When you start taking lessons on drums or piano, first you are excited about discovering new territories. If you are truly motivated, you might keep that flame going strong for quite a while.
But, eventually, as with everything, it gets old, as the saying goes. So, what to do? Should you avoid going to your instrument? Should you let poor ol’ drums collect dust? And what about them keys having been transformed into a giant coaster?
I’ll try to help you.
First of, if you are taking lessons, you need to talk about your idling musical mind with him: the teacher (I say “him” because I’m assuming you’re taking lessons with me. Ha!). Second, you will have to be open to try different solutions, as in whatever is suggested to you. After all, if you’re going to give it another chance, well then, give it another chance.
These are the first two requirement. They might sound vague.
Here’s something more specific.
There is a very obvious way to keep being interested in music: be in a band. I do not know a stronger motivator. And that motivator gets multiplied by ten once you have a repertoire and you play a gig! All of the sudden, you don’t have enough hours in a day to prepare for the performance! And if you have a good teacher, he can help you prepare the concert tackling the thorniest bits with you.
Let’s see another motivator. Let’s say you have a band you really like. It would be nice to study some of their more difficult songs, the ones that you never thought you’d be able to play. And you could complete your education by going to see a concert of that very band and appreciate the work of the drummer while she’s on stage. Yes! That would be fun! Then you can pick another band and repeat the same process.
What else could you do to tickle those musical buds?
I recommend, sometimes, getting some gears. A new gizmo can help you move forward. It doesn’t have to be a new set of keys or some more drums. It could be a new pair of headphones, or a biography of your favorite artist.
I also recommend that you spend some time putting your mind in a frame of music, that’s one of the easiest thing to do. What do I mean by that? It means that the turn signal of your car can become a metronome. It means that the sound of a silent winter morning hits you in a special way. It means that you can discover a new side of your favorite genre of music by digging up new artists representing it. It means that you can do as many games as you can create with what you hear. Is the sound of this bird happy or alarmed? Can you guess someone’s mood by just listening to them? What is the difference between the tone of this salad bowl and this sauce pan?
Music is everywhere because sound is everywhere. Maybe the important thing to remember is that becoming a musician takes time and resilience, it asks that you manage many things, including, sometimes, your lack of motivation. 