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Easy Guitar Songs and Tips for Beginners

Categories Guitar

At a glance… 1. Factors determining difficulty 2. Number of chords 3. Guitar friendly keys 4. Anchor fingers 5. Barre chords 6. Strumming patterns 7. Simplifying chords 8. Tempo 9. Patience 10. List of easy songs One of the fastest ways to get beginners to give up on playing the guitar is to have them learn songs beyond their skill level, which can be incredibly frustrating, demoralizing, and even physically painful. Have you ever encountered a song that has one too many barre chords, or maybe one with chords with strange symbols like G#7b5#9? Songs like these typically turn off … Read more

Coachella 2017 Preview: Our Top Picks!

Categories Arts and Entertainment Seasons and Reasons

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is just around the corner! Coachella is so big that this year it added a SECOND weekend to accommodate the people that want to attend the festival. Thousands will flock to Indio, California from April 14th to 23rd for music from the world’s hottest acts. Having started in part as a reaction to a dispute between Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster, the huge music and arts festival is now in its 18th year. Despite backlash over the link between Philip Anschutz—the owner of Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the company that runs Coachella—and ultra-conservative, … Read more

How To Use a Capo for Guitarists

Categories Guitar

A capo is a tool that clamps down on all the strings at a certain fret, which effectively moves the guitar’s nut up to that fret. It can also act as your index finger when you play barre chords. It is a great tool that many guitarists use to make songs easier to play or sound different. With planning, you can use the capo to minimize the number of barre chords needed (not that you should avoid them though!). Without a capo, songs with complex voicings are almost unplayable. A couple of examples include “Here Comes the Sun” by The … Read more

Finger Exercises for Pianists: Improve Speed and Overall Performance

Categories Piano

At a glance… 1. Warm up exercises 2. Velocity exercises 3. Finger/hand independence exercises You might ask, why should I do finger exercises? Like athletes, musicians need good control of their muscles, and strong muscles can prevent injury. Playing the piano uses more than just the fingers; instead, the whole arms are required. To learn to use the arms, hands, fingers, and wrists correctly, finger exercises are more effective than actual pieces, since exercises are often designed to target one technique and their simple structure is less distracting. Moreover, finger exercises, similar to strength training for athletes, can improve finger … Read more

Making the Most of Your Practice: The Metronome – Part 1

Categories Music in General Music Practice

The ability to play in time, one of the most fundamental skills that a musician must develop, is to play with a consistent, even, and steady pulse as well as playing rhythmic phrases with accuracy and precision. Playing with good time is just as important in solo playing as it is in an ensemble environment. Without a good sense of time, the music will lose its momentum, fluency, and ultimately its groove—a word we will discuss in a future next article. Given that time is such an important skill to develop, as musicians we should know exactly how to develop … Read more

The Best Songs from Oscar-Nominated Films of 2016!

Categories Arts and Entertainment Seasons and Reasons

Even before films had dialogue, they had music. In the silent film era, the music was necessary to emphasize emotions conveyed on screen. Today, different filmmakers use music in different ways. In musicals like La La Land or Moana, songs are necessary to advance the plot and communicate the the emotions of the characters. Take out a song from a musical and a piece of the story is missing. In documentaries, such as The 13th and Jim: The James Foley Story, original songs play an important role in setting tone and summarizing the thesis of the film. In non-musical, fiction … Read more

What is Sonata form?

Categories Classical Music Theory

In this article, I will talk about the origins, functions and structure of music in Sonata form. I will also dive into our musical analysis of Haydn’s renowned composition. If you have performed a piece of music by either Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven, then you have probably encountered a work in sonata form. Most first movements1 of the symphonies and concertos, as well as the chamber and solo instrumental works, by these composers are organized into sonata form. Typically, the tempo of these opening movements is fast, which is why it is sometimes referred to as sonata-allegro form. This type of … Read more

A Guide to Drum Sticks Grip

Categories Drums

At a glance… 1. Match grip vs traditional grip 2. German, French, and American grips When you are learning any instrument, it can be a rather daunting prospect to juggle “correct” technique with a technique that works naturally for you. You’ll find that the technique of the musicians you aspire to varies wildly from one to the next. That being the case, how do you know which technique you should adopt? To answer this question, this article looks at some common drum stick grips, the pros and cons of each grip, and how each one compliments different styles of music … Read more

How to Play Scales and Arpeggios for Pianists

Categories Piano

At a glance… 1. Importance 2. Essential scales and arpeggios 3. Techniques 4. Articulations and rhythms 5. Practice routines The movie Julie and Julia is a highly entertaining and yet inspiring movie. Frustrated with her work, Julie decides to cook every recipe in Julia Child’s cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and write about her experience in her blog, a task not insignificant. At the same time, the movie shows how Julia works her way up to a famous cook. One scene demonstrates her perseverance in becoming a good cook. She keeps practicing cutting onions. She cuts so many … Read more

Making the Most of your Practice: Practice Planning

Categories Music in General Music Practice

Having decided on some short-, medium- and long-term goals, let’s think about how to structure your practice. This structuring could take written form by means of a practice diary or plan. But, if you are confident in your ability to remember what you’ve been practicing, how far through a goal you got, etc., don’t feel obliged to write down your plans. Personally I find that writing down my practice routine helps maintain focus, even if it’s just a few simple retrospective notes once I finish practicing or playing. Optimal Practice The fact is that there is no definitive answer as … Read more