Music Basics

Baritone music covers a range that straddles both the bass and treble clefs, but it is mainly written on the higher portion of the bass clef. Because most music students are taught to read treble...

Few instruments can match the expressiveness of the guitar. Natural harmonics, a type of note that is meant to sound bell-like, add color easily to your playing. Any guitarist can add harmonics...

The history of the United States can be understood both by what is written about it and by the country's cultural products. Although America does not have as rich a tradition in classical music as...

Tuning any snare or drum skin is a time consuming process, however when done correctly can produce a fantastic drum sound with even a cheap snare, however bear in mind you are not going to get the...

A musical scale is a collection of pitches, either in ascending or descending order, which forms the basis for musical compositions. The methods for dividing octaves into scales varies widely...

After students learn the fundamentals of music, it's time to teach the scales. Without scales, students won't be able to gain an understanding of how music is constructed and won't be able to...

A musical scale is a group of notes arranged in a specific pattern of steps (or distance between each note) to make a set of tones grouped into what musicians refer to as a key signature. The key...

Our system of notes and keys has seven different note names, designated with the letters A through G. A C major scale is C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. The only way to get any other major scale is to change one...

Augmented chords are not difficult to play on the keyboard or piano. In fact, they are easy to play. Just follow the simple steps below.

The guitars neck is mostly wood. Some actually use a steel beam running through them to ensure that the neck stays straight even when exposed to different conditions. If you neck becomes bowed...

Sheet music is the written version of the language of music. Notes are used to express the sounds and rhythms that we play. The beauty of sheet music is that we can know what Beethoven wrote a...

The reason there are only seven letters, A through G, in our musical alphabet is because our music is based on a diatonic, or seven note scale.

The C clef, which is familiar to most musicians, can be placed in 2 different positions on the staff. In the past, it could be placed in many different positions on the staff, but all except 2...

Wanna rock out uncontrollably with your friends but dont know where to start? Wanna end up on the road one day touring, making fans? Heres some tips to help you start.

Of the different clefs, the Bass Clef (also called the F clef) is the easiest to draw. You may have seen this clef at the beginning of music for various instruments, including cello, tuba, piano...

Drawing a Treble Clef (or G clef) in music can be tricky until you memorize how to do it. It is easy to confuse the direction of the lines when first learning to draw Treble Clefs. To make...

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...