It’s time to do something with that leftover Christmas money. Face it – the Xbox 360 you wanted is never going to be in stock longer than 60 seconds, and putting the money in your savings account is entirely out of the question. So what else is there to do with a wad of cash these days? You could try learning the universal language: music.

Learning to play an instrument can be a daunting task for anyone without previous musical experience. The obvious place to start is at a local music store, where knowledgeable employees are available to answer all the questions a novice musician has.

Keepers Music, 327 Main St., sells a wide variety of instruments and provides lessons for guitar, bass, woodwinds, brass, drumming and beginners’ piano.

Anthony Stevens of Ames quartet the Bone People gives drumming lessons at Keepers and encourages those interested in learning a new instrument to pursue what they are most interested in – not what they think will be easiest for them as a beginner.

“I do have a little bit of bias towards percussion,” Stevens said. “I think if someone naturally has rhythm they should at least play drums on the side.

“If you don’t have rhythm, you can always play guitar, but there aren’t enough people with good rhythm to be wasting them. For the most part, though, you want to play what you’re interested in,” he said.

Derrick Gorshe of Rieman Music, 409 Douglas Ave., agreed.

“When you first get into music, you want to play something that’s going to keep you interested while you’re learning the basics,” he said. “If you’re into Metallica, you don’t need to start with the acoustic [guitar] simply because it’s a starting point for others.”

Gorshe said many instruments use the same notes, basic techniques and finger positions. Rieman Music, like Keepers, offers lessons in guitar, piano, bass and drums. It also offers lessons in fiddle and banjo.

One of Ames’ well-established guitar and bass instructors is John Norman, owner of John’s Natural Foods, 326 5th St. Norman has a somewhat unorthodox approach for teaching guitar.

With a CD player and an acoustic guitar, he teaches his students exactly what they’re interested in playing. By allowing them to bring in songs they enjoy, he helps them learn the instrumentation so they can teach it to themselves.

This method is how he can incorporate lessons on musical theory and techniques while emphasizing practicality and application.

The development of the Internet has opened up many new possibilities for aspiring musicians. Web sites such as www.musiciansfriend.com and www.zzounds.com have made access to purchasing instruments as easy as the click of a mouse.

Furthermore, instructional Web sites such as www.gootar.com and various tablature sites scattered around the Internet can provide guidance and basic lessons to those with a tighter schedule.

Local music stores have taken a huge hit with the proliferation of online instrument warehouses and auction Web sites such as eBay that provide wholesale prices on new instruments, including easy access to previously-owned instruments. Buyers can be caught off guard, however, by hidden shipping charges or unreported flaws.

Many feel the safest way to buy an instrument will always be to buy from a local music store, where employees can answer questions and instruments can be seen and played firsthand.

Marshall Kole, senior in history, began teaching himself the basics of guitar after receiving his mother’s acoustic guitar during Winter Break.

“I just googled ‘basic guitar chords,’ and I’ve memorized about six chords in my spare time,” he said.

Investing in a musical instrument can be an exciting and rewarding endeavor for anyone looking for a creative outlet or a new leisure activity.

With the right resources and a little dedication, a musical novice can become a capable and competent musician in no time at all. It’s simply a matter of making the time.

“I can’t see myself becoming excessively serious about playing and writing music on the guitar, but playing will probably be something which will become a minor hobby,” Kole said.