In October of 2005, I picked up my first musical instrument. I was a nerdy, chunky little boy who brough home a clarinet. After a year I decided I didn’t like the clarinet and swapped over to saxophone. Fast forward 16 years, 8 instruments, roughly 100 different performance venues, and here we are today.

My name is Jon Barker. Music is my hobby, my passion, what I do most with my spare time. I’m a classically trained saxophonist, and learned many other instruments on the side because I grew so fond of them. In my time playing, performing, and learning these different instruments, I picked up a few different skill sets along the way that allowed me to learn the instruments in an effective way. Throughout my years, I’ve learned and played: Clarinet, Alto Sax, Bari Sax, Euphonium, Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar, and Ukulele. Presently, I honestly only play guitar, bass, and piano on the regular, but the journey through all of these instruments has allowed me to pick up a wide variety of tips and tricks for learning each instrument effectively. Following the instruments, I started to record covers. I still to this day post to YouTube and record my music on the side. I’ll talk through some of my biggest tips for each instrument as well as some recording tips as we go into the articles.

Instruments

How to Teach Yourself Piano

I learned how to play the piano in highschool. Being in the highschool marching band, I was around many people who grew up musically and that was not me. I was the only one in my family who played an instrument for an extended duration of time. I remember distinctly coming home one day after…

by adayforjon January 12, 2022October 4, 2022