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If you’ve ever had to take a music class at school, you know how tedious it can be: reading notes, memorizing symbols, and learning to associate what you see with what you hear or produce. People who don’t have the skill don’t usually see the point in learning to read music; after all, some of the most famous musicians of our time have never done it. So why should you learn it yourself?

There are some pretty strong arguments for music reading, especially when you’re learning to play an instrument. For one thing, if you’re a beginner, reading music can help you become more familiar with your instrument and get a better feel of what movements create what sounds. While the effect is most easily seen in piano playing, it applies to any instrument and even voice training. When you know how to play things by ear and read notes, you’re not dependent on anything but yourself, and that can give you a boost of confidence when you’re performing.

Reading music also allows you to play a wider range of songs, sometimes even after hearing them once or twice. Sheet music for a wide range of pieces, from classics to pop and everything in between, are readily available on the Internet. If you know your whole notes, quarter notes and half notes, you can learn these songs in minutes, whereas other learners will need several days to master it. You don’t even have to take lessons for the basics; there are lots of books and websites where you can learn the symbols and practice reading simple pieces. And the more songs you can play, the more variety you can incorporate in your practice and the faster you will improve.

Start by choosing the right sheet music. A Rachmaninoff masterpiece may not be your first choice, but simple ones—even nursery rhymes, if you’re a complete beginner—can be just as rewarding when you find that you’re able to play it right off the paper. Eventually this will become second nature, and you’ll be paying harder and harder pieces before you know it.

Playing by ear is still important, but good musicians are always willing to explore techniques. Even if you reach a certain level without having to read music, knowing that you can when you need to may be just what you need to take more risks and bring your craft to the next level.

Learning a new skill is always intimidating, but the guitar remains the favourite among new and amateur musicians. Part of the reason is instant gratification: when you make your first few strums, you know that those few awkward notes have the potential to become beautiful music. But learning music has its challenges, and it’s important to prepare for them if you want the most out of your learning experience.

Here’s one tip you probably wouldn’t expect: start with what’s difficult. This doesn’t mean attempting a rock-star riff on day one, but never settling into a comfortable level. Determine your skill level right away and always try exercises that are just beyond that point. Once it’s gotten easy for you, move up one more level. It’s tempting to stick to the easy pieces and play them well, but it’s only by failing at harder tasks that you master any craft.

If you still have to buy your instrument, don’t go for the best just yet. Good equipment is important, but when you’re a beginner there is such a thing as too good. There’s the practical point that you won’t be wasting money if you lose interest later on. But more importantly, all the bells and whistles of a fancy guitar can cloud the basics you’re trying to learn. Modern guitars often have correction abilities that hide your flaws, and this can interfere with your improvement.

Another trick is to tune your guitar on your own, using a tuning fork instead of an electronic tuner. This helps you become more sensitive to sound and frequency, an important quality for any serious musician. Also, at some point during your training you may find yourself working with other musicians, and being able to tune your instrument with everyone else’s can be crucial. You can rely on an electronic tuner for occasional needs, but try not to get too dependent on it.

Next, don’t stick to just one style. Everyone goes into a guitar lesson with a general idea of who or what they want to play like, but it’s important to experiment because each style focuses on one skill. For example, rock music places lots of emphasis on power chords, while minor and major chords are best addressed in country and folk music. Although you probably won’t be using them all equally, practicing them will make you a more well-rounded musician and give you an edge in terms of creativity.

Anyone who’s ever sung on stage knows how much damage a night of singing can do to your throat. Your vocal cords are just like any other body part: they need regular exercise to function normally. For most people, everyday conversation is all the practice they need. But if you sing for a living, you need more targeted exercises to keep your voice in top form.

Voice exercises are all about preparing your vocal cords for the rigors of performance. They address three main areas: they improve your voice quality, broaden your vocal range, and make your voice stronger. Most importantly, at least for the pros, it loosens your vocal structures so they can take the strains of singing for hours on end. Going into a performance without voice exercises is like going for a run without warming up. You can do well, but you’ll be stiff and sore afterwards.

One of the simplest voice exercises is humming. This helps you practice hitting notes without the filter of lyrics and other elements, and controlling volume. Start with a gentle, quiet hum, and then increase the volume little by little until it’s clearly audible. Pay attention to the soft buzzing it makes in your face—you’ll know you’re doing it right when you feel the buzz without making an effort to create it.

The exercise you’re probably most familiar with focuses on the articulators—the parts of your mouth that shape your words, such as your tongue, lips, and jaw. Practice using them by singing isolated syllables such as “ba,” “ma,” “ya,” and “la,” making sure to use a different, deliberate pitch every time.  Concentrate on the movement of your articulators. This is especially useful right before a performance, as it relaxes your vocal, facial, and oral muscles and allows you to put more emphasis on your voice itself.

