Music Articles & News
The Do's and Don'ts of Getting Your Child to Love Learning an Instrument
We all know that music can be inspiring, entertaining, and exhilarating. There are few things more enjoyable than listening to good music. If you’re lucky enough to be able to play a musical instrument, you know the joy that can come from strumming those strings, tapping those keys, or blowing those reeds. It’s immeasurable. But, with all the amazing aspects of music, why is it such a struggle to get your child to enjoy learning how to play an instrument? Some children naturally enjoy the ...
Health and Beauty Tips for Your Brass: Keep It Shiny!
Did you know that the health and beauty of your brass instruments require extra special attention? It's true-their wellbeing and happiness depend upon it. While we're not talking about putting your tuba on a weight-loss program or taking your trumpet to the spa for a makeover, you do need to treat your brass instruments with care or they'll refuse to come out and play. So, grab that brass and get ready for a workout-it's time to clean!
Dierks Bentley Brings The Heat From Nashville To The North!
Dierks Bentley is more than meets the eye, but what does meet the eye is pretty darn hard not to look at. His presence is warm, inviting and you feel like you just sat down with an old friend. Kat and I sat down to talk to the country music star when he was in Toronto promoting his new album, Modern Day Drifter. The lead track off the album,"A lot of Leavin' Left to do" made us wonder where the song came from. Pretty self explanatory to some, a guy leavin' a lot of women, but Dierks ...
These MIDI Tools Are Music To My Ears
Curious about MIDI? Want to find out what tools are out there and what they do? Here are a few pointers.
Why Learning How to Improvise is So Important
Imagine asking a beginning writer to write a short story from scratch. Our writer does not yet have much experience in writing but accepts the challenge and begins to plunge ahead.
Hip Hop Clothing
Celebrities now such as Outkast, a fashion wear can be a must have. Likewise gainful for celebrities included within the clothing lines world, which is how come we are in possession of these most up to date hip hop clothing lines on the market like, FuBu. With very good class hoodies & great urban clothing show rooms such jewelery will not be declined! Ecko set the standard in the hiphop world, with a imaginative collective of urban designers unendingly working on offering its customers the ...
How to Compose Your Own Music Using 8 bar Phrases
Some people think composing is this miraculous thing that only genius's do. What a myth! It's a skill that can be learned. What can't be learned is the intuition that guides the creative force. What can be learned is the technique. And the most important part of composing technique has to do with THINKING IN PHRASES.
How to Use the Entire Piano Keyboard
There are 88 keys on the piano keyboard. Most pianists use about 1/3 of this number most of the time. Why?
Creating Caverns an Improvisation Exercise
In a recent post to my Yahoo group, I mentioned that I created the piece "Caverns" using one chord. I'd like to explain how I accomplished this.
Just 3 Chords? No Way!
A student wrote me an email about the lesson "Ocean Dreams." Here it is: "Dear Edward, I can't believe that you're using just 3 chords for this piece. It sounds like it uses much more material. Please tell me how you did it!" Here's my answer - Dear B. First, thanks for listening to my free lesson. To answer your question, the secret to getting the full sound you hear in this piece is not in how many chords are used. It's in how the chord is voiced! Notice in ...
MP3 Music Subscription Services. A Good Deal ?
There's a reason Apple Computer dominates the legal 99-cents-a-download digital music scene: It does it right. Apple's iPods set the style and ease-of-use standards that other portable music players must try (so far unsuccessfully) to match. Its iTunes Music Store and iTunes software are equally unparalleled.
Who's Playing What? A Guide To The Guitars Of The Pros
Eric Clapton performs his slow-handed magic on his. Even with just nine fingers, Jerry Garcia kept countless Deadheads dancing as he played with his. At the mere sight of his, the King of Rock-n-Roll could make a grown woman faint. Of course, I’m talking about guitars. Professional musicians have been stroking and strumming, picking and playing the world’s greatest guitars and making the world’s greatest music. If you want to play like the pros, you’re going to need to know what guitars are ...
Play Piano As Fast As Possible!
One of the rules of practicing we all hear over and over is "Be sure to practice slowly." (I'm guilty of this too!) Often the result of this is a feeling of inhibition, which leads to tedium. Picture yourself filled with excitement and yearning in setting out to learn a new piece. Suddenly a voice from the darkness whispers: "Don't touch those keys! Sit erect, play slowly, stay strictly in time, watch that fingering..." and your smile is gone. I'm beginning to feel a cramp ...
