Anyone Can Play Music

Unlock Your Musical Potential with the Laws of Brainjo

By: Josh Turknett

Narrated by: Josh Turknett

A neuroscience-based approach to learning how to play music at any age

You can learn to play music, no matter what you've been told about your musical talent or aptitude. Each and every one of us has been gifted with a fully customizable brain, one we can mold to learn anything, at any age. With the right instruction and methods, learning to play music can be an endless source of joy and fulfillment. And learning to play music isn't just fun, it's also the ideal brain fitness activity.

Dr. Turknett, a neurologist, self-taught multi-instrumentalist, and the founder of Brainjo and the Brainjo Method of instruction, which has been used successfully by thousands of people, distills the principles of learning to play music down into a set of universal "laws" that can be applied to any instrument. His innovative and proven approach synthesizes the latest in neuroscience and skill-building theory, emphasizing practicing smarter, not harder, recognizing that there is no failure, only feedback, and leveraging the immense power of subconscious learning.

Success or failure in learning to play music, just like anything else, is driven by how we learn. More specifically, it is driven by how well we engage our brain's remarkable ability to change itself. Anyone Can Play Music is about the fundamental principles of learning, an owner's manual for molding a musical mind.

The benefits of learning an instrument extend beyond the immense pleasure that it brings. Recent research indicates that stimulating neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to change itself, leads to brain growth, reverses brain aging and even restores youthful brain function. The more areas of the brain that are stimulated, the greater the benefit. And when it comes to a whole brain workout, nothing beats playing music.

While much of Dr. Turknett's detailed instructions are music-specific, the strategies underpinning this book apply not only to learning to play music, but to any kind of skill building. Our plastic brains are capable of so much more than we realize, as long as we can learn how to learn.

©2025 Josh Turknett (P)2025 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The best presentation of a well-organized, practical method that can help the reader develop into a better musician that I have ever encountered.”—Dan Miller, Bluegrass Unlimited

“In this mind-bending guide, neuroscientist and physician Josh Turknett reveals how anyone can hack their brain to learn music at any age. With the precision of a neurosurgeon and the soul of a banjo player, Turknett shows how imperfection can be beautiful, struggles are stepping stones, and your best days of learning may still lie ahead. Whether you're 15 or 85, this book hands you the neural keys to unlock your inner musician—and help you with any kind of learning. A masterclass in brain plasticity disguised as a music lesson.”—Barbara Oakley, PhD, creator of Learning How to Learn, one of the world's most popular online courses, and author of A Mind for Numbers

“This book should be a vital part of everyone’s musical learning experience. You can be a better musician, and what’s in this book will ensure that.”—Bryan Sutton, 10-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year and Grammy Award winner