How to Teach Yourself How to Play an Instrument

Step One: Choose any instrument that you have in your possession. I was able to teach myself the guitar and ukelele.
Step Two: You may think the next step involves using your instrument. Wrong. Before you even touch your instrument, you need to learn how to read music. This doesn't necessarily mean being able to read sheet music. You could learn how to read tabs, or at least read chords or single notes.
Step Three: Now it's time to learn the basics. This includes simple notes or simple chords. Familiarize yourself with either the strings, keys, valves, etc. You also need to know how to use other tools to play the instrument, like a bow or pick. There are multiple sources you can learn this from. There are plenty of books and websites that can teach you, but YouTube videos are also a great resource. I've used all three. My book of common chords has been of great assistance.
Step Four: After you have the basics down, maybe you're ready to play a song. Stores here in Lexington like Guitar Center, FYE, even Target sell books of sheet music. Personally, I don't want to spend all that money. If you're learning the guitar, ultimateguitar.com is my favorite website for free tabs and chords for any song you can think of.
Step Five: The last step is really your choice. Now that you've mastered your instrument, you have to decide what direction you want to take your music to. Maybe you'll write your own music, join a band, or sing while you play. After reading this, I hope that you feel confident in teaching yourself. Remember, many famous musicians, like Jimi Hendrix, were self-taught.