1. You find yourself resisting the urge to throw your instrument across the room.
If you play piano, then it's resisting the urge to pound the keys into oblivion. Anyone who plays an instrument will tell you that there have been times they've gotten frustrated when missing several notes. It's even worse if they're the same notes that you just worked on several times or it's the same one you've missed repeatedly.
2. Practicing becomes the same as eating or breathing.
Every moment, you find yourself practicing over and over again. And when you're not squeezing time to socialize, eat, or resting, you're practicing. As a child, you may have hated it, but eventually, it becomes an everyday routine.
3. Your house is littered with sheet music.
Anyone who reads music likely has tons of sheet music covering their floor at all times. I've had a drawer crammed with sheet music. It's even worse if you have no room for it and have to search for one specific song from your pile.
4. Your fingers are constantly strumming, tapping, or running across imaginary keys.
Whether you're in the car, on a bus, or in class, you're constantly finding your fingers strumming as though you're still playing your instrument. It's even worse when you listen to music and you find yourself playing the song as though you're playing it on your instrument. No matter where you go, your brain can't seem to comprehend that you are not currently playing your instrument.
5. Nobody understands when you try to explain majors or minors.
You've likely had at least one person look over your shoulder while you're practicing and ask, "What's that note?" You could be in the middle of a song, and someone will interrupt you to ask a question. It can be annoying, especially when you try to explain to someone what F-minor is, which leads to more questions. You might as well be speaking a foreign language.
6. You find yourself listening to music you've never listened to before.
If you play any type of instrument that is known for playing classical music, you probably have found yourself listening to classical music on a few occasions. I play piano, and prior to playing the piano, I didn't like classical music until I was constantly given sheet music on it. Eventually, after playing it long enough, I grew to appreciate it. And it's not just classical music, it could be with any type of music you've discovered from playing an instrument.
7. You have to cram practice time into your busy schedule.
When you are in college, you are always busy, and it can be hard to find time to practice. You'll find yourself cramming time to practice as soon as you have free time. Other times, you have to wait a few weeks before practicing.
8. When you receive new sheet music, you have to resist running to try playing it immediately.
This goes especially to if you get sheet music for a song that you've always wanted to try on your instrument! Nobody can understand why you're excited to try out the new song. You find yourself trying to get other things done when you get home before running to play it for the first time.
9. There's no way to describe the feeling of finally playing a song perfectly.
Finally, there's no way for you to describe how it feels when you finally hit all of the notes perfectly! All of the hard work that you've done has finally paid off. Now you just have to hope it stays that way until the next time you play the song again.
There are so many different problems that people who play an instrument go through that anyone who doesn't play an instrument wouldn't understand. Playing an instrument can be difficult and can have its own set of struggles. But anyone who loves playing a musical instrument will tell you that it's completely worth it.
