While learning how to play a musical instrument, many musicians find themselves stuck or their playing has stalled. Why that’s happened often feels like a mystery.

To get insight on their playing, it’s valuable to review the fundamental skills; sound quality, intonation, posture, timing, rhythm, articulation, dynamics and playing the right notes. Musicians also benefit from solidifying their technique: mastering scales, arpeggios and chord changes as part of daily practice. These two foundational elements serve as the most important first steps a player can take.  But playing alone or practicing in a vacuum prevents musicians from receiving another person’s perspective or guidance on their playing. Although it can be uncomfortable hearing constructive feedback, the insight might help to unlock the mysteries of why forward progress has stalled.

Wherever you are in your musical journey, checking in regularly with an instructor will highlight the strengths and weaknesses in your playing and help establish a plan for what needs to be worked on in the future. Getting guidance and feedback from a music master what we like to call the “X-Factor” when learning how to play an instrument. It can be the singular most important factor in achieving your musical goals.

Everyone Does It

Almost every musician has received personal guidance to help with their growth as an artist. It would be difficult to find someone who hasn’t had a lesson with a more skillful instructor or a mentor who helped guide them forward in their musical journey. For years, electric fingerstyle guitarist, Martin Taylor, toured with jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli who taught him new perspectives on playing that he had never considered before. Through experience with Stéphane, Martin learned the impact of musicality and musicianship which elevated his playing and furthered his career as a highly sought-after jazz guitarist.

Don’t Skip an Important Step

Whether you are learning from YouTube, a DVD, or a generic video lesson website it is essential to find a way to get feedback on your playing. Although there might be various forums where people discuss their questions, experiences, and solutions, it proves to be a poor substitute for having video feedback tailored to your playing. Nothing compares to recording a video of your playing, sending it to an experienced player to review, and having that person respond with specific video feedback addressing what’s working and what you can do to set the stage for more meaningful progress in the future. Getting expert feedback on your playing is what gives you deeper knowledge about what to build on and what problems need to be addressed so you can make maximum forward progress. Without it, you’ll wonder whether what you’re doing is right or wrong. The answer will lie in the kind of progress you make, or don’t.

The ArtistWorks “X-Factor”

The “X-Factor” is one of the major cornerstones of our company that sets us apart from other online music instruction providers. Our online music teachers have dedicated their lives to teaching all levels of players as they bring years of teaching excellence to their online music lesson libraries. Each of them have recorded 25-30 hours of music lessons at ArtistWorks, starting with the fundamental skills needed to begin playing an instrument for the first time. As you progress through the library, the lessons gradually increase in difficulty and complexity, defining a clear path from start to finish. This strategy of teaching ensures that players of any level can take a course at ArtistWorks with ease. Our comprehensive online music lesson libraries are powered by our Video Exchange Learning® which allows you to submit a video to your instructor and receive personal video response providing feedback and direction in regards to your playing. You’ll learn all the important stepping stones for becoming a better player, but by entering into Video Exchanges with our online master musicians, you’ll add that “X-factor” to your playing.

This type of learning will change everything for you as a practicing musician. Although it can be humbling or intimidating at times to record yourself or play for someone, it will definitely benefit you in the long run. Sometimes having an additional set of experienced eyes to point out what you can’t see gives you the elusive edge you’ve been seeking. Whether you are struggling with a fundamental issue, or have a problem with your instrument, our instructors will provide insight as to what’s holding you back from taking your playing to new heights.

With 30 of today’s most accomplished and celebrated musicians, we aim for your online learning experience to be filled with “ah-ha” moments. These learning milestones can be defined by minor changes to your playing or major breakthroughs in your musical career. Our online teachers love working with beginners and are eager to help you play better, provide meaningful feedback to you, and help guide you to become the player you’ve always wanted to be.

Before diving into your favorite online course, check out our “Becoming a Musician” video tutorial series where we offer valuable insight to players of all skill levels. In this video series, we discuss important foundational concepts such as mastering the fundamentals, principle philosophies, developing proper technique, and more on the ArtistWorks “X-Factor”, to help establish good playing and practice habits to optimize your musical performance.

Get access to “Becoming a Musician” video series by clicking HERE and see if we can help you develop a strong musical infrastructure. Ready to jump right in to some ArtistWorks lessons? Dive into some FREE SAMPLE LESSONS, each of them hand-selected from your favorite musician’s online lesson library at ArtistWorks. Checkout examples of our Video Exchange Learning® technology, and discover how the ArtistWorks “X-Factor” will make you a better player!

Relevant Content

“Becoming a Musician” Video Series

5 Tips for Beginner Musicians
The Fundamentals of Playing an Instrument

Building Technique as a Musician