Taylor Made Music

Parents, you can prepare your young child to read music with piano or keyboard lessons that you can teach at home. It isn’t difficult to teach young children keyboard basics that will not only prepare them to read music but prepare them for piano lessons as well.

Many parents who don’t play the piano or read music believe they are unqualified to give their young children a musical foundation at home. Not true. Everyone who learns to play the piano or keyboard learns the same thing. It doesn’t matter if you are 4years old, or 40 years old, or 64 years old. Children, however, benefit more from keyboard lessons because their brains are wired for absorbing language, and that includes the language of music.

By teaching music pre-skills to your young children at home they will get even more out of piano lessons when they are ready for formal musical training. Piano or keyboard lessons have many benefits for children such as improved math and reading skills, improved language skills, and improved overall education achievement. So don’t leave out music when you are preparing your young child for school. Get a keyboard or a piano and begin giving your child a musical foundation at home today.

Just as parents teach their children to read, you can give your young child a head start with foundational music language skills. Start today and you’ll be amazed at how much you and your young child can learn about the piano.

For great home piano activities parents can use to help children ages 5 to 11 develop their musical talent, visit Piano Adventure Bears Music Education Resources You’ll find a treasure box filled with piano resources to create an exciting musical adventure for your child - right in your own home! Visit their website and subscribe to their f’ree internet newsletter so you can download f’ree piano sheet music and mp3s of original piano compositions.

These exciting stories, games, piano lessons, and inspirational gifts feature the Piano Adventure Bears, Mrs. Treble Beary and her new piano student, Albeart Littlebud. Young students follow along with Albeart to learn what piano lessons are all about in a fun way that kids readily understand appreciate. Click here to visit PianoAdventureBears.com For a wealth of information about piano lessons, visit tallypiano.com

[tags]beginner piano lessons,piano lessons for children,piano lessons for kids, children’s piano books[/tags]

Pickup Height Adjustment

Raising the pickup height closer to the strings should result in a little better tone for you guitar. Lowering the pickup should give a lighter tone to your instrument. You will need a little screwdriver to make the adjustment. Adjust the screws on either side of your pickups; tightening the screws to lower the pickup or loosening it to raise the pickup.

Be careful not to raise the pickups to close to the strings. Adjust the screws the same on both sides. For a better balance you can angle the pickups away from the heavier stings. As in all guitar adjustments, go slow and test frequently. Some change can have a big affect.

Bridge Adjustments

The action can be raise or lowered by adjusting the bridge. Raising or lowering the bridge by adjusting the screws on both sides of the bridge. If you adjust the bridge to lower your guitar could fret out. When you bend a note you won’t be able to reach the desired pitch. If your action is too high it will be more difficult to play your guitar. You have to find the right height.

Tuner Adjustments

If your tuners are loose they will need to be tightened. When you put new strings on your guitar use a screwdriver to tighten the screws on the tuners. Be gentle with all guitar adjustments to prevent damage. This will help prevent your guitar from going out of tune.

Bill McRea is the publisher of Guitar Warehouse the best place to Buy Guitar and learn Guitar Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

[tags]Guitar Lessons, Guitars, Guitar Maintenance[/tags]

Used violins are probably a good choice for novices. They are available in different sizes such as 1/16, 1/10, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, 4/4 or in full size. Purchasing a used violin is a nice way to save money. By purchasing a used violin you can get the same quality as that of a new violin at half the price. While purchasing a used violin, take someone who knows about violins along with you.

You can purchase a used violin from a violin shop where you can find a wide range of used violins that fits your budget. Local music store or a private individual selling a used violin are other options. There are several websites that offer online purchase of used violins. Amazon.com, eBay.com, musiciansbuyline.com, elderly.com and halfvalue.com are some of the websites where you can find used violins.

The price range of a new violin falls between $200 and $20,000. Compared to new violins, the cost of used violin is much less. The price of a used violin depends on the condition and age of the instrument.

Buying a used violin is an ideal option only if it is purchased with caution. There are so many points to consider while purchasing a used violin. Always make sure that you are purchasing it from a reliable, trustworthy dealer. It is necessary to check the body of the violin for any cracks or imperfection in the carving before making the purchase.

