Playing A Music Instrument

It seems a lot of people are obsessed with anything relating to the word "fast." Fast food, fast cash...why, even learning an instrument has become faster. Although personally I don't have anything against short cuts, I still believe that if you want to achieve something, you have to work hard for it. The short cuts are there just in case you need it but it shouldn't always be your first option.

In learning a musical instrument, I have come up with "The Three P's" for you to remember if you want to master your instrument faster.

Pay Attention
Listen and give your instructor your full attention when you're in class. Bring a notebook and pen and jot down any information, tips or advice your instructor has that will further help your music playing. Ask your instructor if you have any questions or point of clarification.

Patience
Learning an instrument is hard at the beginning so you must be very patient with yourself. Don't be discouraged if for the first few months you feel you're making slower progress than the rest of your class. Each of us learn differently and it doesn't necessarily mean that if you learn slower you're not as good as them. Stick to your lessons and you'll be surprised at how much you've improved in the end.

Practice
Ahhh, every music student will hear this saying, "Practice makes perfect." It's true, the more you practice playing your instrument, the better you become at it. Set a time each day for practice and discipline yourself to stick to your schedule. You'll see, in no time you'll be playing beautiful music and you'll be pleased with the progress you've made.
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What is World Music?

Louis Armstrong once said, "All music is folk music; I ain't never heard a horse sing a song." Well, that standard applies pretty nicely to world music as well... I, for one, have never heard an alien play a song.

That said, when people talk about world music, they generally are referring to music that pretty much encompasses everything that doesn't fit comfortably onto an American Top 40 pop chart. From traditional ethnic music to foreign language pop music, the phrase "World Music" covers a whole lotta ground.

Therefore, fans of world music cover a whole lotta ground as well. The majority of fans are actually the members of the ethnic traditions from whence the music sprung. However, plenty of mainstream Westerners have world music leanings as well. Some may be fans of only one specific type of music, say, reggae or Celtic music. Others may be up for anything that comes along.

All in all, world music is considered just plain music to the vast majority of people in the world. Music is universal, and to discover the music of a culture is to discover the culture as a whole. As Agnes De Mile said, "The truest expression of a people is in its dances and in its music."
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