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The Good Musician

Archive for August 2007

August 29th, 2007

Music Theory 101: The Basic Major Triad

What is a chord?
A chord is the simultaneous resounding of multiple notes. Now that we know about Major and Minor scales, we can build chords, picking out the right notes from that scale.
Basically, you could pick any two notes out of the scale and you’d already have a chord if you play them at the […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 29th, 2007

7 Tips for Jam Beginners

After yestrday’s post about starting to jam, here’s 7 quick tips to keep you less frustrated:

Sit in a circle with your friends and ask questions about how other people’s instrument works. It’s important to know your instrument yourself first, but knowing why a bigger drum sounds deeper can be as useful to a drummer as […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 28th, 2007

Start a Jam Band

A jam is an improvised passage performed by the whole band. It’s one of my favorite activities as a musician, and a great learning tool.
One of the most intriguing things about jamming is that you don’t really need much setting up to get going.

You can jam alone, with a friend, or in a band of […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 22nd, 2007

Review: Mighty Bright Triple LED Music Lamp

I recently laid my hands on my very own music stand lamp. I think it’s important to have your own lamp for various reasons.

You’re not dependent on other people’s supply of lamps.
You can rely on your own quality you invest in.
It makes you look pretty darn professional and arrogant.
You’re in charge of batteries etc… […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 21st, 2007

Quick Tip: Manage a Supply Drawer

Have you ever felt disorganized about your musical stuff?
Sure you have, and there’s a simple remedy: Keep a supply drawer. If it works in offices, it will work for musicians too. Make sure you keep it nicely organized. Some items you may need:

Personal hand care: Nail clippers are a common tool for pianists and anyone […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 1 comment

August 17th, 2007

Songwriter vs. Composer

Pianologist asks: What’s the difference between a songwriter and a composer?
Excellent question. Tough to answer.
I put a lot of thoght to it since then I started out by writing down what I pictured under each term.
Composer:

He sits at a desk with staff paper.
He uses a piano to create his harmonies.
He writes for a fixed […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 16th, 2007

The Perils of Ethan Bortnick

Ever heard of Ethan Bortnick? Take a few minutes and watch this video:

I’m not sure what to think. I’ve seen videos of Ethan on Jay Leno, and in various places elsewhere. Some random thoughts:

He’s talented.
He might be being pushed by media and parents.
His teacher practically decides over his success or failure.

His teacher said two very […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 2 comments

August 14th, 2007

Guitarist’s Nailcare Guide

Classical guitarists need to take care of their nails. Even the occasional finger-picker out there should make sure he has a good set of right-hand nails to achieve a major shift in tone quality.
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By Arjun Muralidharan -- 2 comments

August 12th, 2007

July Review: What We’ve Learned

This is the review of TGM for the month of July. We highlight the best posts and summarize some of the topics we’ve explored.

The 5 Pillars Of A Good Musician: The foundation for all articles here on TGM. In here, we learned some of the basic traits that make a musician a good musician. It […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

August 12th, 2007

Music Theory 101: Intervals

You know about seconds. But of course, those aren’t the only gaps between notes. While seconds describe the change between two adjacent notes, you can also go further by describing the jump of two notes, three , and so on.
Let’s look at our scale again:
Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
It’s the major scale, […]

By Arjun Muralidharan -- 0 comments

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