Applying music theory isn’t just for instrumentalists – singers who want to harmonize can benefit greatly from understanding theory to construct meaningful, beautiful harmonic lines. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/iv-v-vi-chord-progressions-harmonizing-resource-pack-preview/
Ever wonder how some singers seem to come up with cool vocal harmonies on the spot? It’s not magic – there is a science to it that you can learn. In Harmonizing, Part 2, Singing Pro Clare Wheeler continues to expand on the parallel method of creating vocal harmonies:
Including:
– Recap of Harmonizing, Part 1 – using scale degrees to create one parallel harmony.
– Working with a new song in three-part harmony.
– When, why, and how to easily adjust when the parallel method isn’t working.
– Full scores for the exercises.
– MP3 demonstration and background tracks to help you in your practice.
– Beautiful vocal harmonies add such richness to the music!
Understanding how to come up with them yourself will also add to your appreciation of the harmonies you are already singing, and those that you hear in the music you love.
Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Clare Wheeler: https://www.facebook.com/clarewheelermusic/
→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/
Have you ever had negative thoughts about yourself and your musical growth while practicing or performing? Lisa McCormick discusses the concept of the “self” in music, the importance of nurturing a positive and constructive mindset for learning, and the need for a holistic approach to practicing that encourages constant dialogue between mind, body, and music. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-your-self/
Links and Resources
Lisa McCormick’s website – http://lisamccormick.com/
Note2Self: “I Love This!”, with Lisa McCormick – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/note2self-i-love-this-with-lisa-mccormick/
If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Get acquainted with the two meanings of the word “clave”, hear the instrument in action, and learn how to count out the ubiquitous rhythm that borrows its name from the instrument. http://musicalitypodcast.com/133
Links and Resources
Clave: The Secret Key to Pop Rhythm – https://www.musical-u.com/learn/clave-the-secret-key-to-pop-rhythm/
Why is son clave so awesome? by Ethan Hein – http://www.ethanhein.com/wp/2013/why-is-son-clave-so-awesome/
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
What can performance psychology teach us about becoming a better musician? http://musicalitypodcast.com/132
Today we have the distinct pleasure of talking with Noa Kageyama, whose website and podcast The Bulletproof Musician is known as the leading source for the most up-to-date research-based insights and strategies for practice and performance in music. He tackles topics like deliberate practice, accelerated learning, stage fright, and recovering from mistakes, and does so not only as a musician himself but as an expert in the fields of music and performance psychology.
Noa started in music as a toddler and went on to study at Juilliard – but as you’ll learn in this conversation, that seemingly straight-line path to professional musician success suddenly paused at that point and took a fascinating new direction which led to Noa’s success today as a respected expert in the psychology of performance in music.
In this conversation we talk about:
– The connection between “practice mode” and “performance mode”.
– What you should be thinking about during a performance.
– The third area alongside practice and performing where Noa gained new insights that transformed his enjoyment of his musical life.
The team here at Musical U, we are all massive fans of The Bulletproof Musician and we’re often resharing Noa’s articles and episodes, so we’ve been really looking forward to having him join us here on the podcast and it lived up to all expectations.
