Music related info, teaching resources, learning resources and Asheville specific music information
I’ve collated here a large number of scales on one page starting on C. I start off with c major and the other modes derived from the diatonic major scale, then I have moved onto some of the melodic/harmonic minor variations as well as blues scales, whole tone scales, diminished scales, pentatonic, etc.. The one thing they have in common is that they’re all “c scales.” Link below the fold.
Popularity: 97% [?]
I’ve made a number of note naming exercise sheets for students to practice identifying the notes on the staff. This is the first of those on the treble clef. You can take a number of approaches to using this. The first is just to write in note names, the second would be to play the notes on the piano (i.e. do a note search) without actually writing them in. Either way, you may need to mix it up for variety (pick out a few rows/start from the end of lines/etc.) to keep it interesting. Link below the fold.
Popularity: 100% [?]
I think I hear the eyes glazing already. Don’t worry this isn’t going to get too deep, this will just be an introduction to the idea of looking at chords by roman numerals. I thought it would be a good follow up to the article on scales as we use the scales to work out the number of the chords. Let’s start with the C Major scale again : c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c - essentially that’s all the white keys on the piano from one C to the next. All right, let’s review the roman numerals. (at least the ones we’ll use here.) I II III IV V VI VII (that’s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7) The only difference is that we’ll use lower case for chords that are minor so you could see i ii iii iv v vi vii instead. With me so far?
Popularity: 96% [?]
Scales are a staple of music practice and some people feel as though they are useless, so why do we practice scales? For starters scales are the “alphabet” that we use to make songs. A song in the key of C Major usually uses notes mostly from the C Major scale (c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c) and in traditional western music since we’re thinking of the key as C Major - we treat that note as more important than the rest - (it is emphasized more - played at the end of the song, the beginning… etc.) There are MANY examples of songs that use scale or scale like passages in classical music and that’s another good argument for the practice of scales. But…
Popularity: 82% [?]
Most people think practicing the piano is about training the fingers. (Or practicing any other instrument for that matter.) To a certain degree you do build up motor skills and muscle strength as you continue to practice any instrument. Wind instruments you build lung capacity and embouchure…. but with any music lessons the main thing that your working on building is the brain. There are several qualities that you improve when you practice and the more you can find other ways to develop these qualities the better, I think, your practice time can be.
Popularity: 82% [?]
I remember early on when I was taking lessons and in band I hated counting out loud. It seemed so monotonous and silly. I “knew” when I was supposed to play the notes anyway. Well, of course, now that I’ve got a few years and some experience between now and then, I know how essential counting can be. I remember in college the definition of music that we made use of was “sound organized in time”. Well, without some sort of counting it’s hard to consider it organized… When you’re playing through a piece and “counting in your head” how consistent are you at keeping that count steady? Do you give yourself a bit of a break when you’re searching for notes? Counting out loud seems to help many people hold themselves a bit more accountable and keep to a steady pace. If that doesn’t help…
Popularity: 74% [?]
With private music lessons there is a slightly different relationship between student and teacher than there is in group class settings. One on one lessons give both the student and teacher a better chance to know each other and to make the learning experience better. At least, that’s the way it is ideally. So many students though are afraid to speak up and say “I want to look for different music”. Personally, I don’t mind if a student does want to look for different kinds of music to play. Really I like it, because it shows that they’re interested in playing music but their interest lies in a different area.
Popularity: 66% [?]
One of the things many of my students know about me is that I’m a perfectionist. Yes, I’m detail oriented with my students, but I’m hardest on MYSELF. I have a few students that are self-oriented perfectionists too and I’ve noticed that one of the things we have in common is that we sometimes ignore improvements in what we’re doing and focus instead on what we’re still lacking. This is the wrong approach….
Popularity: 54% [?]
I know I’ve seen a lot of students that fit the category of Speed Demons. They think if they’re going to do anything they’ll do it as fast as possible. If they can keep a steady tempo that’s all right depending on the song. Of course, the real problem is usually the speed demons are blazing through two measures at a time. Then they stop and figure out the next few notes and blaze ahead again. One of the first rules I try to emphasize to my students is that you need to keep a steady tempo.
Popularity: 49% [?]
It’s really very common, within the first few lessons I’ll hear from most of my students. “What are these pedals for?” Of course, most of the time we really don’t discuss the pedal for quite a while in the method books, but I like to take that opportunity to open the lid of the piano and give a couple minute peak into what happens when notes are played and what the “right pedal” (sustain or damper pedal) does. For those that haven’t wondered about the pedals and even for some that have, I thought I’d spend a few minutes on the topic. You might come across something new or something to think about.
Popularity: 43% [?]
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