Music Basics

Music notes are the language musicians use to speak to one another. A music notes consists of three elements that dictate tone, pitch and duration; a note head, stem and tail. These notes, when...

Guitar strings are held in place by the bridge, crossing over the body and ending at the tuning pegs in the neck. With use and over time, a guitar may need to be fitted with new strings,...

Scales are the method by which the twelve tones of the musical language are divided and arranged for the purpose of creating melody and harmony in a musical composition. Major and minor scales are...

The Turkish March (or, more correctly, Turkish Rondo), composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), is actually the third movement of his Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331. This piece is...

The percussion section of the marching band is one of the most important sections of the band. The drummers keep the tempo, and the tempo is what keeps all of the marchers together. At first...

If you have deep feelings about a subject then writing about it should be quite easy. Remember every chord in the world has already been played so keep it simple because you can't possibly...

So you wanna be a rapper? How badly?

A music adviser is a person who is able to give counsel about music within a particular discipline. For example, in education, the adviser will guide students through their years studying music....

In this article you will learn basic techniques that will improve articulation. Great for begginners and any level of musician alike these 3 easy to follow steps can help you become a better player.

Structural notes are the tones in a melodic passage which comprise the basis of the melody. Without them a melody would not be recognizable. Students of music theory learn to identify structural...

You don't need to be born with perfect pitch to hear music notes. Learning to hear notes and recognize the names of those notes takes time and practice. It may be that you never develop perfect...

Dominant seventh chords are extremely valuable in music since they move down a fifth to “do” or tonic. They are useful as cadences and also in leading to a new key. Learn how to play them easily...

Musical instruments, especially string instruments like the guitar, require tuning to keep all of the strings at the right pitch. A tuned electric or acoustic guitar is necessary for a good,...

Whether you are looking for someone to give lessons to your child or for yourself, how do you go about finding a good music teacher?

Many music book lists CHORD SYMBOLS along with the melody. These books are sometimes called FAKE BOOKS and they use the chord approach to playing piano. Other books such as movie tunes or church...

I am a guitar instructor and have been in the music business for 20 years. One of the first questions I always get from my students (or thier parents) is what kind of guitar they should buy. Alot...

A member of the woodwind family of musical instruments, the alto flute sounds and plays similar to a traditional C flute. It has a lower range, however, and cannot play notes above G6 in treble...

The term "carnatic music" refers to music performed in the expressive style of a vocalist. The origins of this musical style reside in southern India. Carnatic music is typically performed...

I learned how to perform this guitar technique years ago, and it is always nice to be able to do these on the fly when jamming with friends. If you have learned just one scale, then this...

Nylon string guitars are typically easier to play than steel string guitars. They are easier on your fingers and are more forgiving to mistakes.

I have been playing bass for several years now primarily sticking to rock and alternative genres but sometimes I like to get into a little funk or jazz. Many bassists, and I am guilty of this as...

Playing the guitar for hours can be painful, especially to your neck and back. Because of the way the guitar is held, the result is often a painful muscle imbalance, according to Guitar...

Rap, or hip hop, is a genre of music that began in the 1970s in New York City. It consists of looped beats or samples and synthesized instruments, with rapping, a vocal style in which the artist,...

Many great guitarists have used the whammy bar, including Jimi Hendrix, Kirk Hammett and Stevie Ray Vaughn, just to name a few. Also called a tremolo bar, a whammy creates incredibly complex...

Learning how to play the chords EM and DM on the piano is very easy if you have a person who is at all knowledgeable about the piano on hand to show you where the chords are. Learning how to play...

There are few songs as timeless as John Lennon's classic "Imagine." Even though "Imagine" isn't musically complex, the chords are effective in evoking a pensive, almost meditative feel, over which...

Reading music can be intimidating to many people. But once you get started, you'll see how easy it is. After learning the basics, everything will click into place and you'll be reading Beethoven's...

Here's a common scenario: You play "Guitar Hero" or "Rock Band," and get pretty good at it. You decide to take things to the next level by purchasing an actual electric guitar. You pick up an...

If you play piano or keyboard, fully diminished seventh chords are important to know. There are, amazingly, only three of them, and they continue all the way up and down the keyboard. These...

Playing the c scale is one of the basic things you learn when first playing a keyboard. Because the c scale is the first and the easiest scale to know on the keyboard. This is one of the only...

According to the website Earboost.com, ear training is, "the process of adapting your ear to understand different notes." Once a musician understands note patterns in music, he trains his mind to...

Songs inspire creativity, emotion, connection and intellect- only how do go about writing a song that you could actually market? If you could only write that hit song, maybe you could license it...

Most percussion instruments are simple enough: you hit them and they make a sound; they can be played by anyone, but they can take years to master. A typical professional percussionist may have to...

It is impossible to keep your CD's from scratching not matter how well you take care of them. Given enough time of use, your CD's will eventually stop working. If you have a CD that is scratched...

Music is the language of all people. Music can get you through the good and bad times as well as inspire. Michael Jackson inspired us to look at the Man in the Mirror, LL Cool J's Momma Said Knock...

Whether you want to write magazine articles or the next bestselling novel, there are rules every writer must learn in order to be a professional success. Knowing the basics of grammar and style,...

If you play the piano, you would probably like to be able to play more artistically, even if you are just a student. You may play note-perfectly, but you may still not be satisfied. If you feel...

There is a difference between playing the guitar for vocal backup and playing lead guitar, which I my cover in a future article. When you wish to provide the background musical rhythm from a...

This is the simplest way that I know of to tune a four string bass guitar by ear. A tuner takes out all of the guesswork, but you don't always have one handy. And too, the better you get with your...

Learning how to play jazz guitar can be somewhat intimidating. You should probably know a thing or two about scales and keys before you try to learn seven chords and how to syncopate properly. ...

There are many obstacles to learning to play the piano. Many of these obstacles involve our emotions and beliefs. Getting past these may be what finally gets you playing.

One of the most popular classical piano pieces ever written, Beethoven's "Moonlight" sonata is a must-play for many students. (Please be aware that this sonata has three movements; only...

If you're learning how to play the guitar, but don't know how to read sheet music, tabs can be a great resource to you. They provide a way to learn how to play your favorite songs even if you have...

Playing the bass guitar with a pick is another style of playing the bass guitar. The pick is held in the picking hand and picked as an opposite to plucking the strings on a bass guitar. The pick...

If you want to play thirds and sixths on the keyboard or piano, you should learn them together. There are two types of thirds and sixths, major and minor. If you learn both the theory and the feel...

Nearly everyone knows that music with no sharps or flats is in the key of C if it is major. But many people need to learn how to find the key in music in sharps. Every key signature represents...

In studying music, it is beneficial to understand the harmonic motion of the piece. This can shed light on the composer's style, the style period, and idiosyncracies of the piece itself. ...

Chord changes can be challenging to read. Although there are standards of how to notate the changes, there are multiple styles and some composers seem to invent their own from time to time. So...

Christian music is a genre that has enjoyed steady growth over the past several years. The success of Christian music has spawned a number of music publishers looking for songs with a Christian...

I have a classical CD collection that I love to be constantly expanding. However, my calligrapher/piano teacher/college student status currently leaves a lot to be desired financially. As I'm...