Learn Hardcore German: Anstatt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre, als ob er ein Konzert hätte. - Instead of watching TV, my brother practises guitar in the evenings, as if he had a concert.

In this sentence, Anstatt fernzusehen is an introductory phrase that expresses an alternative: instead of watching TV. Grammatically, anstatt introduces a zu-infinitive construction (here with a separable verb), which functions like an adverbial clause:

Anstatt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre.
→ Instead of watching TV, my brother practises guitar in the evenings.

Because this phrase is put at the beginning, the main clause that follows has to keep the verb in second position: übt is the first element of the main clause, so it comes right after the comma.

Why is it fernzusehen and not fernsehen or zu fernsehen?

The verb is fernsehen (to watch TV), and it is separable:

ich sehe fern (I watch TV)

When you form the zu-infinitive with a separable verb, zu goes between the prefix and the verb stem and the whole thing is written as one word:

fern + zu + sehen → fernzusehen

So:

Correct: anstatt fernzusehen
Incorrect: anstatt zu fernsehen (zu is in the wrong place)
Incorrect: anstatt fernsehen (no zu, but you need a zu-infinitive after anstatt in this structure)

In other words, fernzusehen already contains zu inside it; that’s why you don’t see a separate zu.

Why is there a comma after fernzusehen?

In German, you normally separate an infinitive clause introduced by words like anstatt, um, ohne, statt from the main clause with a comma.

Here:

Anstatt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre …

Anstatt fernzusehen is such an infinitive clause (like “instead of watching TV”), so it gets a comma before the main clause übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre.

Why is the word order übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre and not mein Bruder übt abends Gitarre?

Both versions are possible; the difference is what comes at the very start of the sentence.

German main clauses are verb-second (V2): the finite verb has to be in second position, but the first position can be almost any element (subject, time phrase, subordinate clause, etc.).

Your sentence starts with an introductory clause:

Anstatt fernzusehen, → first position (whole chunk)

That means in the following main clause, the verb must come next:

übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre.

If you dropped the initial Anstatt… phrase, then you would more likely say:

Mein Bruder übt abends Gitarre.

So:

With intro phrase: Anstatt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre.
Without intro phrase: Mein Bruder übt abends Gitarre.

The word order is just following the V2 rule.

What exactly does abends mean, and how is it different from am Abend?

Abends means in the evenings / in the evening(s) in a habitual or general sense:

Mein Bruder übt abends Gitarre.
→ My brother practises guitar in the evenings (as a regular habit).

Am Abend is more like in the evening, often referring to a more specific or concrete evening (though context can broaden it):

Mein Bruder übt am Abend Gitarre.
→ My brother practises guitar in the evening (e.g. today, or generally, but less clearly habitual).

So the -s ending in abends, morgens, mittags, nachmittags, nachts often signals “at that time of day (as a routine)”.

Why is there no article before Gitarre in übt … Gitarre?

In German, when talking about playing or practising musical instruments in a general sense, the article is often omitted, especially in everyday language:

Er spielt Gitarre. – He plays guitar.
Sie übt Klavier. – She practises piano.

You can also say it with an article:

Er spielt die Gitarre.
Sie übt das Klavier.

Using the article can sound a bit more specific (this particular instrument, or more “schoolbook” style), while omitting it sounds very natural and neutral for general ability or habit. Both are grammatically correct here.

What does als ob mean here?

Als ob means as if.

So:

… übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre, als ob er ein Konzert hätte.
→ “… my brother practises guitar in the evenings, as if he had a concert.”

It introduces a comparative clause that describes how something appears or seems, often with a nuance of exaggeration or unreality.

Why is it hätte and not hat in als ob er ein Konzert hätte?

Hätte is the Konjunktiv II (subjunctive II) form of haben and is used here to express an unreal or hypothetical comparison.

… als ob er ein Konzert hätte.
→ “… as if he had a concert (but he doesn’t).”

Using Konjunktiv II makes it clear that this is not actually true; it just looks that way.

If you used hat (indicative):

… als ob er ein Konzert hat.

this can imply that he really does have a concert (for example, you’re stating how he behaves before his real concert). Many native speakers still use the indicative in speech, but Konjunktiv II (hätte) is the more standard way to show it’s just an impression.

Could I say als hätte er ein Konzert instead of als ob er ein Konzert hätte?

Yes, both are correct and mean essentially the same:

… als ob er ein Konzert hätte.
… als hätte er ein Konzert.

Differences:

als ob er ein Konzert hätte
– with als ob and verb at the end (standard subordinate clause word order).
als hätte er ein Konzert
– with als alone and inversion (verb directly after als), similar to question word order.

Stylistically, als ob is very common and neutral.
Als hätte er … can sound a bit more literary or slightly more emphatic, but in everyday language, both are widely used and natural.

Can I use statt instead of anstatt here?

Yes. Statt and anstatt are very close in meaning; both can mean instead of.

You could say:

Statt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre, als ob er ein Konzert hätte.

In many contexts, statt sounds a bit shorter and slightly more colloquial, while anstatt can feel a bit more formal, but the difference is small. Grammatically, both work here.

Is Anstatt capitalized because it’s special, or just because it’s the first word?

It is capitalized here only because it is the first word of the sentence.

Normally, as a preposition / conjunction, it is written in lower case:

anstatt zu arbeiten – instead of working
statt fernzusehen – instead of watching TV

So in the middle of a sentence you would write:

Er übt Gitarre, anstatt fernzusehen.

Could this also be written using a full clause instead of the infinitive, like with dass?

Yes, you can rephrase the Anstatt + zu-infinitive as a full subordinate clause with dass and a finite verb:

Anstatt dass mein Bruder abends fernsieht, übt er Gitarre, als ob er ein Konzert hätte.

This is grammatically correct but sounds heavier and more formal. The zu-infinitive version:

Anstatt fernzusehen, übt mein Bruder abends Gitarre …

is more natural and concise in modern German.