Friday, 11 November 2011

Piano Lessons - Beginners Piano Lessons

Hi guys, it as been a while since my last post. I must say thanks to those persons who have been following my blog, I am very grateful.

In march 2011, I was searching for some method as to how I can share information about something that love to do. I came across blogger after some moments of research. I must say that I am very passionate about playing music which as been a part of my life since I was a child. Today I am glad that I can share my passion to you.

I have written articles on piano lessons, guitar lessons and music theory. All of these articles were designed to help individuals who are interesting in playing the piano, keyboard or the guitar especially beginners. Today I must say that I am happy that a number of persons have learned something from my blog. And so, I will be writing more articles in the future especially about music.

Since march I have seen some success in using the internet as a tool for teaching music and so I have decided that I will be taking advantage of what the internet has to offer. My friends, I am now designing my first website which dedicated to teach individuals how to play the piano. I have been doing some research and I am dedicated to create a unique piano music information center that will benefit all my followers. I am not able to say when my website will be ready but when it is up you will know.

For persons who are new to my blog and would like to take a quick look at some of  the beginners piano lessons that I have published, just click on the the links below.

BEGINNER PIANO LESSONS LINKS:

HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO

BASIC PIANO/KEYBOARD LESSON

LETTER NAME OF THE BLACK KEYS ON THE PIANO/KEYBOARD

PIANO/KEYBOARD LESSON (TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR)

PIANO LESSON - HOW TO PLAY MAJOR SCALES ON THE PIANO

Remember that your comments are very important so please leave them.
Have a great day, and continue to support this blog.

Saturday, 29 October 2011

The Benefits of Online Education and How its Changing the Way We Learn


GUEST POST
Article written by:
Lindsey Wright

In the past, many students in smaller communities were limited to small schools where they would spend most weekdays of their lives until they turned 18 years old. However in the current era high quality educational materials are easier to access than ever through the Internet, no matter whether students are located in a village in Kenya or in the heart of New York City. Furthermore, online education makes the idea of lifelong learning no longer just a pipe-dream, but a very achievable reality.

One of the most easily recognizable limitations of traditional education is the lack of physical space. In traditional brick-and-mortar teachers and students have to be present in the same location at the same time in order for learning to take place. However online learning is already beginning to remove some of these limits by allowing teachers and students to interact virtually, as they do at Virtual Music School; where students play and receive feedback from instructors via Skype.

More generally, online education is changing the way students and teachers interact. Many initially feared that online classes would lead to an environment where students and teachers would have less and less interactions, yet the opposite is actually true. For instance, video conferencing allows for students and teachers to have one-on-one tutoring sessions that are convenient for both parties. Online classrooms also remove some of the more distracting social elements of learning at a brick-and-mortar school, which allows the teacher to focus on teaching instead of managing student behavior.

While much online education is interactive, the Internet also allows people to more freely access non-interactive educational materials, such as books and lectures. For example, many universities, such as Princeton, offer lectures by professors in all fields free of charge on their websites. While viewers do not get college credit for viewing them, these lectures allow anyone with Internet access the chance to be taught by some of the greatest minds of our generation. The Internet also provides teachers with access to educational materials like lesson plans and written works, and allows them to more easily collaborate with each other in order to develop the best curriculum for their students.

Although the means of education may have begun to shift toward the online spectrum, the aim is the same -- to help people learn. For teachers, it makes the educational experience more manageable and creates more opportunities for one-on-one teaching, which is particularly useful for helping struggling students. For students, it makes learning easier to access and allows for  continuing education as long as the desire to learn remains. Better yet, online education makes people across all sections of society better able to understand the world and advance in it regardless of the conditions into which they were born.


All credits goes to the author of this article!
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!

Friday, 21 October 2011

Free Music Theory Lessons: What are key signatures?

Hi! Thank you for coming to my music lessons blog. Today I want to share some information on  "Key Signatures". If you find this article or the entire blog to be of interest to you please feel free to subscribe. You can also share this blog with a friend. Now let's get going with today's article.


Key Signature

Music can be written in major and minor keys. Both major and minor keys are based on particular scales. When a piece of music is composed from a major scale we can say that the music is written in a major key. When the composition of a piece of music is based on a minor scale we can say that the music is in a minor key.

