers more likely to buy an eco-friendly product, regardless of the advertised product or the consumer's music background. A lack of music or slower, more fearful music didn't have the same impact. However, the scope of the study only focused on green products, but what makes a product green may vary.

How music affects consumer's purchasing intentions

Greenwashing is a marketing practice where companies mislead consumers about the environmental benefits or sustainability of a particular product or service. Ads could use music to appeal to consumers so they feel more positive about the brand, even though they don't get factual information. Consumers may not recognise their feeling is caused by the music.

Companies use musical advertising cues for greenwashing

It’s crucial to focus on reducing consumers’ barriers to sustainable consumption. The purchase of green products shouldn't depend on the consumers' attitude towards green products. <ul><li>Companies should make engaging in sustainable behaviours more convenient for consumers.</li><li>It's also important to ensure that "sustainability" is not associated with "expensive."</li></ul>

Businesses can do more to overcome the barriers to sustainable purchasing

The technique could be used to shift shopper mindsets towards sustainable products—but it could also be used for greenwashing.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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The surprising link between lively music and sustainable shopping

<ul><li>Stores use sights, smells, sounds, and other stimuli in combination to produce particular atmospheres</li><li>In some cases, the place itself is more influential than the product itself in the purchase decision</li><li>For example, to create an upscale atmosphere, a manager might choose classical music, subdued colors, elegant perfumes, cool temperatures, sparsely displayed merchandise, and low lighting</li></ul>

Stores Are Using Music to Make You Spend More

<ul><li>Music on top of noise is just more noise.</li><li>Shoppers tend to spend less time in the store when the music is loud, and more when it is soft.</li><li>There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of money customers spent in each of these scenarios.</li><li>Music volume only affected the amount of time people spent in stores, not sales volume. So if you manage a store with limited floorspace, or run a restaurant with limited seating, the strategic use of loud(er) music might help you better manage your customer flow.</li></ul>

The Ideal Volume

<ul><li>The tempo of a store’s background music can influence both the pace of customer traffic flow and sales volume.</li><li>Fast (uptempo) music makes people move more quickly through a store, and they end up buying less.</li><li>Slow (downtempo), on the other hand, leads to slower shoppers, which in turn leads to shoppers having more time to discover and interact with more products.</li></ul>

The Tempo

<ul><li>You can fine-tune the background music of a store by paying attention to the modes of the songs you're playing.</li><li>The best tempo/mode combination for boosting sales at a supermarket: Downtempo and minor.</li><li>People buy more when there are slow sad songs playing in the background.</li></ul>

Play Slow And Sad Songs!

<ul><li>Music is not simply a generic sonic mass, but a complex chemistry of controllable elements.</li><li>What works in one store might not work in another.</li><li>The genre of music you play might end up trumping all of the quantifiable characteristics of your store's ambience.</li></ul>

The Music Genre

<ul><li>Retail soundscapes consist of more than just music.</li><li>Stores engage in audio atmospherics which go beyond songs.</li><li>White noise is perhaps the most well-known variety of this non-musical background sound.</li><li>In office settings, the sound of people talking can be heard as well.</li><li>Natural sounds like birdsong and wind can be just as effective as white noise.</li></ul>

White Noise

Come on feel the noise. Girls rock your boys. We’ll get wild, wild, wild. Wild, wild, wild!

When it comes to satisfying customer eardrums, WWB works best: Wind, water, and birdsong.Natural sounds can be just as effective as (if not more effective than) traditional options for providing ambient noise.

The End Note

The self-proclaimed wine connoisseur swaggers into the wine shop, his Italian shoes shuffling across the pristine marble floors. The ceilings are vaulted. The displays are large, immaculately clean…

“Headphones also made the music more personal for me; it was suddenly coming from inside my head, not out there in the world."

A small minority of scientists argue that music only serves hedonic purposes – a byproduct of language and is only a pastime for us to feel pleasure. That would mean that if you eliminated all music from the world, life would just go on as if nothing happened.The majority side of scientists believes that music played a key role in our evolution and has paved the way for our human ancestors to develop speech.Music and speaking are quite similar, so it’s possible that by practicing singing and making sounds, our ancestors could have developed the skills needed to later articulate words.