Make sure there is no sign of wear and no pieces are to be replaced. Replacing bridge and strings and making minor adjustments can cost hundreds of dollars. You may have to spend some money on refurbishing used violins; therefore, buy from shops that offer some kind of warranty.

[tags]Violins, Electric Violins, Violin Music, How to Play the Violin[/tags]

One of the primary legato techniques all guitarists must learn is the hammer-on, pull-off. This technique is important because it allows for nuances in tone and expression, and it allows the picking hand a “break” since it does not have to pick the notes on the hammer-on or the pull-off. This results in a faster progression of notes, sometimes called licks.

The hammer-on is accomplished when you pick a note and then using another finger hammer down on the same string. The sound of the hammered note is less pronounced than the picked note. For example place your first finger on the 5th fret of the 3rd string, and the hammer down your third finger on the 7th fret of the 3rd string. Don’t use your just quickly strike the second fret position with the tip of your 3rd finger. This would be described in guitar tab as 5h7 or 5 hammer 7. Keep your first finger on the 5th fret because you are going to pull-off of the 7th fret in the next example.

The pull-off results when you release a plucked note with enough force such that the second fretted note rings. This may require a slight side way motion to create enough friction to cause the string to ring out. The sound of the pulled-off note is less pronounced since you aren’t using your pick to create it. This would be illustrated in guitar tab 7p5 or 7 pull 5.

If you combine these techniques you can create very fast note runs or licks. Imagine how this sequence of hammer-on, pull-off’s would sound when played very quickly 5h7p5h7p5. In deed the hammer-on, pull-off technique is the cornerstone for legato and most speed playing techniques.

It takes time to perfect the technique but it is worth the effort.

Bill McRea is the publisher of http://www.guitarwarehouse.com and their blog at

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[tags]Guitar Lessons, Guitar Legato, Guitar Playing, Guitars[/tags]

Anyone learning to play electronic keyboard will need an instrument to practice on at home soon after starting tuition. This guide aims to help beginning electronic keyboard players decide on an appropriate first instrument, as there is an overwhelming range of electronic keyboards on the market today.

As the saying goes "a bad workman blames his tools", but you can get a great head-start as a musician by purchasing the best quality electronic keyboard you can possibly afford. I’d say you should budget on spending £200-£500 on your first keyboard. This isn’t that much if your going to be forking out for weekly lessons- I imagine you want to hear the the best results of all that time, money and effort when your practising at home!

Most teachers should have no problem with you waiting until you have the money to buy a good quality keyboard with all the features you need, rather than buying something straight away which will quickly need upgrading. And compared to other musical instruments, good keyboards are quite inexpensive. At least they can sound like any instrument you choose and can play in all styles. The keyboard is certainly the instrument for those who enjoy variety!

Use the jargon buster below to navigate through the huge range of features on offer when buying your keyboard. I’ll explain what each feature does, why you need it, and what to look out for when choosing between keyboards as a beginner.

Keys: Your keyboard should have at least 61, full-size keys. A piano has 88 keys and if you aspire to play piano as well, look for weighted keys which replicate the feel of the piano. However, keyboards and pianos are two different instruments, and non-weighted keys are fine for those beginners who aim to be purely electronic keyboard players.

Sounds/ Voices: The more sounds your keyboard has, the better, but look for high quality realistic sounds. Sounds that have been sampled are generally better than those that are synthesised. Sampled sounds are digital recordings of the actual instrument, whilst synthesised sounds are electronically created, and so less realistic and often poorer quality. Also, choose a keyboard with a realistic and sympathetic piano sound, especially if you aspire to study classical piano as well.

Rhythms: Having more pre-programmed rhythms on your keyboard allows you to be more creative, and play in more styles of music. See if the keyboard has rhythms in the styles of music you enjoy listening to and playing.

Touch Sensitivity: This is essential. Touch sensitivity basically means the harder you press a key, the loader it sounds- like when playing a piano. Without touch sensitivity, you can’t add expression and dynamics to your playing which you will need for a musical performance.

Floppy Disk Drive: Is very useful, so you can save your settings, arrangements and recordings for the future. The newest keyboards now have USB ports and flash drives which are even better if you want to link your keyboard with a computer.

MIDI: This stands for Musical instrument digital interface and is basically an electronic language which electronic musical instruments use to communicate with each other. If your keyboard is MIDI compatible, you can link it up to other instruments and computers. If you have MIDI and a disk drive for example, you can download and use the MIDI files from the web.

