Tuesday 25 December 2012

Today’s Featured Keyboard Instrument – Roland Jupiter 50



Today’s Featured Keyboard Instrument – Roland Jupiter 50
by Carlinton Singh

Hi friends, today I want to feature one of the newest keyboard instrument that will catch the attention of many keyboard players in 2013.

It is the Roland Jupiter 50 (the smaller version of the Roland Jupiter 80).  For the pass four decades Roland has built a number of electronic keyboards and synthesizers that are loved by many musicians across the world.

 
Some of Roland’s popular keyboards/synthesizers are as follow;

JUPITER-8
JUNO-60 
 JUPITER-6
JUNO-106
D-50
JV-80 
V-SYNTH 
XP-50 
XP-80 
FANTOM X
FANTOM G
JUNO D 
JUNO G 
RD 700 
JUPITER 80 
JUPITER 50

Since the 21st century, Roland has put out some great electronic keyboards on the market. The Jupiter 80 and Jupiter 50 are among them.

Here is a demo video of the Jupiter 50. It really sounds great and has a lot of features.

Thanks to Sonic-State on YouTube for sharing this video on their channel.



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Thank you for visiting!

 

Tuesday 4 December 2012

Trumpet Lessons | Trumpet Fingering Chart for Beginners


Trumpet Lessons | Trumpet Fingering Chart for Beginners

Today I want to take a shift from my piano lessons and do a brief trumpet lesson. 

The trumpet is a brass wind instrument. It is very loud and has a bright tone color. It is played in the treble staff so therefore we can say that its pitch is high. The mouth piece and the valves are the main part of the instrument that is used to change the pitch of each note.

Like many string and woodwind instruments, the seven letters of the musical alphabet are located on the trumpet. As a matter of fact all 12 keys or tones in music can be played on the trumpet at more than one octave.

While the trumpet may be smaller than other brass instruments, it is used to play the lead role within the brass section of a band or ensemble.

Let take a look at the different fingering position for each note on the trumpet. I have provided a trumpet fingering chat for you. Many beginner trumpet players will find this trumpet fingering chart to be useful.

All credits go to Yamaha.com for preparing this accurate trumpet fingering chart for us.


Go to Yamaha.com for more information on musical instruments and software.
Thank you for reading this article. 
Please leave your comments!

Monday 3 December 2012

Today's Music Lesson - The Orchestra


Music Lesson – The Orchestra by Carlinton Singh

Today I want to share some information on the orchestra.
The orchestra can be described as a large instrumental ensemble with a wide variety of musical instruments. It is made of four families of musical instruments; they are string, woodwind, brass and percussion. The strings are often refers to as the core of the orchestra.

The organization of this unique ensemble can be traced back as far as the 1600s and have developed during the baroque period. During this period there were smaller orchestra groups that range from about 15 to 40 persons. However, as music changes over the centuries, the size has grown immensely. Some time over 100 musicians are used in an orchestra.

Now let us take a look at the different families of instruments that make up the orchestra.

The String Family
 The string family is made of string instruments. The strings on these instruments are plucked or bowed in order for them to produce sound. The main string instruments that are used in an orchestra are violins, violas, cellos and double bass.

The Woodwind Family
In this family the instruments are referred to as woodwind because they were traditionally made of wood. These instruments can be described as a long tube with holes on them. The holes are covered by the fingers or by pads that are controlled by our fingers. Some of these instruments carry a small strip of wood on the mouth piece called a reed. Some woodwind instruments are piccolo, flute, clarinet, oboe and bassoon.

The Brass Family
Instruments of the brass family are wind instruments that are loud and bright in tone color. These instruments are mostly used when the music climaxes. The range of pitches created by a brass wind instrument is controlled by the mouth piece, valves and slides. Brass instruments are often referred to as the horn section of the orchestra. Some instruments that make up the brass family are trumpet, cornet, french horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba.

The Percussion Family
Percussion instruments are those that you hit and shake to produce sound. These instruments play a vital role in the orchestra. There are several percussion instruments that are often used in an orchestra. They are xylophone, glockenspiel, timpani, gongs, cymbal, chimes, triangle, bass drum, snare drum, tenor drums among others.

Even though modern instruments are sometimes included in the orchestra, we can all say that it has not lost its flavor. The elements of music are still expressed in modern orchestras. 


Do you have more information to share about the orchestra the level it in the comments box. Or.... Simply just leave a comment if you like this article.