Learning to Play

Get some advice on choosing the best electric guitar for a beginner and learn what features to look for in your first instrument.

Discover the best way to learn to guitar, with a focus on scales, chords and songs, as well as music theory. Here are some top options to get you started!

Half stack, full stack or combo? Learn which guitar amp is best in a band situation, and how to choose the right option for you.

When buying your first acoustic guitar, you want to be sure you're getting what you want. In this article we look at the main differences between steel and nylon stringed acoustic guitars.

An easy-to-read guide to some of the most interesting chords for writing music. This article explores how to write a great opening to a song, an interesting body, and a close that isn't cliche. Video examples are provided.

Six simple strategies to help you develop and maintain a consistent, fruitful practice routine.

Check out this Gibson Les Paul LPJ Review and learn more about the 2013 and 2014 models of this affordable American-made Les Paul.

Learn to recognise and identify chords and chord progressions in key-based music by ear.

Returning and re-learning the piano can be frustrating. These tips will help increase motivation and enjoyment, and prevent burn-out.

The best music education bloggers, helping students, performers and teachers succeed and reach their dreams.

Find out which instruments are the best choices for kids or adults who are total beginners and want to learn music for the first time.

What's the best method for learning a new piece of piano music? Find out what you should and shouldn't do to get that new piano piece under your belt as quickly as possible.

I hate my voice! If you're one of the many people who feel this way, you've come to the right place because you're about to learn why you hate your voice and how to fix it.

Learn about the terminology and definitions used in playing and discussing electric and acoustic guitar in this basic vocabulary guide for beginners.

The Suzuki method is enormously popular in the United States and Japan. While the method was originally used to teach violin, many children learn to play piano (and other instruments) with this method. The Suzuki method allows very young children to play music by ear before progressing to sight reading, which allows 3 and 4 year old children to play the piano. Parental involvement is critical to the success of this method!

Have you wondered what your voice would sound like if you had perfect singing technique? Using the 'rag doll' exercise will lead you directly to your natural voice. Here's how.

Discover a few easy shortcuts to help you quickly learn the notes of the guitar fretboard. You can't master the guitar unless you know where to find all the notes!

Learn how to make interesting and original solo fingerstyle guitar arrangements of songs. This is a step by step tutorial with audio demo.

The job of playing music in a cover band involves a never ending responsibility to learn new songs. While these songs may not be new to you, they are ones that you need to know if you play regularly.

Find out how to master arpeggio playing on the piano in any key!

It’s important to recognize that even major players had to start with the beginner’s chords, or open chords. What led them to become famous guitar players (besides raw talent) was an intensely disciplined approach to practice, combined with a creative fire and passion to make music.

Been teaching guitar a while and found that your students just aren't getting it? Here are some tips to help you bring them back on board and help them learn faster.

Do you need to learn how to read music if you want to play the guitar? Maybe! Find out whether it is the right choice for you.

An easy to play classical guitar piece in standard notation and guitar tablature by the guitar composer Ferdinando Carulli. An audio track and study notes are provided for easy learning.

Do you want to know how to play those deep soulful chords with a lot of emotion?

Learn to tune your guitar by ear in a few simple steps. It’s easy, and it can even help you become a better guitar player.

Learn the basics of how to write a song on guitar! Even beginners can create a basic song outline and start making their own music today.

Every musician encounters bumps in the road at some point. With saxophonists, the problems might look like a hurting inner lip, register issues, getting certain notes out, or other things one might not even realize. This article will consist of many common issues, with corresponding solutions.

Learn 5 steps to help you teach yourself to play guitar, no lessons required. It isn’t easy, but with a little hard work you can do it!

Learn how to build chords belonging to any major key from the notes of its major scale.

Guitarists - Learn to read music with this graded tutorial covering the basics of standard music notation for guitar.

Check out the top bass guitar starter packs, the best choices for beginners who want to become bassists and start playing today!

A standard 3 chord blues progression, reharmonized to form a jazz version. Stormy Monday Substitutions. Chords, tab, video. High quality, accurate transcriptions. In depth theory and videos

Practice is the only way you can get better at playing the guitar, but playing the right notes is only half the battle. Check out these seven ways you can improve your guitar practice routine today!

