Phil Hodges Music

Why it’s Frustrating Learning an Instrument as an Adult

It’s no surprise that kids and adults approach learning new things very differently.

On some level, kids expect the struggle when learning something.

They’re used to not getting something right away but working at it anyway.

Adults, on the other hand, have spent decades building competence.

They've learned how to navigate careers.
They've learned how to manage households and finances.

They've developed routines and systems that help them get consistent results in their lives.

They've become good at a lot of things.

On top of all that, they're hard workers.
They're dependable.
They're capable.

And because they've spent so much of their lives developing skills, they don't often find themselves in situations where they feel completely lost.

Then one day they decide they want to learn an instrument.

Maybe they've always loved music.
Maybe they've always wanted to play guitar.
Perhaps they've dreamed of sitting down at a piano and playing their favorite songs.

They watch someone perform and think:

"That looks like so much fun."

And then another thought follows:

"I think I could learn to do that."

So they buy a guitar.
Or a keyboard.
Or a banjo.

They find a teacher.
They schedule lessons.
They're excited.

Finally, they're doing something they've wanted to do for years.

Then reality shows up.
The fingers don't cooperate.
The chords feel impossible.

The hands won't do what the brain is asking them to do.

Simple exercises feel surprisingly difficult.

What they're experiencing is something they may not have felt in a very long time—

They're a beginner.

It’s a humbling experience.

It’s something we all deal with when we are taken out of our comfort zone.

It is definitely not the case that adults are incapable of learning an instrument.

But they may not be used to struggling with something that seems so simple when someone else does it.

A kid may play the wrong note and barely think about it.

An adult might play the wrong note and immediately start questioning themselves.

"Maybe I don't have enough talent."
"Maybe I started too late."
"Maybe I'm just not musically inclined."

All that needs to happen is an acceptance that everybody has to start somewhere.

The adults who end up successfully learning an instrument aren't necessarily the ones with the most “talent.”

They're the ones who stop expecting immediate results.
They're the ones who learn to trust and enjoy the process.
They're the ones who keep showing up, even when they feel like they're not making progress.

And eventually something interesting happens.

The chord that felt impossible starts feeling natural.

The song that once sounded like random notes becomes familiar.

The instrument begins to feel less like an object and more like an extension of yourself.

Then one day you look back at where you started and realize just how much progress you've actually made.

Progress doesn’t usually happen through giant breakthroughs.

But through hundreds of small victories that quietly accumulate over time.

And honestly, that's what makes learning an instrument such a rewarding experience in the first place.

What have been your experiences learning an instrument for the first time as an adult?
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Phil Hodges Music offers several different programs, even for busy, working adults learning an instrument for the first time in their lives or returning to one after many years.

If you’d like to schedule your 30-Minute Discovery at no cost, or if you’d simply like to learn more about our programs, check them out here:

www.PhilHodgesMusic.com

I look forward to hearing from you!

Why Practicing Slowly is the Fastest Way to Build Speed

I’ve worked with many beginner musicians who love the idea of playing their instrument at lightning speed.

I don’t blame them. It’s fun. 🙂

Here’s the brutally honest truth that they often don’t realize though.

When they try to play fast, it’s usually sloppy and disconnected.

Beginners aren’t necessarily going to pick up on those details. To them, it probably feels like they’re flying.

I have to persuade them—gently, without discouraging or frustrating them—to slow it down to make sure their rhythm is tight and that their fi*****ng is allowing them to connect notes and phrases together in the most efficient way.

Once they can play each phrase at a slow tempo, we can work to connect phrases together.

When they’ve dialed in their rhythm and fi*****ng for an entire section of the piece, we can start increasing the tempo.

This process can be frustrating to the student, because when you slow down a piece of music that much, it doesn’t sound like the song anymore.

But it’s a necessary part of becoming a fast player.

It’s similar to ensuring you have proper form when you lift weights.

Or making sure that you enunciate every syllable of every word to avoid slurring your words when you’re giving a speech.

You want to make sure you get every single note as perfect as you can, and only then would you gradually increase the tempo.

More advanced musicians will incorporate speed bursts alongside slowing down the tempo.

With speed bursts, you would take a very small section—sometimes only three or four notes—and play them rapidly.

Assuming your rhythm and fi*****ng are good, you can tap your foot on the first note and the last note of the phrase, and not even really think about the notes in the middle.

Gradually, you would expand the phrase until you’re practicing the entire passage like this, focusing on the first and last note.

But for most beginning musicians, ensuring proper form, technique, and rhythm at a slow tempo first is essential to building speed.

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Interested in joining our growing community of musicians? Learn more about the programs we offer here:

www.philhodgesmusic.com

Schedule your 30-Minute Discovery at no cost to you!

I look forward to hearing from you. 🙂

Why So Many Music Students Think They’re “Behind”

One of the most common things I hear from music students—mostly from adults—is some version of this:

“I feel like I should be further along by now.”

Sometimes they’ve been playing for six months.
Sometimes two years.
Sometimes twenty.

And no matter what level they’re at, they somehow feel behind.

Behind who or what though?

Most musicians quietly compare themselves to people who are ten or twenty years further into the journey than they are.

A beginner guitarist compares himself to a touring musician on YouTube.

A piano student compares herself to someone who has played since childhood.

An intermediate player compares himself to advanced musicians.

