5 online platforms to learn playing musical instruments

Some of the recommended YouTube channels to learn from are Dave Conservatoire for a diverse range of music theory videos ranging from basic to advanced, JustinGuitar for beginner friendly guitar tutorials, 180 Drums for every drum lesson that you will need to master the instrument, and The Online Piano and Violin Tutor for beginner friendly and advanced violin and piano tutorials.

There are many platforms online from which you can easily master a musical instrument. During the pandemic, a lot of people picked up learning a musical instrument as their hobby to release some of the pent-up frustration of staying indoors over a long period of time; taking advantage of the abundance of resources online. Here are 5 platforms to learn music and instruments online.

edX Berklee

You can now find acclaimed courses by the renowned contemporary music college Berklee College of Music, on edX. The online learning platform offers both free and paid courses to learn about music theory, vocal recording technology and more.

With addition to the ranges of courses available, you can also get a certificate by the college upon completion.

YouTube

YouTube is a goldmine of resources for any learner. Barney Sku, a well-known singer and self-taught music producer, emphasised on the importance of YouTube for novices to learn music, "If anybody wants to learn music and instruments, they need the instrument first, that way they can practice what they're learning. I'd suggest YouTube as it's the only platform I took lessons from. Beginners can start by searching up basic lessons and work themselves up to the harder lessons."

Some of the recommended YouTube channels to learn from are Dave Conservatoire for a diverse range of music theory videos ranging from basic to advanced, JustinGuitar for beginner friendly guitar tutorials, 180 Drums for every drum lesson that you will need to master the instrument, and The Online Piano and Violin Tutor for beginner friendly and advanced violin and piano tutorials.

"My father taught me guitar when I was 8. After that, I picked up guitar by myself after watching videos on YouTube. I believe you won't need any other website if you utilise the resources on YouTube properly", elaborated Sku on his self-learning journey.

Pianolessons.com

If you are interested in learning how to play piano, pianolessons.com might be the website for you. It's a library of free online piano lessons created by experts which include beginner friendly basic lessons, lessons on scales, theory concepts and song tutorials.

Drumlessons.com

Drumlessons.com busts the myth that you need a set of expensive drums to learn playing this fun instrument. If you have the passion to learn drums, you can start from scratch at home by doing "Shadow Practice" with drumsticks.

Besides, this website offers every available resource to learn drum theory, beats, notations and much more.

Cyberfretbass.com

Bass guitar is an underrated musical instrument. You can find everything on this website from beginner bass lessons to creating bass techniques and bass lines. Cyberfretbass.com has both video lessons and fundamental courses explained through notes. You can follow their free modules to perfectly master a bass guitar.

Learning to play a musical instrument can be the most rewarding experience. Most of us don't have the necessary means to hire a personal trainer or spend on music classes which can be expensive, but with all the resources that are available online at the tip of our fingers now, anyone can enjoy learning an instrument irrespective of their background.

The author is a freelance journalist.