In Mark Levine’s well known “Jazz Theory Book” he says that a great jazz solo consists of 1% magic and 99% stuff that is Explainable, Analyzable, Categorizable, and Doable. His book is all about the 99% part of it. In the introduction Levine goes on to say to say: ” There is no one single, […]
Music Lessons
Spelling your scales
A scale is a series of notes that can be used to create chords and play melodies. When a musician first begins to understand scales and their purpose there are a number of ways to go about it. The process of learning the scales includes learning to write and identify notes on staff, playing the […]
Do I need to bother learning modes?
Modes are inversions of a particular series of notes. In music, notes are grouped into patterns called scales that are used commonly in songwriting. Major scales have 7 unique notes in them and thus have 7 modes. The key of C Major contains the following 7 notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. […]
What is Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, etc.?
If you start reading a book on music theory you will most likely come across words like Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, Sub-Dominant, Dominant, Sub-Mediant, and Leading Tone. In the scale of C Major there are 7 notes. They are C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. In this scale, C would be the Tonic, D-Supertonic, […]
Is it ok to start on bass guitar?
There are a good number of people that don’t know the difference between a 6 string guitar and the 4, 5, or 6 string bass guitar. Those that are familiar know the vast differences in the function of each instrument. Bass guitar provides the link between rhythm and harmony that the guitar will follow with […]
What’s your favorite guitar solo?
Knowing lot’s of chords and lot’s of scales is a good thing. Knowing how chords and scales interact functionally with one another is very empowering for the creative musician. The notes in a chord are a subset of a particular parent scale. The most common scale is the Major scale which contains 7 notes and […]
Tertian Chord Harmony
Tertian chords sound like they might be chords that reside on an alien planet somewhere in the universe. While the word is not typically used, tertian chords are the fundamental chords that are used by all popular american music and most music from around the world. Tertian harmony is so common that most musicians assume […]
Do I have to learn scales on the guitar?
Many people don’t like the idea of having to practice their scales on any instrument. There seems to be this idea that because the guitar is a pop music instrument that you don’t have to learn any real fundamentals like scales to be a good player. It’s no surprise because beginning music players, regardless of […]
How many guitar chords are there?
Chords are groups of notes that when played together form some type of consonant or dissonant harmony. It’s typical for beginning guitar students to ask how many guitar chords exist. The answer is not infinity, but it’s still too many to bother counting. It’s much more productive to learn a few fundamental chords in depth […]
Can I start my lessons on a keyboard rather than a piano?
Modern technology has made it very inexpensive to get a full 88 key piano keyboard. These keyboards often have hammer-action keys which give it the feel of a real piano. Anyone who has compared keyboards without weighted keys to a real acoustic piano knows there is quite a difference. The feel from piano to the […]
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. […]
Take your guitar playing to new heights!
GPMA is now offering a class for guitarists of all ages and skill level known as the “Guitar Ensemble.” This group will perform at least twice each year at the recitals and will also be given the opportunity to record as a group with the intent of performing in public for other special events, concerts, […]
Musical Boxing – Success vs. Excellence
Recently, I was talking with someone about my desire to become a professional boxer as a child. My father had a heavyweight prizefighter as a friend, and after watching him live, followed by hounding my parents for tickets to fights and going to a few more, I was hooked. I asked my parents time and […]
Sight-reading isn’t for sissies!
In my first year of college at Wayne State University, I noticed a comic strip in my guitar instructor’s office. The drawing was of a conductor holding his baton in a room of flames, surrounded by a pitiful-looking bunch of guitarists and banjo players. The caption read, “Conductors Hell.” After mentioning this to friends for […]
Violin-t Behavior
History books will tell you that the violin is actually an Eastern European descendant of the Japanese Kyoto. They’ll say something about Marco Polo bringing the idea of the violin back to Eastern Europe after his highly publicized jaunt to the Far West in the 1200’s where he enjoyed a Kyoto concert with Kubla Khan. […]
Rkr Mom tells her story
Rock Band Jam Camp (Part I) Ok, so I don’t know what possessed me. Well, actually, I do: It’s called Summer Vacation. This is the time when us at-home RkrMoms (Rocker Moms) need to find something to entertain our kids so they don’t end up [{in the basement} on the street, {playing video games} getting […]
Music Academy in Canton
It seems like parents love the first recital. When their kid gets up there in front of a crowd for the first time and strums out his or her first guitar solo, that’s a moment a parent will never forget. But someone else is beaming when they see that child conquer their inhibitions and […]