In order for us to know the key of a piece of music we need to look for the key Signature.

What are Key Signatures?

Key signatures are sharp or flat signs that comes after the clef sign on the staff. You should note that the key signature comes after both the treble and bass clef. The number of sharp and flat signs is based on the major scale that is used.

For example – C major scale has no sharp nor flat so therefore there will not be any sharp or flat sign at the beginning of the music nor anywhere else.

Below is a diagram showing what the key of C looks like on a piece of sheet music. The diagram is also accompanied by an illustration of the letters in the C major scale.


















Below are diagrams of different key signatures and their scale. Key Signatures are named from the relative scales.

KEY - G MAJOR










The Key Signature for G major is one sharp. The note falling on the F line or space will be called F sharp.








 KEY - D MAJOR 









The Key Signature for D major is two sharps. All falling on the C and F line or space will be called C sharp and F sharp respectively.










KEY – F MAJOR








The Key of F major is one flat. B will be replaced by B flat.











KEY – B FLAT MAJOR







The Key signature for B flat major is two flats. All B and E note on the staff are change to B flat and E flat respectively.










KEY – E FLAT MAJOR








The Key signature for E flat major is three flats. Natural notes such as B, E and A with be change to flat.









 
Each sharp and flat in a specific key signature takes control of each line and space that they are located on. In other words the sharps and flats that form the key signature of a particular key changes the name of the lines and spaces they are placed on at the beginning of the staff. Therefore if a sharp is placed on the F line then that line will be called F sharp through-out the entire music. The same thing is been applied is the sharp or flat is placed in a space.

This was a great lesson. Thank you for participating.


Please leave your comments! Your comments are very important.

Copyright (c)  October 2011 by Carlinton Singh. All Rights Reserved.

Free Piano Lessons - Learn how to play "lean on me" on the piano


Hi guys! Today I have created a music sheet teaching you how to play the melody for "Lean On Me" by Bill Withers. This song was one of my favorites when learning started to play the piano. I must say that I have been busy and so I have not posted any piano lessons for a while but I know you will enjoy playing this one.

Use the model of the keyboard below to assist you, if you know the letter name for each key on the keyboard then you don't need it. 









Practice the melody for "Lean on me " by Bill Withers using the music sheet below.
You can click on the music sheet for a larger view.


Visit choose-piano-lessons.com for more free lessons!


Thanks you for participating in today's lesson.




 Please feel free to leave your comments!!

Saturday, 15 October 2011

Free Online Guitar Lessons at Gibson.com

For those of you that are searching for some basic guitar lessons that will add a little spice to your style of playing, then you need to check out these lessons presented by Gibson.com.

Here is a quick link to the lesson page.
http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Lessons/?s_kwcid=guitar%20lessons|2991119454

Information can never be too much. So it is good to learn from as much persons as possible. Each individual style of playing is different but you will be a more rounded musician if you make good use of all the information presented by different musicians.


About Music Lessons: Chord Techniques on Guitar and Bass

Hi guys!
For those of you who have just started to play the guitar and want to be an effective guitarist, I would like you to read this article that was posted by Marty B at http://aboutmusiclessons.blogspot.com.
Just Click the link below to view the article. The article gives information on some techniques that should be considered when playing the guitar.

About Music Lessons: Chord Technique on Guitar and Bass

Tell me what you thing about the article by leaving your comments.
have a great day.


Takamine G340SC Dreadnought Cutaway Acoustic Guitar 

( Only for $299.00 save $160.00)

Get it now at zzounds.com 






Wednesday, 12 October 2011

The best way to set up a music studio at your home. Home Music Studio Ideas!


Setting up a small home studio is not hard to do, but you should prepare to spend reasonable amount of money to do so. When you have your own home studio set up you will be able to save some portion of money in the long run. This is because you will not have to spend money on studio hours charged by external studios. You have all the time to do your music projects without looking on the watch. So today I want to share some vital information on how you can set up your own musical studio at home.

Here is a list of all the possible things you might need to setup a reasonable home music studio.

