Fake Books, Improvisation, and Piano Playing

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

It is nice when you are able to set the formal music practising aside and play any music that you like.  However, it may be difficult to find the sheet music for every song you enjoy.  There are two ways to overcome this predicament, and they are related in a way.  One is to use a Fake Book, and the other is to learn improvisation techniques. 

You can get Fake Books at music stores or by ordering them online.  Another version of the same idea is when you stumble upon a simplified song notation.  A Fake Book, or the like, has only two things to guide you. First, you will get a melody line in the treble clef.  Although this seems overly basic, it at least shows the song in a very simplified version. 

Along with the melody line, you will also be presented with a letter above the staff.  Having a letter above the staff shows which chord to play within the bass clef, and (if you have the skill) to add to the treble clef.  There will be a letter above the staff each time the chord changes. 

if you have thoroughly learnt the chords, you put yourself in good enough steed to easily use a Fake Book.  You can use the straight chords or invert them.  You can play them as running chords where you play each note separately in succession.  You can come up with any rhythm you choose for the bass clef. 

The Fake Book may require that you put your creative skills to work.  It’s up to you and your knowledge of the song to figure out which notes have been left out.  In that regard you are in charge of inventing the music.  You can usually find Fake Books that are fairly current, with music you have heard recently on the radio. 

Yet, if you want to really come up with your own original song or instrumental piece, you can do it better by learning to improvise.  You can learn very complex theory about improvisation, but you can begin with the information you already have.  Your main skill set should be the mastery of chords and scales. 

Perhaps to make things easier to begin with, choose a C scale, for the main reason that it uses white keys only.  Now all you have to do is choose the chords  within the scale.  If you have chosen the C major scale, the  use of the G major and F major chords are the best combination.  The benefit of using these is the lack of sharps or flats. 

Create your own chord progression.  It can be C-F-G-C.  Practice playing these chords with your left hand.  The base chords are usually played below middle C, but that is not a rule, by any means.  They can be played wherever seems right to you.  They can be played inverted, or as simple triads.  In any sequence that flows right.  Then keep practicing until it becomes second nature. 

After you’ve become comfortable with the progression of the chords, next step is the creation of the melody.  Take one note at a  time, and play these with your right hand, eventually forming a melody line.  At first it may sound a little rough, but persistence is key here — keep on practicing, and eventually a nice melody line will be created. 

Also, try improvising with a melody you’re already fond of.  For example, if you wanted to play Jingle Bells, but you do not have the music at hand.  The melody can be easily picked out.  Then, you can choose chords to go with the melody based on the key, or scale, the melody is in.  So as you can see, even though you may not have the sheet music, there are ways you can still play the music without.

Learning to play the piano is easy, even for a beginner. One possible starting point is the no-obligation course at Learning To Play Piano Today. Check them out today, and enjoy your new found skill.

Learn to Play Guitar with Subliminal Messaging Mind Reprograming

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

This article will discuss if subliminal learning is really possible - especially if it is possible to learn a musical instrument in this fashion. Is it really possible to learn how to play guitar with subliminal messages, and how exactly does it work to enhance your guitar playing ability.

The first thing you must consider is that  any learn guitar CD acts simply as a learning aid, which means that while it will not instantly or overnight teach you to play the guiter - you must still practice on your own or take lessons - this is essential. A subliminal CD will simply enhance the rate at which you can learn, and make it easier for you to process the musical information.

There are 2 types of approaches where subliminal learning is concerned t:

  1. Where information about the subject is included subliminally i.e. in this case it would be musical information such as chords / note structure. Just like language learning where common words and phrases will be spoken in the foriegn tongue. The idea is to reinforce your memory and aid your learning.
  2. Where the subject specific information isn't included, but the subliminals improve your ability to learn. To make you focus on your practice, increase your motivation, and absorb musical based information easier.

The albums featured today from Real Subliminal do not contain the subject information as described in the first type of albums.e. they follow the second approach. The reason is because although results with the first technique can be brilliant this way can be quite inconsistent. It depends upon the existing skill of the player in the first place, and many people just don’t they don’t receive the benefit.

