Tune up your musical skills with the help of these online resources. 

The ability to play a musical instrument remains one of the most enviable talents you can have.

Be it a popular instrument like the piano or guitar or something a little less common, people will always be impressed with what you can play.

Becoming a virtuoso takes hours of practice but technology can lend a hand. Consider some of these tools and resources to boost your learning.  

First stop: YouTube 

The popular video streaming platform has an entire section dedicated to music.

Visit youtube.com/music and you’ll find every genre you can think of, from classical to pop, country to reggae.

You can also search YouTube for tutorials on a huge range of instruments.

The most popular guitar tutorial, Absolute Super Beginner Guitar Lesson, has over 6 million views alone. Search around and you will also find lessons for piano, clarinet, banjo, harmonica and much, much more.  

Apps 

Yousician 

Rated as one of the best guitar and piano playing apps, Yousician is available for Android devices, iPhone and iPad. With hundreds of different lessons, the app provides step by step tutorials at increasing levels of difficulty.

It will track your progress and is smart enough to hear what you are playing and deliver a follow up critique.

Beginners can use Yousician for free, however if you want to progress you will probably benefit from the premium version, which costs around $10 per month.

If you’re interested, you can also learn the bass and ukulele with Yousician, or you can sign up to learn all four instruments at once.

Uberchord 

This app is “your personal guitar chord trainer” and works for iOS devices, including your Apple watch. You can use Uberchord to get real time feedback as you practice and to receive updates on your progress.

You can master any song with step-by-step instructions or perfect your musical timing, all with the help of your phone or tablet screen.

The app allows you to set goals and will also reward you for a job well done.

Simply Piano 

Who doesn’t wish they could ‘tickle the ivories’ and impress their friends with a tune or two at parties?

If you wish to boost your skills, you can download Simply Piano and have it listen to you play.

This free app provides basic chord lessons and beginner exercises and then offers hundreds of songs for you to choose from as you build on your skills.

Violin Lesson Tutor / Learn Violin 

Perhaps the violin is more your speed, in this case these apps may come in handy.

Designed for beginners, Learn Violin shares short exercises and shows you simple techniques to help you pick up the finger positions used by a professional violinist. It is downloadable on iOS phones and tablets.

For Android users, Violin Lesson Tutor is a popular app with over 300 five star ratings. It will take you directly to a YouTube channel filled with lessons that are designed to give you the best possible start to learning the violin.

Find a tutor 

Need a teacher but can’t travel to lessons? The internet is your friend in this case. Thanks to video conferencing technology you can connect with instructors based anywhere in the world.

There are several websites to help you on your search for a tutor. Livemusictutor.com has lessons for all ages from teachers all over the world.

You can choose from an extensive range of instruments, including everything from piano and guitar to bagpipes, tuba, saxophone, xylophone and oboe.

OnMutTu (online music tutors) is an online directory for finding a music teacher who is available over Skype. It is free to connect with a teacher who will teach you accordion, bongo drums, flute and more.

This platform also allows students to post ‘Help Wanted’ ads so that tutors can come directly to them.

You could also check out musicteacher.com.au to find a teacher in your area who is available for lessons.

Whether you want to use an app to boost your practice sessions or you find it easier to connect with a teacher online, these online resources can make a big difference to the speed at which you master your chosen instrument.  

Access to online education resources is taking Australia by storm; just make sure you use a safe password when you sign up to any online service.