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How Many Chords Are There, Anyway?
Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of the three most vital elements of music - the others being melody and rhythm - it would be useful to know how many chords there are. And it doesn't matter whether you play piano or guitar or some other instrument - chords are chords.
How To Make a Fortune Teaching Piano (or Guitar, or Drums, or Singing, or...) To Beginners
Every year millions more kids get to the age where their parents start thinking about getting music lessons for them, so your prospect list is constantly getting bigger every day. There are plenty of beginners to go around, so competition is really not an issue at all for a person who loves both people and music.
The Many Incredible Benefits Of Learning Chording Techniques On The Piano
Many piano players seem to spend their entire lives "chained to the written music". They can sight-read sheet music, but when it comes to knowing what to play when the music blows off the stand and onto the floor, they are entirely lost.
Is It Possible To Create Cool "New Age" Sounds On The Piano Without Knowing A Thing About Music?
I'll admit that for many years as a piano teacher I didn't think so. But in the last couple years I made a discovery about creating pleasant "new age" sounds on the piano that I never would have believed during my earlier piano teaching career.
Piano Playing For Adults: More Fun Than Sex And Not Nearly As Dangerous!
The benefits of adults learning to play the piano are many and varied, but most of all, it's just plain fun.
Piano Playing Your Way: How To Have More Fun Playing The Piano Than You Ever Have Before
Piano playing doesn't have to be boring. There's no law that says you have to play a song the same way everyone else plays it. By learning some basic music theory and chord formations, you can have the time of your life playing music like you've always wanted to.
Win Friends & Influence People Through Music -- Is It Possible?
Can learning to play a musical instrument really help you "win friends & influence people?" It almost seems like a stretch, but scientific research seems to support the idea. Rock stars aren't the only ones to be popular; there is a direct correlation between music study and the ability to relate will with others.
Musicians: What Chords Do You Absolutely, Positively Have To Know?
There are thousands of different chords in music, but there are 3 chords -- just 3 -- that you absolutely, positively have to know. If you don't know these three, there's hardly a song in the whole world that you could play. But by knowing just 3 chords, you can play hundreds, if not thousands of songs!
They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano -- but When I Started to Play --
Is there a "backdoor to piano playing?" Chords are a way in to the world of piano playing without having to go through the front door: years and years of scales, drills, rote practicing, etc. Chords are really a shortcut to understanding and playing music without all the formal training.
Music & Emotions: Can Music Really Make You a Happier Person?
How many times have you turned to music to uplift you even further in happy times, or sought the comfort of music when melancholy strikes? We all know it works -- we just don't know why. Now science is beginning to unravel some of the mystery behind the relationship of music and our moods.
Killer Piano Playing Secrets of a Chord Addict!
When a lightbulb comes on in the mind of an individual who is seeking knowledge in some area, it is amazing how much progress can be made in a short time. For piano players and other musicians, that moment of insight that changes lives often has to do with understanding chords and how they progress to create music.
So You Want to be President? Learn to Play a Musical Instrument!
From Bill Clinton and his sax to Richard Nixon and his piano, many Presidents and leaders have played a musical instrument. Does Condi Rice have an edge in future presidential elections because she is also a concert pianist?
Piano Playing is Easier than You Think When You Understand Musical Form
Understanding musical form in music is one of the proven shortcuts to better piano playing (or better guitar playing, or any instrument). Form is like the blueprint to a house -- it holds the key that unlocks the musical map of a song or a musical compostition.
Music Downloads: Free & Low Cost Ways For Musicians To Get Their Music Known All Over The World
For the musician, music downloads are an absolute breakthrough technology, allowing, for the first time in history, for a musician to develop a following without ever leaving his or her house! Marketing possibilities are unlimited for the musicians who avail themselves of this wonderful new technology.
Oh My Aching Head! Can Music Really Make You Feel Better?
We all know, if only instinctively, that music has a profound effect on us. If we didn't believe that music affects us then singing lullabies to calm children and help them sleep wouldn't be universal. In reality melody, harmony, and rhythm probably impacts the human brain in ways that are far more profound than we realize.
Is Your Child Struggling in School? Get Him (Or Her) Music Lessons
Playing music has been discovered to have a direct and almost immediate effect on the brain of the student. Music lessons have been shown in a German study to have a significant impact on the way the brain functions after as little as five weeks.
