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Sunday, July 12, 2009
Play the drums, bass or guitar without going to school!
You don't need to go to school to learn how to play the drums, bass or guitar. If you want to know more, please click here.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Piano is Fun!
Who says that learning how to play the piano can't be easy and fun? To learn more, please click here.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
How to Buy a Flute
So you've decided to play the flute. Terrific decision!
Now you need an instrument. If you're completely new to the flute world, this may be a hard decision, but here are a few suggestions to get you started.
First, develop a budget. Just like any major purchase, your wallet should guide you. The more money you have to spend, the higher quality instrument you can acquire.
The biggest factor in determining the price is the metal your flute is made from.
Student flutes are made from plated silver, where higher end flutes are built out of solid silver.
It is also possible to "split the difference" and get a flute with a plated silver body and a solid silver head joint. This is a good option for those on a limited budget because the head joint contributes more to the tone quality of the flute.
If money is no object, you can buy flutes made from gold, yellow gold, rose gold, and even platinum.
There are a number of features that can drive up the price of a flute.
The traditional flute extends down to a low C, or middle C. With a B-foot joint, you can play the B below that C.
Is this a necessary option?
No, not at all. It's kind of a status symbol among flutists and some argue that the increased length of tubing improves the tone. This is highly subjective, however, and that low B is hardly ever played! You can do just fine without the low B-foot joint.
Another popular flute upgrade is the "open hole" flute. On this type of flute, the keys look like little donuts; that is, there are holes in the middle of the keys.
The benefit of this? Proper finger placement is one. The fingers must cover these holes in order for the notes to sound, so sloppy fingering can't be tolerated.
Improved tone quality is also a purported benefit.
For those flutists that are into "extended techniques," lots of cool effects can be obtained with open-hole keys, such as sliding the fingers off the keys for "smeary" sounds, playing half tones, or even playing Irish-style or penny-whistle style music.
Are open holes necessary? Not at all.
The lip plate on head joints can be engraved with a floral or scroll pattern. This not only makes the flute more beautiful, but prevents slippage of the flute against the chin. Necessary? No. Fun? Of course! I have this option on my flute and I really love it.
So where to buy your flute?
A music store is the obvious answer. In addition to purchasing outright, stores usually have a very reasonable rental program available to students who aren't sure if they will stick with the band program. Ask the store if this is available to adults as well.
Flutes that come back from the rental program can be a good deal for purchase. The store's repairman will overhaul the flute and then it is offered at a reduced price from new.
You can also find a flute for sale in the classified ads in the newspaper or just by asking around. Stop over at a local university and you will probably find notices of flutes for sale on bulletin boards in the music department.
In these instances, have a professional look at the flute first and give you an opinion.
You can find flutes for sale on eBay, too. Be sure that you have the option of trying the flute out first and sending it back if you aren't happy with it.
There are many instrument sellers on-line, probably the largest is The Woodwind and Brasswind, http://www.wwbw.com/. You can get a great deal from this company and they will send the instrument out to you to try first, even more than one at a time.
Take your time, decide carefully, and get lots of opinions. Your flute will become a friend to you and if you buy it right the first time, it will last a lifetime.
Kathy Ferneau has been a passionate flutist for 40 years! Her web site contains the most extensive collection of flute figurines on the Internet. Check them out! http://www.cyberflute.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kathy_Ferneau http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Buy-a-Flute&id=532513
Monday, June 29, 2009
How to Play the Piano by Ear? Are There Any Tips and Tricks?
I have heard so many times that to play the piano by ear you must be born with it. There are many people that have been learning to play the piano for years and can't play by ear and need sheet music in front of them to be able to play a tune. So is it true that you must be born with this ability or is there a trick to doing something that seems really very simple but seems so alien to many piano players.
Well it's true to say that some people have a sort of gift when it comes to playing the piano, they are known as buskers, they can bluff there way through a tune but it doesn't sound very good, but it's adequate for a party situation when beer is flowing freely.
So what is playing by ear? Well, as a player for over 40 years, my interpretation of this is having the ability to play a piece of music that you have heard or in fact played before but without the aid of sheet music. The best way to start, is to pick a piece of music you are familiar with and play it without reading the music. You're going to use your memory to play it, when you get stuck, just look at the music where you stopped, close the book and try again and keep trying this until you can play the piece without the sheet music in front of you. This builds confidence and takes away part of the playing process, the reading part, and transfers it to your memory and your ears. When you do this you will not be relying on your eyes at all which will develop your ability to play by ear.
The process is actually quite simple, all your doing using your ears to hear the tune, using your musical knowledge to transfer the required information to your fingers. I know it sounds simplistic but all you're doing is using your ears to get the information instead of your eyes. It will take a little practice, but I believe every musician has this ability and remember its all about confidence, the more you do this the better you will get.
