Music Basics

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...

Are you a novice who wants to learn to play piano? Or a music teacher who is a bit rusty? Maybe an experienced pianist who is considering playing professionally? How does the idea of an adult...

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,...

Power chords are some of the easyest chords to play on a guitar. And they are called power chords because of how much power each one has when you play it. This article will show you how to find...

Writing a song can be easy if you know some chords on your guitar. If you don't know chords, I suggest you learn some and then come back. I will show you a way to write the basics of a complete...

One of the most fundamental chords in guitar-playing is the E Minor Chord. Also referred to as one of the "open" chords, it is used in everything from rock music to blues guitar. The...

If you are new to guitar or just never learned how to read guitar tablature you are in for a treat. It's SO easy! After I show you some easy examples of guitar tablature and clearly explain how...

Flamenco is a genre of Spanish guitar music. It is known for its fast, intricate passages, and dance rhythms. Flamenco players usually use classical guitars. The style is somewhat similar to...

Music can make learning fun and easy. Attempting to learn new content using textbooks or lessons delivered by teachers or professors can be dry and difficult, but music can help someone take words...

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...

There are many ways to get your music noticed, from hiring professionals to help you make connections, to dressing up like a clown on television. You can do many things that will make people stand...

If you want to play jazz chords on the keyboard or piano, you would probably like to really master those chords. A friend who is a true jazz artist taught me how to study and learn the chords...

Help your kid enjoy an exciting lifelong relationship with music. Introduce them to the world of different styles and follow their lead, instead of forcing your tastes on them. Provide a support...

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...

Making a pentatonic scale with water bottles is a great project to try with kids or other beginning musicians. The pentatonic scale is especially suitable for this project because so many of the...

Teaching kids to play the guitar is rewarding but time-consuming, and while there are basics that must be taught, the teaching sequence and the time spent on each element varies with the child's...

The treble clef is a musical symbol that dictates the notes corresponding with each line on the musical staff. The form of the treble clef reveals essential information about the music it follows...

There's nothing like playing the blues, and nothing drives a blues groove like a great bass line. Blues is all about rhythm, and bass creates the foundation of rhythm in any blues band. With some...

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...

The acoustic guitar is oftentimes seen as the boring predecessor to the electric guitar. If taken full advantage of, the acoustic offers an entirely different and fulfilling musical experience. ...

Learning to play an instrument can be a daunting task if you do not have a basic understanding of the eight elements of music. The key to becoming proficient in music theory is understanding a...

Here are the Ten Commandments for the correct piano playing posture. We'll start from our feet and we'll go up all the way. I'll explain the importance of sitting correctly at the piano.

The F Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of F Major – F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, (F) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is G Minor.

The Eb Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of Eb Major – Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C, D, (Eb) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is C Minor.

The Ab Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of Ab Major – Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, (Ab) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is F Minor.

The Db Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of Db Major – Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C, (Db) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is Bb Minor.

The F# Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of F# Major – F#, G#, A#, B, C#, D#, E# (F#) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is D# Minor.

The B Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of B Major – B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#, (B) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is G# Minor.

The E Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of E Major – E, F#, G#, A, B, C, D# and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is C# Minor.

The A Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of A Major – A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G# and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is F# Minor.

The D Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of D Major – D, E, F#, A, B, C# and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is B Minor.

The G Major Scale is fashioned from the Key of G Major – G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, (G) and consists of the formula: tone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. Its relative minor is E Minor.