When we talk about playing more, it doesn’t always mean spending hours practising scales or perfecting that tricky riff. In fact, playing more looks different for everyone. Sometimes, it’s about carving out little moments in your day to engage with music, and other times, it’s about letting music inspire other parts of your life.
We love sharing music so much with our family and friends that we designed a whole music system around it. So this is how we get creative and share music with our loved ones.
Learning
Learning looks different to everyone. This has been a key learning curve for us. Find a way that works for you and don’t worry if that isn’t the same way as your friend. Or if your technique is different to theirs, as long as your learning and having fun, does it actually matter? We've had our fair share of debates about this in the comments of our adverts…
For some, learning might require a teacher. Whether you pay for lessons or just happen to catch the latest video Sean Daniel has posted on his YouTube channel. A pretty great way to learn together is through YouTube. There are plenty of series stating “30 day guitar crash course” or, a Noisy Clan personal favourite is Bernadtte Teaches Music “30 day Uke Course”.
All you need is a screen (ideally iPad or larger), and your Grandstand tripod + any media plate.
Playing
Jamming
For a family, it would be unrealistic to assume everyone plays the same instrument, they are the same height, or even at the same ‘level’ of ability. But when you cast those differences aside, playing together can really inspire, reconnect and enhance social connections. The key here would be to have the emphasis on jam sessions, this isn’t practise for a recital or a rendition of Bach. Maybe, it is as simple as choosing a chord progression to noodle about to, eventually falling into the same rhythmic pattern.
Set the bar low for musical mastery, and just have fun with it. In the end, it’s just about spending time with your family in a different way.
Karaoking
An often feared form of playing: The dreaded Karaoke! To those with angelic voices, or those who fear nothing, it’s a piece of cake. However, it’s not everyone's cup of tea (but that is what dutch courage is for, right?… Only joking…). The great part about it is that it gives people the space, if they so wish, to be free of ridicule and to perform! Take pride out of the equation and it suddenly becomes a great activity. Anyone can join in, no lessons or instruments required.
Consuming
Beyond the music …
And sometimes it’s not about physically playing an instrument at all. There are other ways to have fun and play in your adult life. Whether that is cooking up a storm in the kitchen, painting, fixing cars, photography, gardening … The list is infinite. At the end of the day, playing more is about making room for creativity, inspiration, and joy—however that looks for you. Of course, as a music company we will spend probably 99.9% of our time talking about music, but at our core, our ethos is about having fun. It is about bringing back that spark that so few adults have held onto from childhood. Music is just a great way to connect people, dancing in the kitchen with your family, singing on road trips, concerts, nightclubs, festivals, radios, streaming platforms … again the list is infinite.
Wherever music takes you, we’d love for you to share your experiences. What’s a song you rediscovered from your youth that has you playing it on repeat? Or what piece of advice did you hear recently which inspired you to pick up an instrument again after all these years?
