Ever since I was a kid I enjoyed playing music. I remember memorizing keys to play basic songs on a keyboard recorder that could then play back what I recorded it to play. I enjoyed many styles of music, but specifically melodic music from video games and movies I would connect with the most. If I hear a portion of a song, I can usually remember what it is from.
The only formal class I remember was taking 1 semester of guitar class in high school. I ended up searching online for guitar tablature so I could learn sections of classic songs like "Stairway to Heaven."
My daughters are taking piano lessons and usually learning songs that they want to play, but they sometimes get bored playing a specific song repeatedly.
Luckily there is software to help us out. Programs like Synthesia allow you to load up any song that has been saved to a MIDI song file, and will show you visually how to play a specific instrument from that song. It is easy to find free MIDI files online legally as well.
I have a PC with a touch screen, and could use the computer keyboard to play the songs. But for the best experience I recommend a USB MIDI keyboard. There are advanced models out there, but even an inexpensive model with 32-keys like one from midiplus is something that can give many hours of fun while learning to master your favorite songs.
What song and instrument are you planning to learn next? Let us know in the comments