Music and Evolution

How much you like a song depends mostly on how well you can predict what comes next. Great musicians play with your brain and expectations in the way that they get you to expect something, and then surprise you, before taking you back to comfortable terrain.A great song surprises you, but not too much. It balances the familiar with the unknown and therefore creates the perfect mix of comfort and excitement.

Music Is All About Expectations

While many areas of the brain light up simultaneously during music, such as your subcortical structures, auditory cortices, the hippocampus, and others, something unique happens the very first time you hear any song: a certain set of neurons fires together, and a unique, abstract, generalized imprint is created.This can then be called upon any future time you hear this song or a part of it. That’s why when studies looked at the brain waves of people when they listened to songs and compared them to when they were just imagining the song in their head, the patterns were indistinguishable.

Each Song You Hear Leaves An Imprint In Your Brain

Neuroanatomically, music is being processed in parallel by many different regions.<ul><li> If we listen to Bach, our hair cells in the cochlea parse the incoming sound into its different frequency bands.</li><li> Then, electrical signals are sent to the primary auditory cortex to inform it about which frequencies are present in the signal. </li><li>Simultaneously, regions in the temporal lobe, including the superior temporal sulcus and the superior temporal gyrus, assist in distinguishing the different timbres. </li><li>We can then label some of those timbres by retrieving the memories of similar sounds that we’ve heard before,<warningtag> using the hippocampus.</warningtag></li></ul>

Musical Activity Is Widely Distributed Across The Brain

There are 2competing theories. <ul><li>The constructivist theory argues that the brain stores relational information about objects and ideas, rather than explicit information about them. Thus, upon retrieval, we have to construct a memory representation out of these relations (e.g. pitch relations of a melody). </li><li>The competing theory is known as the record-keeping theory - most of our experiences are preserved accurately and with near-perfect fidelity. </li></ul>Ample evidence exists for both, which eventually led researchers to develop a new theory that is capable of incorporating both of its predecessors.

How We Store Musical Memories In Our Brain

“The common neural mechanisms that underlie perception of music and memory for music help to explain how it is that songs get stuck in our heads. Scientists call these ear worms, from the German Ohrwurm, or simply the stuck song syndrome.”

“Music may be the activity that prepared our pre-human ancestors for speech communication and for the very cognitive, representational flexibility necessary to become humans.”

“For the artist, the goal of the painting or musical composition is not to convey literal truth, but an aspect of a universal truth that if successful, will continue to move and to touch people even as contexts, societies and cultures change. For the scientist, the goal of a theory is to convey "truth for now"--to replace an old truth, while accepting that someday this theory, too, will ve replaced by a new "truth," because that is the way science advances.”

Our brains have mirror neurons, which are neurons that fire both when performing an action and when observing someone else performing that action.Scientists have tested this as a theory and proved that, for example, when people listened to or watched someone eat an apple, their own neurons in the mouth movement area were activated. This is the brain’s way to train and prepare the organism to make movements that it has not made before.

Mirror Neurons

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Music and Productivity

In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music—its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it—and the human brain. Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin poses that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, he reveals: • How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world • Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre • That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise • How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our head A Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist, This Is Your Brain on Music will attract readers of Oliver Sacks and David Byrne, as it is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.

In this groundbreaking union of art and science, rocker-turned-neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin explores the connection between music—its performance, its composition, how we listen to it, why we enjoy it—and the human brain. Taking on prominent thinkers who argue that music is nothing more than an evolutionary accident, Levitin poses that music is fundamental to our species, perhaps even more so than language. Drawing on the latest research and on musical examples ranging from Mozart to Duke Ellington to Van Halen, he reveals: • How composers produce some of the most pleasurable effects of listening to music by exploiting the way our brains make sense of the world • Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers, whether it was Fleetwood Mac, U2, or Dr. Dre • That practice, rather than talent, is the driving force behind musical expertise • How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our head A Los Angeles Times Book Award finalist, This Is Your Brain on Music will attract readers of Oliver Sacks and David Byrne, as it is an unprecedented, eye-opening investigation into an obsession at the heart of human nature.

