So I'm not too sure where to post this, but I figured since

Well, to begin with, your question doesn't belong in /mu/. like all 4chan boards, they HATE the subject matter at hand and be such obnoxious prats keyboard-battling over some obscure bullshit.

Secondly, it is inadvisable to undertake vocal training until you are past the age of 20. Some types of vocal talents, such as those used for opera, do not even develop until mid 30s. Compare this to say, "divas" like Celine Dion or Mariah Carey - they started their vocal careers way too early, and subsequently are *ending* their vocal careers way too early. Not to mention that being a singer means you have to look after your entire body according to your voice.

Generally, people learn piano or guitar in order that they are able to accompany their own vocals. Musical knowledge also helps you in being able to read and sing to sheet music, and also being able to be in tune (common vocal practice is hitting a certain note in an instrument and mimicking it).

It is disgustingly difficult to learn an instrument without regular tuition, and while you are at it, ensure that you have the -proper- instrument to play both at the tuition place and at home when you practice. You are expected to put in at least 6 hours per week of independent practice + your weekly tuition in order to progress to any quantifiable levels.

>>18516395
To add to this, it is perfectly fine and acceptable in being picky about who you receive lessons from, whether that is vocal coaching or in an instrument.

The reason you (or anyone else) is attending lessons are twofold: one is to bring you to a level of skill and knowledge that allows you to pass the appropriate tests issued by relevant governing bodies, and attain a certain level of qualification. The other is that you learn the proper habits (posture, gestures, hand positions, manipulation of the instrument or vocals) that will be the foundation for a lasting character trait, and not a limited whim that "peaks" and then fades away. Bad habits are very easy to learn in an environment where nobody is observing you realtime, and they are so very hard to break.

A blind example would be Kurt Cobain and his self-taught left hand guitarist bullshit. It gave him permanent spinal disfigurement, which contributed to his drug addiction to self-medicate the pain away and then he fucking died of a drug overdose.

>>18516395
>>18516403
Any advice for learning guitar, then? I wanna at least get started somewhere.

>>18516458
I'm someone that taught myself how to play the guitar. I don't want a career in music and have no intentions of pursuing one; it's mostly just a creative hobby to me. In the future I'd like to learn to play the piano and violin. My advice is to start with learning a song that is personally meaningful to you, and that you are passionate about. This is what gave me the motivation to be able to play what I do now. Learn all of the basic chords; EADGBE, and all of their minor key versions. As you learn to play more songs, you will learn to bar chords, which is something you will be doing constantly in many rock songs. I also recommend you get a book on music theory just to casually boost your knowledge on music. You won't need one, but it helps. Don't be afraid to consult the internet, especially YouTube, for advice. When I first started out playing guitar, the songs I loved, YouTube, ultimate Guitar and the rest of the internet were my teachers. Though I did have a friend I would talk to over the phone about guitar playing as well. If you'd like, I can recommend a song or two that I learned from that you could learn from as well. My first recommendation however, is a song you are passionate about.

Additionally, I recommend you install GuitarTuna and Yousician on your smartphone if you have one. GuitarTuna is a very good free guitar tuner. Yousician is not that useful if you already have a solid grasp on the basics, but it will help you put your feet on the ground in terms of learning guitar. Also, get a capo, they will help whenever you need to change your pitch to match a song.

Let me know if you want my opinion or recommendation on anything else.

>>18516458
Well, to begin with, have you done some searches on what kind of music teachers live closest to you and what qualifications they have? "Getting started somewhere" is something your teacher is more able to advise you on after assessing how much musical theory you understand. It doesn't fucking matter if you have the voice of an angel, if you cannot read fucking sheet music in front of you and tell what genre of music it is apart (and therefore sing it and express it in the appropriate fashion to the genre), you're useless.

The US is a bit of a no-man's land as an example, NYSSMA and ABRSM governs the grading and certification of all musical ability. For those pursuing a serious scholarship in the musical arts, most audition for an overseas musical college (usually called conservatoriums) overseas. The American homegrown version is Julliard's or New York State School, but again, these are all for those who want to become career musicians.

>>18516458
>>18516506
If you are looking to get a degree, however, do take some lessons, especially for playing piano. That is my advice for getting started on the basics of guitar, which considering what is available to learn from online, in my opinion is the easiest and most accessible instrument to learn to play.

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>>18516403
>A blind example would be Kurt Cobain and his self-taught left hand guitarist bullshit. It gave him permanent spinal disfigurement, which contributed to his drug addiction to self-medicate the pain away and then he fucking died of a drug overdose.
Pretty sure the shotgun to the head killed him.

>>18516550
Well, it certainly didn't help his spinal disfigurement.

/mu/ has a lot of resources for starting to learn guitar.
Look through the catalogue for the guitar and bass general.