1st Piano

By Cynthia VanLandingham Children in piano lessons need opportunities to perform, but all of these opportunities don't need to involve a formal recital in a rented hall on a 9 foot Steinway. Piano recital parties can be rather spontaneous events that allow children to enjoy sharing their music with other kids and their family and friends in a relaxed way. Here's a great piano party idea that kids and their families always enjoy. If you're a parent, share this idea with your child's piano teacher and offer to be a helper at this fun event. Winter Holiday Open House - The Winter Holiday Open House is a fun, outdoor piano event. In my piano studio the music is amplified outdoors where family and friends gather for Cookies and Cider while they listen to as many student performances as they have time for. This recital is an open house. That means, for example, it is open to students and their families between certain hours. I generally hold my piano studio'...

By Leah Megiel Have you always dreamed of learning how to play the violin? I know there are many things that could be stopping you from learning, not the least of which could be time and money! It is now easier than ever to learning how to play the violin with free online violin lessons. It is incredible to realize that virtually for free, you can pursue you dream of learning how to play the violin. Many web sites are available that will provide free lessons. The first thing you should do is research. Different sites and teachers have different styles so as you are researching potential sites, make note of what you like and dislike about each site. These notes will help you decide on a winner after you have completed your research. The greatest thing about this is you are able to choose what fits your learning style best. Another benefit of free online violin lessons, is that you can practice as much or as little as you like. Remember how the time factor was keeping you f...

By Clyde Lee Dennis Lonestar released their most recent album entitled Mountains. It's a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I'm more than happy to announce that's exactly what I must say about this one. There simply isn't a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it's own. Mountains is a pleasantly varied, mix of 11 tracks that are very well written and brilliantly performed songs by these clearly gifted musicians. With many of the songs displaying a lot of the kind emotion that makes for a really great listen. Seemingly drawing from what I can only imagine are their own real life experiences. At different points touching on the most real emotions of love, and the pain of failed relationships can certainly be heard. Listen to this CD and I believe you'll find there's not much to dis-like about it. The songs are inspired, the produ...

By John Robert When I was a younger guitarist I used to watch in awe at players that could effortlessly jam with other's playing lick after lick of great lead guitar. I thought I would never be that good until I learned the blues scale for guitar. The blues scale opened my eyes to the world of improvisation and within a month I was up there jamming along with them. This article will show you how to play a blues scale for guitar and also give a few pointers on successfully using it to play lead guitar. First a little background on the blues scale for guitar. The blues scale is derived from the minor pentatonic scale. If you play a minor pentatonic and add one note (the flatted fifth) you get the blues scale. This added note is what gives the scale its sad, dark quality. In medieval times the flatted fifth was known as the 'The Devil's Note' and its use banned in some kingdom's. Today though people are more forgiving of this unusual tone and some actual...

By Clyde Lee Dennis Hero is the latest Gospel CD put out by the very talented Kirk Franklin who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I'm confident Kirk Franklin fans, and Gospel fans alike will be pleased with this one. This CD will grab your attention right from the outset with Lookin' For You and won't let go until the very last note of the very last song Sunshine, which is another great track by the way. These days it's a very rare CD on which every single song is good or better than the one before it. This CD is certainly one of those rare CDs. I'm of the opinion that Hero is certainly Kirk Franklin's best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it's a collection that even the casual Gospel fan can appreciate and enjoy. While the entire album is outstanding the truly standout tracks are Let It Go [track 5], The Process [track ...

It's a well-known and respected fact among strings players that new violins and other stringed instruments have to be broken-in with play for the tone to develop. Though there are many theories which attempt to explain it and there is validity behind the science but we honestly don't know why they require breaking-in. No matter the reasoning it's a no-brainer we string players accept without precise explanation and trust simply from pure experience. Anyone who has purchased a violin fresh from the maker has witnessed amazing tonal maturity as the instrument is played regularly. A player see this change within the first few days or even hours of playing a quality new instrument. The tone will warm-up and become more rounded and deep. Even more tonal maturity is easily apparent after 6 months and a violin is considered fully mature after a couple years of play. The longer you play it each day, the faster you will witness the tone improving. I had a new violin w...

An annoyed grimace spread across my conductor's face upon hearing a Bach concerto played with crunchy distortion in the band room before an orchestra rehearsal. Expecting to find a headbanger guitarist mocking the establishment by shredding away at a time-honoured classic, his fury slowly melted into a pitying look of concern and sad loss, as if inside his head he was thinking, "Dear God, there goes another one." My dad had bought me an electric violin and I was making heads turn with my heavy variations on the classics. The Zeta Strados Modern violin, with it's funky profile, maple flame finish and revolutionary bridge pickup design, has been the height of electric violin technology for some time. Technology aside, this violin made it possible for me to be regarded as cool by my peers, even though I was still playing music by dead guys with wigs. My model even had five strings, which made it more of a violin/viola hybrid, the low range being perfect f...

