Musicians quite often play multiple instruments, so BandMix offers a way to list your experience level by instrument. We use this to help match you better with other musicians, as someone’s experience level might mean they aren’t a great fit for one band but perfect for a different opportunity.
When you sign up with BandMix, there are five options for experience level per instrument on a scale of 1–5 (beginner, intermediate, moderate, advanced and expert). It helps your BandMix profile to be as honest as possible about your skill level, and you can always update these selections in the future as you practise your instruments and improve over time.
To make your selection easier, we’ve put together some basic guidelines on instrument experience so you can accurately judge your skill level:
Level 1 – Beginner
Select ‘Beginner’ if you’re a relative novice or you’ve only recently picked up your instrument. Musicians in this category would typically have some, but not much, experience playing their instrument with other people and are still getting to grips with the basics.
Level 2 – Intermediate
So you’ve grasped some of the fundamentals, and you have some understanding of the instrument. You might be branching out to play with others or looking for some live experience; however, you still have a fair amount of technique to master.
Level 3 – Moderate
You can comfortably play with other musicians (perhaps you already do regularly), and you’ve begun to play with some flair. You may still catch yourself out on some techniques that need more practice.
Level 4 – Advanced
Choose ‘Advanced’ if you can play your instrument confidently and have a grasp of more advanced techniques. You have a decent amount of experience playing live and jamming with other musicians, plus excellent musical knowledge.
Level 5 – Expert
You are very proficient and extremely confident playing your instrument across various styles or genres with no restrictions. You have broad musical knowledge and would be comfortable teaching the instrument to a student of any ability.
Tips for Practising Your Craft
- Regular practice – if you can practise every day or very regularly, you’ll improve your skills more quickly, and you’re more likely to stay motivated.
- Schedule a time – if you plan to practise at a dedicated time every day or every week, you’re much more likely to do it. Hold yourself accountable by making a note, setting a reminder on your mobile or asking someone to check in with you after practice.
- Get set up – it’s much harder to practise your instrument if the environment isn’t right. Be sure to find a quiet room where you can concentrate and have your instrument set up well (and tuned, of course!) before you start practising.
- Warm up – a warm-up is one of the most important parts of your practice. Doing a few exercises to get your fingers moving or your vocal cords warmed up will benefit your learning.
- Set a goal – having a goal or set of achievements you’d like to reach is always an excellent motivator for practising your craft. Be mindful and realistic with those goals, though; you’re not suddenly going to be the next Jimi Hendrix in the space of a week!
- Document your progress – many musicians record themselves playing so they can watch it back and critique their performance, which is also a great way to see how far you’ve come since you started learning. Besides video, you could write some notes in a progress journal after each practice session about what you struggled with or what you played well. It’s a huge morale boost to feel like you’ve progressed, too.
- Get a teacher – whether it’s an informal jam with a fellow musician or a regular formal lesson with a tutor, find someone who can teach you something new.
- Practise with others – jamming with like-minded musicians can be invaluable to your craft and push you to try different things, like playing new rhythms or improvising in different keys.
- Keep on playing – even if you feel like you’re getting nowhere, keep going. One day, everything will begin to make sense in your practice, and it will feel amazing to have progressed. Don’t give up!
Updating Your Instrument Experience on BandMix
Once you’ve practised your craft, you’ll want to update your instrument experience on BandMix. To do so, log in to your BandMix account and click ‘Profile’ on your dashboard. Scroll down to ‘instruments played’, and you’ll see a section that says ‘update your instrument experience’. Change your skill level for each instrument you play – and don’t forget to click submit at the bottom to save your settings.
If you play an instrument that isn’t listed, be sure to select ‘Other’ and choose your experience level, but remember to put a note in your profile description about what instrument it is.
Take a look at our blog post on how to write an excellent musician description here: https://blog.bandmix.com/how-to-write-the-perfect-bandmix-profile-bio/
Not a member yet? Join BandMix.ie and set up your profile to start connecting with musicians near you.