Daniel J. Levitin

This Is Your Brain on Music

Those listening sessions are likely making me less productive. You’re having so much more fun that you feel more productive.

The Illusion of Productivity When Listening to Music

Listen to music for 10 to 15 minutes before you start working.<ul><li>Listening to tunes you enjoy can put you in a better mood and relax you. Your brain releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, which gives you a “warm feeling of pleasure.” </li><li>You may also get a hit of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which elevates your mood and can make it easier to focus.</li></ul>

The Best Way to Listen to Music for Productivity

Unfortunately, listening to music also takes up some of your attentional capacity, meaning that if you listened to it while working, you’d have fewer resources left to direct toward the task at hand.The exception is when you’re performing tasks that are repetitive or monotonous, such as when you’re working on an assembly line or driving for long periods of time.

Music And Attentional Capacity

A Neuroscientist Explains Why You Should Stop Listening to Music While You Work

<ul><li>Music therapy is increasingly used to help patients cope with stress and promote healing.</li><li>Andrew Rossetti, a licensed music therapist in New York, uses guitar music and visualization exercises to help calm patients undergoing medical treatments.</li><li>The healing power of music - lauded by philosophers from Aristotle and Pythagoras to Pete Seeger - is now being validated by medical research.</li></ul>

Music Heals

<ul><li>Dr. Rossetti has seen increases in acute anxiety since the onset of the pandemic, making musical interventions even more impactful</li><li>Mount Sinai has expanded its music therapy program to include work with the medical staff, many of whom are suffering from post-traumatic stress from months of dealing with Covid.</li></ul>

Music Therapy

<ul><li>A growing body of research suggests that music played in a therapeutic setting has measurable medical benefits. </li><li>It can also help people deal with longstanding phobias</li><li>Music has also been used successfully to support recovery after surgery.</li><li>Some hospitals have introduced pre-recorded programs that patients can listen to with headphones.</li></ul>

Music To Quell Fear And Pain

Psychedelic Drugs: As studies explore the therapeutic value of substances like MDMA, veterans are becoming unlikely advocates for their decriminalizationVirtual Reality: A treatment using new technology to immerse patients in a simulation of a memory could help them overcome trauma.

Overcoming Trauma

Music therapy is increasingly used to help patients cope with stress and promote healing.

The Healing Power of Music

If you’ve ever moved to a beat, joined in a chorus or felt your heart quicken to the lyrics of a song, you’ve felt the power of music. That power runs deep in the human experience, and the urge to dive fully into the sounds, to make those sounds and share them, is strong.Most of us had musical experiences as children, whether it was singing during religious services, taking lessons that our parents supervised, or attending music clubs in school. But playing music as an adult is different. We have pressing obligations, no supervising parents and fewer opportunities thrust upon us.

Our Relationship With Music

Those who have the desire to play often fear that they waited too long, that learning music as an adult is just too hard. But it’s never too late. People of all ages have chosen music and are prospering with it. As adults, we have learned how to learn, we value what music has to offer, and we have the patience to watch our abilities and joys compound with time. We might not learn to play as quickly as a teenager would, but we can play with feeling and nuance, and deeply appreciate those we play with.

Never Too Late

Music brings us joy. But what else can it do? It can relax us, offer us solace, and give us a creative outlet. It can deepen our emotional experience, <a href="https://makingmusicmag.com/improve-your-hearing-and-your-musicianship/">sharpen</a> our hearing, and produce <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/9/3793">changes</a> in our nervous systems that create a natural high. We’re able to enjoy tapping our feet to a beat because music fires up our neural systems through <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0128839">entrainment</a> – the synchronisation of one’s own rhythms to an external musical rhythm.

