Music Basics

"My Immortal" is a pop song made popular by Evanescence and performed in voice and on the piano by the musician/artist. Written by Ben Moody, Amy Lee and David Hodges, the song expresses sorrows...

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 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...

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...

Sonata form is the most difficult to identify of the five primary forms of classical music. It requires a trained ear and a basic understanding of the sonata's structure. With a little practice,...

The key principle to this pattern is being able to break up the press roll and play a pattern around the press roll using the 2 and 4, accenting off the hi-hat and snare. This is a groove I...

David Tammett, the UK's answer to Temple Grandin, has got me thinking. His sensible suggestions on (no, not how to a lead a hog to slaughter but rather) how to learn a language from scratch...

Starting at the bottom is intimidating enough in any profession, but unique challenges await those who aspire to become executive producers in the music industry--one of the highest-profile...

This article will teach you how to apply push-pull and Moeller concepts to conga drumming. You will learn how to get multiple notes per stroke with just your hands. ** This article does involve...

The following concepts will minimize the barriers on your snare drum chops, creating greater potential for stamina, speed, and power in anything played with drumsticks. Efficient snare drum...

Although many Westerners do not realize it, Japan boasts the world's second-largest pop music market--right after the United States. Driven by the success of icons like Hikaru Utada, Japan's...

With the wide variety of different audio mediums, there are certain requirements expected for each mix. Mixing for television, film and DVD require a different approach than standard music mixing....

Often dismissed as little more than Mongolian string-benders, heavy metal musicians deserve more respect for the uncommon levels of skill that the genre demands. This is especially obvious for the...

Being a good speaker is a great way to get your voice heard in an often loud and confusing haze of an environment we have today.

A music management company can be one of the most exciting businesses to be involved in. You get to be a part of the music scene and be responsible for a lot that happens behind the scenes for...

Frustrated with the sound of your ensemble? This quick article will tell you what just might be missing. Helps with tuning and balance.

Many people love to listen to an orchestra. Sometimes they even know the composers. However, in many cases, unless you have played an instrument, you may not understand the way an orchestra is set...

Do you want to write your own music? You can have free music anytime you want.Ever wonder why some music sounds totally unique, while others sound like the same old music you've heard your whole...

Touring is a part of the job description for rock groups--the live show remains the best way to interest people in your band's music. But that won't happen without a modicum of local or regional...

Thanks to a little promotional savvy and a fair bit of luck, your band is at a crossroads. Gigs are piling up, merchandising income is healthy, and your indie-level releases are garnering...

Starting a local band is easy. Getting noticed, booked and signed is the hard part. The first thing you need to know is you can't do this by yourself. You'll need help and talented bandmates....

Having fast fingers and ripping through lightning fast runs on the piano is an important skill to have, but missing notes is not good. Playing note-perfect and making each note sound as it should,...

Being able to pick up a new piece of music, put it on your piano’s music stand, and quickly begin playing it correctly is a very important and useful skill for the pianist. Once you no...

Rocking harder than anything is a tall order indeed. You’ll need money, connections, land and explosives--all hard things to obtain. Thus, rocking this hard is limited to the highest levels of a...

The pentatonic scale is a premier tool for guitarists looking to add colorful note progressions over chords. The pentatonic is actually a minor scale, but it doesn't contain all of the notes of a...

Adding chords to a melody is part of learning to be a song writer. Writers get better at matching chords to other music over time. However, it can be tough at first to choose a chord progression...

The clef is the first symbol that appears on the musical staff, the set of five lines on which musical notes and symbols are written. The clef tells you which notes are indicated by each line and...

The C major scale is the most common musical scale. It's easy to play on the piano since you play only the white keys. The scale begins with the C note and ends with the same note one octave...

You can easily learn how to use a home recording studio. It can be great fun to listen to people sing and then record them with your own set. You can even set up your home recording studio so that...

Cymbals are an integral part of any drum set. Cymbals can be played together or individually to create unique musical variations. Available in different types and sizes, learn to play the cymbals...

Jazz guitarists rely on the diatonic scale to construct chords and harmonies. This structure is especially helpful for telling the player what notes and chords they are allowed to play during an...

Classical guitar is considerably more structured than other forms of guitar playing. The music is written in standard notation whereas rock guitar simply uses guitar tablature, requiring the...

A piano scale is a group of 7 piano keys. Each scale has its own sound, but contains 7 scale notes that follow the same pattern but you play them with different keys. Major and minor scales...

Talent alone will not guarantee a record deal, and seeking one can be a discouraging and fruitless crusade. There are only a few hundred deals available each year and many of them are snatched by...