Articles

Music

Plans for learning an instrument, your voice and music theory from scratch — with daily practice, recording yourself on your phone and clear signs that a stage is done.

What every instrument has in common#

Every instrument, and the voice too, is learned through short daily sessions rather than rare long ones: hands and ears get used to a movement gradually, and twenty minutes every day give more than two hours at the weekend. Three techniques repeat across all the articles here — a slow tempo with a metronome, recording yourself on your phone, and listening back to that recording as if it were someone else. Only the first stage differs: for guitar and ukulele it is finger placement and chord changes, for piano it is the independence of two hands, for singing it is breathing and hitting the note.

Where to start and how to read the articles#

If you do not have an instrument yet, start with music theory: note names, note lengths, recognising intervals by ear — useful whatever you choose later. If you already have one, open the article about it: you will find a plan for the first months, free resources and advice on keeping a practice diary. Self-check tasks appear where the answer is unambiguous — in theory, tuning and intervals. Playing and singing cannot be checked that way, so those articles give criteria by which you can hear that a stage is complete.

Music How to learn ukulele
The ukulele is one of the friendliest instruments for an adult beginner — four nylon strings, a short neck and chords you can play with one or two fingers. A simple song accompaniment usually comes together within a few weeks of daily playing. Below is a two-month plan and the spots where beginners most often get stuck.
Music How to learn to sing from scratch
Almost any adult can learn to sing more in tune and with more confidence: hitting the note is a skill that links your ear and your voice, and it can be trained. On your own you can realistically build breath control, steady your pitch and sing a few songs without going flat. Below is a three-month plan, signs of progress and the rules that keep your voice safe.
Music How to learn piano from scratch
An adult who practises half an hour a day can usually play simple pieces with both hands from sheet music after six months. The hardest part of that road is not the notes but making your hands independent, so the plan is built around that. Below is what to work on month by month, how to learn to read music without misery and what to listen for in a recording.
Music How to learn guitar from scratch
Most adults can play their first songs with guitar accompaniment after two or three months of daily practice for twenty to thirty minutes. The main difficulty is not the chords but changing between them without stopping — most of the plan goes to that. Below is a week-by-week order, signs that a stage is done and common beginner mistakes.
Music Ear training and music theory on your own
What music schools call solfège is two things at once: music literacy (how music is written down) and the ear (recognising and reproducing what is written). An adult learns to read in a few weeks; the ear grows more slowly, but you can train it ten minutes a day. Below is a six-month plan, the order of topics and self-check questions.