If you are interested in learning to play new music and you are somewhat familiar with reading sheet music then there are techniques that will help you pick up new songs more quickly. The definition of sight reading is as simple as it sounds. You are able to play new music by reading the sheet [...]
What is sheet music? Is it a magical piece of writing that only musicians can read and that allow them to play their instruments like experts? No, sheet music is just a form of musical notation, be it written by hand or printed. Normally sheet music is like its other printed kin in that it [...]
Are you ready for your second lesson. Todays lesson title is: The Staff In its simplest form the staff looks like this Basically 5 lines and 4 spaces (the spaces are between the lines). Musical notes are written on the lines like this Or in the spaces like this Or a combination of both Now [...]
The Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel is a composition well known throughout the world. It’s a piece of music that is played in commercials, feature films, and shopping mall music systems. Its melody and harmony are such that, when heard, spur an “I know this song” reaction in listeners. Pachelbel wrote this music around [...]
To play a piece of music you have never seen before takes a great deal of skill. So how is it, some musicians can do this easily such as session musicians and others such as non professional players of all standards find sight reading so difficult. Don’t confuse learning to play a piece with sight-reading [...]
In part one of this two-part article, we discussed the benefits and drawbacks of using tuition books to learn how to play the piano or keyboard. In part two we will look at piano software courses. Why they are so popular and how they compare against tuition books. The benefits of piano software courses The [...]
Few will have heard of a transposing instrument, though those who are very involved with music will be familiar with it. A transposing instrument is one that has special music written for it that is at a different pitch than the concert pitch. So, when other music that is written at the concert pitch reads [...]
Last night, whilst lounging on my sofa with a friend watching the television, I flicked through the channels to stumble across a woman playing the piano as if it was as easy as a simple stroll in the park. The sound that came out of her carefree fast-motioned fingers, made me wonder how it is [...]
Most people are familiar with the slide whistle, but do not often view it as an instrument that is to be played for the same reasons that someone would pick up the saxophone or violin to play. It is a great little instrument that most will use as a sound effect, or to use in [...]