There are a ton of potential mindset breakthroughs waiting for you in this episode – enjoy! And don’t forget we love to hear from you at musicalitypodcast.com/hello any time you particularly enjoy an episode or have thoughts to share. So do let me know what you thought of this one, at muscialitypodcast.com/hello
Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/132
Links and Resources
The Bulletproof Musician – https://bulletproofmusician.com/
TED Talk: How I climbed a 3,000-foot vertical cliff – without ropes, by Alex Honnold – https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_honnold_how_i_climbed_a_3_000_foot_vertical_cliff_without_ropes?language=en/
TED Talk: The transformative power of classical music, with Benjamin Zander – https://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion?language=en/
Full interview with Shawn Johnson on Freakonomics – http://freakonomics.com/podcast/shawn-johnson/
This is Your Brain on Music, by Daniel Levitin – https://www.amazon.ca/This-Your-Brain-Music-Obsession/dp/0452288525/
Interview with Mark Kosower, principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra – https://bulletproofmusician.com/mark-kosower-on-his-approach-to-learning-music-slow-practice-and-the-particular-kind-of-focus-thats-associated-with-his-best-performances/
Musical U’s own Adam Liette talks about his long and winding musical journey – from his conservatory years, to serving his country through music in the Army band, to his work at Musical U – and the realizations he’s made along the way about playing professionally vs. playing for the sake of joy and fulfillment. http://musicalitypodcast.com/131
Links and Resources
About the Message in the Music : http://musl.ink/pod113
What is Musicality? https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-is-musicality/
Get extra bonuses and behind-the-scenes exclusives with Podcast Insiders. http://musicalitypodcast.com/insiders
If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Today we have the pleasure of talking with Josh Wright, a highly successful pianist whose first solo album topped the Billboard “classical” chart. He’s played with a number of symphony orchestras, won prizes in international piano competitions, and studied with some of the world’s greatest piano teachers. He shares the insights and strategies he’s learned along the way through his highly popular YouTube channel “Josh Wright Piano TV”. http://musicalitypodcast.com/130
We had been really impressed by the practice and performance tips Josh shares in particular and so we were excited to have him as a guest on the show to dive into these topics as well as his own musical journey.
In this conversation we talk about:
– How to make technique exercises more interesting and a more valuable use of your practice time
– The clever performance strategy that involved him making snowballs before sitting down at the keyboard
– The three “levers” you can play around with to transform a robotic performance into a truly musical one
– The reason he will still travel long distances to go visit his childhood piano teacher when preparing new repertoire.
This was a seriously value-packed conversation, Josh has tons of practical tips and mindset-shifting insights which he shares freely so we know you’ll be taking away some impactful ideas from this episode for your own practicing and performing.
One quick note – we failed to sound check the piano before we began the interview and so there are a few spots where Josh demonstrates something and you’ll hear the sound get a bit crunchy. We apologise for that, but we think the points he’s making still come across fine.
We hope you’ll enjoy this episode!
Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/130
Links and Resources
Josh Wright Piano : http://www.joshwrightpiano.com/
Josh Wright’s courses on Teachable.com – 20% off with coupon code PODCAST : https://joshwrightpiano.teachable.com/
How to Learn A New Piano Piece Quickly and Efficiently : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-en1Bi7kwY/
How to Memorize Music Quickly and Effectively : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXgl8cGgO-Q/
Efficient Practice Piano Lesson : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th5ljgUP9lg/
A Quick Fix For Weak Spots In Your Playing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPDuhdj0jtc/
5 Tips To Get Rid of Nerves and Stage Fright When Performing : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWQ89MsE1ww/
Overcoming Performance Anxiety and Stage Fright : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XL7sWTPNYY/
Mastering Rubato: How To Sound Like a Pro : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_fLcwKtgBg/
Tone Quality – Create a More Beautiful Sound At The Piano : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KQllqbb9Iw/
The Piano Mastery Checklist : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvY_zRiZAX4/
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle : https://www.amazon.ca/Power-Now-Guide-Spiritual-Enlightenment/dp/1577314808/
What is Musicality? https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-is-musicality/
Get extra bonuses and behind-the-scenes exclusives with Podcast Insiders. http://musicalitypodcast.com/insiders
If you enjoy the show please rate and review it! http://musicalitypodcast.com/review
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
We doubt there’s a musician alive who hasn’t felt overwhelmed at some point in their musical journey, like everything was just way too difficult and complex. In this episode, we share the three biggest causes of musical overwhelm, and how to combat them. http://musicalitypodcast.com/129
Links and Resources
Handout on the MAGIC Framework for goal-setting : https://mucdn.musical-u.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/How-to-Crush-Complexity-Part-1-Handout.pdf
About Choosing an Online Music Course : https://www.musical-u.com/learn/about-choosing-an-online-music-course/
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Tension and release are everywhere. It’s in how our bodies move, how we breathe, how we swallow our food. These two aspects provide the forward impetus that keeps music moving forward on the “canvas of time” https://www.musical-u.com/learn/harmonic-tension-and-release-resource-pack-preview/
When we are creating our own music through improvisation, understanding tension and release brings our music to life. Otherwise, our solos may sound bland.