Chords are a musical basic--but what are they, really? Here's a beginner's guide, with written and audio examples.

Be honest. You want to be doing better. You know you're good, but you know there are some things that you're missing or could be improved upon. You're right. Read on.

This page talks about common hand signals for choir directing and the best ways to use those signals.

Learning to strum the ukulele can seem intimidating, but if you follow these simple steps it can set you well on your way to playing with ease.

People who are inherently comfortable with being in charge are sometimes very good leaders. However, if they don't follow these basic guidelines, even they can often fall short.

Hold your tongue! Just make sure this " rudder" for sound is nice and relaxed for better singing and speaking. Learn how to use your tongue for controlling your vocal tone. You'll like the results.

If you want to excel in the cover music scene, it's not always a question of your level of skill, but often just a matter of focusing on the right things that makes a difference. Click in to see them.

When it comes to difference and difficulty how do you compare bass vs guitar? This article can help you decide which is a better choice for you.

So you want to learn how to play guitar? Well join the club, because people from all over the world want to do exactly what you want to as well. What separates you from the rest? It all comes down to whether you've got motivation and that little...

Find out how beginners can learn blues guitar by working on basic scales and music theory. The rest comes down to hard work and practice!

Fretboard Logic SE by Bill Edwards is a guitar instruction manual where the CAGED system is made easy to understand for any level of guitarist.

Audio-video lesson and demonstration of harmonic intervals and how to recognise and identify them by ear

To understand how the vocal cords work, we need a little information on how we produce sound. Watch Steven Tyler's vocal cords and learn about the variation in our body's natural instrument.

This article will show you the best method ever of how to efficiently learn and memorize the notes on a guitar neck in the shortest amount of time.

That is...when you're not playing music. You never want dead air; so it's best to have a practical checklist of things that you should be talking about to keep the show moving along. Here ya go. :)

"Practice, practice, practice!"--But what about practicing *smarter*? This article gives ten useful tips to do just that. Get better, faster!

Here are 6 easy tips for improving your present singing voice. Confidence is everything, so you must begin believing in yourself. Until you do this, others will not believe in you either.

The key to singing with clarity and good diction is learning how to form vowels. Each word you sing contains at least one vowel. Vowels help to carry the sound and takes the voice to a whole new level

These rehearsal tips will help guitar players understand how to run band practice most efficiently and accomplish their goals.

Easy step-by-step instruction to learn how to breathe using the diaphragm (diaphragmatic breathing.) Sing and speak better. Bring more oxygen to your brain functioning neurons. Let's start now.

Singers and speakers often acquire throat irritation. This interferes with the voice and interrupts the presentation, audition, recording session and show. Learn how to avoid these throat problems.

If you have a child who shows an affinity to the piano but is not old enough for formal lessons, the following article will give parents ideas for teaching early piano skills.

Find out if you really need a teacher to learn to play guitar, and why taking lessons may not be the best choice for every newbie guitarist.

Further reharmonization of a twelve bar progression in G. In-depth theory, professional transcriptions, video guitar lessons.

Even though all technique is mastered, as a singer if you don't learn this one thing, all else doesn't matter. Learn what is absolutely necessary for all singers. Discover the difference now.

How to become a tribute act, written by a guy who makes a living as a Michael Buble tribute. It's not just wearing a wig and singing songs, it's about scrutiny, practice, and spending a lot of money.

Where do I start? What questions do I ask? What is the cost? How do I know if the vocal teacher is qualified? Help is on the way.

The basics of guitar tablature explained - including timing and note durations.

A guide to playing the violin with good posture by understanding the concepts of balance and ease and eliminating unnecessary tension in the body.

Synovitis can ruin a piano-player's career. Here's how I (mostly) recovered and got back to the keys, with gentle repertoire suggestions that I enjoy playing.

It's great to be an excellent technical player but, in the end, you need to know a lot of songs to get out there to get steady paid gigs.

Check out this list of the guitar accessories that are most important for beginners and start building your collection of guitar supplies.

Learn how to sing quietly or softly. Just follow these simple exercises. Everything you want to know about making your voice sing soft.

