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 same time.
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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 it is to the trumpet guy.
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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 twelve.
You can explore new styles, and must be open to do so.
You can start playing a famous riff and see where it goes.
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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… Never trust anyone.
The stand lamp I bought is the above pictured Mighty Bright Triple LED, available in silver only for $24.99.
Some of my favourite features include:
The flexible, turnable telescopic arm.
The really bright, neutral colored triple-LED lights are a really, really good light source.
It’s compact form …read more
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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 whose nails might be a problem. Nail files are guitarists’ best friends, and some hand cream is always good to keep you sore-free.
Instrument tools: A string winder, sandpaper for your oboe, a tuning fork, plectrums, and all those little tools you need.
Instrument care: A good …read more
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 orchestration.
Songwriter:
He uses a guitar.
He sings along and makes up lyrics.
He has no idea how the band is supposed to play this.
Of course, this is all very stereotypical. A songwriter creates music. A composer creates music. So essentially, it’s the same thing. A song by definition …read more
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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 important things:
a) Ethan plays music beautifully, but doesn’t relate to it yet.
b) He will be such a wonderful gift to all of us to promote classical music.
I think the second reason is where the danger lies. Ethan could be abused just as a media sensation …read more
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.
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 highlights the importance of not just focusing on playing your instrument the way you would – until now.
Discover Your Musical Identity: In this exercise, we try and explore what makes stars real stars. Why do we think of them first? Can we be like them?
How …read more
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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, because it begins with Do. Now, as we know, Do-Re is a second. Do-Mi therefore, is called a third. Followingly, the other intervals:
Do-Fa: Fourth
Do-So: Fifth
Do-La: Sixth
Do-Ti: Seventh
Do-Do: Octave
Try playing the intervals on your instrument, using the C-major key (Do is C, Re is D etc.).
All …read more
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