Intervals are the distance between any two notes, and can be major, minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished. Watch this short video to see and hear various intervals.
Archive for July, 2009
Music Theory 101: Intervals & Their Qualities
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009The Picardy 3rd Ending
Monday, July 27th, 2009When a song is in a minor key, but is then ended in a major key, it is termed a “picardy 3rd.” The old tune Greensleeves is an excellent example of the use of a picardy 3rd.
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How To Make Your Piano Practice More Fun (Watch video)
Saturday, July 25th, 2009Work some variety into your piano practice times. You don’t always have to play the same exercises the same way. On this short video I illustrate how you can take a boring exercise and make it fun by adding staccato, syncoptation, chords, and so on.
Improving Your Ear By Interval Training (Watch video)
Saturday, July 25th, 2009The ability to hear musical sounds and make sense out of them is of crucial importance to any musician. Your ear can be improved by drilling on various musical sounds until you remember them without thinking. On this short video we will drill briefly on intervals — 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, etc.
Some Ways To Break Up Piano Chords In Your Right Hand (Watch Video)
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009Watch the video below to learn some ways of breaking up piano chords with your right hand:
The Importance of Daily Rehersal
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009When the subject of piano practice comes up it is usually greeted with a groan, like some disease that needs to be avoided at all cost. That is probably because practice has traditionally been equated with boring drills and scales and endless exercises.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead of viewing practice as a chore that needs to be done, view it as an opportunity to have fun rehearsing songs and pieces you enjoy playing just for the joy of it, or to entertain family or friends. Start by playing your very favorite piece and getting yourself in a positive mood, then gradually work in the rehearsals of chords, scale fragments, theory, and so on. And make sure you UNDERSTAND what you are playing in terms of chord progressions and form. Otherwise you are just playing from rote, and nothing can be more boring than that. If you DON’T understand, take a course in music theory or chords so that you will understand — it makes all the difference in the world!
Don’t do it all in one sitting, either. Break it up in bite-sized segments so you don’t get tired or bored. It is far better to practice 4 sessions of 15 minutes than only one session of an hour. Why? Because the mind can only concentrate for so long at a time without wandering, and the seat gets restless too.
Turn your short practice sessions into fun, and you’ll progress just that much faster.
Learn to Play Music
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
So you want to learn to play music? You’ve never had a lesson on an instrument and don’t even know where to start? Learning to play music can be as simple or challenging as you want. Whether you want to learn the guitar, the piano or the tuba doesn’t matter. Just challenge yourself and you’ll be making music before you can say embouchure.
First of all, there are many instruments that are very easy to learn. The simplest is the kazoo. The pitch of a kazoo is entirely controlled by your mouth. No fingerings to learn. Just put it to your mouth and buzz.
Moving up the scale are other mouth instruments, such as the harmonica and melodica. The harmonica takes seconds to learn but a lifetime to master. Harmonicas come tuned in a certain key, so that there are no out-of-key notes. As long as you use the proper harmonica for the key, you’ll sound musical. Of course, there are many other techniques to learn, but for the beginner trying to learn to play music, the simplicity of the harmonica is great.
The melodica is a keyboard instrument that is powered by air from your lungs. You blow into the mouthpiece and play the keyboard like a piano. The only difference is that the keyboard is facing away from you, perpendicular to your body. Most melodicas cover only an octave or two, giving you a smaller range.
The piano is another great instrument to start learning to play music. Every note is laid out in front of you, with nothing hidden. Using the white keys, you can play anything in the key of C. The amount of musical expression attainable on the piano is unmatched by other instruments, as it’s both a melodic and percussive instrument.
There are many benefits of learning to play music as an adult. Increased confidence, mental stimulation and sheer joy are just a few of them. Imagine entertaining friends with your new skills! Maybe you always wanted to have your own band and never pursued it in your youth. Learn to play music as an adult and have the musical fun that you missed. It’s never too late to stimulate your mind in new and exciting ways.
