In this day and age of EDM and pop music, acoustic music has become a rarity. Musicians who play traditional instruments, like the acoustic guitar, fiddle, ukulele, and mandolin, may be scarce these days but that doesn’t mean musical genres where these instruments are strongly featured are dead.
Genres like folk music, bluegrass, old-time, and american folk music, to name a few, are all considered “roots music”. They are called “roots” because they have heavily influenced other musical genres that have defined different generations in the past decades, including rock, jazz, and rhythm and blues. What do these genres have in common? They all heavily rely on string instruments.
While most modern music is mostly composed using software synthesizers and electronic instruments, there are still some musicians, even among younger crowds, that are interested in learning acoustic music. Some are complete beginners while others are already well-versed in other instruments, like the guitar or bass, but want to learn to play other variations of string music, like perhaps the banjo, fiddle, or ukulele. Whether you belong to the former or latter group, learning an acoustic string instrument is a useful skill to have up your sleeve as a musician or budding musician in the age of electronics.
Fortunately, those who want to take acoustic string lessons can start learning in the comfort of their own homes through the convenience of online music lessons. Whereas professional roots music teachers might be hard to find in your own neighborhood or even in larger music schools, you can gain access to over dozens of resources online that include basic to comprehensive music instruction, complete with sheet music, play-along audio, instructional videos, as well as learn to play actual songs from different genres of decades past.
While there are several sites that offer music lessons, few specialize in acoustic string music, particularly techniques used in roots music. It’s especially challenging to find music teachers that specialize in traditional acoustics, like the fiddle, banjo, or mandolin. If you are looking for beginner acoustic guitar lessons or you’re interested in rarer string instruments like the dobro, you might be interested in checking out the online lessons offered at Peghead Nation. They have professional music teachers that offer courses on different types of string instruments and skill levels, ranging from basic guitar, advanced guitar techniques, and beginner mandolin to fiddle, ukulele and dobro lessons.
The key to mastering any instrument is through consistent practice, exposure to different types of music, and most importantly advancing to the next level once you’ve mastered your current skill level. This is why it’s important to find a resource that offers adequate learning resources at different skill levels, especially if you’re taking the lessons online and if you’re learning an instrument that is completely new to you. Going back to the basics, the roots of our current musical genres, will not only give you fresh insight into contemporary music but will also give you an advantage when you want to explore a variety of musical styles that go beyond music software. As wide ranging as the sounds that modern music software offers, nothing still compares to the skills and discipline you’ll get from holding an actual string instrument in your hands.
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