Health Benefits of Playing Music and Guitar

There have been many successful studies that show playing music and learning how to play guitar are advantageous to your physical and mental health. If you approach practice and study in a mindful way, the world of sound is a great place to reside. Here are some of the different health benefits you will get if you play guitar.

Music Theory Is Good For You

Many people see music and art as something special, a talent or gift that you must be born with, but that is not true. Of course it helps having natural aptitude as it gives one a boost, however creativity and expression are experiences anyone can learn. Whether you play guitar or any other instrument it is important to study different music concepts. It will not be easy at first, but the payoffs are a better understanding.

As you study note spaces and their relations, many patterns start to emerge, and you realize that it isn’t amazing, it is just musical! The more you learn theory, even if you are only working on fun and easy guitar songs, the more you will see the bigger picture. Theory won’t answer every question, but the better your foundation, the greater chance of creative success. It may take time but with each epiphany you will gain more confidence in your skills and abilities.

The Confidence Boost Is Great

Once you realize that music is accessible the overall goal of playing guitar has a lot more potential. Now there is one caveat to this, it is not easy to do, especially if you are starting from scratch. There is an initial hill of physical ability and a learning curve that must be overcome. However if you remain confident, it will help keep you on the right path of practice.

Don’t worry about comparing yourself to other players as this is simply your creative expression. If you find yourself hitting walls that seem insurmountable try approaching your guitar lessons in new ways, perhaps different body styles, tunings, and even playing different genres. Smaller goals will help boost confidence and keep you interested in practice.

Playing Guitar Is Great Exercise

You will find your fingers, arms, and even back will hurt as you practice more, this is normal and will need to be worked through. Of course it is important to know your limits and not cause injury, so be careful not to overdo it. However if you practice properly you will see a noticeable change in your posture, reflexes, and muscle memory.

And if you get to a level where you can play for the public? You will find that it is a pretty intense exercise! And that is not for a heavy rock show, just lightly playing in front of an audience for the length of a show is quite the workout. It is also a mixture of an exhilarating rush but with an intense focus.

It Helps With Stress Relief and Focus

When you have your mind and muscles focused on an activity it helps get your mind off the daily grind. Playing guitar requires concentration, if you are having trouble with advancing in practice it may be from a lack of focus. Make sure your practice time is a moment when you can just sit down with the guitar and play with no distractions.

There will be times when playing the guitar isn’t always relieving stress, especially learning new techniques can be tough. But as long as you are making progress on your musical goals, practice time eventually becomes a time where you can just sit back and relax and play.

Guitar Even Helps Social Health

Everyone loves music, if you are gregarious and can play guitar, people are going to be attracted to you. On the flipside, if you have social anxiety, guitar can also help with that! An instrument acts like a barrier between you and the listener, they are automatically captivated by it. Use this to your advantage regardless of how you deal with the public.

Like the other health benefits on this list it will also take some time for this one to take effect. Even if you are social, playing in front of others can be difficult, the more you practice the better you will get and make this step easier. And besides the playing dynamic, being a guitar player will allow you to make friends easier as musicians have a bond.

It Will Help You Concentrate and Listen Better

Daily guitar practice requires a certain amount of concentration and active listening, two skills that are helpful in all aspects of life. Musicians are often seen as day dreamers, when the reality is it takes a lot of focus to make your arm, fingers, eyes, and brain all work together.

And listening better isn’t just great for your relationships, it will help you appreciate the music you hear more. The more you hone your ears the easier it is to pick out the patterns and aspects that many songs seem to share. As you learn more guitar and music theory, you will be a smarter person from all the epiphanies that studying music brings.

Playing Guitar is a Healthy Hassle

If playing guitar were that easy, everyone would do it! Which is really a sign of how great it is for all aspects of your health. The problem is, like regular exercise, there are some parts that are not easy to accomplish, you must push yourself to get to the point where you are seeing the positive benefits. There is no magic bullet or key to unlocking these skills or fame, it can be a hassle to accomplish but it is worth it!

There are many different health benefits to playing guitar or any musical instrument. In fact, once you learn some guitar chords, try another instrument. As you move along in your musical journey, keep pursuing new goals and songs, this will keep your confidence, focus, and listening skills at their peak. The more you play guitar the better it will help your physical, mental, and social well-being.

By Shawn Leonhardt for Guitar Tricks and 30 Day Singer