What Works Best in New Age Piano Improvisation
Many students want to know how to improvise. What they really want to know is how to be able to keep an improvisation going.
Does Reading Make Music?
When you read music you are deciphering the printed page and transferring the information to the keyboard. You might say that you are decoding what the composer or arranger put on the page . The symbols put on the paper by the composer are the only means he or she has to convey his/her musical ideas to the performer, hence to the listener.
How to be Creative at the Piano
So you want to be more creative when playing piano. Many students wish they could just sit down and improvise their own music but don't know how to begin.
Piano Playing and Performance Anxiety
I'll never forget the first time I played the piano for an audience. It was my first concert and it was fairly full up. I was to play my first CD "La Jolla Suite" containing 12 pieces. There was to be one intermission and the whole concert lasted about 80-90 minutes. Let me tell you that I was very nervous. So nervous I didn't think I was going to make it through. Suffice it to say that I really didn't enjoy myself. After many hours of trying to figure out why I ...
So You Wanna Learn How To Start a Record Label?
Well, you love music so much that you have decided you want to start a record label of your own. This can be a very exciting step and a fun one. The good news is, anyone can start their own record label if they know the right steps. It won't be an easy road by any means, but it is possible if you really desire to do it.
Legal Free Music Downloads Songs You Want at No Cost
It's all over the news these days. Download music from the Internet and you could be sued, fined, and/or go to jail. The truth is free music downloads, done correctly, are completely legal.
How To Play Guitar Like a Pro!
Having taught the guitar for many years, I see the majority of beginners experiencing the same problems and making the same mistakes over and over again in their quest to learn how to play guitar. It's my job to steer them through these problem areas.
Piano Playing For Adults: More Fun Than Sex And Not Nearly As Dangerous!
OK, so I lied about the fun part. Maybe piano playing is the just 2nd most fun thing adults can do. But 2nd place isn’t bad when you consider the popularity of the competition. But there’s no question at all that it is MUCH safer than sex. How so? ·Piano playing has no threat of easily transmitted diseases, unless of course you lick the keys. ·To date, piano playing is not known to cause pregnancy. ·Piano playing does not lead to jealousy, rage, ...
Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Piano playing doesn’t have to be boring. There’s no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you’ve always wanted to.
Playing The Piano Using Chord Symbols Instead of Being Tied To The Written Sheet Music
Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren't any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination. Musicians learn to arrange by simply arranging – and improvise by improvising -- over and over again. It's a big game of trial and error. But it’s also a scientific method: you keep the experiments that work, and abandon those that don’t ...
Piano Lessons For Adults: More Fun, Easier, & Faster Than Piano Lessons For Kids
Piano lessons for adults is generally LOTS more fun than it is for kids, primarily because the only adults that play piano are people who really want to, which is certainly not true of most kids that take piano lessons because their parents want them to.
Is Your Child Struggling in School? Get Him (Or Her) Music Lessons
This is counterintuitive, I know. Our natural response to seeing our child struggle is to find a way to help, not to add to the burden. If a child is struggling, why should we risk setting them up for failure in music lessons?
Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions
Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. And while it's a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a few key techniques can create an inventive, satisfying arrangement. It all boils down to one thing: chord recognition. And anyone who plays a little piano can learn piano ...
Oh My Aching head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?
We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a profound effect on us. If we didn’t believe that music affects us then singing lullabies to calm children and help them sleep wouldn’t be universal. In reality melody, harmony, and rhythm probably impacts the human brain in ways that are far more profound than we realize. We all know that an up tempo melody from our favorite performer stirs and energizes us just as a slower melody can help us relax or even prompt sad emotions from the ...
Defining The True Artist Do You Have What It Takes?
"The real communicating artists seek unique expression. They are not interested anymore in sounding like their heroes, they are searching constantly, developing and refining their own unique voice."
Learning How To Improvise
Those of you who have been reading my articles for some time now know that I believe improvisation to be the cornerstone of musical creativity. Why? Because without the ability to just play, we become stifled and the "real" music that is within each of us withers and dies.
Guitar Facts: A Glossary of Terms
It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the lute, was created by the Greek god, Apollo. In India, it is believed that the sitar, another stringed instrument from which the guitar is descended, is sacred to the goddess Saraswati. And one of the most popular tales about the guitar is the story of how it was pressed into service to play a hymn of praise to Jesus Christ at a Christmas Eve mass when the organ of the church broke.