dbusiness.com Baker’s Keyboard Lounge Marking its 80th anniversary, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge is opening a second location this fall, and is working with Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services to find space in downtown Detroit’s lower Woodward corridor or in Capitol Park near the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel. The original Baker’s Keyboard Lounge opened as a […]
Music History
Mozart Effect
Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. This simple fact was my first cause for skepticism when I saw an article that has been circulating entitled, “The Mozart Effect myth: research finds music doesn’t make you smarter.” There is a direct correlation between learning any new skill to increased […]
Is music a higher revelation for you?
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy” – Ludwig van Beethoven. Is this a blanket statement by Beethoven or does anyone believe that this is true. Is music actually a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy? Is music a revelation […]
Imagination In Instrument Design
Music is an art form that has been experimented with by humans since, quite possibly, before we had even developed the ability to verbally communicate with one another. As music has advanced, changed, and evolved, so have both humans, and the instruments that we have used to create these sounds. First, we banged sticks, and […]
Why Do We Remember Old Pop Songs But Forget Where Our Keys Are?
I’ve been posting quite a few things in the last few days about music and the human brain. If you have any interest in this subject whatsoever then you’ll certainly enjoy this video. Daniel Levitin, Neuroscientist and musician, gives some great example of how music is so absolutely important in our lives. The function of […]
Make music when practicing
The title of this blog comes from Mark Levine’s very popular Jazz Theory book. I think it is important for musicians practicing all styles to “make music when practicing” rather than just Jazz musicians. It’s common for people to think about playing those dreaded scales over and over again at the piano, guitar, or any […]
Don’t let your children quit playing music
Children will often take up a musical instrument with high hopes of becoming great at playing the instrument or great at singing. Typically the first few lessons are a lot of fun and it’s exciting to learn a few things about how to play and sing. Beginning music lessons need to be set up so […]
Music makes things worthwhile
A week ago or so I wrote about how music and art are always the first thing to go whenever the public school system needs to cut back on things. I think of this again on Superbowl sunday because I think what would football be without the art and music that sell it. The Superbowl […]
Songwriting classes at GPMA
Songwriting is something that all musicians can engage in regardless of the instrument that they play and what level they are at. It is certainly helpful to know more and be well practiced on your instrument when writing songs, but learning the skills of songwriting can begin at anytime. Some of the most popular songwriters […]
Don’t cut music and art from our schools.
It seems like I hear every couple days that a school somewhere in Michigan just cut all of their funding for the music program and the art program. I understand that decisions have to be made and people often assume that music and art are not subjects that are necessary. I am someone who has […]
12 Violinists Known for Something Else
The violin is considered by many to be the thinking man’s instrument, famously played by the likes of Albert Einstein and Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional genius Sherlock Holmes. Here are 12 other celebrities who fiddled around in their spare time: 1. Charlie Chaplin played the violin (and the cello) in a unique way: backwards – specially […]
10 Commandments of Guitar Playing
In 1976, Moris Tepper joined Captain Beefheart‘s Magic Band as guitarist; a position he held until Vliet’s retirement in 1982. It was during this period that Tepper was handed the “Ten Commandments of Guitar Playing,” as written by Beefheart himself. The list read as follows. (Source: Rolling Stone’s Alt-Rock-A-Rama; Image: Guardian.) 1. Listen to the birds. That’s […]
Ukulele Christmas
Guitar Players, Piano Players, Violin players, and all instrumentalists have enjoyed picking up the Ukulele and learning to strum simple chord accompaniments. Relatively speaking, Ukulele is an easy instrument with only 4 strings. Everybody thinks that the ukulele came from Hawaii. Well, while it’s true that the word ukulele is a Hawaiian word (it means, […]
The Victory Song of the Detroit Lions
Lyrics to Gridiron Heroes (verse) Hail the colors Blue and Silver let them wave. Sing their song and cheer the Gridiron Heroes brave, Fighting for fame, winning the game, Dashing to victory as they go. (chorus) Forward down the field, A charging team that will not yield. And when the Blue and Silver wave, Stand […]
Don’t you cry I’ll be back again someday
After waving goodbye to the children, Frosty the Snowman reassures them that he will be back again someday. Did Frosty ever return as he promised? Some people who are not satisfied with the ambiguity of “I’ll be back again someday” decided to change the lyrics to “I’ll be back again on Christmas Day”. Is it […]
The Impact and Importance of Christmas Music
Music can be found everywhere in the world. It is, after all, the universal language. Since humans learned that we could bang sticks against objects and create rhythms, we have had music. There is no form of music, though, that has been embraced across the globe quite like Christmas music. Likewise, the impact of Christmas […]
A song you can learn on any instrument with no training!
“Four Minutes-Thirty Three Seconds” is a three-movement composition by American Composer John Cage. This composition is composed entirely of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. Yes that’s right, pure silence. John Cage (1912-1992) was labeled as an experimental composer. A piece of music that is nothing but silence is going to draw some controversy. […]
Play Chopsticks while eating sushi
Chopsticks is the most popular piano song of all time. Some would make the argument for Heart and Soul or Beethoven’s Fur Elise. They’d be wrong. It’s Chopsticks. More people play Chopsticks than any other song when they come across an open piano. Why? Because it can actually be played with a pair of chopsticks. […]
All about Drumming
Did you know that late night talk show host, Craig Fergueson, is a drummer? So is actor, Billy Bob Thornton and the Mindfreak himself, Criss Angel. It seems keeping steady rhythm on a set of skins would be pretty easy if Criss Angel can pull it off without the aid of mirrors or camera tricks. […]
6 Benefits of Music Education for Your Child
Early childhood music education is good for your child. It helps to develop brain areas of your child, develop critical problem solving skills, etc. In this article, let me highlight some of the benefits of music education: 1. Early musical training helps develop brain areas involved in language and reasoning. It is thought that brain […]