Recording: Look out for keyboards that allow you too record what you play in ‘real time’, and record or ’step in’ the accompaniment section. The more tracks you can record, the better. This allows you to be more creative in making music, and compose and save your own music as well.

Polyphony: This is the ability to have more than one note sounding at the same time. It is essential to have at least 16 note polyphony.

Accompaniment Section: Look for a keyboard with a good accompaniment section. Put the keyboard in ‘fingered mode’, start a rhythm and play a chord to see if the accompaniment section is realistic and musical.

Headphone Socket: Very useful if you don’t want to annoy the neighbours!

Make sure you try the keyboard before you buy to check its user friendly, even if you can’t play much yet. Don’t spend the start of your musical career trying to fathom out how to use an incomprehensible, unfriendly instrument. Choosing the right, good quality electronic will inspire you to work hard at your lessons. Finding an instrument you love should mean you never want to stop practicing!

[tags]electronic keyboard, beginner, buying, choosing, first keyboard, yamaha, piano, electric piano,[/tags]

Sliding is another legato technique used by all guitarist. They are very simple to learn, just pick a note or notes and slide your finger slides to another note(s).

This is presented in most TAB format as a “/” slide up and “s” slide down. First let’s do a simple slide up. Use your 3rd finger on the A string 7th fret pick the note and slid up to the 9th fret smoothly and without stopping. Don’t pick the note on the 9th fret! The Tab is below

When starting to learn chords, most people will start with the basic major and minor chords, then on to 7th and minor 7th chords. You might be surprised to learn that when you have mastered all twelve minor 7th chords you have also potentially learned twenty-four 11th chords.

I love the sound of 11th chords; they somehow manage to give a big sound and are great for key changes. If you want to listen to good examples of 11th chords then listen to some early Barry Manilow music such as “Even Now”, “Mandy” and “Cant smile without you”. Listen in particular to the key changes and there you have a good big sounding example of 11th chords in action.

So how to find the 11th chord from a minor 7th chord. First, learn all twelve minor 7th chords. Second, make sure you know where the fifth in any chord is. For example, the fifth in Gm7 is “D”, which is seven semitones from the root. (”G” root to “D” fifth is seven semitones)

Now you are ready to play an 11th chord. Let’s use G11 as our example. First work out what the fifth is in a G chord, the answer is “D”, then make that “D”, a Dm7 chord and most importantly play a “G” bass note or pedal. So G11 = Dm7 with a “G” bass.

Here are some more examples:

Chord Name = C11

Find the Fifth = G

Make it Minor = Gm7 (with a C bass note)

Chord Name = F11

Find the Fifth = C

Make it Minor = Cm7 (with a F bass note)

For the more technical minded. Let’s look more closely at the structure of the 11th chord. If we use C11 as our example,

ROOT = C (played as a bass note or pedal)

THIRD = not used

FIFTH = G

SEVENTH = Bb

NINTH = D

ELEVENTH = F

Notice the root is always played as a bass note or bass pedal. This note is very important and also helps the chord sound BIG. Try it.
You should also notice that the third is not used. This means that our C11 can also be Cm11 because; the only difference between a major chord and a minor chord is the third.

So there you have it. Twelve major 11th chords, twelve minor 11th chords. That’s a total of twenty-four 11th chords from twelve minor 7th chords.

Visit http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk

About the Author
Michael David Shaw (Mike to his friends) runs the website http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk the place for organ and keyboard tuition and music news. You can email Mike at mike@mikesmusicroom.co.uk

Michael David Shaw (Mike to his friends) runs the website http://www.mikesmusicroom.co.uk the place for organ and keyboard tuition and music news. You can email Mike at mike@mikesmusicroom.co.uk

[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

The first time I picked up a guitar my whole life changed. I think I slept with it the night I brought my first new guitar home. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but it is true. I remember the feel of the guitar in my hands and the shape, which reminded me of a girl I once dated. But seriously it was love, pure love.

Then I plugged it in and hit those first magic notes.. Wow did it sound awful, maybe the worst noise I ever heard in my life. So started my journey in the world of music some 23 years ago, I found my one and only mistress, the guitar.

