Christmas Music: Love It or Not, It’s Everywhere Christmas music is a universal part of the holiday season. Whether you enjoy its festive cheer or prefer to avoid it until the last possible moment, there’s no denying its presence. Starting just after Thanksgiving, these melodies fill the airwaves, stores, and gatherings across the country. But […]
Music Tips
Practice
Are you or your child enrolled in music lessons? Are you struggling with staying motivated to practice outside of lessons? Well, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many students face this challenge, but with some helpful tips and tricks, you can overcome this slump and become a virtuoso in no time. Here are some ways to […]
Minimum age for Music Lessons
What is the minimum age for music lessons? In a traditional private music lessons situation and as a general recommendation, we always say students can start learning the piano at 5 years old. Some students may have success earlier than 5 years old, while others who are over the age of 5, may not be […]
Can Anyone Learn to Sing?
The Voice: Can Anyone Learn to Sing? Do you sing along with the radio? Sing along to a Broadway musical? Sing in a school or church choir? If so, then singing lessons may be right up your alley! Singing is just one branch of the tree that creates all the music in the world. Taking […]
Music New Year Resolutions
Music New Year Resolutions By Espie Estrella About.com New Year’s Resolutions, yes we all have them, some may even have more than others. Whatever your goals are for 2014 keeping a list is a good idea to remind you where you need to improve and focus on. Here’s a list of possible resolutions for music […]
Creating a Musical Home Environment
Creating a Musical Home Environment By Dr. Robert A. Cutietta PBS.ORG Your child spends more time at home than any other place. This is especially true at preschool age, but even after kids begin school, home is still the predominant source of most experiences. It’s the parents’ responsibility to create the environment in the home, […]
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 […]
Nashville Number System
The Nashville Number System is a simple way of naming chord functions as numbers rather than their formal letter name. In the equal temperament tuning system their are 15 key signatures. They all differ in name but the chord function is always the same. For instance a guitar player might be teaching his band a […]
How to choose the right guitar for beginners
Guitar Lessons in Plymouth Mi Call us at 734-418-0640 10 things to know and ask about guitars and guitar lessons: 1. What type of guitar do I want to play? – Electric, Acoustic, Classical, Bass Guitar. The best was to answer this is to ask yourself which one are you most passionate about. If you […]
Learn Bass Guitar
If you want to learn bass guitar, it may be wise to familiarize yourself with some of the humor that surrounds bass players and the playing of bass in general. Much of this humor is derived from the relative simplicity of the bass lines played by rock musicians. I believe that all instruments have technical […]
Where can I get Piano Lessons?
Where can I get piano lessons? Simple! Grosse Pointe Music Academy in Grosse Pointe Woods and Canton offers lessons 6 days a week for students of all ages and levels. 10 important practice tips for piano players and all […]
International Songwriting Contest Deadline Extended
LEGENDARY MUSIC ICONS JOIN RECORD LABEL EXECUTIVES TO SELECT ISC WINNERS Tom Waits, Nas, Jeff Beck, Bernie Taupin, Martina McBride, Bruce Hornsby, Janelle Monae, McCoy Tyner, Suzanne Vaga, Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Are Among The 61 Judges To Select Winners In The 2012 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) Deadline To Enter Extended Until November 1, […]
Dogs play piano
Dogs play piano! If you’re one of those people who say something like: “I’d like to play music, but I don’t have any rhythm” then watch this video. Not to take anything away from the intelligence of dogs, but if they can do it then so can you! I’m not saying that you have what […]
A Common Mistake That’ll Grow Hair on Any Guitarist’s Palms
I see a lot of guitarists making a fundamental mistake in their approach to the instrument. It stunts their growth and holds them back, sometimes for years. The worst part is that, on the surface, the mistake seems completely harmless. That insidious mistake is playing what you already know how […]
Health: Music and the Mind
I seem to hear more and more everyday how music helps to heal people. Maybe one day then musicians and music therapists will be as rich as the drug companies! I doubt that will ever be the case but it seems a little odd to me that music treatments haven’t become more mainstream. The article […]
What makes instruments sound different from one another?
When you listen to music, there are generally multiple instruments playing at the same time during part of or all of the song. Sometimes there might be two different instruments such as the guitar and piano, both playing the same note in the same octave at the same time. Each instrument has a unique sound […]
Tablature
I often get asked the question as to whether or not a guitar student should learn to read guitar tablature or bass tablature. Many people have the notion that tablature is a new thing that guitarists use to short-cut their way to learning to read music. After studying both standard notation and tablature for a […]
Is it too late for me to take music lessons?
Many people have a preconceived notion about which age someone is to begin taking guitar lessons, piano lessons, voice lessons, and other instruments. Minimum age recommendations are based on general observations and for the most part should be adhered to. There is no such thing as maximum age requirements when wanting to learn a musical […]
Considering compensation for twelve string guitars
So, do you calibrate a twelve string guitar or not? It is a common question and a very valid one. With fretted instruments we are always battling the limitations of the equal tempered scale. I’ve discussed in previous posts how intonation and calibration works. Basically, frets are placed at a place where a mathematical compromise […]
Who came up with the blues?
Blues musicians sing and play in a scale that is like a major scale but with ambiguous third, seventh, and sometimes sixth degrees. The variable degrees tend to be more often minor than major, but what really distinguishes blues music is the fact that the harmony is always derived from the major scale, and the […]