In the expansive field of psychology, violin students' personality traits are understood to be the complicated mental dimensions of personality discovered through empirical research. Empirical research meaning, in the context of this article, my vast experience and wisdom as a violin teacher for the past 10+ years. To further advance the congruity of science and arts in the 21st century and assist my readers to unravel the fascinating mysteries surrounding the complex inner workings of the violin student's mind, I have compiled my extensive investigation into the following twelve categories: 1. Deer in Headlights 2. Ping Pong Ball 3. Aggravating Antagonizer 4. Teenage Trend Jockey 5. Chit Chatter 6. Know-It-All 7. Chronically Unpunctual 8. Procrasti-Master 9. Excuse-Generator 10. Neurotic Nelly 11. Black Hole 12. The Ideal Student 1. Deer in Headlights Frequently manifested in pupils over the age of forty, these wide-eyed and petrified casualties of vio...

With the advent of the internet there is no longer any excuse for not learning music if a person wants to learn. Learning music online has revolutionized learning, since it is the first time in history that anyone with a computer can virtually find out anything they want to know about music -- and find out quick! There are sites galore teaching everything about music from chords to trombone lessons to drum lessons to music theory lessons to guitar lessons to piano lessons, and a whole lot more. Many are free while others charge a very reasonable tuition. But think what a bargain that is; no travel, no traffic jams; no rescheduling lessons; no missed lessons; and because the lessons are online (or in some cases on CD's and DVD's) they can be replayed over and over until the lesson is thoroughly learned, which is not the case in a personal lesson or a college classroom. You have one chance to understand, and if you don't, you're immediately behind the curve...

By Cynthia Van Landingham Piano students need to learn music theory to tap into all their musical potential. This involves some memorization of facts, however, so that they come easily to mind while playing. Don't let this intimidate your or your piano student at home. This is not hard to do, it just takes a little creativity and planning. Here are three creative memory techniques that work, even for young children. 1. Organizing the material for easier storage and retrieval. Since music theory can all be seen on the piano keyboard, visualization is an important tool or organizing information that will be easily accessible. Scales, for example, should be learned on the keyboard without looking at notes on the staff. Mental keyboard pictures of the scales are much easier to store and retrieve than notes on the page. The same is true for memorizing chords. Start with memorizing the keyboard imagery first, then draw the notes out on the staff and play them. 2. Adding ...

By Theodore Sares I ended my first article about this extraordinary musician with the following quote: Frank was a fantastic musician, but behind that cut-up personality was a troubled man." – Benny Carter" I'll start this one with a quote as well...one from Frank's friend, Roger Kellaway, who said, "When somebody cracks four jokes a minute, we all should have known there was something wrong." In recent days, I have had the opportunity to talk with Frank's companion, Diane Armesto, who enlightened me on much of Frank's background as well on some misconceptions. But far more importantly, she sent an album entitled "Frank Rosolino, The Last recording," recorded at Gold Star Studio A on August 1, 1978 and released by Sea Breeze Records, Pismo Beach, California just this month. More specifically, "Frank Rosolino - The Last Recording" - Sea Breeze Jazz SBJ-3080, 1978 Recording 2006 Release, 54:30. All the tracks are incred...

By Paul Jesse There are many websites that offer iPhone music downloads, but the music usually is not always the best of quality. I have searched through many websites where I can get all of the iPhone downloads that I would ever need. One day while surfing, I came across the iPhone Magic site, there was more than just iPhone music downloads. Now you can easily download all the great entertainment content that you love to watch and enjoy on your iPhone. iPhone is not just a phone, but a portable movie player, music player, digital photo album, and even a gaming platform rolled into one! iPhone Magic is the fastest and easiest way to get the latest and greatest content onto your iPhone and take it wherever you go. The iPhone magic site has downloads for software, sports, tv shows, video games, movies, office tools, and much more. Here anyone can get all of the downloads they would need for a one time only membership fee. Many other sites charge per download, the magic si...

By Jon Arnold Ever imagined your life without a personal and customized ringer for your cell phone? It may not sound interesting… A ringtone is an alert tone that is produced by your phone whenever a call is received. It is a kind of digital music that of may types such as full music, monophonic and polyphonic ringtones. Digital music has found a new vent in music ringers for cell phones. This has revolutionized the era of digital music and quickly bloomed into a $4 billion per annum industry securing its position even on the Billboard Charts! It has almost transformed the idea of music from monophonic to a more disillusioned "full music" ringer! There are many sources that are giving away ringtones for "free"! Consumers have become increasing aware of the sources and availability of music ringtones. Some of the best selections can be purchased for $2 each, the amount that is more than the price of the original version of the same song available at on...