Today I am happily married with 3 kids, a real job, and my guitars. The only thing my wife has ever been jealous over is my guitars. I told her once I could have girlfriends or guitars, she said she’d settle for the guitars. Thus is the secret to a happy marriage.

Oh more importantly, the guitars. No two are the same, even the same model, made in the same year, with sequential serial numbers, are going to play and sound different. They have their own personalities, their own feel and their own mood swings. I have Fender’s, Gibson’s, Washburn’s, Parker’s, solid bodies, hollow bodies and semi-hollow body guitars.

Every week I go to a friend’s house, or a local store and just pickup every guitar I can and play it for a few minutes. It really is an obsession. I think, dream and dwell on playing guitar 24 Hours a day.

Is this story the same as your’s. As humorous as this may sound, many of my playing friends say the same thing. You can never have enough guitars, or spend enough time playing your guitar.

Do you have a passion for playing as well?

Bill McRea is the publisher of The
Guitar Warehouse and Guitar
Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

[tags]Guitars, Guitar Lesson, Playing Guitar[/tags]

Minor pentatonic scales are used extensively in modern and classic rock. A strong understanding of how pentatonic scales work, and can be used for soloing and creating riffs, is extremely important. They are also the easiest and generally the first scales most people learn.

Minor Pentatonic Basics:

I assume you know how to read basic TAB format for this lesson. If you have not been exposed to TAB then you should review our lesson on reading guitar TAB before moving on.

The Minor Pentatonic scale consists of the following intervals: 1 b3 4 5 b7 1. In the key of A the intervals would be the notes of A C D E G A. There are 5 scale shapes in “box” patterns for the pentatonic scales. For the A minor pentatonic the box shape follows:

E|-5-|—|—|-8-|—|
B|-5-|—|—|-8-|—|
G|-5-|—|-7-|—|—|
D|-5-|—|-7-|—|—|
A|-5-|—|-7-|—|—|
E|-5-|—|—|-8-|—|

The 5 is the fifth fret and is the root note, thus the name of the key and scale is A, the intervals determines the type Minor or Major. This scale shape above is the most scale and is used in rock, blues and most styles of music. If you move this entire shape up to positions on the guitar and play the same shape you will have a B minor pentatonic. Likewise if you slide the entire shape down two potions you have a G minor pentatonic. See Below:

E|-3-|—|—|-6-|—|
B|-3-|—|—|-6-|—|
G|-3-|—|-5-|—|—|
D|-3-|—|-5-|—|—|
A|-3-|—|-5-|—|—|
E|-3-|—|—|-6-|—|

Practice this scale shape several times a day, moving it into different positions or keys, for variety. Many of rocks most famous licks are derived form this shape. If you are going to play guitar learning this one basic shape is mandatory.

Next up - The Major Pentatonic Scale.

Bill McRea is the publisher of The
Guitar Warehouse and Guitar
Playing Techniques. Both sites offer free lesson and product sales.

[tags]Guitar Lessons, Pentatonic Scales[/tags]

Chord jumping is a simple technique that allows you to use much of the piano. You simply take a chord and “move it” up the keyboard.

Now, I’m not talking about inversions here, although there’s nothing wrong with inversions. I’m talking about taking a simple chord structure and just using the entire piano to create with. Here’s what I mean.

Take the lesson “Coral Reef” for example. Here we have 2 chords, A minor and F Major. The beauty of only having 2 chords for this improvisation exercise is that it frees you up to experiment. That is, you can focus on moving them around instead of looking to see when the chords change.

Here you use your two chords and you change them whenever you want. The left hand is playing an octave (open position) while the right hand is free to play melody. And the sound created from this is fantastic. In fact, to the untrained ear, you never would know that just 2 chords are used. But it’s true.

The thing about chords and playing them is that the magic really unfolds when you limit choice (use only 2 chords and have a certain technique to play them) and let your intuition guide you. Then you can finally forget about thinking and actually experience the music firsthand. This is a place of pure improvisation and inspiration where your intuition guides you.

There is no thinking, no wondering what to do. Now, instead of trying to make the music go somewhere, you let go and allow the music to tell you where it wants to go a subtle but necessary shift if you want to experience all that music making and improvisation has to offer you.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

[tags]piano,piano lessons,piano music,keyboard,chords,piano chords[/tags]