Learning a Second Instrument

In my experience playing an instrument is like riding a bike: once you learn you never forget. I started learning clarinet, guitar, and drums all around the same time. I stopped clarinet after 8th grade, but continued guitar and drums. I even recorded guitar, bass, and drums for nine songs that I wrote when I was 20 years old. I temporarily stopped practicing guitar when I began formal training in percussion in college. I picked it up again 7 years later after a bachelor’s and master’s degree in percussion performance. To my delight, my abilities were “still there”- a bit rusty, but no catastrophic loss of ability.

Generally speaking

The best is to get good at one instrument before learning another. This strategy works best for late-learners (adults) because it allows them to focus on one instrument which will get them to performance level sooner. Additionally, getting good at one instrument will be less stressful, incur a smaller upfront cost, and will, most importantly, be more enjoyable. I am not necessarily against picking up multiple new instruments at once, but you should be aware that spreading out your effort will decrease the likelihood of getting proficient. But by all means, if you want to experiment, then EXPERIMENT!

Will learning a second instrument hinder my abilities on my main instrument?

YES ABSOLUTELY! but only If you are trying to be a world-class touring concert virtuoso. Ok, that was bit of a joke, but seriously, if you are trying to be good enough to jam in a band and not be a liability, then you are in luck. Attaining that level of proficiency on multiple instruments is actually more common than you think. For example, if you play drums and want to pick up guitar or bass you can get good enough to jam simple repertoire in a band fairly quickly.

Can I be great at the second instrument?

Absolutely! But be advised, musical “greatness” is quite broad. Eddie van Halen is great mainly because of his face-melting speed and dexterity. Ringo Starr of the Beatles is great for or other reasons. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING he played with the Beatles is even remotely technically difficult; however it was his tasteful and creative grouping of rhythms and timbres that makes him a great drummer. Players who don't exhibit great speed are often overlooked because their ‘greatness” manifests in subtle ways. Since greatness is largely subjective rest assured: Yes you can be great!

How long will it take?

Proficiency in that second instrument will take time. There is no way to know how long it will take to get “good” at the second instrument, but here is my formula to estimate. How ever long it took you to get to a certain proficiency-level on your first instrument, it will take you about the same time, minus 10%-25%, maybe even 50%, for the second. Remember that you will not have to spend time learning "how to practice", timing, form, or other music fundamentals.

Regardless of your end goal, expect about a 4-6 hour per week minimum of high quality practice on the second instrument to be proficient enough to competently jam with a band. If one or two of those hours is spent with a private teacher then you can easily triple your yield per practice time. A 4-6 hour weekly minimum will cover you if are not trying to impress anyone with supreme technical skill. If you are trying to be a lightning-fast technical wizard, then be prepared to practice 3-5 hours PER DAY of deliberate practice. This will get you in the ballpark of Prince level multi-instrumental sorcery.

Hacks to Learn Better

Learning how to learn is a skill itself. Learning a new skill involves a predictable cycle of steps: imitating the new movement, practicing, and then making adjustments. This cycle can be frustrating and stir-up powerful emotions which can actually turn some people off from pursing a new skill – ESPECIALLY if it they have not learned something new in a long time. Staying familiar with this cycle and how you respond to setbacks will drastically improve your ability to learn. Do your best to ALWAYS BE LEARNING SOMETHING, even if its not music related.

There are some disciplines that will have more general crossover to music such as: dance, cooking, martial arts (especially for percussionists/ drummers), acting. Those activities involve executing a prescribed order of steps and/or involve a deliberate and specific body movements. Creative writing, improvisation acting, painting, graphic arts involve more extemporaneous creation which will enhance your musical improvisation skills. Even learning something that is completely unrelated to music will be of benefit because it will get your brain processing information in a different way. Which will get you thinking about music in a different way. I personally am currently learning: typing (with all 10 fingers), Portuguese, web design, blogging, and I keep a regular strength training and yoga regimen. All of these activates support and supplement the physical, mental , and creative demands of my musical skills.

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In general learning multiple instruments is a good thing and will deepen your relationship with music. Focusing on one instrument at a time rather than learning multiple new instruments at once will increase proficiency, and decrease the time to get proficient or even really great! Always learning something new, musical or otherwise, will strengthen your learning skills and be of benefit when learning a second instrument.

How many instruments can you play? How long did it take you to become proficient? What do you do to supplement your musical skills? Have you found that your hobbies help your music skills? Let me know in the comments or send me an email!