With Real Subliminal albums the effects are still gradual still they admit not everyone will experience the amazing / instant results they want. The effect is still gradual. But this technique has a higher success rate and although they won’t teach you to play the guitar overnight they will enhance your ability to learn and advance. It doesn't matter what level of playing you are at, you will get benefit from the album.

Real subliminal is one of the largest and most professional source of subliminal cds and mp3s online view their learn how to play guitar subliminal cd here.

Guitar Online Lessons – Learn To Play The Guitar Online

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

Learning guitar can be very rewarding and is quite easy to understand. Most beginners will find themselves strumming familiar tunes in no time at all, if they are dedicated and passionate about it.

Guitar is also one of the most convenient musical instruments. It can be carried anywhere and played even without amplifier or electricity. Most students of guitar lessons will experience a burning sensation in their fingers and it can be painful.

This is quite normal. But with time, and when the fingers have developed calluses, the pain goes away and you can play the guitar in ease.

There are many online guitar lessons over the internet and most students will find it easy to use and understand. Examples are Ben Edwards´s Jamorama guitar courses that provides videos and software to help you learn to play the guitar faster.

Basics are well covered and most sites even include instructional video that students can follow at their own pace by simply playing and replaying segments at their convenience.

Advanced guitar online lessons are also available and again, most would include instructional video. Some are paid sites, while others are free. Most free sites are sponsored by guitar enthusiasts who want to share their love and passion of guitar playing.

Others may offer an e-book format guide in guitar playing, but these are commonly sold for quite cheap prices. The best would be to try free guitar online lessons first, and if you feel that you need more then sign up for paid online lessons or attend classes near your area.

However, most beginners attest that online lessons are very helpful and that they have learned playing simple tunes using these services.

If you are looking for the best online guitar learning course, i highly recommend Ben Edwards Jamorama. Check out my in depth Jamorama review and learn how it can help you learn guitar fast.

7 Tips for Effective Musical Practice

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

The quantity of your practice is not as important as the quality. “Practice makes perfect” is true only if the practice time itself is perfect. Here are 7 tips to help make your practice more effective and efficient.

Practice motions slowly

The muscular memory of our bodies allows us to physically carry out patterns of motion with little or no conscious involvement. Examples of muscular memory include walking, riding a bicycle, typing, and of course playing a musical instrument.

In order to develop this memory, the muscles require training in the form of repeated conscious guidance from the mind. First the mind must learn the pattern. Muscles must learn this pattern from your mind.

The mind initially must control all the motions of the muscles. The more controlled and precise the motions, the more quickly the muscles will develop muscle memory.

Slow practice also allows the mind to teach “antagonistic muscles” to relax. Antagonistic muscles are those that move in opposite directions. By relaxing antagonistic muscles you can reduce tension and facilitate faster and easier performance and avoid potential injury.

Practice in small cells

A “practice cell” is simply a finite series of motions. Musical cells can correspond to anything from a few notes to an entire work. The important thing is to practice small cells of a few notes at a time. Practicing small cells limits the amount of information the muscles have to learn at one time. This will also help with the mind’s concentration and focus.

Link the end of one cell to the beginning of the next

To help the muscles develop a sense of continuum throughout the piece of music, the last motion in a cell should be the first motion of the following cell.

Practice each cell in bursts

Once the muscles have learned a pattern, they will be capable of executing it without conscious control. Initiate the pattern through a conscious command and allow the muscles to execute it in a burst.

Don’t practice mistakes

For every repetition required to learn a pattern of motion, it takes 7 times the number of repetitions to change the pattern. If in the course of your practice you make an error, stop. Review in your mind the pattern. And further reduce the speed of your motions.

Pause between repetitions

When dealing with repetitive activities, the mind is better able to focus when the repetitions are broken up by short pauses. Pause for 30 seconds and regain focus after two or three repetitions.

Take frequent breaks and don’t “over-practice”

B.F. Skinner and other experts have found that the mind’s ability to learn drops significantly after prolonged intense concentration. Research shows that studying too long (i.e. more than four hours) can deplete chemicals in the brain necessary for learning. Therefore, it is best to take frequent breaks (a 5 minute break about every 20-25 minutes) and practice no more than 4 hours consecutively.

By applying these techniques, you can dramatically improve the quality of your practice. You’ll be able to use your time more efficiently and increase the effectiveness of your practice.

Review of Jamorama

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

Anyone who has been looking online for information about learning the guitar, will almost certainly have seen the many downloadable guitar courses available. You’ll find lots of these courses on the internet, but some of them are a total waste of time. One of the good ones – in fact, one of the best ones – is called Jamorama. In this review, you’ll find out just how good Jamorama really is, so you can decide if it’s worth buying.

To see how jamorama compares to other guitar courses, visit Best Learn Guitar Products

Firstly, let’s have a look at what Jamorama is, and what you get in the deal. Jamorama is a complete guitar course aimed primarily at beginners. It combines video and audio with written instructions, to make learning to play the guitar both fun and easy. The main bulk of the course is contained within 2 volumes of written lessons, spanning over 250 pages and covering 44 chapters. In these lessons you’ll be taught different chords, and how to combine these into chord sequences. You’ll also be taught how to strum the guitar properly on order to produce different rhythmic effects, which will enable you to play a large number of songs on the guitar in a very short space of time. You also get 148 videos to accompany the lessons in the ebooks, letting you see whether you are playing things correctly or not.

Not only do you get written lessons and video, but also over 20 audio backing tracks for you to play along with, so you can hone your new skills ain a real musical context. By playing along to these jam tracks, you’ll be able to feel what it’s like playing in a band, and you’ll really improve as a guitarist because of it. Not only do you get the lessons, but also some really cool software for learning music notation and ear training. Both of these are invaluable skills, and once you’ve mastered them, you’ll be able to play any piece of music just by hearing it once.

Using Jamorama couldn’t be easier. There is a central piece of software from which you can access all of the lessons. Fist of all you have to choose if you want to use the beginners or the advanced book. Next, simply select one of the lessons, and you’ll be taken right to it. As you work through each lesson, simply click on the video or audio icon to open the corresponding file.

So that covers what‘s included, and how to use it, but will Jamorama actually make you a good guitarist? In a word, absolutely. I believe it will make you into a great guitarist. The way Jamorama teaches guitar is certainly very effective, and the inclusion of video and audio make it even easier to learn. I have no doubt what so ever that, provided you follow the course correctly you will develop into a very good guitar player. Jamorama is not only a very effective method of learning the guitar, but it is also thoroughly enjoyable, thanks to the jam tracks, and the bonus software.

To conclude, then, Jamorama is certainly one of the best ways to go about learning to play the guitar, and I recommend it highly. For what it costs, it’s more than worth it, so if you want to learn guitar the easy way, you really ought to take a look at Jamorama.

For a more in depth look at the Jamorama guitar course, please take a look at Jamorama

Or

Visit my blog at Jamorama

 

Ways To Learn Piano

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

Would you like to learn how to play the piano? If so, this article was written for you. Specifically, we are going to talk about how to teach yourself to play piano, whether you need a professional teacher, and how to use the Internet to teach yourself without needing any outside help. We will also tell you why rocket piano is one of the best courses available.

By the time you finish reading this article, you should have good idea of the next step you need to take when it comes to learning how to play piano.

A popular way to learn any instrument is to teach yourself. This is easily done by purchasing books (specifically ones which teach you with step-by-step lessons), videos and DVDs by professional piano teachers (a great way to learn specific styles such as jazz, blues, or gospel). Or, if you’re particularly ambitious and skilled you can attempt to learn piano by ear.

