I'm 26 and I never learned an instrument. I kind of fell in love with the sound of the balalaika, and I bought one a couple of years ago with the intention of teaching myself.
Obviously, I have to practice, but it isn't fun because I'm not playing songs at all, in fact I have not even figured out how to strum.
I haven't been consistent, typically I try to follow lessons in the book I bought for this purpose. I will struggle with something like strumming, trying to achieve a passable consistent clean sound for like an hour at a time. I might do this for one or two days, see no improvement, get frustrated, realize I am unable to figure out an instrument with only 3 strings, put it back in the closet.
A couple months later after feeling ashamed that I have this instrument but don't use it, the cycle repeats.
I just want to be able to learn some songs and play them as a pleasurable leisure activity, but the practice is not at all fun and is an exercise in frustration. I then start to think that I'll need to practice an hour or more daily to get at all competent, then that I won't have the time, and that I'm annoying everyone in earshot.
What should I do? I came very close to smashing this instrument to pieces today, but I realize that's childish.
Submitted July 30, 2021 at 07:52PM by glip___glop https://www.reddit.com/r/Learnmusic/comments/ouvsiv/want_to_learn_practice_not_fun/?utm_source=ifttt