  1. You need a reliable PC (computer). Your computer must perform at high standard to keep up with the number of activities that will be taking place. Your computer should have good memory (2 gigabytes of RAM is good), large hard drive (80 gigs or more), recording device (CD/DVD burners) and a good processor (2GHz or more).

  1. You will need an Audio interface (Sound Card). The one I use is the M-Audio Delta 1010LT 24-Bit 96kHz PCI Card. I bought it at zzounds.com and it is works well but there are other options that you can choose from. The quality of sound in your home studio should be good, remember, you are competing with major studios on the market (Check zzound.com).

  1. You need a good microphone. The options for music studios are condenser microphones. Condenser Microphones are of great quality and are even great for recording acoustic instruments. There are some cheap condenser microphones on the market; you can find them at zzounds.com. The microphone that I am using is the Rode NT1-A Studio Condenser Microphone, it works well.

  1. You need a mixer board. The mixer board that I use is the BEHRINGER EURORACK UB2442FX-PRO but you can check out Mackie and Yamaha for good mixer boards, plus there are lots of digital mixer board on the market.
  
  1. You will also need studio monitor speakers. The good thing about the market is that there are power monitor speakers available and so you don’t have to buy amplifiers. I use the KRK RP6G2 Rokit G2 Powered 2-Way Active Monitors and again you can get it at zzound.com.

  1. You will need music recording software. This very important. There are lot of multi-track recording softwares available but I have found Protools, Nuendo and Cakewalk Sonar to be the best. This because there are a lot of plug-ins available on the internet for these software and they also worked well with my M-Audio PCI sound card.
  
  1. Extra accessories – You will need headphones, midi cables, microphone cables and other cables for guitar and synthesizers. All these accessories are available at zzounds.com. You might be wondering why am I promoting zzounds.com so much, but not only am I an affiliate but have several successful purchases on this internet music store and the prices are great.

  1. All home studios should have a synthesizer or a keyboard with good quality sounds. But you should also prepare to make a sound proof area for recording voices. I use dry wall and sponge to create a small sound proof area in my home.
 As I said before that you will be spending a reasonable amount of money to setup a good home studio. However, if you are planning to stay a long time in the music industry them you need to invest in all the things mention earlier. You will also save a lot of money in the long run and will be making money from different projects that will become available to you.

@


Thanks for reading today's post.
Please feel free to leave your comments!

Monday, 10 October 2011

Learning to play guitar chords


Hello world! How are you today!

Today I want to share some vital information with you. Today we are going to talk about guitar chords and I will be showing you some basic chords that you can practice on your guitar.

I must say that the guitar is not a walk over and so you will have to dedicate some time for practice. Not everything comes easy in life even though there are some gifted persons who will figure things out on their own and then become a super star.
For those of you who have a guitar parked in some corner at your home, it is time to take up the instrument and give it another try.

Now let’s get down to business!

What is a chord?
Chord as it relates to music is a group notes that are played at the same time. When the group of notes are played simultaneously harmony is created. Chords are formed by choosing specific notes from a major scale.

There are different types of chord in music. Some type of chords are major chord, minor chord, diminish chord, suspended chord among others. But today I will be sharing just a few basic major chords with you.

Why do we use chords in music?
Chords are use to create unique texture in music. When an individual performs a song and a musician plays the guitar in the back ground, harmony is been created. We can say that the chord acts as an accompaniment in the music. So learning chords is very important. Most hymns and popular music such as reggae, jazz and R&B are dominated by chords.

Here are three basic major chords that are easy to practice on your guitar.

















The circles shaded in blue are the notes you will hold with your left fingers and unshaped circles are the open notes that you will play along with the notes you hold on the fret board.
Practice to play them in the same order as outline above.


Thanks for reading!
Please leave your comments!

Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Learn Music: Musical Element - Musical Form

Musical Form
Musical form is the way in which the music is organized or structured. Some time when we listen to a piece of music we can identify different sections of the song based on how it is composed. In contemporary music we have verses, chorus and even a bridge in a song. This is a clear description of how a piece of music is structured.
There are three techniques that are commonly used in musical form. They are repetition, contrast and variation.
Repetition allows us to recognize familiar sections of music hence causing us to remember the melodic and harmonic structure of the piece.
Contrast exists when there is a change of mood in the music. A number of factors can cause contrast in the music such as dynamics, tempo, articulation and tonality.
Variation is another aspect to consider when thinking about musical form. Variation is when some features in the music change while others are retained. Some of the things to consider are;
1)       The way in which accompaniment is been played compared to the melody of the music.
(For example – One simple description of variation is when the main melodic structure of a song changes but the rhythmic pattern remains.)
2)      The pitch of musical instruments might have been change in comparison to the rhythm.
3)      The way in which notes are played in comparison to the main notation of the music.

Types of Musical Form

There are two types musical form that I would like to discuss in this article. They are binary and ternary form.

Binary (two-part) Form: A B
In binary form the music has two large sections, part (A) and part (B). Binary or two-part form gives a sense of statement in (A) and counterstatement in (B). However, both sections can have immediate repetition in the music. Therefore this type of form can be written as ABB, AAB or AABB.
Ternary (three-part) Form: A B A
Ternary form is more popular in most musical composition. In ternary or three part form there are three main sections that can be identified. Ternary form can be represented as statement (A), contrast or departure (B) and return (A). The contrast between statement (A) and section (B) can be of any length and any kind. The return (A) section of the form can occur smoothly with a clear expectation or it can be unexpected.
Like binary form, ternary form can be subdivided. Each section can be sub divided as follows;
A (a b a)          B (c d c)          A (a b a)

Thank you for reading this post. Please feel free to share this link with a friend.
Remember to leave your comments!

Tuesday, 20 September 2011

Guitar Scales

Hi my friends, I hope all is well with you.

For the past months I have been sharing some basic information on guitar scales. To be more specific I have showed illustrations has to how you can play the C major scale, G major scale and the D major scale. Today I want ot continue our lesson on guitar scales. In the near future I will be writing articles about guitar chords and even share information on how to use chord progressions.

I know you might be wondering why would I dedicate my time to blog about music, but I must say that music as been a great part of my life since I was a child. I love music and love to teach it to anyone who loves it.

Today's guitar scale is A major. Here are the notes for A major scale.

A B C# D E F# G# A
1  2  3   4  5  6    7   8

BELOW ARE ILLUSTRATIONS SHOWING HOW TO PLAY A MAJOR SCALE ON THE GUITAR.

ILLUSTRATION 1
ILLUSTRATION 2
















For more guitar lessons go to:


Thank you for reading, remember to leave comments.

Monday, 19 September 2011

An easy way to record CD at your home.

Today I was searching for some information on the internet and some how I came to a blog site with information on how to record audio cd in your studio. I've found the article to be very interesting and the information was useful for my students who have been doing basic recordings for the CSEC Music examinations.

After reading the article I have realized that if my students can do their own recordings at their home instead of paying to do it at a studio it would benefit them alot. The information in the article outline the basic things that you need when doing your audio recordings with out spending a lot of money.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE ARTICLE. (CLICK HERE)

After you have read the article I would like you to give it a try. I thing the software used will give you alot of practice if you want to become a producer or studio engineer in the future.

Have a great day!

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC - Musical Texture

Musical Texture
Musical texture refers to the number of layers that is heard when an individual listens to a musical piece. There are three main types of musical textures in music. They are monophonic texture, polyphonic texture and homophonic texture.
Monophonic Texture – The word “mono” means one or single. Therefore we hear monophonic texture when a person sings alone without accompaniment or background music. So we can say that monophonic texture is heard when a single melodic line is performed without accompaniment. When an individual plays a saxophone or any other wind instrument alone, the single melody played by the instrument can be described as monophonic texture.
Polyphonic Texture – The word “poly” means many. One has to be careful when explaining the term polyphonic texture. Polyphonic texture is produced when more than one melody line is used in a particular musical piece. Remember that a melody is a series of notes that is played one after the other to form the tune of a song. Therefore, when polyphonic texture is been produced there are more than one melody that is present in the musical piece. Sometimes each melody begins at different bar or on different beat of the music and sometime they are performed simultaneously (at the same time). A “round” is an ideal example of what polyphonic texture is. Rounds are great activities that can be used to illustrate polyphonic texture but you can also hear polyphonic texture when more than one person sings two different melody lines at the same time. For example – one person singing the song “Mary had a little lamb” while another sings “London Bridge” at the same time.
Homophonic Texture – Homophonic texture is heard when a main melody is done but is been accompanied by chords played by musical instruments or produced by voices. So when an individual sings a song which is accompanied by the piano or guitar then homophonic texture is formed. Homophonic texture is the most popular of all the different types of texture, especially in modern or contemporary music. Homophonic texture is dominant and is most popular in musical genres such as Reggae, R&B, Souls and Rock. These musical genres have one thing in common; they have lead singers singing melodic lines that are accompanied by a band. It is as simple as that. So homophonic texture is heard everyday in this modern age.
Thank you for reading today’s article, I know you have learnt a lot and it is good to share what you have learnt with others. Please share this information with a friend by sending them to this blog.

