Have you ever thought of learning to play guitar—or learning to play better? It’s not quick or easy, but it’s a tremendous amount of fun and very worthwhile.
Here are 10 reasons you should seriously consider learning how to play.
1). There Are Lessons to Help You
Learning guitar will take plenty of hard work and practice, but there are lessons to help you get started—or to improve your skills if you already play.
For skilled guitar instructors, helping you learn is what they’re all about. The Lone Star School of Music, provider of guitar lessons in Austin, explains that their classes “are designed to create a supportive environment where students of all skill levels are comfortable and geared towards lasting proficiency on the guitar.”
Even when you’re at home, there are online resources to help you learn your instrument on a budget.
As you take the first steps of your journey, or the next steps, highly skilled professional teachers are ready and willing to help you.
2). Learning Guitar is Incredibly Pleasurable
There’s a remarkable amount of pleasure in learning to play a musical instrument to proficiency. The more you gain the ability to play music, the more pleasure you’ll experience as a result.
As you hear the music you play, you will experience the release of dopamine in the brain, a chemical associated with other kinds of pleasure as well.
3). It’s Great Stress Relief
Playing guitar is not only pleasurable, it will also help you get rid of stress. In fact, rocking out on your guitar will actually reverse your body’s response system to stress, lowering your heart rate and your blood pressure.
4). It’s Good for Your Heart
In addition to great stress relief, the physical effects of playing guitar for long periods of time actually include enhanced heart health. A study from The Netherlands connected practicing music for over 100 minutes a day to not only lower blood pressure but also a lower heart rate, a clear sign of cardiovascular health. Three of the test subjects were guitarists.
5). You’ll Feel Accomplished
Playing guitar and getting good will give you a sense of accomplishment. There’s something wonderful about the feeling of mastering the instrument, mastering a skill that will allow you to do something as amazing as play guitar.
Best of all, you’ll get to experience this over and over again as you gain new skills and learn how to play new songs. Imagine learning how to play some of your favorite songs. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?
6). It’ll Improve Your Memory
Learning a musical instrument, such as guitar, has been convincingly linked to enhanced verbal memory, spatial reasoning, and literacy skills. In essence, the more you play and the better you get, the better your brain will be at hanging onto information.
7). It’ll Make You More Disciplined
Greater discipline and time management skills is another benefit of learning to play guitar. The key thing is the time and effort associated with it: the more you work at it and the longer you spend becoming proficient, the better your overall discipline and ability to manage your time well.
8). You’ll Also Become More Creative
This one is probably no surprise: learning how to play guitar will help you become more creative. When you play guitar, you’re getting in touch with the creative side of your brain, with positive effects for your own artistic creativity.
As you learn more and more about how to play songs written by other people, you’ll eventually get to the point where you’re able to compose some songs of your own.
9). It Will Significantly Improve Your Social Life
Being the person who knows guitar in a social gathering may make you the entirely-worthy center of attention. We’ve probably all known someone willing to strum a few chords on a guitar around a campfire, maybe on a beach, but if you get seriously good, you may become the life of the party.
Here’s the long and the short of it: people like someone who is able to entertain them and get their attention. Show people that you are more than the last dozen forgettable guitar players they heard in passing, and you’ll really have something.
10). It May Also Improve Your Love Life
What is true for your social life may also be true for your love life. If you’re looking for love, being proficient with the guitar can significantly boost your odds.
Musical ability connotes a combination of intelligence, commitment, hard work, and physical prowess—and that’s exactly what you’ll broadcast to the opposite sex if you get good at guitar. Granted, this applies more to men’s status with women, but women who learn guitar also broadcast those abilities.
Conclusion
There are so many wonderful benefits from learning guitar. It’s relatively easy to do, and it’s a great way to have fun while lowering your stress levels and possibly becoming the life of the party. Hopefully the 10 reasons listed here will motivate you to give it a try.