The Benefits of Music

Whether you approach music as a child would a playground, as a mathematician would a proof, as a painter would a canvas, or as an athlete would spring training, you can find satisfaction in your pursuit. This Guide will help you take the first steps as you choose an instrument, learn how to practise, find ways to play with others, and develop techniques to keep moving forward.Who knows where music might take you? Like all of us, you have music in your genes and in your head. Now you just need to take the next step toward music and follow the path where it leads you.

You Can Find Your Own Way to Make Music

Finding an instrument that feels right is your first step. Whether or not you’ve played one in the past, this is a good time to consider what suits you now.One approach is to follow your feelings. What instruments move you? Which ones draw you in when you’re listening to music?  Open your eyes and ears to the instruments you encounter and see if one moves you more than the others.

Choose an Instrument

Do your hands, lungs or ears constrain your options? Does your wallet? For many, getting quick results, measured in months rather than years, matters most. In the acoustic world, some instruments yield pleasing results in less time: the ukulele, the drum, the dulcimer, the autoharp, the harmonica. Electric instruments (such as the electric guitar) can be easier on the hands.Electronic instruments, such as synthesisers and drum machines, offer versatility and a quicker means of getting sounds from your head out into the world.

The Instrument Which Is Easier To Get And Use

Consider who you might be playing with, and what role you want to take on. Do you see yourself in an orchestra, a jazz band, a folk duo, a rock group, or a choir? Do you want to shine in the limelight, taking solos and basking in that glow, or do you want to support others in the group? Instruments lend themselves to some roles and genres more than others. Often people think of an instrument as a standalone object. But they really should think of it as part of an ensemble.

Your Role In The Music

A singer's body is their instrument, intimate and unique. Your voice will change with time, and how it changes is partly up to you. With the help of a voice teacher, choir director or experienced friend, you can find your voice and develop it. Then you can explore how best to share it. Many people begin with singing, and then learn an instrument to accompany their voices. Others play an instrument and realise they can learn to sing along with it.

What Singers Do

Talk to amateur and professional musicians. Read music blogs. Visit a music store. Listen to live music. Attend a music jam, where you can see how people at different skill levels play informally and improvise together. Experience instruments in different settings to open your eyes to new possibilities. And if you try one instrument and it doesn’t suit you, don’t give up. Consider it an adventure that can guide you to the next instrument, the one you’ll come to love best.

Expand And Explore

You could learn to play one chord or scale, learn the lyrics to one song, or get started on one technique. A medium-term goal might be achieved in months. You could take private or group lessons, develop calluses and muscles to extend your practice time, learn to sing in tune, expand your repertoire, or explore a new musical genre. A long-term goal is measured in years. You might aim to play comfortably with others, learn to read music or play by ear, form a band, perform in public, or record your music.

Set Goals for Yourself

As with other goals we pursue, our musical ambitions can change as we mature. A 20-year-old might hope to make a career with music or to hit it big. A 40-year-old with work deadlines and kitchen duty might be pleased to carve out a few hours a week to play. And a 70-year-old might find that learning new skills and deepening friendships is the richest reward. Your goals can change as you progress with music, too.

Our Rewards And Ambitions Change As We Age

Do you prefer the privacy of learning in a quiet corner, with no one else listening? Do you like the structure of a class with assignments and deadlines? Do you like the freedom of YouTube instruction? Do you like working with a teacher one on one, and if so, what sort of teacher helps you prosper – someone who’s gently supportive or someone who prods? Someone who is a pro at their instrument or someone who is a mentor and peer? Experiment and see what feels right for you.

Find out How You Learn Best – and What Will Keep You Going

Online teachers are now readily accessible for those who face obstacles to working with someone in person. And year-long subscriptions to mass video lessons, audio files and other materials offer a wealth of targeted information and individual feedback from working musicians.If you have self-discipline and can stay motivated without structure or deadlines, YouTube videos can take you far. You could spend a lifetime exploring online resources for singing, writing songs, playing instruments, and synthesising music.