Remember to please leave you comments because it is of vital importance to the development of this blog site. Thank you!
Have a great day!

Monday, 12 September 2011

TODAY'S FREE GUITAR LESSON: Learn to play the D Major Scale on your guitar.

Hi guys! It has been a long time since my last post. I hope all is well today.

In today's lesson I want to show you how to play the D major scale on the guitar.

Here are the notes that make up the D Major Scale:


Below are two illustrations showing how to play the D Major Scale on the guitar. The illustrations shows how to play D Major Scale at two different locations on the guitar.

ILLUSTRATION 1





ILLUSTRATION 2



You should notice that illustration 2 shows how to play D Major Scale using open notes.

Thank you for participating in todays lesson. Remember to practise!

Please leave your comments!

Learn to play to play the guitar. Try:



Tuesday, 30 August 2011

Thursday, 11 August 2011

Elements of Music - What is Harmony?

WHAT IS HARMONY?

 Harmony is one of the most important elements of music. When a musical artiste sings a song that is been accompanied by a piano or guitar, we can say that the instrument adds harmony to the performance. Both the piano and guitar are instruments that are naturally used to play chords. A chord is a group of tones that are played at the same time. A chord can have two or more notes or tones. When a group of persons sing related tones at the same time they are creating harmony. For example – (a choir singing soprano, alto and tenor)

Therefore, harmony refers to the way chords are constructed and organized whether by voices or musical instruments. Harmony adds emphasis, suspense and even calmness to the music. Some music are dominated by harmony, however, most modern musical styles have a main melody accompanied by the harmony.

Please leave your comments!

Wednesday, 10 August 2011

Today's Piano/Keyboard Lesson for Beginners. Learn to play "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" (Ode To Joy).

Hi my friends! Today is a great day to learn some music.
Today I want to show you how to play the melody for "Joyful, Joyful". Below is an outline of the words along with the notes that are used to play the song on the piano. For those persons who are not at this level, it would be best to look at some previous music lessons that will help you. CLICK HERE!
Below the music sheet is also a model of the keyboard with the appropriate notes to be used when playing this song.

“JOYFULL JOYFULL WE ADORE THEE”

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,

 F# F#    G A     A  G  F#    E

God of glory, Lord of love;

  D   D   E F#    F#  E    E

Hearts unfold like flow’rs before Thee,

   F#     F# G    A      A        G  F#    E

Op’ning to the sun above.

 D    D    E   F#  E    D   D

Melt the clouds of sin_ and sadness;

  E     E      F#    D  E F#  G   F#  D

Drive the_ dark of doubt away;

  E     F# G  F#   E     D     E  A

Giver of immortal gladness,

F# F# G   A   A  G   F#    E

Fill us with the light of day!

 D   D   E     F#    E    D   D


Watch the video below. Learn to play "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee".

 


I know you enjoyed this lesson. Please subscribe!

Please leave your comments!!

Tuesday, 9 August 2011

Great advertisement space deal! Take advantage today!

MUSICLESSONCENTRE.BLOGSPOT.COM 
Take advantage of our "Ad Space" today for just $149.99 a month. This means that you will be paying about $5.00 a day for an advertisement that you know will earn you thousand of dollars in minutes. Business owners be wise and take advantage of this deal! by October 2011 this blog will have over 40,000 viewers based on the number of visiters that visit this blog on a daily basis.
Interested partners can click on the Ad Space gadget located at the top right side of this article.

