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Duane Shinn's Articles in Music

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Piano Keyboards to Keep You Playing: What To Look For In a Keyboard When looking for a new keyboard, consider the name brand manufacturers of piano keyboards. Look at your budget and then go from there. Does that budget allow you to check out some of the premiere makers out there? Does your budget require you to go with a lesser-known manufacturer? 10 Piano Styles You Can Learn To Play When studying the piano, a student encounters a myriad piano styles. To master the instrument, at least several of these styles must be learned, and all if at all possible. Knowledge of various playing styles enables a pianist to enjoy and play in any genre and to cross-polinate styles to create a fusion he or she can call their own. Swing Bass for Piano: Get Your Left Hand In Action The piano style is called "swing bass" because your left hand swings back and forth between a low note or group of notes, such as a 10th, alternating with a chord in the area right below middle C. It is a great tool for lending spark and variety to songs. You will add a lot to your style as you practice this technique more and keep your audience swinging with your music. Dave Brubeck: The Master of Improvisation And Unusual Rhythms Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck is one of the giants of jazz piano. His music is characterized by unusual time signatures and can be either extreme - totally dynamic or or completely relaxed. His most famous piece - Take Five - is so popular it has taken on almost cult status, and rightfully so. Ambient Music -- Nature's Sounds Put To Music It's often playing in the places you go. Whether it's in an art gallery, a unique specialty shop, or a restaurant, ambient music creates a mood. This music genre has seen a growth in popularity in the last 30 years. It is sometimes refered to as "new age music". Ten Of The Most Popular Classical Pieces Of All Time For anyone studying popular classical music, it can be a daunting task to know where to begin. There are so many great pieces that a beginner can get overwhelmed. Here are 10 of the most popular classical pieces with a brief background of each. How to Play Blues Piano: Getting Started Playing the blues on the piano is not usually for beginners, unless one has a natural feel for the blues. For most of us, it requires a solid understanding of traditional music theory plus an overlay of "blue notes". Beginning Piano Lessons On The Internet: Useful, But Beware When learning how to play piano, free opportunities present themselves all over the Internet. Most notably, many websites offer quick step-by-step lessons, as well as free online sheet music, which beginning pianists can use to learn how to play piano at no cost. A Beginner's Guide to Playing Piano Chords The piano is the most perfectly designed instrument for playing chords. It's visually straightforward, easy-to-understand layout makes it simple for the beginning piano student to learn how to play chords. Unlike other instruments, such as the guitar, the player doesn't need to learn how to contort her fingers in strange, unnatural ways just to play the most simple combinations of notes. Keyboard Instruments: Organs, Harpsichords, Pianos, Keyboards & Synthesizers Even non-musicians are familiar with keyboard instruments. Few people reach adulthood without having had at least one opportunity to bang on a keyboard of some type. However, many people (including musicians) aren't aware of the history behind keyboard instruments. Their evolution is both fascinating and surprising. Three of the Greatest Pop Pianists of Modern Times It seems as though pop music sometimes gets a bad rap. A glimpse at three of modern pop's most famous pianists may dispel the myth that pop is an inferior genre. Their skill and level of musical expertise rivals that of pianists of other genres. Four of the Greatest Modern Classical Pianists of All Times Every serious piano student eventually learns to play some of the most well-known classical pieces during his or her studies. Nary a pianist didn't learn Palchabel's Canon in D or Beethoven's Fur Elise. Even non-musicians recognize names like Bach and Mozart. But what about modern classical pianists who have also made notable contributions to cultural history? Easy Piano: Ways You Can Start Playing Piano Right Away The pleasure of being able to play a song on the piano is something that must be experienced. And playing piano does not have to be difficult -- there are methods for easy piano that get you started with just 3 or 4 simple chords. The William Tell Overture (The Lone Ranger Theme) Mention the song title "William Tell Overture," and a lot of people might scratch their heads in confusion. But hum a few bars, and there are few people who don't recognize this classic tune. Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' Still a Joy to Hear! Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' is not only one of the most familiar melodies to most people, but remains a piece of pure art. It continues to give hope, inspiration, and plain old musical joy to peoples all over the world. How to Play the Keyboard: Start With C Major Playing the keyboard is not as difficult as a lot of piano upstarts think. In fact, the piano is the perfect instrument for music beginners, as, unlike other instruments, its layout is straightforward and easy to understand. Can You Write a Song? It's not as difficult as you might imagine to create a song of your own based on your own experiences and the emotion of your heart. It may never make the charts, but it's fun and so satisfying! Piano Sheet Music in the Internet Age The availability of music for the piano is unprecedented in human history due to the internet. For the first time ever musicians can locate and download literally thousands of pieces of music in most any genre. Fur Elise: Beethoven's Mysterious Inspiration The mystery surrounding Beethoven's "Fur Elise" has still not been solved. Nevertheless millions of people over the space of 200 years have enjoyed and come to love this all time classic work. Would You Like to Take a Peek at a Naked Piano Player? Did you know that there are many piano players who are stark naked? Some of them probably live in your neighborhood. One of them might even be your next door neighbor Piano Note Reading for Beginners Learning to read sheet music is a bit easier than most people suppose, because there are only 12 different notes on the entire staff -- everything else is repeated an octave or two higher or lower. A Short History of the Piano If you're thinking of taking piano lessons -- or if you already take them -- it's a good idea to learn something about the long musical tradition in which you will be participating. So let's take a brief look at how the piano came to be. Piano Improvisation in Three Steps Improvisation on the piano is not just for pros -- anyone can learn to improvise to some degree. I Took Piano Lessons As a Kid, But I've Forgotten Almost Everything There are literally millions of adults today who took piano lessons when they were growing up, but at some point along the way gave them up. Some couldn't care less, but many have an urge down deep to take up piano playing again someday. 8 Easy Musical Instruments That You Can Learn To Play Quickly Not all of us have the time, or want to invest the time in learning to play a complicated instrument such as the piano or guitar. There are easy musical instruments that you can learn to play quickly & easily. How Musicians Can Use Podcasts to Publicize Their Music Podcasts are excellent ways that you can inexpensively and quickly get your music out there to the public, which is extremely important to your success as a musician. Podcasts: What Are They And How Do They Work? Podcasts are files that can be downloaded directly from the internet or that can be accessed via streaming feeds like RSS feeds. Musicians as well as many other creative people are using them to communicate with their clients and others. 7 Great & Fun Ways To Earn Your Living In The World of Music There are lots of ways to make a living in the music industry, and very few of them have anything to do with getting on stage and performing, or trying to crack the lineup on American Idol. Is It Really Possible To Play The Piano By Ear? Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. Just like we pick up our language by listening to our parents and subsequently attending school, we can learn music by playing by ear and later taking formal lessons. Piano Books: The Top Piano Books To Help You Become a Better Piano Player There are thousands of piano books available in music stores and online at such places as Amazon. And piano books are usually necessary if your goal is to become a better pianist. But how does a person know which piano books are necessary and which books are redundant, to say nothing of good or bad. Music Theory & Harmony: The Key To Understanding How Music Works! Learning music theory and harmony is not just an option you can take or leave: it is part and parcel of the "stuff of music". And yet the majority of piano players ignore the very thing that would take them to the next level in their playing and knowledge -- music theory & harmony. Music Chords: How To Become a "Chord Detective" And See Through The Notes Right Into The Music! There's a logic behind every note written in music, & you can learn to understand that logic, and therefore understand music. Runs & Fills: How To Add Real Excitement To Your Piano Playing! If you're anything like me, you would love to learn how to "fill up the empty spaces" in the songs you play with scale fragments, chords, broken chords, and so on. Learning how to "fill it up" with runs and fills would certainly take your piano playing to the next level. The Blues Scale & Cool Stuff You Can Do With It Most of us who took piano lessons as kids are all too familiar with scales, and most of us hated practicing them with a passion. But understanding scales and what they do is critical to the process of improvisation as well as key orientation and just a general