Back to Basics of Band Instruments

Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced player, getting to the basics and fundamentals of your band instrument, might help you actually advance more than just keep looking into perfection and into details. From time to time, when​ I start teaching a new student the basics, then I tend to take them backwards with the goal of having them not only come back but get better.

Another thing that I like to do is make sure that each lesson is planned out 100% beforehand. For example, if you were to plan out some guitar lesson 3 days before learning it, chances are you would be completely lost because you would be thrown into something completely different from what you had planned. So before starting your first lesson, make sure that you have a schedule set apart for yourself where all your lessons will take place and where they will start.

Each band instrument is quite different from another, but they all need a great understanding of its fundamental before being able to actually improve yourself as a musician.

The most important things that you should look and learn about in your studies are:

• Rhythm is one of the most important things that you should be aware of because it will help you get better, actually make music and play with other musicians. Playing the right notes is not enough, but playing the right notes when there's a note behind it can make your band much better overall. For example, if you are playing in a two-piece band where it's just you and the drummer, then playing the wrong rhythm could lead to ruining everything for both of you. This is what I like to call proper song structure rhythm flow.
• Repetition is another thing that will help you memorize things and get better overall. If you practice the same things over and over again, you will actually start to understand them better because you will be forcing yourself to remember them. The more you practice a certain technique or riff, the more it will start to try and stick in your head. This would mean that you know what to do next and how certain parts of your band instrument should go into each other.
• Proper posture when playing your instrument can help a lot for those times when there is a lot of pressure, such as playing in an audience or in front of somebody else. Actually, that could be one of the major reasons why you are not doing well because you have no confidence in yourself and your instrument.

Like I said before, each instrument is different from another, but they all have one thing in common which is the proper posture when playing. This will help you play better and longer without getting tired.

• Know the basics of your own instrument functionalities and master the basic playing techniquesb. So many people have trouble getting their instrument to work properly so that they can get the most out of it. In my view, most people don't take the time to find out what their instrument can and cannot do before they try to use it.

• You also want to make sure that you know how the instrument works so that your playing can be the best it can be, this includes having some basic technical knowledge on how an instrument's components work together, and what they are made up of. This will help you save money by not purchasing anything unnecessary. This is why I like to make sure that all my students learn from the very beginning what their instruments are capable of doing. What I mean by this is exactly what I said before, each band instrument is different from another and has specific features that help you realize a certain amount of possibilities in your own playing style.

• Take proper care of the instrument and maintained well to ensure good quality performance. This is also one of the most important things that you have to do in order to keep your instrument working correctly and performing well at all times. Always remember that you are not playing an object or material, but a musical instrument that has its own personality and character, which means you should take good care of it.