How to Build Cool Major Chords
What’s a major chord? It’s a fundamental harmony that’s at the core of Western music theory. Click to learn how to build major chords. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics
All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics
Introduction
Welcome to the All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics blog category page. For this category I’ve scoured social media to find the questions that people have been asking the most. It functions as a catch-all covering a wide range of music topics.
It might be a student practice tip one post, while it could be a music instructor teaching tip the next post. Or perhaps it will be a music theory or other general music topic.
Sometimes it’ll apply to typical leaners. Other times, it’ll be geared toward special needs students. However, the posts will usually be helpful for all students. In any case, these are the topics that you, the people, have been asking about.
Everything that doesn’t have a home in another blog category will land here. Thus, the “All-Purpose” part of the title. The “Tips and Topics” part hints at the practice tips, teaching tips, and other topics we’ll cover in this blog category. For example:
Practice and Playing Tips
Do you have a hard time playing with both hands? The All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics category has a post that deals with that.
Are you terrified of playing in front of an audience? I’ve got you covered.
Music Teacher Tips
Or does your student have small hands and needs to play pieces of music that have fast octaves and other wide stretches. It’ll be in The All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics category.
Do you have a student who plays by ear, but wants to learn how to read music? We’ll definitely deal with that.
Music Theory and Other Music Topics
Have you ever wondered why minor scales sound sad? I’ll discuss the theory and science behind why this happens.
Want to know what’s left to study after you’ve learned to sight read music? The All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics category will cover that too.
As you can see, we’ve got a lot of fun posts. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
The Cornerstone Post:
The Posts:
- How Does Your Brain Learn to Play the Piano with Two Hands?
- Ways Around the Difficulty of Playing the Piano Due to Short Fingers and Small Hands
- How to Overcome the Fear of Performing in Front of an Audience
- Why It’s So Hard for Someone with a Good Ear to Learn Sheet Music
- Why Do Minor Keys Sound Sad to Me?
- Do I Really Have to Learn Music Theory to Learn How to Play Piano?
- Why Do Pianists Occasionally Play Their Hands at Different Times as They Perform
- What Are the Small “>” Signs Above or Below the Notes?
- After They Can Sight-Read What’s Left for Musicians to Learn?
- Should I Learn to Play the Piano One Hand at a Time or Simultaneously?
- Tips for How to Stay Calm and Cool Before a Concert
- How Can Legato Notes Be Played Staccato?
- On the Electric Keyboard Can You Play Dynamics?
- Why Am I So Bad at Reading Sheet Music?
- Why Can I Play Piano Hands Together but not Separately?
- Do My Hands’ Sizes Affect Learning Performance on the Piano?
- What is a Parallel Mode and How Does it Work?
- What Purpose Do Accidentals Serve in Reading Sheet Music?
- Why Doesn’t My Hands-Separate Piano Practice Help with Hands-Together Playing?
- How Common are Mistakes While Practicing and Playing Guitar?
- Improvising vs Composing Music
- What Does it Mean for Me to Interpret a Piece of Music? Part 1
- What’s a Good Alternative to a Metronome for Practice Sessions?
- What Do People Mean by the Term Interpretation in Classical Music? Part 2
- Need Advice for Teaching a First Year High School Jazz Pianist?
- Why is Classical Music Interpreted Differently from Pop Music? Part 3
- Help Me! How Do I Improve My Touch on Piano? Part 4
- Tips for Playing a Different Dynamic in Each Hand on Piano
- I’m Having a Hard Time Keeping a Steady Beat
- How Long Do You Take to Memorize a Piece of Piano Music?
- What’s the Best Lesson You’ve Had with Your Music Teacher?
- How Do I Find the Key of a Song with Accidentals?
- What’s the Difference Between Practice and Play on an Instrument?
- How Do Musicians Find Enough Time to Practice Their Instruments?
- How Do I Make ANY Progress and Have Fun in Music Lessons Again
- Can I Learn to Play Piano with a Mini Key Keyboard?
- How Do I Avoid Tension in My Wrists When Playing Piano Arpeggios?