If this option is not the one for you, then another option is to take lessons with a professional piano teacher. This is the most recommended learning method, and it’s also very expensive. The quality of instruction can vary from teacher to teacher, but the main benefit is that you receive instant feedback and correction whenever you make mistakes, which ultimately means you learn to play piano quicker.

If you don’t have the money to pay for a profession teacher, the next best option is to use the Internet. The first thing you can do is use free websites which offer audio and video lessons. The benefits to this is that it is free, but you also receive quite a good lesson because you can see exactly what to do. The biggest drawback is that your lessons aren’t going to follow a well structured learning path, which can make it harder to reach the more advanced skill levels.

One of the best ways to learn piano online is with the rocket piano course. This is a comprehensive piano learning course which is suitable for beginners and advanced players alike.

In conclusion, I have shown you three effective ways of learning to play the piano. These ways were to teach yourself with videos and DVDs, hiring professional teacher, or using the Internet. We also gave you a quick rocket piano review.  Now you’ve read this article you should have an idea of which option is right for you when it comes to learn how to play piano.

Why I Gave My Guitar Teacher the Sack and Traded Him In For Online Guitar Lessons

Author: artmaraut13  //  Category: Entertainment

When learning the guitar, the best approach is definitely an active method.  You must constantly stretch and push yourself forward in your training or you will grow stale, playing the same tunes over and over, and your talent won’t really improve.  You have to drive yourself to constantly learn new songs, chords, and techniques.  

There are lots of different means to getting this kind of training – online guitar lessons, books, videos, and private guitar lessons.  Private lessons has traditionally been the go-to method, but recently online guitar lessons have been giving guitar teachers a run for their money.

There are many benefits to having one-on-one instruction with a live guitar teacher.  You get a kind of hands-on training that can never really be replaced by guitar lessons online – a teacher can actually position your hands correctly, demonstrate the techniques for you up close, and give you real time feedback while you’re playing.  A guitar teacher can adapt their lessons in real-time to handle your most pressing issues and force the student to do the exercises that they might not want to do.  Last, but not least, a live, private lesson gives a student the emotional support they need to handle learning such a challenging instrument as the guitar.  Often, all that is necessary is the student see someone playing at  a higher level to inspire them to continue on.  

With all of these advantages, its easy to see why one-on-one instruction has been the old stand-by for learning the guitar for so long.  But as technology increases, internet learning gets wider, and as the prevalence of online video spreads wider and wider – online lessons for guitar are becoming more and more popular.

Guitar lessons online have many benefits over one-on-one training.  First, there is the breadth of learning.  A good online guitar course, such as Guitar Alliance, will have over 1,000 different lessons, covering every aspect of learning the guitar: chord charts, contemporary tablature, techniques, etc.  It would be virtually impossible for a private teacher to cover such a wide breadth of material, even over years and years of lessons.  A private teacher is very good at providing a deep understanding of a few techniques, but can’t compete when it comes to extent of techniques of guitar lessons online.

The other way online guitar lessons are superior to a guitar teacher are in convenience.  One-on-one guitar training are structured around the teacher’s schedule, not the pupil’s.  If the student can’t practice because of their schedule or their life gets busy, they’ve just wasted money on another lesson because their teacher is not able to roll with their lifestyle.  A good online course for guitar, on the other hand, is always available for lessons 24/7, whenever the student needs it.

But really the key way that online lessons for guitar are superior to private instruction is price.  A good guitar teacher will cost at least $50 for a thirty minute lesson. That comes to $2600 a year.  A good online guitar course (for example a course like Guitar Alliance Online Guitar Lessons) costs only $30 year.  With all the money you save, you could buy a new guitar EVERY YEAR.  This is the true driving reason why more and more people are learning the guitar online – especially in this economy.

In the end, learning the guitar online is changing into a more prevalent choice.  The scope of instruction that it affords is so much wider than one guitar teacher could ever offer.  Its so much more convenient, being available whenever you want to learn and not only when your teacher is available.  But most of all, the cost: $30 a year versus (the price of a yearly subscription to Guitar Alliance Guitar Lessons) $2600 is a big difference to consider.

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