Did you ever have a soothing experience after playing a certain tune with an instrument?

You must have experienced it subconsciously.

Science has already backed the fact that there are enormous benefits of playing an instrument on the brain. 

Music has a significant impact on both our minds and body. All the music and brain researches over the last few years conclude that music stimulates the human brain’s nervous system. So, the brain communicates with other parts of the body well. It brings a positive impact on overall productivity.

By playing an instrument, you get to create your tune, your mind becomes more active. It solaces your mind even more!

What happens when the brain plays a musical instrument?

Playing an instrument involves multiple parts of the human brain. It involves the central and peripheral nervous systems of your brain.

Practicing a musical instrument has more impact on young brains just after a while. It can lead to so many structural changes in a child’s mind.

This particular data leads to the fact that practicing music from childhood or any time of your life can structurally change your mind.

In the picture, we can see a part of our brain which is called the hippocampus. Most of the functional and structural changes in our brain happen in this area. This area is mostly involved in learning and preserving memories.

Neurogenesis is a crucial process in this area of the brain that creates new neurons to facilitate learning and memories. Music practice enhances this process of neurogenesis, as a result of this our learning and memorizing ability improves significantly. 

Moreover, by playing a musical instrument you get to use both sides of your brain. So, both sides of your brain remain in sync. It helps to keep the memories for a long time.

What part of the brain is used when playing an instrument

Playing an instrument involves almost all parts of your brain. It is like a full-body workout for the brain.

Playing music involves all the important areas of the brain, especially auditory, visual, and motor cortices.

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Just like any other physical systematic workout, regular activity of playing of music makes our brain function well.

Different styles of the music, musical instruments, and stages of the musical process involve different parts of the brain. 

The auditory area of the brain always remains active in the process but other parts of the brain have a few specific tasks to do. 

The motor cortex part of the brain remains active for practicing new techniques of playing the instrument.

The prefrontal cortex part of the brain covers the front part of the frontal lobe mainly responsible for figuring out the hard part while listening to the music crucially.

During the learning process, the right hemisphere part of the brain remains active whereas the left hemisphere repeats the process as you sleep, subconsciously. 

Playing music increases the activity in the corpus callosum part of the brain which is considered as the bridge between the two hemispheres. So the information is delivered faster between both parts.

If you are ever allowed to see the EEG of your brain while playing an instrument, you would see so many twinkling light patterns going off all over your brain. It would be like fireworks!

21 Benefits Of Playing An Instrument On The Brain

By now, you must have understood that music has a significant impact on our brain development. Now it is time to know about how playing an instrument benefits your brain elaborately.

So, let’s dive in,

It improves your social life

Playing music can help you to have a better social life.  By joining a music school you can expand your social circle. You get to know new people and develop relationships with them. 

Your communication skill gets better with time. It helps you to have better leadership skills and you can manage a team well.

Playing music makes you smarter

Learning music has a positive correlation with being intelligent. Most of the brilliant minds have a very keen ear for music. They loved listening to music, playing musical instruments, singing songs, and so on.

So many studies show that musical training has a good impact on academic success. It works well both for the adults and the kids. Music makes all parts of the brain active that improves memory and problem-solving skills.

Playing an instrument helps you to lessen stress

Music has the unique ability to make you calm. It has a strong emotional impact on you. Listening and playing music can remove the tension from your mind and body.

It is already proven that music can lower heart rate and blood pressure. After having a long, tiring, and stressful day, a bit of “me time” with your favorite musical instrument will be very beneficial to your physiological functions.

Moreover, it would decrease the stress hormone.

It helps you to gain confidence

By playing a musical instrument you get to express yourself well through your music. It will work well if you are an introvert and you often have a hard time while expressing yourself.

Music is the universal language of expression.

If you start learning music from your childhood, you will get to perform in front of the audience at the very early stage of your life. You will overcome stage fright this way and eventually you will be a confident individual.

You get a sense of self-fulfillment

Playing a musical instrument, especially when you master it, will give you a sense of accomplishment. You will feel very happy about it. 

Nothing can be compared with such happiness. You will be having a sense of self-fulfillment as well. It would help you in your life to have even bigger and difficult ambitions. You will be very optimistic about fulfilling those ambitions of yours.

Your memory will improve

Learning a musical instrument has a significant positive impact on your memory. It is scientifically proven that learning music can increase verbal memory and literacy skill.

By doing such activity you can make both parts of the brain active. All these brain activities help to create a long-lasting memory. 

You will be more patient

You can not learn a musical instrument overnight. It takes a considerable amount of time.

During the learning process, it will be a bit difficult at first. But when you do not stop learning and remain consistent with the learning process, you eventually learn it perfectly.

It will need a lot of patience from you. So, by learning a musical instrument you will be more patient. This learning will be very precious for you during difficult times later in life.

