First part in a video series on the song ‘New Day’. This lesson starts with the distinctive chords that open the tune before Keys’ vocals enter. You can even prepare by reading the chord chart and listening to the song below: RIGHT HAND F C E C G F C […]
*Firstly, if you don’t have Quicktime it is recommended that you download it to hear the audio in this post. A well known jazz musician once said, “jazz can be taught in just three lessons; 1st lesson: practice for 10 years; 2nd lesson: practice and perform for 10 years; 3rd […]
By Bynn Alexander If you have dabbled in songwriting but have found yourself disappointed with your efforts, it’s easy to get discouraged. Equally frustrating is when you think your songs are good, but they fail to interest others, to the point where you start to second-guess your abilities. Yes, […]
Upon listening to Pharrell Williams’ song ‘Happy’ after its release I wanted to do a tutorial but (such is life) other priorities got in the way. When the time finally came to having a few listens of the song, it got late and with me ready to nod off, I decided […]
By Ugo Onwutalu Over the years I have experimented with different ways to get myself to practice. I have tried practicing after teaching and in the early morning. Everyone’s circumstances are different but if you are like most people, you · Either have a 9-5 job which leaves a limited […]
For this blog post, it would be useful to print it off or copy and paste into a document like Microsoft Word before printing. The following in paper format will make more sense to you as you’re sat at the piano/keyboard, rather than a computer screen. This post also assumes […]
Tip 1 – Set a goal Have a goal every time you sit down to practice playing piano scales and arpeggios over and over ‘will not’ improve your playing. A goal would be to master a chosen piece within a certain amount of time by practicing it for 15 […]
Other than trawling through the Yellow pages or the internet, finding a tuner near you can be time consuming. Other than friends, contact the nearest institutions to you that own pianos and ask them who takes care of their instruments. Get recommendations from the following: · Universities and music schools/academies […]
One of the most obvious but easily overlooked songwriting devices is the use of contrast. Most successful songs incorporate this technique and once you are familiar with the various ways in which you can achieve contrast, you can begin to incorporate it into your own songwriting. The purpose of contrast […]
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