Yesterday I posted about the pentatonic scale, and mentioned that the 5 black keys on a piano form a pentatonic scale (penta=5). A student of mine sent me a YouTube video which illustrates this perfectly. Here it is:
Continue reading →As you know, there are many kinds of scales, the most familiar of which is the major scale, on which the largest percentage of songs are built. There are also 3 types of minor scale — the natural minor, the … Continue reading →
A solid knowledge of music theory is absolutely crucial to a musician who wants to become proficient in sight reading. Besides acting as the basis for understanding the notes, a music theory education provides the ability to see patterns within … Continue reading →
The tango is an incredibly sensual genre of music and dance that originated in Argentina. It is always played by a tango orchestra consisting of strings, bandoneon, bass and sometimes piano, though various other Latin-based instruments are found outside of … Continue reading →
A harmony is a series of notes in combination, played simultaneously. Listen to your favorite songs, and pay close attention to the back-up vocals when they’re being sung along with the lead. Can you hear how the two vocal melodies … Continue reading →
A musical tritone is an interval of three whole tones (whole steps) or six half tones (half steps). Simply put, a tritone is an augmented fourth or diminished fifth, depending on the key. A tritone is typically created by adding … Continue reading →
Most of us will never come close to creating the sounds we hear the great jazz pianists such as Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck and many others make, but it sure is fun trying. I’ve played jazz piano all my adult … Continue reading →
When sight reading a piece of sheet music it is easy to lose your place in the score if you need to look down at your hands. Try to not look down, but if you must, don’t move your head … Continue reading →
