5 Ways The Internet Can Boost Your Learning

The Internet! You clearly know how to use it. It’s probably become an integral part of your everyday life.

You can pretty much search anything these days and find pretty accurate results. It’s a giant web of endless information and entertainment.

You don’t have to be a nerd to harness the power of clever Google-searching.

Using the Internet to aid your musical education is simple, and very effective!

Boost your learning by using the Internet for these five purposes…

1) Discover New Music

Online streaming has blossomed into a huge market online. Whether it’s YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, or other streaming mediums, a wide range of music is readily available for your listening pleasure.

Experiencing new music can give you new ideas and expand your musical palette. The more music you have in your palette, the more music you have to learn.

Blending a slew of influences will give you a broad playing style, morphing you into an adaptable, flexible music machine!

It’s easy to find music you like. But how can we find new music we haven’t heard yet?

Fortunately he answer is becoming more and more simple. The internet knows.

This might sound a little bit creepy, but it’s really not.

Mediums like YouTube keeps track of music you’ve listened to, and makes recommendations based on the genre, style, and artist. At the end of each video, it will recommend other videos, with surprising accuracy.

It may not recommend videos you actually like right off the bat, but the more videos you watch, the more information it has to bring you better recommendations.

Sometimes the recommended videos will play automatically; let them go, and see where they take you. You will probably stumble upon something you like, and find inspiration!

2) Find Chords/Lyrics to Songs

A student once asked me if he could find the lyrics to ‘Wonderwall’ on the Internet. I said maybe…

If you haven’t already heard the song a million times, yes, you can find sheets with the lyrics AND the chords. If you can pick out the strumming pattern from the recording, you’re set to learn the song in a matter of minutes!

You can do this for almost any song. Just search “ -song title- Chords ”, and learn away!

If you’re good with the chords, but have trouble remembering the lyrics to a song, you can pull them up almost instantly on your phone and read them as you play.

Learning songs is a good way to familiarize you with common song structures and interesting chord changes.

If you want to take the next step, you can find tutorial videos on individual songs.

Want to learn a whole Dave Matthews song note for note while singing? You can find tutorials on it!

Expand your learning by learning from others!

3) Learn About Your Favorite Players

No, I don’t mean learning about their favorite place to get Churros, of what brand of hairspray they use.

There are many videos breaking down the guitar rigs of big-time players. Learning what gear your favorite strummers use can help you to shape your own sound.

Many guitarists will also cite their influences, and turning moments in their musical education.

This may not be direct education, but you can take a lot away from what your heroes say.

Learn about their playing styles, their favorite chords, scales, and techniques, and adapt it to your own learning.

It could be you sitting in that interview chair talking about your biggest influences.

Spread the wealth of knowledge. Strive to be even better than your heroes. Learning their tricks will help to get you there.

4) Learn About Gear

I’ll use this point to go into further detail about the gear you buy.

This is especially important to electric guitar players, as pedals, amps, and even cables effect your sound.

Through the internet, you can learn how gear works, read real reviews on the gear, and even purchase the gear and have it delivered to your door.

As an electric guitar player, your good playing means nothing if you don’t have a good tone.

Tone is what makes your instrument sound clear and full. If you find your guitar sounds muddy or too overdriven, you probably need to work on your tone.

The internet is a great place to learn about Tube Amps vs. Solid State, Distortion vs. Overdrive, and much more gear-related distinctions.

Do your research, learn about how gear works, read reviews, and make an educated decision on what gear will work best for your rig.

Tone is king. The right gear will give you a good sound that everyone can hear clearly.

5) Post Practice Videos

This one may take a little courage.

Posting videos of you practicing is a great way to keep yourself accountable.

People generally don’t want to put something that sounds bad into public ears. By committing to a public video and the material your working on, you are committing to a higher level of excellence in your practicing.

This higher level of quality you commit yourself to will take you to the next level.

There are so many different forms of social media, and they all offer love and support from friends. They also offer constructive criticism.

Take your practice public, strive for something great, and welcome the support and criticism you receive from your friends and strangers alike. It will be invaluable to your learning!

The Internet is a powerful tool! Use it as much as your can to boost your music education! Find and learn new songs, learn about your favorite players, find your dream rig, and share your work! You will reap the benefits in your playing.

Maybe the internet can even get ‘Wonderwall’ out of your head.

I said maybe…