Being a musician is so much more than playing notes on an instrument. Learning to pick the right instrument for you and start making music can be a life-changing experience for a lot of people. It's more than a hobby, a skill, or a talent. If you want to become a musician, you can learn to build the skills necessary to be the kind of player you want to be and make the kind of music you want to make, with practice.

• Choose an instrument that suits your interests. 

If your goal is to become an on-stage rocker in a scruffy punk band, it's true that you could learn a lot about music playing the oboe, but it probably isn't the best way to form the band you want to form. If you want to play classical music and become a virtuoso, there's little room for synthesizer, unfortunately. Pick a category of instrument that fits your ambitions for being a musician.

• Practice constantly. 

Even if you have a natural talent for a certain instrument, there's a difference between "playing an instrument" and "being a musician." That difference involves practice. Musicians are dedicated to improve their skills and learn new techniques and more complicated music on the instrument they've chosen. The only way to do that is regular and serious practice.