Music scales are a vital part of a student's musical education. They help the student understand the patterns of sharps and flats in the tremendous array of music that they can play on the piano. And they train the student in fingering techniques and fluency in playing. So often, though, students find it a nightmare to master all the scales facts and fingering patterns they need to learn for their examinations. All this would be so much easier if students noticed the clear patterns that exist in the structure of piano scales. Scale Fingering Did you realize that nearly half of the Major, Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor Scales share just one fingering pattern? This pattern, for the right hand ascending, is: 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 And amongst the remaining scales, many clear patterns of fingering can also be seen that can help the observant student master those vital examination scales. Scales Facts and Figures How can you learn all the facts and figures about scales? For exa...

All of us have our "special" times at the piano. You know what I'm talking about. Those times where every note sounds like it was meant to be and everything comes together. Body, mind, and spirit are aligned and the music that flows out of us seems to come from a limitless source. Then there are times when nothing comes. These periods are frustrating yet essential to our growth. We may not like them, but unless we go down in the valley so to speak, we will never see the next peak on the horizon. I've found that it's best not to try and bypass this back and forth scenario. Some students get so frustrated that they try and force the music. This is a mistake and will only lead to further frustration. The key to getting "back in flow" is to listen. Listening is essential for without it, we will only be playing on the surface. But if we tune in to what's going on inside of us - or more accurately, if we just let go and let the music itself ...

As a child, I was always fascinated by those who could master the piano with ease and could still remember my delight when I commenced my beginner piano lessons. However, the abundance of my joy gradually diminished when I was subjected to the piano instruction books' limitless scales, drills, finger exercises that I had to endure throughout many years. With traditional piano instruction books, you are simply taught to read music from printed score with the technical finger exercises to make your fingers do what your mind tells them to do - even for beginner piano lessons! Many of my friends, who started so enthusiastically with beginner piano lessons, simply gave up a short while later when faced with the "hardship" exercises of traditional piano instruction books. Almost all regretted not continuing and today, despite their busy schedules, I know they will just grab piano instruction books or systems that offer easy adult beginner piano lessons. Perhaps...

Reasons to Get a Piano Lesson Book A piano lesson book is a great accessory and a big help for those of you who are starting out on the journey to learn the piano. However, a good piano lesson book needs to come with a set of attributes that can help you learn more and get more value for your money. Let's take a look at some of the important attributes a piano lesson books needs to have that make is a compelling buy. When you are out shopping for a piano lesson book, you should check the beginning of the book. A good piano manual will have a section that will provide you useful information about the piano, the many part of the piano so that you can familiarize yourself with the instrument even before you begin to play it. Knowing such things about the piano will help build appreciation for this beautiful and melodious instrument. A good piano lesson book should have all information about the instrument, the various types available, and how piano actually makes music....

Because of the technical virtuosity and skill of famous jazz, blues, and classical improvisers, many beginning pianists mistakenly assume that improvisation is to be learned in the distant future, when one's piano abilities are more developed. On the contrary, though, most contemporary piano teachers feel that improvisation is a huge part of playing piano at all skill levels, not just for experts. In fact, with the influence of jazz on modern pianists and tutors, improvisation is now considered to be a huge part of learning how to play piano. It hones the beginning pianist's feel for her instrument, and it strongly reinforces what the student has learned about music theory, keys, and scales. The best advice for a beginning improviser is to just start playing -- and to have fun with it. However, for students looking for a little more guidance, here is a brief tutorial on piano improvisation. Three Points: 1) Learn and practice your keys, chords, modes, and scales...

By Bill Kernodle If you are new to the piano and want to get the most out of your experience, please read the following suggestions. Find a Good Teacher One of the most obvious, but often overlooked aspects of learning the piano, or any new instrument is to find a good teacher. You may not think you can afford it, or you think you can learn a lot on your own, but you will be very well served to start with a good teacher. It is true it does cost money, and it is true that you can learn a lot by yourself. However, you can learn so much more in such a short time from someone who has been where you are and knows how to take you where you want to go. One of the most crucial aspects of learning form the beginning the proper way is to not learn bad habits. Bad habits are very hard to break as they become so much a part of how you play. Do yourself a favor and learn the right way the first time. Practice Regularly This next suggestion may seem too obvious to even consider, but ...

By Mike Selvon Itunes mp3 players are a wonderful addition to someone's electronic device stash, but they will only play a certain authorized musical format, and if a person has anything other than an iPod, they may be out of luck in using the music they purchased. What can a person do if they have bought these forms of music for their computer, but have something other than an iPod for a portable mp3 player? Answers are available if one only takes the time to look and not get too frustrated with Apple. Many may ask why their itunes mp3 players need to say iPod in order for them to work with music they have purchased. Itunes are protected because of the DRM or Digital Rights Management. This group was created to ensure that musical piracy was hopefully stopped. The only problem with this is that when a person purchases iTunes for their computer and tries to transfer to a player brand other than an iPod the transfer fails. Many people do not realize this is an issue ...