Thanks to all those who have subscribe to this blog. Because of your support the traffic to this site has grown more than 200% within two months and is growing faster than I can imagine.

With this in mind I will continue to post as much music lessons and articles that will help you in your development.

Thanks to all my blogger friends online. Thanks to the team from problogger.com, I have followed all your instructions and they are working. I will continue to give you my support.

Remember to leave your comments. Your comments help alot. Your comments help to improve all aspect of this blog.

Thank you again!

Saturday, 6 August 2011

Free Piano Lesson for Beginners - Learn to play the melody "All Through The Night".

Hi guys! Today I want to show you how to play a simple melody on the piano or keyboard. The title of this song is "All Through The Night".

Take a look at the music sheet below. The new note in this song is F#. This means that you will not play the "F" key in this song but F# instead. The letters in red are the high notes in the song. Use the model keyboard below the song to help you.



Here is the audio for "All Through The Night". Listen to the melody carefully then practice from the music sheet provided.



That it for today guys.
Please leave your comments!

Sunday, 24 July 2011

Music Lesson: Today's guitar lesson tip. (for beginners)

All credit goes to danfie on youtube.com
Here is a quick link to his videos http://youtu.be/7dXUW2wBS3I

Please leave your comments!!

Learn to play the guitar with:
Jamoroma Guitar Courses - Click Here Now!

PIANO LESSON: TODAY'S PIANO LESSON TIP.

FINGERING TECHNIQUES FOR BEGINNERS.


ALL CREDIT GOES TO GETPIANOLESSONS FROM YOUTUBE.COM
HERE IS A QUICK LINK: http://youtu.be/oBcemEz_mp8

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!!

Friday, 15 July 2011

Free Guitar Lesson: Today's Guitar Lesson (How to hold the guitar when playing)

Hi guys! It is my duty to share all the ideas that exist to make you a better musician.
Today I want to share a great lesson on how one should hold the guitar when they are in sitting position.
I hope you find this lesson useful.

All credit goes to "TrueFireTV". Check out some of there guitar lessons on youtube.com.

Quick link to the video above. http://youtu.be/ItVWZq-38nk

Please leave your comments!!

Learn to play the guitar with:

Sunday, 10 July 2011

MUSIC THEORY LESSON: WHAT ARE ACCIDENTALS? (SHARP, FLAT AND NATURAL)

What are accidentals?
Accidentals are musical signs used to change the pitch of a note. Accidentals are used to raise, lower or restore the pitch of a note.
There are several signs that are used as an accidental in music. However, we will be looking at the most popular accidentals used. The three most popular accidentals used in music are sharp, flat and natural.
 

 A sharp raises the pitch of a note by one semitone or half step.

A flat lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone or half step.
A natural restores a raised or lowered note to its original pitch. In other words a natural is used to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign.
The five black keys that come between the seven white or natural keys on the keyboard are called sharp or flat. These black keys come naturally between two white keys. When you move from a white key to a black key that is next to it (whether to the left or to the right) this type of movement is called a semitone. A semitone is also called a half step. (Click here for more details.)
Therefore one can recognized that C is different from C sharp and E is different from E flat.
A sharp, flat or a natural sign comes after the letter when it is written in Standard English form. However, the sharp, flat or natural sign are placed before the note on the staff.
Take a look at the illustrations below for a better understanding.
ILLUSTRATION 1
(SHARP, FLAT & NATURAL WRITTEN IN STANDARD ENGLISH STYLE.)

 ILLUSTRATION 2

When a sharp or flat is placed on any line or in any space of the treble or bass staff, the name of that line or space will change taking on the name sharp or flat. When a natural is placed on the staff after a raised or lowered note, the natural cancel the raised or lowered note causing any note that comes after to go back to its original pitch. Hence, the line or space will have its original letter name.
HERE ARE TWO EXAMPLES THAT WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER UNDERSTANDING.
EXAMPLE 1

EXAMPLE 2



THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN TODAYS LESSON.
PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS!