Here are 5 useful tips to get your sight reading skills up to speed.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/improve-sight-reading/
Being a great musician takes a lot of hard work – no matter what instrument you play. It means focusing on technique and figuring out ways to be more expressive in your musicality.
For many instrumentalists and singers, great musicianship also means being able to effortlessly sight read music. Your skills won’t evolve as quickly if your sight reading ability is weak.
Here are 5 useful tips to get your sight reading skills up to speed.
We know that sometimes it’s hard to stay motivated to practice again and again, so we’re excited to share three strategies that can help enliven your practice regimen and get you back into the daily habit. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/three-ways-to-boost-your-daily-music-motivation/
You know what today is, right? It’s practice day! As a matter of fact, yesterday was practice day, and tomorrow will be, too. Day, after day, after day.
Are you ready to begin your daily practice habit? What will help you motivate yourself to stick with it? You may find that you use different motivational strategies at different times, or all at the same time.
Whether you track your streaks on a calendar, create a sprint goal, or find an accountability partner to help you, we hope you get some practice time in today.
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself where chords come from?
http://musicalitypodcast.com/27
Though you may think of scales and chords as two separate entities, they are very closely intertwined! In fact, chords are very easy to construct if you already have a scale in mind. In this episode of The Musicality Podcast, we discuss how to go from scales to chords with one simple trick, and the practical applications of this skill in playing by ear, songwriting, and improvisation.
In our recent interview with Scott Sharp of Fretboard-Toolbox.com he explained that understanding how chords are constructed and in particular their relationship to the scale of the key was what let him finally break into improvising and playing by ear – and has been the basis of his popular “Fretboard Toolbox” books for guitar, piano and other instruments.
So today I wanted to talk about the connection between chords and scales. How you can start from a scale and “find” the various chords hidden in there. And, most importantly, why you might want to do this – aside from just intellectual curiosity about music theory!
http://musicalitypodcast.com/27
Links and Resources:
– The Musicality Podcast: Scott Sharp interview episode: http://musicalitypodcast.com/26
Hi, this is Christopher Sutton, the Founder and Director of Musical U, and thanks for joining me for this look inside what’s new at Musical U this month. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/whats-new-musical-u-november-2017/
We had a lot going on this month at Musical U!
Lots of improvements and lots of new stuff for our members to sink their teeth into.
1. We had our new instrument resource packs on The Power of Dynamics, for guitar, bass, piano, and singing.
2. We updated our 3-Chord Songs and the 4-Chord Trick module to be richer, fuller, and all accessible on the web instead of an ebook.
3. We added a whole new module on Improvising Melody.
4. And we improved the way you can look at your existing training plans, and get a quick sense of where you’re at with that plan and what to do next.
Today we’re talking with Scott Sharp, the creator of Fretboard Toolbox – an innovative way to explain the notes and chords in each key for guitar, bass, piano, banjo and more. http://musicalitypodcast.com/26
Interestingly, Scott started learning music later than you might expect and really didn’t consider himself all that musical. But an impactful experience in his day job as a high school biology teacher unlocked music theory in a way that let him start improvising, playing by ear, and being creative and confident in music.
He built on that insight to create his “fretboard toolboxes” for a range of instruments, and provides them online at fretboard-toolbox.com.
He’s also just released a very cool “Theory By Hand” eBook that makes it easy for you to figure out the scales and chords in any key.
In this conversation we talk about:
– The big theory insight that let him start playing by ear and improvising and led him to create a whole new way to show how music theory works
– Why learning to play a whole bunch of instruments isn’t nearly as hard as you might imagine
– And the advice Scott would have for anyone who fears they’re “unmusical”
Scott’s Fretboard Toolboxes are an amazing resource for any musician looking to explore the more creative side of music-making and give themselves a shortcut to sounding good and understanding what they’re doing with the notes they choose to play. Please enjoy this conversation and come away inspired to explore this approach to theory yourself!
Mindfulness can transform your effectiveness and enjoyment as a musician because it’s so often our automatic thoughts which slow us down, hold us back and trip us up. http://musicalitypodcast.com/25
Mindfulness isn’t just for buddhist monks; for musicians, mindset is just as important as your chops. Stewing on your mistakes and thinking pessimistically about your progress aren’t just bad for your brain – they can have a real hindrance on your actual progress.
In this episode, we discuss how mindfulness can help you ignore that negative little voice and focus on your playing.
http://musicalitypodcast.com/25
Links and Resources
Interview with Lisa McCormick: http://musicalitypodcast.com/24
Meditation for Beginners, by Jack Kornfield: https://jackkornfield.com/meditation-beginners/
The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle: https://www.eckharttolle.com/books/now/
The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer: http://untetheredsoul.com/untethered-soul
Calm.com – to aid your meditation and relaxation: https://www.calm.com/
The Headspace app, with guided meditations to get you started: https://www.headspace.com/
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
There’s no other musical genre quite like the blues. Steeped in lyrical emotion and sultry melodies, it’s easy to understand why blues music has had such a deep and lasting impact on the music of the United States, the UK, and beyond. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/blues-music/
Its name notwithstanding, blues music can invoke a range of emotions: joy, anguish, triumph, or plain old sadness. As Nina Simone demonstrated, the blues can feel really, really good.
Blues music instrumentation is as varied as its lyrical content, its influence is more widespread than you would believe, and best of all, the genre lives on in contemporary music styles that top the charts today!
So, let’s dive in. By the end of this article, you’ll know what blues music is, how and when blues music developed, why the blues are still important in modern music, and how to play and write blues tunes of your own.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/blues-music/
Let us know what you think! Email: hello@musicalitypodcast.com
In simple terms, “dynamics” just means how loud or soft each note is. But don’t let that simple definition fool you. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Dynamics are one of the richest tools a musician has to bring expressiveness to their performance and add their own style to a piece of music.
In this month’s Instrument Packs we looked at this important but often-overlooked topic: the power of DYNAMICS!
Let’s take a peak! https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Steve Lawson:
In simple terms, “dynamics” just means how loud or soft each note is. But don’t let that simple definition fool you. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Dynamics are one of the richest tools a musician has to bring expressiveness to their performance and add their own style to a piece of music.
In this month’s Instrument Packs we looked at this important but often-overlooked topic: the power of DYNAMICS!
Let’s take a peak! https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Sara Campbell: https://sarasmusicstudio.com/
In simple terms, “dynamics” just means how loud or soft each note is. But don’t let that simple definition fool you. https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Dynamics are one of the richest tools a musician has to bring expressiveness to their performance and add their own style to a piece of music.
In this month’s Instrument Packs we looked at this important but often-overlooked topic: the power of DYNAMICS!
Let’s take a peak! https://www.musical-u.com/learn/power-dynamics-resource-pack-preview/
Learn more about Musical U Resident Pro Dylan Welsh:
https://www.dwelshmusic.com/
On Twitter:
@dwelshmusic
→ Learn more about Instrument Packs with Resident Pros
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introducing-musical-u-instrument-packs/