And advanced musicians compare themselves to world-class professionals.

The finish line keeps moving.

That’s why music can feel so frustrating sometimes.

There’s always another level.
Another technique.
Another style.
Another song you can’t quite play yet.

And honestly, that never fully goes away.

Even professional musicians feel this way.

They’ll watch another player and think, “How are they doing that?”

Or—

“I wish I could play that effortlessly.”

The difference is that experienced musicians usually stop treating those feelings as proof that they’re failing.

They just see it as part of the process.

Or evidence that we're all different and approach music uniquely—that we each end up focusing on very particular aspects of our instrument that others didn't.

What people don’t often realize is that feeling “behind” is often evidence that your ears and musical awareness are improving.

You’re becoming more aware of what’s possible.

That’s progress.

When beginners first start learning, they often can’t hear all the details yet. But over time, their musical awareness sharpens.

And once that happens, they start hearing all the little imperfections in their own playing.

Ironically, that can make them feel worse… even while they’re getting better.

That’s why it’s important to occasionally look backward instead of always looking forward.

Go back and play songs you struggled with six months ago.

You’ll probably realize something surprising:

Things that once felt impossible now feel manageable.

That’s progress.

Real progress rarely feels dramatic while it’s happening.

Most of the time, it just quietly accumulates over months and years.

And one day you realize you can do things that used to completely overwhelm you.

That’s how progress works.

What Sets This Music Studio Apart From Others

Since 2008, I’ve made it my mission to help musicians of all ages and skill levels achieve their desired results.

Whether you envision yourself mastering the guitar, piano, banjo, bass, ukulele, or a combination of instruments, every program we offer at Phil Hodges Music is designed with your unique goals in mind.

This is precisely what sets our music programs apart from others.

Because every person is different, has different goals, different skill levels, different ways of understanding new concepts, every person needs a unique approach.

No two learners are the same.

Our programs are perfect for musicians of all levels and ages:

--Kids
--Teens
--Busy, working adults with fulltime jobs and families
--Retired adults who love the idea of staying active with music

Phil Hodges Music is more than just a teaching studio.

We are a community of musicians.

Interested in joining our growing community?

Schedule your 30-Minute Discovery session now at no cost, or if you’d simply like to learn more about our programs, contact us here:

www.philhodgesmusic.com

Here are some snapshots of Part 2 our Spring Concert last Friday, 5/22.

Every time we have a live music event like this, I'm reminded how much I absolutely love working with each and every one of these musicians. :)

Everybody played wonderfully!

We had part 1 of our Spring Concert last Friday, 5/15. We had such a great time listening to everybody’s performances!

Part 2 is this coming Friday, 5/22.

The Top 3 Most Effective Ways to Get Ready for a Music Performance

Preparing for a public performance is different from your everyday practice routine.

Most days, you’ll focus your practice on all the particularly challenging sections of each piece you have in your rotation.

You’ll be dialing in on the fi*****ngs, working slowly through every shift to make sure you land in the perfect spot every time, and you’ll be running through fast scale sections slowly.

That kind of practice is meticulous, tedious, and requires a perfectionist mindset.

It is necessary work to get your set ready to be performed publicly.

Let’s say your performance is 30 days out.

You’re not going to have time to make big changes to your pieces. The majority of all that work is done at this point.

All you can do is get ready for your performance.

Here are three ways you can get ready for that performance.

#1 Practice performing.

This means that your practice sessions are going to be largely devoted to playing through your set exactly the way that you’re planning on performing it.

You won’t be stopping to correct mistakes.

You won’t grimace every time you slip up.

You won’t make any sounds or gestures that you might make when you stub your toe.

You’ll play through your set without stopping and when you do make a mistake, you’ll continue on as if nothing happened.

If you all of a sudden blank out as to where you are in the piece, just pick up at the next section you do remember.

And most importantly, don’t signal that you forgot anything.

#2 Practice your set in front of people.

Find anyone who is willing to listen. A family or friend gathering.

Be the after-dinner entertainment.

Take advantage of every opportunity to play in front of an audience, even if it’s a small one.

What I do is go into a coffee shop, explain to the staff that I’m getting ready for an upcoming performance, and I ask if I can play my guitar.

As long as you’re providing background music for people, it’s nice, but it’s not very helpful to you.

It’s the people who stop and listen to you who end up helping you prepare. You need to feel a little of that performance anxiety.

#3 Record yourself.

This is one of the most underrated ways to get ready for a performance.

Video yourself playing through your set, or at least one piece at a time.

As soon as you hit record, you’ll likely feel a little of that stage fright.

When you play the video back, you might catch yourself trying to fix mistakes, and you’ll see how badly it comes across.

You’ll see that it would have been way better to just keep playing as if nothing happened.

The more you video record yourself, the more routine it will feel, the less pressure you’ll feel, and the fewer mistakes you’ll make.

You’ll get to the point where you stop caring so much about the little mistakes you make.

You’ll care more about how you deal with those mistakes in the moment.

After 30 days of practicing these ways—or some combination of these ways—you’ll be ready.

When it comes time for your big performance, tell yourself that you’re just “hitting record.”

Or that you’re at a coffee shop playing for customers.

Or you’re someone’s after-dinner entertainment.

It’s no different.

What are some ways you’ve prepared for performances?