Music Basics

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. ...

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,...

Songbooks that feature melody lines, sometimes with chord symbols and sometimes without, are called fake books. The name fake book comes from the fact that many musicians with a strong musical...

Chords are basic building blocks for musical accompaniment. Chords are combinations of notes played simultaneously. Whereas some instruments (such as the trumpet or flute) play individual notes,...

There are several methods available to learn how to play the piano, and how to approach learning chords. This is one method that will help get you started.

A scale is a set of notes that can be played in ascending or descending order. Scales are built from the twelve chromatic notes in music and arranged in scale steps (distance between any two...

It's pretty easy to make beats with the ever-changing technology available. The people at recording studios were at one time the only ones who had access to the equipment required for beat making....

A chord is three or more notes that are played together. There are many different variations chord structure.

This article are for the ones that purchase the rack or is about to purchase the rack and need some assistance of knowing how to go to the different sounds on it and save them in your favorites.

A chord is composed of two or more notes. A chord can be played in unison, with all of the notes played at once, or it can be played one note at a time, which is called a broken chord. A...

Many musicians tend to mystify the songwriting process, but the fact is that most popular songs rely on simple chord progressions that anyone can master. These progressions set the groundwork for...

When beginning music students are assigned a new piece of music to learn, it is very common for them to just jump right into it, struggling to pick out the notes of the first measure. This is the...

Jazz is an American music genre that evolved particularly from ragtime and blues. Its characteristics include syncopated rhythms, polyphony and improvisation. Improvisation is the art of creating...

Music keys, also known as key signatures, are noted at the beginning of a piece of music. The keys are written directly after the treble or bass clef sign and are used to designate sharp and flat...

Key is an important guidepost in music; it tells you where the song's melodic center lies. Knowing the key of a song has many uses in writing, performing and recording. For musicians who play...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of C, the notes C, E and G are used. Play arpeggios in the key of C on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of G, the notes G, B and D are used. Play arpeggios in the key of G on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of D, the notes D, F sharp and A are used. Play arpeggios in the key of D on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of A, the notes A, C sharp and E natural are used. Play arpeggios in the key of A on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of E, go from B to E with the octave key. Play arpeggios in the key of E on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of B, the notes B, D sharp and F sharp are used. Play arpeggios in the key of B on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of F sharp, try practicing with a bass. Play arpeggios in the key of F sharp on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in this free video...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of C sharp, the notes C sharp, F and G sharp are used. Play arpeggios in the key of C sharp on the saxophone with tips from a music theory teacher in...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of F, the triad of F, A and C is used. Play saxophone arpeggios in the key of F with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free video on woodwind...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of B flat, it's helpful to play the bass. Play saxophone arpeggios in the key of B flat with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

In saxophone arpeggios, use the bass to play in the key of E flat. Play saxophone arpeggios in the key of E flat with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free video on woodwind instruments.

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of A flat, the triad of A flat, E flat and C is used. Play saxophone arpeggios in the key of A flat with lessons from a music theory teacher in this...

When playing saxophone arpeggios in the key of D flat, the triad of D flat, A flat and F is used. Play saxophone arpeggios in the key of D flat with lessons from a music theory teacher in this...

When reading music for saxophone, remember that the beginning of pieces will have a key signature unless every note is natural. Learn about key signatures when playing the saxophone with tips from...

The octave key on a saxophone will change the note played to an octave higher by pressing it. Play this useful key with tips from an experienced musician in this free video.

Major scales are the foundation of a lot of music. It isn't too hard to learn how to read them from sheet music, however. This guide walks you through reading a C major scale, as well as a...

Ever wanted to play piano by ear? It takes a lot of practice, but here are some basics to get you started!

Modulations seem to strike a chord of fear (pardon the pun) in the hearts of pianists and keyboardists. Those six little words ––“let’s take it up a key”–– make most of us players break out in a...

Reading sheet music and understanding it, does not have to be an exercise in intimidation or frustration. Once you understand the basics of pitch which is low or high notes and rhythm which is the...

Music students should learn to feel comfortable with referring to the key signature of a piece to determine its key. A proficient musician will play the piece while thinking in terms of the given...

All music students must become comfortable with referring to the key signature of a piece to determine what key it is in. A skilled musician will then play the piece while thinking in terms of...

Okay, so you want to play a B major scale on the piano. Many piano students have trouble with this scale, because it involves a lot of sharps (the black keys), which can seem confusing.

Whether you need to know how a piece of music fits together, or want to keep track of instruments in an orchestra, you can do so easily by reading a music score. A music score is a piece of sheet...

It is important for music students to be familiar with the theory behind scales, and to be able to play them on their instrument. Scales are the building blocks of music, just like letters of the...

Learn some great tips on how to play a piano song in the key of E major in this free video clip on music theory and piano techniques.

Learn easy piano lessons & how to write musical scales and pieces in classical music in this free music theory video.

Learn some great tips on how to play a piano song in the key of Eb (E Flat) in this free video clip on music theory and piano techniques.

Learn some great tips on how to play a piano song in the key of Db (D Flat) in this free video clip on music theory and piano techniques.

Learn how to play different scales and modes in the key of Bb in this free video on jazz music theory.

Learn some great tips on how to play a piano song in the key of D major in this free video clip on music theory and piano techniques.

Learn how to play different scales and modes in the key of A in this free video on jazz music theory.

Everyone who has practiced a form of music knows the saying that "practice makes perfect." If you want to achieve perfection with whatever type of music you are playing, than you can begin by...

The classic 1950s sound is made by playing just 4 simple chords. In the key of C, these would be chords built on the note numbers 1, 6, 4 and 5. This article will show you how to play each of...

When playing a song on guitar or piano using chords, sometimes you need to change the key (which group of chords you use). This article shows you an easy way to quickly change chords from one key...