Voice quality can be addressed with two common drills, one to help you develop a smooth voice and one to extend your range. The first is what allows good singers to move between high and low notes seamlessly, without changing pitch, volume, or any other element. Do this by singing “ah” up and down the scale, feeling the way your throat, chest, and face work together to create the notes. When you’re able to switch between notes while keeping all three body parts working in unison, your notes will sound smoother.

Finally, you can practice extending your vocal range, which is what singers probably work on the most. You can do this by singing as high and low as you’re able to, and then trying to go just beyond that. It’ll be hard and probably sound off on your first few tries, but you’ll be able to get it with practice. One way to help yourself along is to imagine physically reaching up for the high notes and bending down for the low ones. It’s important to always push yourself beyond your current limits; once a particular top or bottom note has become too easy for you, work on learning the next.

“There’s an app for that” was the catchphrase of 2011, and with smartphones and tablets fast becoming everyone’s best friend, there’s a good chance the music industry will jump onto the trend as well. There are already dozens of music apps out there, from beginners’ guides to professional tools. Music tab apps are probably the most popular slice, with new learners seeking an alternative to in-person lessons. Some of today’s popular guitarists claim to be completely self-taught, drawing material mostly from apps they found online.

Of course, like a lot of things on the Internet, there’s a load of bad apples for every good one. If you’re in the market for a guitar tab app, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. Do you want straight-up lessons or just some pieces to practice on? Do you already know the basics and just need an app to help you monitor your progress?

One thing you should always look for, no matter what your answers are, is organization. The best apps often have a digital library feature, which allows you to easily store and retrieve tabs and arrangements. If you’re a beginner, this will help you remember which pieces you’ve learned and which ones you need to work on. If you’re more advanced, it’s a great way to sort your music by style, difficulty, or any other organization scheme. Guitar Jam Tracks from NineBuzz Software is great for those who like experimenting with styles, although it can get pricey—tracks cost $1.99 each.

Simple playback is also a must. Even before music apps came along, the best music devices were the ones that were easy to use. Try to see where the main controls are—if it takes you more than a few seconds to find them, the app probably isn’t very user-friendly. Some apps have a “smart playback” feature that’s more intuitive and allows you to switch between a selected set of tracks—this can be useful if you’re working on several pieces at a time or using one as a reference.

Guitar learners will also benefit from fingering guides, which is only available on some apps (or the paid versions of certain apps). If you’re not used to reading music, this will help you follow notes and get you playing your pieces faster. For this purpose, some of the best apps are Guitarist from MooCowMusic ($3.99) and Gibson Learn & Master, which is free.

Guitar strumming involves the act of brushing fingers over, also known as strumming, the strings of guitar. A strumming pattern is a preset pattern used by a rhythm guitar, which can be indicated through notation, tablature, up and down arrows, or slashes.

When beginning the guitar, you should consider taking up guitar strumming lessons to get the correct technique and foundations from the start. The first two things to learn in isolation are beginner guitar chords for the left hand as well as beginners strumming patterns with the right hand. This requires coordination for the isolation by combining two things at once. The basics require strumming and changing the chords at the same time, so by focusing on each one individually and combining them together really helps.

Guitar strumming lessons are a great way to learn the basics fast. You will be taught the first learned beginner strumming pattern which is four downward strokes. Your instructor will teach you how to have a big action, by moving your hand in a large arc, a big swing from the elbow, so the plectrum moves across the strings quickly. Your instructor will be able to teach you easy techniques to improve faster. As you move up levels you will become accustomed to changing chords where you can focus on making your strumming even. This involves being in time and holding the right tempo, which is where strumming becomes the most important. From here you will move up to strumming four beats on the e minor chord, followed by changing to the g chord whilst your right hand is in action.

There are various guitar strumming lessons available both in person, online and on CDs and DVDs. Firstly, Guitar Lessons Sydney with Luke Stansmore Guitar Academy offers private guitar lessons for students of all ages and abilities. They focus on music that has a contemporary popular music, to customise to your favourite tunes. There are various musical opportunities such as performance concerts, jam sessions, recording facilities as well as the complete lessons that balance technical work, music theory and song study as you improve your strumming technique. Located in Bondi Junction, you can choose individual or group lessons that are most suited to you.

Next, an online guitar strumming lesson can be found at online where you can learn the simple quarter note strumming technique and how palm muting with downstrokes changes your playing sound when learning to strum. There are online strumming instructors which will show you the right way to do the percussive slap on your guitar and the fundamentals of positioning your hand on the guitar. The key to guitar strumming lessons is to practice the correct technique over and over again. Good luck and happy strumming!