Piano Solo

It’s true that most guitarists ignore the theory side of things, and it’s no surprise - the majority of sites and books out there don’t exactly make it look…”fun”.

OK, so it can never really be fun, but for those guitarists who actually care about progressing, it’s essential to know theory. A good place to start is by learning the 7 modes on your guitar. This lesson article will introduce them. You can then use the free resource that follows if you wish.

The best way to think of modes are as scales. These scales, like the pentatonic or major scale can be mapped out on the fretboard. Think of the modes as “flavours” of the major and natural minor scales.

(more…)

Intonation is the guitar s ability to stay in tune for the entire length of the fret board. Having correct intonation is vital to sound good, period. There is a way simple to test it, and the guitar doesn’t even have to be in tune.

Okay, the 12th fret of the fingerboard is the middle of the scale. When the string plays the same note open and fretted at the twelfth, intonation is correct. To precisely check how accurate the intonation is, plug into a guitar tuner instead of tuning by ear. If the instrument is properly intonated, you will know it from this test.

(more…)

Bringing music to life is a musician s job and their joy. Children taking piano lessons can also learn to bring life and artistry into the pieces they are playing once they understand this concept. But how is this communicated to a child who plays mechanically and doesn t know how to make their pieces sound, well, human?

Here some ways to do this which I do not recommend.

1. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that they play like a machine.

2. Tell the student who has no idea what you are talking about that their playing sounds so terrible they should quit because playing piano just isn t their forte.

(more…)

So, you want to learn piano. There are many methods of piano instruction available on the market today. Let’s look at what’s out there.

Method 1 - Note Reading and the Classical Repertoire
Not a bad choice if you love the classics and want to spend your time learning how to note read. This option is what most piano students choose yet I don’t understand why. After all, you might as well throw creativity out the door. You’re playing other people’s music for crying out loud!

(more…)

The Spanish Guitar Emerges:

With the coming of the Renaissance, inspired in part by Moslem learning brought home by returning Crusaders, the lute become the favorite instrument of Western Europe.

In Spain however, the lute was already overshadowed by a new instrument, the guitar. Two types of guitar were played by the Pyrenees: the vihuela, in the court and among fashionable society, and the guitarra latina, by ordinary folk. The former had eleven strings, five double and one single, and was plucked. The latter had four double strings and was strummed. The vogue of the vihuela reached a peak in the first half of the sixteenth century when many composers wrote works for it. At about the same time a fifth string

(more…)