Go Deep In The Online World

After a few weeks of practising how to hold your hands and arms or how to sing a line, you may ask yourself: ‘Isn’t there more to music than this?’ But you’re just like a toddler taking her first steps, not realising that one day those legs will take her anywhere she wants to go.So pace yourself. Plan to practise as much as you realistically can, whether it’s 15 minutes each evening or several short sessions in a day. Work your way up to longer practices, which will be easier when you’ve developed calluses or muscle strength, and can work on a wider variety of skills.

Get the Most Out Of Your Practice

There are many learning resources focused on how to practise. Here are a few basics to get you going:<ul><li>include warm-ups to prepare you mentally and physically;</li><li>learn scales, which lay the foundation for understanding how to play a melody line or improvise;</li><li>play slowly while learning a piece to help you play it cleanly;</li><li>focus on sections that give you trouble rather than playing an entire piece repeatedly;</li><li>practise in shorter and more frequent sessions for best results; and</li><li>incorporate mental practice into your routine (here’s why and how).</li></ul>

Learning Tips

When we’re new to an instrument and fumbling to make satisfying sounds, it’s more comfortable to make them in private. But some teachers argue that playing with others early is the key to learning and to sticking with it. Why? Because you’ll learn what you need to work on, experience moments of connection that keep you going, meet people who can help you, as well as get inspired and avoid the rut that can come from exclusively playing by yourself.

Find Others To Play With

Music stores and centres commonly offer group classes that focus on different instruments and genres. Community orchestras often cultivate newcomers. Many churches, synagogues and other places of worship bring their congregants together with music and welcome members to sing, chant or play instruments during services. You can find local jams in both rural and urban areas through online platforms like Meetup, and it’s easy to play quietly at the beginning as you learn how to play by ear.

Resources for Finding Others Abound

Camps offer different genres, levels and learning styles, whether the focus is on jazz, folk, roots, bluegrass, orchestra, rock, singing, songwriting or other subjects. But no matter which camp you attend, you’ll be offered camaraderie, meals, late-night jams, concerts, inspiring teachers who might be the best in their genre, and a big boost of musical adrenaline.

Joining A Music Camp

It’s never too late to play an instrument or learn to sing. Take the leap from listener to maker in the way that suits you

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How to start making music | Psyche Guides

"So wake me up when it's all over, when I'm wiser and I'm older, all this time I was finding myself and I, didn't know I was lost."Wake Me Up

Tim Bergling, "Avicii" 1989-2018. He was just ten years older than me. People shouldn't die this young.

"Hey brother, there's an endless road to rediscover."Hey Brother

Avicii was an inspiration. I wouldn't be listening to EDM if it weren't for him.

"It's not too late, it's not too late, I see the hope in your heart."Broken Arrows

I wish I could've gone to one of your shows. Meeting you would've been awesome. You may be gone, but your music lasts forever, and I'll never stop listening to it.

"Oh, sometimes, I get a good feeling."Levels

Avicii's music makes me feel better. It gives me a good feeling.

"I'm gonna tear this city down without you, I'm going Bonnie & Clyde without you."Without You

The world has to go on without you, and so do I. It was such an honor to remix one of your songs. And I've got a feeling your songs will be making appearances in my mash-ups for years to come.

"...Thursday waiting for love, waiting for love. Thank the stars it's Friday..."Waiting For Love

Last night, 4/19, I randomly got the song "Waiting for Love" in my head. Then today, 4/20, I find out the creator of that song has died at age 28. Life is crazy.

Avicii's songs easily number among my favorites of all time. There's something about his music that's just joyful, whether you listen to EDM or not. We lost a titan of the music world today, and I will always remember you.

"One day you'll leave this world behind, so live a life you will remember."The Nights

Yesterday marked the 4-year anniversary of the death of Tim Bergling, more widely known as Avicii, a producer, songwriter and DJ and a pioneer in the Electronic Dance Music industry. These are some of my thoughts I posted on Instagram that day back in 2018, four years ago.

AVICII FOREVER: In Memoriam

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