We can all appreciate various forms of music, and listening to someone play a musical instrument can be soothing and calming or thrilling and exciting at times. However, if you’ve always just listened to music rather than played it, you may be thinking about going a step further and becoming a musician yourself. And while there may be a plethora of musical instruments you can learn, there’s something unique and special about the banjo that makes it an ever more popular instrument to play. But learning the banjo comes with numerous other benefits, and you may not even know about these benefits until you start playing. So what are the real advantages of learning how to play the banjo? Here’s what you should know.
- It’s not as complex as you may think
The banjo has acquired a reputation as an instrument that is quite complicated, but nothing could be further from the truth. Compared to the guitar, this instrument has fewer strings – most banjos only have five. With this, it’s not as complex to handle the banjo, even if you are a beginner at banjo playing. Aside from this, the instrument’s tuning isn’t that difficult, either – and you can always take advantage of an electronic tuner, which makes the job easier. Once you start strumming on the banjo strings, you will already produce the G chord, and once you have this, strumming other banjo chords is a natural next step.
- It stimulates your brain
Another great reason why banjo playing is beneficial is that it stimulates your brain. Playing any instrument is enough to keep you on your toes, but playing the banjo takes you to a whole other level of brain stimulation. You would have to learn to memorize, for one, and it makes you alert. Banjo playing is good for your memory because as you practice, you will start remembering chords and notes, and you can begin to absorb what you’ve learned. Your brain becomes more focused, and this doesn’t change – in fact, it gets even better once you perform in front of an audience.
- It enhances your patience and perseverance
We all know how it feels to quit and give up, and almost all of us have had moments of wanting to quit when something is too hard. But if you are determined to learn this musical instrument, you will be rewarded in the end. It teaches you to persevere and be patient because you know full well that you can’t learn the ropes in just one session. To hone your skill, you need to practice every day, which takes patience and dedication. But, if you are patient and persevering when it comes to learning, it will eventually pay off – and the patience and perseverance you’ve developed while learning to play will translate into other aspects of your life as well.
- It gets you connected with others
With music, we can more easily establish a connection with others. It can serve as glue for your social interactions, and people will love sharing their thoughts and inspirations with music. You can learn with other musicians and get to know music fans who share your enthusiasm for the instrument.