Explore the pedagogical works of Wohlfahrt, Mazas, Kreutzer, and Rode. Understand how violin etudes and studies benefit the students.

The trick is to match the meter of the new lyrics with the meter of a song we already know. Lyrics with similar meters can be sung to the same tune. This works for songs within any genre as well as songs from different genres. Learn how to discover the song meter.

Having an extensive catalog of songs that you know how to play is essential for any successful musician and cover band. These are the songs that just about every band plays at some point, with lyrics.

Learn some easy fingerstyle accompaniment patterns with clear and concise explanation and charts.

Learn to read chords in standard notation fast and accurately. All it needs is the right mental approach and graded practice material.

For many classical guitarists, locating the notes on the fingerboard can be difficult, especially in the higher positions. Here is a quick and reliable method for learning all the notes on the fretboard.

Do you, as a musician, conduct yourself in a professional manner? This article discusses some of the aspects of being professional. Read it and see where you stand.

Common, everyday items have many functions. Some are even practical for working musicians. Things that may seem useless in the live music performance world can actually come in quite handy. Read on!

If your goal is to really improve your live performances, then you need to make sure that the equipment you buy meets certain criteria.

Can it be done? Follow these easy steps to find out. Everyone has a singing voice. This tutorial will help you discover yours. It's also a good breathing refresher sequel for those who already sing

This chord construction article explains how notes are combined to produce chords. It also includes a chord formula list of all the basic chord types and more.

I feel that sometimes we need to take an objective look at ourselves as musicians and assess our worth. In this article I explain why.

Whether your hands are too big or small or your wrist muscles are too weak, some ukulele chords are just plan hard to shape.

Harmonization of the Major scale in all keys. Chords, Tab. Accurate, high quality transcriptions, in depth theory analysis.

Here's a shortlist of the best beginner acoustic guitars for kids, a guide for parents looking to start their child on guitar.

Learn how to build major scales with correct naming of notes.

Stop! Don't sing any song without first warming up your voice. Here are some of the most effective vocal warm-ups for singers and vocalists.

The Martin D-18 has always been one of the world's most desired acoustic steel string guitars. It is somewhat expensive, so not everyone can afford a D-18, here, here are five alternative guitars.

Why you tell yourself you can't sing? Find solutions for correcting your thinking, free your own natural voice, and sing with joy.

Learn how to read and use note durations and timing in modern guitar tablature.

Maple is one of the traditional tonewoods for acoustic instruments. Right there with maple are rosewood, mahogany, spruce, ebony, and all the varieties of species of those trees. Maple as a tonewood for bodies or backs and sides of a guitar can...

Singing is your birthright. Your body holds every tool needed to produce a clear, beautiful tone. It's time to reverse the notion that good singers are reserved for a fortunate few.

You too can learn to play the piano as an adult. Your experiences of life will help and you will persevere with practicing more easily than a child can.

Learn everything you need to know about getting started on guitar in this comprehensive guide. Get help choosing your first guitar, advice on lessons and more!

This article is aimed at self-learning guitarists wondering whether to learn standard music notation or guitar tablature or both, or even neither. A look at the pros and cons of each system.

Do you know that feeling when you know you should be practicing, but you feel like you just can't? Or you think all your efforts aren't making a difference? Read on for some helpful tips and advice.

Is there an easy way to remember the order of sharps and flats in music? There is. Read more to find out exactly how to do it.

Improve your guitar practice routine with these eight tips on playing guitar with small hands. Includes alternative guitar technique ideas and original video examples.

I Still Got The Blues For You by Gary Moore guitar lesson. Chords, tab, video. High quality, accurate transcriptions, theory explanations, and video lessons.

You’re never too old to learn to play guitar! Here are 10 reasons why your 30s, 40s, 50s and beyond are the perfect time to pick up the instrument.

Have you ever wanted to learn guitar but weren't sure where to start? From choosing a guitar to playing your first songs, this guide will walk you through the first steps and more.

Singing releases endorphins, feel-good chemicals, into your brain. This process works immediately bringing about positive psychological effects. Even if you think you can't carry a tune - sing!

There is a specific system that has proven effective in working as a musician or playing covers in any band. Master these fundamentals and you'll be able to succeed in every gigging situation.