You will be more systematic while doing other tasks

Learning about playing an instrument is not quite an easy task to do. You will have to learn it step by step. There is a systematic way of learning the instrument that you must follow.

This rigorous process makes your mind more ready to do other tasks systematically. Whenever a difficult task comes in your way, your brain will be able to divide the task into multiple parts. Then you will be able to complete the task systematically part by part.

By playing an instrument will become more creative

Music is the food for a creative mind.

When you are practicing and learning music, it will have wonders in your creative mind. You have so many things to do when it comes to music, you can always compose a piece of music with a personal touch of yours.

When it comes to being more creative regarding the music, the sky is the limit!

So, you will be more in touch with the creative side of yours by playing a musical instrument.

You will become more cheerful

Genuine happiness and making music come together.

Music can always make you happier in no time. Now let’s have a look at what Google thinks about it, as it never lies!

You won’t be willing to learn a musical instrument without feeling happy about it. It is the only reason you decide to learn it in the first place.

There are other activities like watching movies, playing video games, etc. but play a musical instrument is the only activity that can stimulate all parts of your brain.

So, by learning a musical instrument you will feel more fulfilled, happy, and confident. No money can ever buy so much happiness like this. Once you determine to play an instrument and start investing time for it, you will start feeling it.

You will be better at doing multitasks

By playing an instrument you will be able to make your brain super active. 

Both parts of your brain will be in sync. So it will be easier for you to do multitask at the same time. Your productivity will increase significantly by doing this activity.

Your brain will have increased blood flow

It is already scientifically proven that learning music has a tremendous positive impact on the brain.

A study of the University of Liverpool has proved that 30 minutes of musical training can increase the blood flow to the left hemisphere of the brain. It is a very important research that proves the positive impact music has on our minds.

Your immune system will improve

During the research on the effect of music, it has been found that playing a musical instrument or listening to music can improve the immune system of the body.

By doing these activities you can create the antibody named immunoglobulin-A. It is a natural cell that kills hostile viruses that enter into the body. 

So, to keep your mind and body healthy there is no substitute for playing a musical instrument or listening to music.

You will be able to cultivate better time management skills

We do not learn things by born.

It takes time for us to learn something new. By learning a new instrument you get a sense of time-management. You know the value of the passing time and you use that time wisely.

You keep on practicing hours after hours to become an expert to play an instrument. During the process, you get to learn how to utilize the time in the best possible way.

You will have more sense of belonging 

When you learn music, you become a student of the language of the universe.

A person from another part of the world will be able to understand what you are trying to convey through your message. The language will not be a barrier any more here.

So, you will have a better sense of belonging as a part of this world. You will be more sensible and grounded for that. Before doing anything you will be able to decide with an empathetic heart.

Playing an instrument increases better emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is an important characteristic to have in this stressful time.  Emotional intelligence and music training are very much associated with each other.

By learning to play an instrument your emotional needs are fulfilled. You will feel better and it will have a positive consequence in your overall emotional well-being.

In certain situations, quick decision-making will be much easier for you for being in touch with your emotional side.  

You will be more disciplined

To be successful in life having a disciplined life is so important. Having musical training can be another way of having a disciplined life.

For example, when kids are learning any musical instrument, they have to go to the music school at a certain time. Then for the adults, if you are practicing music regularly at a significant time it will have a significant positive impact on you.

Again playing the music itself a very disciplined work to do. You can not do this task whimsically.

It decreases hearing loss due to age

For the adults, it is very common to face hearing loss after a certain age. It is the major challenge for hearing science as the problem is very prevalent. After the development of this problem, it is almost impossible for an individual to get rid of it.

So, the question here is, will there be any difference if an individual had musical training during his adulthood?

The answer is “Yes”. According to research, the musicians who show exceptional auditory skills are better at coping up with age-related hearing loss comparing to the non-musicians.

Playing an instrument increases the IQ of the children

Playing a musical instrument is tremendously beneficial for children.

New research says that playing musical instruments not only increases the IQ of the children but also improves cognitive skills.

Musicians have a different brain both structurally and functionally. Children who are regularly in practice with this skill are more attentive, smart, and self-disciplined.

It helps to recover from brain injury

It is another very significant benefit of playing an instrument. After getting a positive result from the experiments, doctors and researchers are now using music to heal an injured brain.

After a brain injury, music can help with social skills, physical ability, and cognitive functioning. After having a stroke or other injuries any sort of musical activity can be of great help.

Playing an instrument strengthens the executive function of the brain

The Brain’s executive function involves all the important yet difficult tasks like processing, retaining information, problem-solving, and decision-making.

All these abilities are very important for an individual. Playing a musical instrument improves these abilities to a great extent.

Wrapping up

After getting to know all the benefits, it is very unlikely that anyone would still not consider learning this exceptional skill!

Life is short! So why should not we do what we love to do and what benefits us as well. Find out the “free time” for yourself to invest in yourself every day.

Trust me, you will never regret it later.