Learn To Play The Piano Better By Learning To Arrange Chords & Chord Progressions
Piano arranging is the process by which you take a written piece of music and rework it with chords, adding new bass accompaniment, fills, or even slightly altering the song's structure. And while it's a process that takes years to truly master, anyone with a basic education in piano and a working knowledge of a few key techniques can create an inventive, satisfying arrangement.
Improvising On The Piano: Jazz Musicians Do It -- Why Not Other Styles?
Jazz pianists improvise all the time. So why not classical pianists, gospel pianists, and piano players of many other styles?
Playing The Piano Using Chord Symbols Instead of Being Tied To The Written Sheet Music
Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren't any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination.
What All Do I Have to Know to be a Really Good Piano Player?
Many students ask me a question that goes something like this:
"What all do I have to know to be a really good piano player?" The answer is multi-facited and depends largely on the motivation and talent of the individual.
Five Great Practice Ideas I Learned From My Piano Students
Sometimes the teacher learns more from the student than the student does from the teacher. Hopefully, not too often, but today I would like to share with you some great practicing ideas that have come from my piano students over the years.
How Many Guitar Chords Do I Need To Know?
Most simple songs contain just 3 chords called "primary chords". So even a stark beginner can learn 3 simple note groups well enough to strum along and accompany himself as he sings. But after that, the sky is the limit; there are thousands of possible chords, so it is up to the individual guitarist as to how many he or she wants to master.
I Like It, But Is It Music?
Are you frustrated when you try to explain your taste in music? Fortunately, one of the benefits of learning a musical instrument is a better understanding of your own musical taste. Learn to play an instrument, and soon you will be able to discuss what works or doesn't work for you, in music.
To Make Your Kids More Successful, Teach Them Music!
Besides being a sure way to become the life of the party, learning to play an instrument can make your children smarter, better adjusted, and better equipped to adopt a position of leadership in a diverse world.
Learn a Musical Instrument, Prepare for a Career
From education to video games, there are careers available for those who happen to have a background in music which the rest of us never see. Each of these fields requires time and study for proficiency, but they represent a career path that is nonexistent for non-musicians.
Can You Really Learn To Play a Musical Instrument From an Online Course?
Out of the 250 million people in the United States, about 25 million of them play an instrument of some kind, or at least used to when they were in school and would like to pick up where they left off. Another 30 million or so sing in a church choir, a barbershop quartet, or at the very least, in the shower.
Can You Become a Boogie-Man or Boogie-Lady?
Boogie music, also known as boogie woogie, is a genre of piano-heavy music particular to America in the 1940s and 50s.
Exciting Improvising: How to Make Up Music Out Of Your Head As You Play
Improvisation (also known as improvising) is the act of making something up as you go along -- an act with which we all have a little experience.
Mp3's - - The Future of Music?
Mp3 music is audio file that has been digitally encoded and compressed to make the amount of data smaller without compromising the overall sound quality. Because of it's portability, it promises to be the future of music.
Can YOU Play All The Major Chords in 3 Seconds or Less?
Some people go through their entire lives not being sure about what such and such a major
chord is -- and it's all so unnecessary, because you can memorize them in just a few
minutes, and learn to play them in 12 seconds or less - one second per major chord.
How To Play The Piano Using "Shorthand" -- Chord Symbols -- Instead of Reading the Full Score
Most people who took piano lessons as a kid, including me, grew up learning to read music exactly as it is written on the printed page. Being able to read music is a valuable skill, and I am delighted I learned that skill at an early age.
Christmas Carols You Can Play This Christmas With Just 3 Chords!
Did you know that there are literally thousands of songs you can play if you know just 3 chords? And some of them are Christmas Carols that you can learn to play this Christmas if you know, or are willing to learn, three simple chords.
Minor Chords -- How To Form Them & Use Them
Minor chords create a sound which is somber or serious; some people even think of minor chords as "sad", as opposed to major chords which sound "normal", or "happy".
The Immense Popularity of the Piano Continues To This Day
The piano has been vastly popular for about 300 years now, and despite the resurgent popularity of the guitar, piano sales and piano lessons continue to accelerate.
Learn Music Fast Online
Learning music online has revolutionized learning, since it is the first time in history that anyone with a computer can virtually find out anything they want to know about music -- and find out quick!
Inversions: How To Stand a Chord On It's Head
Many people get all confused when chords are turned upside down. They recognize them when they are in root position, but when you stand them on their head...well, it gets kind of fuzzy for folks.
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