understanding of what's happening in the song we are playing. Did You Know That Music Is Based On Natural "Laws"? Did you know that music is based on natural "laws" -- like gravity -- and by learning to understand how those natural laws work we can actually understand what we are doing when we play -- we don't have to be at the mercy of what someone else has written on a piece of music? Music Notes: How Pitch & Duration Are Determined Notes are the musical notation representing a fixed pitch. While the word strictly refers to the physical notation of a pitch, it's more commonly used to refer to both the pitch and the notation. Piano Lessons: Make Sure They Include Chords & Music Theory! Proper piano instruction is an element extremely vital to learning the instrument well. Often overlooked in the teaching curriculum, however, is music theory and chord structure. Transposition and Modulation: How To Transpose To a Different Key & Modulate Between Keys How do transposition and modulation relate? Are they the same? Let's take a look at both of them and see what makes them tick. How To Tell What Major Key A Song Is In Quickly & Easily Key signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in. But key signatures, despite the name, are not the same thing as key. How To Color Without Crayons: Adding Color Tones To a Chord Adding color tones to a chord is like adding colors to a black and white drawing; it adds depth and dimension and well as bringing it to life. 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. 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! Sprinkle Some Pepper On Your Musical Meal Through The Use Of Augmented Chords Augmented chords are to a piece of music like pepper is to a meal; you would never sit down to a meal of pepper alone, but you might sprinkle a little on your food to liven up the taste a bit. Use augmented chords judiciously and you will find they add real interest to your piano playing. 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. Add Some Spice To Your Musical Meal By Using Diminished Triads Major and minor chords are the meat & potatoes of a musical meal. To add saltiness to the meal, add a few diminished chords. What In The World Would We Do Without Music? What in the world would you and I do if there was no such thing as music? Can you imagine a world without music? No songs, no tunes, no rock, no roll, no jazz, no hymns, no boogie-woogie, no country-western, no symphonies. No singing in the shower. No whistling Dixie. 10 Top Reasons You Should Learn to Play 'Chord' Piano There are roughly umpteen zillion reasons why you should learn enough chords to be able to "chord a song" at the piano. By "chord a song", I mean the ability to play 3 or 4 chords on the piano in some sort of rhythm while you or someone else sings the tune. To do this, you don't need to be a Van Cliburn; all you need to do is learn a few basic chords and be able to more back and forth between them in some organized rhythmic pattern. 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 Play Piano Using Chord Symbols Chord symbols (for example, Cmaj7 or G6) are a type of notation used frequently in jazz and other areas of modern music to notate chord progressions and changes. Music Therapy: Can Music Really "Soothe The Savage Beast?" It has long been suggested that "music soothes the savage beast." But is this true? And if it is, does this have any implication where humans are concerned? 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. How to Become a World Class Expert in Just 20 Minutes a Day Is it really possible to become an expert in some field in 20 minutes a day? Here's some ideas that just might make it possible. 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. 3 Quick & Easy Steps To Playing Music by Ear Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along. Music & Intelligence: Will Listening to Music Make You Smarter? Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal? Questions like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years, and not just in scientific journals either. Music & Citizenship: Can Playing a Musical Instrument Help Your Child Become a Better Citizen? Disregard the popular image of rappers with their ghetto blasters, terrorizing neighborhoods with eardrum-splitting cacophony. Consider instead our delightful school bands and orchestras... and ponder on whether those students might be becoming our best future citizens. Unlikely as it may seem, recent scientific research suggests this hypothesis might actually be true. It appears studying music can, in fact, impact the development of the human personality, especially in the area of socialization If Seals Can Sing, Why Can't You? Music moves us, often in ways that we don't understand. For example who hasn't been calmed by the sound of quiet singing such as a lullaby? But more than that, who can explain why cows produce more milk and chickens lay more eggs when listening to certain songs like The Blue Danube? 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.

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