- Is the Suzuki Music Methodology Bad for Learning Piano?
- Stage Fear! How to Deal with Performance Anxiety
- How Do I Organize a Recital Concert?
- The G Major Scale (Including the G Major Chord Scale)
- Shatter the Perfectionism Chains in Music Lessons
- The C Major Scale (Including the C Major Chord Scale)
- 12 Easy Piano Songs (Including Twinkle Twinkle Little Star)
- What Is Your Definition of a Good Musician?
- Piano Major Scales (Basic Fingering Concepts)
- Reading Music (A Quick Guide to How to Read Music)
- Chord Progression (Including the 12 Bar Blues)
- How Can I Learn the Basics of Music Theory?
- BPM (Using the Metronome to Get the Music Beat)
- Making Sense of Why Treble and Bass Clef Are So Different
- What Should I Look for in a “Piano Teacher Near Me”?
- Song Structure, Musical Phrases, Musical Structures and Forms
- Exploring the Music Themes and Leitmotifs of Star Wars
- I’d Like to Know the Meaning of the Word Cadence [Video]
- Symphony Meaning: Definition, Videos, and a Quick Guide
- Why Did Beethoven Keep Composing After Suffering Deafness?
- What Is the Meaning of the Death Requiem? [Video]
- What Exactly Is a Chord and What Does the Term Harmony Mean?
- Explore Mozart’s Enchanting Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- What Exactly Do I Do with the Circle of Fifths?
- What’s the Secret of Practicing Arpeggios?
- Explore Handel’s Captivating Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- I’m Confused About What Precisely D.S. al Coda Means
- How to Play the Easy Beginner Guitar F Chord Without a Barre
- An Easy How to Guide to Understanding Triads
- What Is the Basic Idea of Tempo in Music?
- Explore Bach’s Hypnotic Choral Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- Discover Early Music Via Beautiful Medieval Gregorian Chants
- What Does the Exotic Sounding Word Bravo Mean at a Concert?
- What Exactly Does Beat Mean in Hip Hop?
- Explore Bach’s Epic Orchestral Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- 10 Amazing Elite Virtuoso Guitarists
- The 7 Best Iconic Riffs That Make People Want to Play Guitar
- Explore Beethoven’s Beautiful Music in Less Than Four Minutes
- The 5 Best Free Music Notation Apps
- The Top 10 Best Iconic Classical Music Compositions
- What Are the Best Easy Guitar Chords for Beginners to Learn?
The previous topic lists will be updated periodically. See the post grid below for the full list and full descriptions with featured images.
– Geoffrey Keith
© 2022 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student blogs page
What Is Basic Figured Bass in Music?
What is figured bass in music? It was a musical shorthand used by harpsichord and organ performers during the Baroque period. However, its influence is still felt today, because it’s at the heart of most college level classical music theory classes. Keep reading to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes
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What Is the Charming Alberti Bass Pattern?
The Alberti bass pattern was a common piano figuration found in classical period music. Because composers tended to be keyboard players, it also has a huge impact on classical composition regardless of the instrumental arrangement. Keep reading to learn what the Alberti bass pattern is and how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes
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12 Best Taylor Swift Sheet Music Gift Ideas
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Best Back-to-School Piano Sheet Music Method Books
It’s back-to-school time, and that means loading up on your kids’ (or students’) piano music! The following post contains links to two of the most popular piano lesson series, giving you entry points into the lesson materials for any age or skill level. Click to learn about the top back-to-school piano sheet music method books. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Best Back-to-School Piano Sheet Music Method Books Read More »
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10 Best Patriotic Songs | Sheet Music Gift Ideas
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10 Best Patriotic Songs | Sheet Music Gift Ideas Read More »
50 Best Kids Guitar Sheet Music Gift Ideas
Are you looking for a gift for a young guitarist? Today I’ll share about music books that make good gifts. In other words, sheet music that has fun songs, not method books. Method books are an essential part of guitar lessons, but songbooks are more fun. These sheet music selections make great holiday, birthday, and graduation gifts. Click to see the 50 best kids guitar sheet music gift ideas. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
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The Top 5 Best Drake Sheet Music Gift Ideas
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