Even if you are an absolute beginner, you can make music right now. Even if you are playing a single note it can sound like music.
Always return to a good sound. As an absolute beginner your first goal is to just create a single good sound. Of course it won’t be perfect right away, or even for a long time. But from the beginning do your best to make your instrument sing.
First things first
There is a very simple approach to making this tune sound good. Play the first note. Make it sound as good as possible. Spend a minute or two or more just playing the first note. Then do the same for the second note. Then repeat the same process for the first two notes. Even if you think they sound fine, just stay with the first two notes. Then add the third. Then the first three.
Patience is not waiting
Next, I was going to tell you that this takes patience, or that you should be patient. But that’s not what I want to say.
I want to tell you to enjoy the sound of just playing that first note. To go into a trance with that first note. To absolutely love the sound of that first note. Then to move on to the second note. Breathe deeply and play the second note, being completely interested in the sound, completely in love with the process of making that sound. Listening for things you didn’t hear before. And to eventually play the first phrase of the melody with this attitude. Then do the same process for the second phrase and eventually the whole tune.
If you do this process on just one tiny part of a song, the whole song will probably sound better. This is because you have turned your attention to the quality of the sound.
It’s a completely realizable goal to make a simple melody sound beautiful using the steps outlined above. Then just repeat the same process for the next tune, and the next.
Don’t hope that you’ll be making real music at some point in the future. Do it now.
I am certainly not where I want to be yet, but I think I have made great strides, thanks in large part to access to your teaching when I make time to, day-to-day. I am so happy you have lessons laid out as you do now, and that you provide the various tracks to practice the songs piece by piece. Thank you!!
I’m loving practicing the Ballydesmond Polka. Doesn’t exactly sound cheerful yet -more like a dirge at this point but I hope to get up to speed soon. I’m enjoying the play along track. I’m also practicing using my pinkie which has its own will. Thanks for the lessons!
Nice. Don’t be in a hurry to play fast. Focus on good sound.