While tension and release can be found in many aspects of music, one of its richest manifestations is in the area of harmony, and how our melodies intersect with the harmonic environment set up by chords and chord progressions.
Often, when beginning improvisers first learn to play over chords, they practice hitting the chord tones in their melodies. That can produce a “safe” improv, where everything blends and works well. But without some tension and release, there’s a risk of the music sounding static, bland, and boring.
This tension and release can be produced with chord tones through rhythm, dynamics, and other musical dimensions. But even more magic happens when you step out of the box and explore pitches beyond the chords – or, as Resident Guitar Pro Dylan Welsh shows us, even beyond the scale!
Yes, it’s a risk, but a risk worth taking. And the more you explore beyond the chord tones, the more you’ll find that all the “other” notes have varying degrees of tension that provide new and wondrous shades of harmonic coloration to your musical expression.
In this month’s Instrument Packs, Musical U’s Guitar, Bass, and Piano Pros open your eyes and ears to the possibilities of harmonic tension and release through fun and challenging improvisation exercises.
Today on the show we’re joined by one of our favourite people in the world of online music education, and maybe just one of our favourite people in general, and that’s Tim Topham, who heads up TimTopham.com, the home of creative piano teaching online. http://musicalitypodcast.com/128
Tim’s really a thought-leader among piano teachers when it comes to making piano lessons fun and creative, getting off book and away from the dry rote learning and note reading, and into a world where the student is actually empowered to feel confident and creative on the keyboard.
We’ve long been fans of Tim’s work, and we’ve actually interviewed him a couple of times for our website in the past – so we decided it was long overdue to have him on the podcast and he kindly agreed.
Hearing him talk, it’s probably not surprising he’s as well known and well respected as he is in the world of piano teaching – but what maybe is surprising is the route he took to get there…
In this conversation you’ll hear about:
– Why it may have been a good thing that Tim took a ten year hiatus from focusing on piano, and the impact that had on how he teaches
– The value of getting “off the page” – and the part of this which is often glossed over but actually essential
– The relationship between creative exercises in composing and improvisation on your instrument and “ear training” exercises for developing your musical ear
This episode will obviously be of particular interest to any piano teachers, or indeed piano students out there, but as always the topics and ideas we discuss can be useful to any music learner wanting to develop their musicality. And Tim shares some really cool ideas and specific suggestions, so we know you’ll get a lot out of this one.
Listen to the episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/128
Links and Resources
The Power of 4-Chord Composing : https://timtopham.com/online-teaching-course-the-power-of-4-chord-composing/
Annual professional membership to InnerCircle – discount code is: MUSICALUPOD : https://members.timtopham.com/join/inner-circle/
Ultimate Guide to the Circle of Fifths : https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-use-circle-fifths/
Join Musical U with the Special offer for podcast listeners http://musicalitypodcast.com/join
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
Tension and release are everywhere. It’s in how our bodies move, how we breathe, how we swallow our food. These two aspects provide the forward impetus that keeps music moving forward on the “canvas of time” https://www.musical-u.com/learn/harmonic-tension-and-release-resource-pack-preview/
When we are creating our own music through improvisation, understanding tension and release brings our music to life. Otherwise, our solos may sound bland.
While tension and release can be found in many aspects of music, one of its richest manifestations is in the area of harmony, and how our melodies intersect with the harmonic environment set up by chords and chord progressions.
Often, when beginning improvisers first learn to play over chords, they practice hitting the chord tones in their melodies. That can produce a “safe” improv, where everything blends and works well. But without some tension and release, there’s a risk of the music sounding static, bland, and boring.
This tension and release can be produced with chord tones through rhythm, dynamics, and other musical dimensions. But even more magic happens when you step out of the box and explore pitches beyond the chords – or, as Resident Guitar Pro Dylan Welsh shows us, even beyond the scale!
Yes, it’s a risk, but a risk worth taking. And the more you explore beyond the chord tones, the more you’ll find that all the “other” notes have varying degrees of tension that provide new and wondrous shades of harmonic coloration to your musical expression.
In this month’s Instrument Packs, Musical U’s Guitar, Bass, and Piano Pros open your eyes and ears to the possibilities of harmonic tension and release through fun and challenging improvisation exercises.