Music Basics

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 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...

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...

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...

Music sheets, referred to most often as sheet music, are created by writing musical notes and symbols onto blank sheets called staff paper. Sheet music helps musicians communicate with one...

The treble clef, which is sometimes referred to as the G clef, is the upper section of the staff in a piece of music. The notes of the treble clef are higher in pitch than the notes of the bass...

To the untrained musician, sheet music can look like a foreign language. This is not far from the truth. Fortunately, learning to read sheet music will be much easier than learning a second spoken...

Learning to make chords on the piano is one of the fundamental skills needed to play piano well. Knowing how to play chords will allow you to be able to read chord charts and play just about any...

The treble clef is the general clef used for upper-register notes in most printed music. However, some music is written using the alto clef. Whereas the first staff line in the treble clef is E,...

Music is enjoyed by everyone and some people still can't read music. There are just a few basic pieces of information to get you started. Let's start with the basic music staff that notes lie...

When teaching time signatures to your student, it is important that she understands how many beats are in the measure and which note will act as a quarter note. By knowing this information, your...

One of the first exposures that pianists will likely get to jazz is through blues, as the 12-bar blues is the most common among jazz piano literature. Approaching the blues requires some knowledge...

If you've never used guitar barre chords before, you may be wondering “What are they, and why would I want to use them?" A barre chord is an extremely versatile type of guitar chord where...

No matter which style of music you are playing, you will use scales to express your ideas. It is a great asset to know a little of the science behind the art of music. Let's take a look at the...

The ability to count music is essential to keeping time with other musicians, as well as understanding how musical notation works. Music is divided into bars. Time signatures are notated to tell...

Being able to read and tap rhythms is one of the first things any beginning musician learns. Music is composed of short tones and long tones. We write these tones as notes in measures to form a...

In this article, we will learn to understand the meaning of the time signature (numbers found at the beginning of a line of music.)

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...

Music notation is a system of symbols that represent specific types of sounds. A sheet of music is similar to a blueprint of a house in that it provides the musician a basic set of instructions...

Tablature (or TAB) is a form of musical notation used primarily for musicians who play stringed instruments, most often the bass or guitar. Most other musicians play from traditional sheet music,...

Reading classical music can seem daunting at first if the person reading it does not have much experience. However, with practice, the ability to read classical music can come easily and greatly...

I have used the Nashville Number System for many years in Nashville in the studio and working with artists in concert situations. Music theory can be very complicated and overwhelming, especially...

Reading eighth note rests on drum sheet music for beat two is important for every drummer to be able to play any piece of music with little to no practice. Read and play simple drum beats and...

Reading eighth note rests on drum sheet music for beats one, two and three is important for every drummer to be able to play any piece of music with little to no practice. Read and play simple...

Reading eighth note rests on drum sheet music for beats one and three is important for every drummer to be able to play any piece of music with little to no practice. Read and play simple drum...

Reading and playing sixteenth note drum beats from sheet music is important for every drummer to be able to play any piece of music with little to no practice. Read and play simple sixteenth note...

Playing 16th notes on the drums allows drummers to build up more speed. Read and play 16th note beat drum patterns with tips from a professional drummer in this free video on music instruction.

Speaking a 16th note drum beat sounds like one, e, and, uh; two, e, and, uh; etc. Read and play a 16th beat drum note pattern without an "e" beat with tips from a professional drummer in this free...

Speaking a 16th note drum beat sounds like one, e, and, uh; two, e, and, uh; etc. Read and play a 16th beat drum note pattern without an "uh" beat with tips from a professional drummer in this...

Speaking a 16th note drum beat sounds like one, e, and, uh; two, e, and, uh; etc. Read and play a 16th beat drum note pattern without the "e" and "uh" of beat two with tips from a professional...

Speaking a 16th note drum beat sounds like one, e, and, uh; two, e, and, uh; etc. Read and play a 16th beat drum note pattern without an "e" of beat one and the "e, and, uh" of beat two with tips...

When a third note on a saxophone stays the same, but the sevenths change, the chord becomes a dominant seventh chord. Know what the third is when playing saxophone with lessons from a music theory...

When a seventh note is involved on a saxophone, the fifth note is often left out. Know what the fifth is when playing saxophone with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

In saxophone chords, the root is the defining point of any triad or chord. Play saxophone chords and learn about the root note with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free video on...

For saxophone, the third note can be lowered a half step from the major to be a minor note. Play saxophone chords and learn about the third note with lessons from a music theory teacher in this...

In saxophone playing, the fifth note isn't essential, but it's important in sealing a chord. Play saxophone chords and learn about the fifth note with lessons from a music theory teacher in this...

When a seventh note on saxophone is lowered half a step, it makes a dominant sound. Play saxophone chords and learn about the seventh note with lessons from a music theory teacher in this free...

Playing a low C on the saxophone is done by playing a higher note such as a C# or low D and rolling down to a C since an open saxophone is C#. Play this low note by listening to tips from an...

Saxophones are versatile instruments with the ability to play every note and tone in between. Review how to play each note on the saxophone with some great tips from an experienced musician in...

Chromatic scales include every note between the beginning note and the same note an octave higher. Easily play any chromatic scale with tips from an experienced musician in this free video.

The first note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is a C natural. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The second note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is a D natural. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The third note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is an E flat (Eb). Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The fourth note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is an F natural. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The fifth note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is a G natural on the D string. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The sixth note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is an A natural with the fourth finger. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin...

The seventh note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is a B natural. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

The eighth note in the C melodic minor scale on violin is a C natural on the A string. Play the first note of the C melodic minor scale with a violin instructor in this free video violin lesson.

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...

The system of musical notation that has been commonly used for hundreds of years is a very effective way of recording on paper what in performance is ephemeral and fleeting. Musical notes have a...