Mike is a musician and piano teacher and writes reviews about online piano lessons and new ways of learning piano. Visit his website to read his reviews of The Learn And [http://www.the-piano-lessons-software-expert.co.uk/learn-master-piano-complete-review]Master Piano DVD Course for beginners and the [http://www.the-piano-lessons-software-expert.co.uk/pianoforall-complete-review]Pianoforall Download Course or just call in to ask a question and say hello.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Shaw http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Play-the-Piano-by-Ear?-Are-There-Any-Tips-and-Tricks?&id=2376147
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Piano Lessons - What You Need to Consider Before Getting Piano Lessons
Piano Lessons are necessary for you if you're looking to become an expert piano player. The main thing you need to consider for learning the piano is the teacher. Without the right teacher, your progress may be slowed down. It may even be better to go without a teacher if you have a bad teacher!
The right teacher or program can decrease to amount of time you spend when you learn to play the piano. To find the right teacher, you need to know where to look.
You might know friends, family, work, or church members who can help you find a good piano teacher. You can even search your local phone book or newspaper. If you have no luck with this, many people try to search their local music store to see if they can find a teacher for piano lessons. But even then, you may never be sure if that teacher is the best choice.
Here are a few things to look for when looking for the right piano lessons:
-Know what techniques they use. Do they teach you with drills, or spend time on learning songs?
-Know what kind of piano you want to play. Are you looking for more traditional lessons or do you want to learn a specific genre of piano?
-What kind of practice do you enjoy? Do you like to practice in peace, or do you only like playing with a mentor by your side?
-Can you handle a strict teacher, or do you only want a teacher who will encourage you?
-How much will it cost? Are you willing to spend the money for a better program?
You should know as much as you can about the person or program you are getting lessons from. Their background is extremely important, you may want to look into whether they have had the necessary education and experience.
When you have a child looking for lessons, you need to look at how much the teacher or program will allow you to get involved. This is extremely important to many folks, and a benefit of many programs found on the internet. Do you like being active or merely an observer when your child learns the piano? In many cases, this may be the determining factor.
The internet is a great resource for finding the right piano lessons too. You often get a lot of background information about some piano lessons people have had success with. It's easy to compare costs and find out the benefits that many different programs offer.
Quality lessons are very important, but cost may be your determining factor with piano lessons. Whenever you look for piano lessons on the internet, you need a quality review of piano lessons and programs so you can make the right decision.
Remember, with piano lessons you need to get a program that will help you or your child learn piano and progress over time. So make sure you find a program that will compare price, quality, and all the benefits.
Jill Bennett is a skilled musician, specializing in the harp, piano, keyboard, and percussion. To see a comprehensive and in-depth look at the top piano lessons, visit http://www.pianolessonspro.info/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jill_Bennett http://EzineArticles.com/?Piano-Lessons---What-You-Need-to-Consider-Before-Getting-Piano-Lessons&id=2518444
Major Guitar Chords - Are Basics Difficult to Master? (Not What You Think)
There are only a few basic guitar chords that even the novice player can very easily master. The knowledge of these basic chords, along with some practice, will allow you to entertain yourself and your friends with many popular songs. Learning the basic major chords will be the foundation of more sophisticated playing as your practice of the instrument progresses over time. Though patience is needed when learning any instrument, the rewards that come with learning only these few major chords make your efforts pay off all the more quickly with the guitar.
The chords that are most important to learn first are the five major guitar chords, A, C, D, E, and G. All chords are simply triads, or three notes played in unison that produce a unique sound. With practice of less than an hour a day, the average person can usually learn to play these major chords fairly well within a matter of few weeks of steady practice. It is important not to give up at the beginning because your fingers hurt since they are being conditioned toward producing the callous tips that will soon provide the cushion that eliminates the initial discomfort.
Having played guitar since my youth, and with a profound love for music, I am interested in sharing my in depth experience and talent with you so that you can also have the pleasure of delighting yourself and your friends with your favorite tunes any time you come together. Learning the five major guitar chords will allow you to play a wide repertoire of songs that will keep you interested while making you anxious to learn the others. In fact, you can play several tunes by only using three of the major chords.
The A, D, and E chords will allow you to play many popular tunes, and impressing your friends with many of these hits can be your first goal in learning to play these basic major chords. Once you have mastered learning to play the basics, and can quickly move your fingers from chord to chord effortlessly, you can be on your way to learning more sophisticated music.
Get Free Lessons: Now go right ahead and download the absolutely BEST FREE Guitar Lessons, get more tips and see how I learned quickly. But go there right now, as there is no guarantee how long before these free lessons are taken down (and they are really good!).
You Can Learn Really Fast:You can play your first songs in as short as two weeks - but check it out right now. And see what many others are saying too. http://www.guitarlessonsforbeginners911.com/
See you Inside!
Daniel Strongly
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Strongly [http://ezinearticles.com/?Major-Guitar-Chords---Are-Basics-Difficult-to-Master?-(Not-What-You-Think)&id=2518109 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?Major-Guitar-Chords---Are-Basics-Difficult-to-Master?-(Not-What-You-Think)&id=2518109
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