by Sam E. Jones

Created on: April 18, 2010

Because you will feel things you never imagined were possible.

Learning to play an instrument, whether the piano, saxophone or guitar, gives people the opportunity to experience the pure pleasure of musical interplay. Most everyone has experienced some sort of euphoria when listing to a piece of music that truly moves them. Imagine being a part of that, of having that feeling multiplied as you play, or as you add something as it comes to you, of feeling yourself lifted from your earthly world and transcending the boundaries of a simple existence. Playing music can do that. But it can only happen if you learn how first.

Listening to music can move you, but making music can change you, forever.   

In addition to the pure pleasure you’ll receive when playing your instrument, you’ll also become a stronger, more disciplined person. You’ll become more confident in your other endeavors and find yourself in places you never would have otherwise. Your thinking will change as your brain learns to think in patterns and you’ll begin to see things in the world that you would have missed before. You’ll learn about love and peace and come to understand harmony and how it can apply to situations in your life when things start to seem just a little bit out of control.

Listening to music can soothe you; making music can be a lifelong refuge.

There are few better ways to both express and escape the pain of loneliness, or to run for instant gratification, or to soak in self pity when the world becomes overwhelming. Making music is not just an activity, it’s also a destination; a place where you can go whenever the music calls. It’s a place of solitude, or a place where you can commune with friends. It becomes your place, whenever you choose to go.

Creating music can fill your soul. Once you learn to play the music that others have written, you’ll want to create something of your own; something that no one else buy you may ever hear, or something that you might choose to share. In either case, the sense of pride and accomplishment that goes along with executing your first piece is something for which there is nothing else you can compare. It is as if you are speaking, expressing with another part of you, or another part of your soul. It is as if you have seen a part of you, deep down inside, where no one else can see, and have shined a light on it, and now and forever after, it will be something that will be identified as a part of you.

If you are someone who is considering learning to play an instrument, try to think of it as an opportunity to join in with something that will pay off dividends for you for the whole rest of your life, rather than as some hurdle that must be leaped, or avoided at times. Play as if you know in your heart that you are nurturing your own soul, because, you really are.

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