Learning to identify major and minor keys is an essential…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/identify-major-and-minor-keys-two-shortcuts/
Learning to identify major and minor keys is an essential skill for musicians. Once you know the key of a song you’re free to play it by ear or improvise over it.

Keys come in two “flavors”, major and minor and so it’s valuable to learn to identify major and minor keys by ear.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/identify-major-and-minor-keys-two-shortcuts/

The backbone behind countless unforgettable songs is a si…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introduction-to-chord-progressions/
The backbone behind countless unforgettable songs is a simple chord progression. Understanding chord progressions is the key to understanding your favourite songs, and writing your own tunes.

Ready to dive in? Let’s get started!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introduction-to-chord-progressions/

There are a number of options for a guitarist to play a c…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/broken-chords-and-arpeggios/
There are a number of options for a guitarist to play a chord that can have a significant impact on how the listener is affected by the song.

Learn some fun ways to play chords in this free lesson.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/broken-chords-and-arpeggios/

Playing music by ear can seem mysterious. If you want to …

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/6-simple-steps-play-by-ear-solfa/
Playing music by ear can seem mysterious. If you want to learn, wouldn’t it be great if there was actually a clear and logical process to it, rather than seeming like a magic trick?

The good news: there is!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/6-simple-steps-play-by-ear-solfa/

Previously we began to look into the Lydian scale, constr…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/the-lydian-scale-part-2-lydian-meets-major/
Previously we began to look into the Lydian scale, constructed from the natural tonal gravity of the circle of fifths.

George Russell—the originator of the Lydian Chromatic Concept—places the Lydian scale as “Sun Absolute” in the center of the musical universe. What are the implications for music theory and for the venerable major scale?

Let’s compare the Lydian and major scales and we’ll find they answer these questions for themselves.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/the-lydian-scale-part-2-lydian-meets-major/

When musicians ask themselves “why learn intervals?” ofte…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-do-you-use-intervals-to-recognise-notes-by-ear/
When musicians ask themselves “why learn intervals?” often the answer is “to recognise notes by ear”.

Intervals can be seen as the “building blocks” with which melodies and harmonies are created, and so interval ear training helps you to pick apart these elements of music by ear and recognise the notes present. However, where many music students get stuck is that even when you learn to recognise intervals, it is not immediately obvious how to use that new skill to recognise notes in music you hear.

There are three ways you can apply the knowledge of intervals to recognise notes by ear:

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-do-you-use-intervals-to-recognise-notes-by-ear/

Ready to begin learning to sing? While you may feel some …

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learning-to-sing-the-first-lesson/
Ready to begin learning to sing? While you may feel some fear going into your first lesson, understand that you are not alone!

Hear more from one singing student: https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learning-to-sing-the-first-lesson/

When it comes to learning any musical instrument, we’re v…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-play-ukulele-by-ear/
When it comes to learning any musical instrument, we’re very quick to bypass training the one thing that can help us better than anything else: our ears. Ukulelegoo joins Musical U to discuss play the ukulele, and any other instrument, by ear!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-play-ukulele-by-ear/

Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut in music? L…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/dont-die-music-still-inside-unstagnate/
Have you ever felt like you’re stuck in a rut in music? Like the progress and momentum you once had have now stalled? Have you worried that maybe you just don’t have what it takes to reach the levels of musicality you’ve dreamed of?

Our founder Christopher Sutton was invited to the Unstagnate podcast to share how he helps members at Musical U to break free of their ruts in music learning and discover practical ways to unleash the untapped potential that lies within them.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/dont-die-music-still-inside-unstagnate/

Genres come and go, pushed into oblivion by new trends in…

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/ska-music/
Genres come and go, pushed into oblivion by new trends in music. Yet few styles have stood the test of time as well as ska music.

Read on to learn about the three waves of ska music, the instrumentation and rhythms that make it unique, how it compares to reggae, and of course, the identity of this mysterious “Rudy” character mentioned in an overwhelming number of ska songs.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/ska-music/