You’ll meet new people when you become a musician. It’s surprising when you learn who secretly always wanted to play in a band or hold an audience enraptured through a Debussy piano piece. From CEOs to maintenance workers, there are part-time musicians everywhere you look. Maybe your boss, the secret guitarist, will find out that you’re learning to play music. Suddenly you’re a new blip on the radar and you have a buddy to jam with on Sundays.
Whatever your reasons for learning to play music as an adult, you’ll love it. Pick up a simple instrument like the kazoo or a vast one like the piano and practice. Find a cheap guitar, some online instruction and learn your favorite songs by the Who. Buy a harmonica, start a campfire and play the blues. The possibilities are endless, as long as you keep your enthusiasm and continue to practice.
Easy Play Music
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
The thought of learning to play the piano is intimidating for many people. Before they touch a keyboard, they have preconceived notions of how difficult it will be. For many, the thought of reading musical notes and learning the piano keys frightens them. They want to learn music; they just want the process to be easier.
There is no hiding the fact that learning to play an instrument well means committing your time and energy to practicing. However, the learning process can be enjoyable if you begin with easy play music. Easy play music seeks to simplify music so a player can learn songs they enjoy faster. This inspires someone to continue practicing to build his or her skills. The easy play music method makes students look forward to practicing.
What is easy play music? Easy play music is unadorned, uncomplicated music. This kind of music centers on basic melody and harmony. Its purpose is to teach the basics so a student grasps the foundations of a song. They can then build on this foundation by adding more complex elements to a piece as they build their playing skills.
Easy play music is for people who want a straightforward, easy-to-understand method for learning the piano or any instrument. The purpose of learning music the easy play way is to forgo the complex elements of music in the early stages of learning. Easy play music gets music students playing simple tunes quickly so they build confidence. People who are confident in their playing are more likely to tackle increasingly sophisticated compositions. Gradually they build their level of musicianship.
This music is available from online stores and music-book retailers. In addition, easy play music is often available from places that sell pianos or offer piano lessons.
Easy play music comes in many formats. One can learn from online tutorials, CDs, DVDs or sheet music. They offer people alternatives to traditional classical music lessons. Instructors design easy play music to accommodate the learning needs of those new to music study. The following are ways you can use easy play music to build your music skills.
Online or DVD Methods
Online videos, or DVDs, employ the show and tell aspects of music instruction. One can watch a piano teacher play certain song patterns on the keyboard while listening to the music. Students of any age can visualize piano patterns, which help them become familiar with the keyboard.
They can pause and replay melodies until they build aural recognition of song patterns. Of course, through online videos and DVDs, a student can also see and study sheet music presented onscreen. They can follow the simpler sheet music as they listen to a song playing.
CD Methods
With CDs, a music enthusiast can play simple melodies along with the CD accompaniment. Today, there are many easy piano arrangements of classical and contemporary songs. The songbooks that are part of the package usually have matching custom arrangements for easy piano and voice. You can buy a CD and with it receive the written easy play melody and lyrics. You will also receive simple chord voicings that provide the harmonic backdrop to a song. You can play along with an orchestra backing you.
Sheet Music
If you want to play solo, there are a myriad easy play music books. You receive stripped down compositions that highlight the basic melody and chord progression of a tune. These simplified compositions are the true essence of the original, more complex work. These versions of songs from any genre can aid you in teaching yourself to play your favorite tunes in no time.
Once you learn the basic melody and harmony of a song, you can build your improvisational skills. You can add extra notes as you see fit. You can learn to build different chords from the basic chords provided in an easy play music version of a song. You can also experiment in different keys or try different dynamics (louder or softer playing). You may want to try different tempos as well.
You can try all of this once you are confident you are playing the melody and harmony properly. That’s what easy play music does for you. It teaches the basics and then propels you into new uncharted and exciting musical territory.
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