All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics

“Can somebody please help me understand these stupid triads?” Triads are one of the foundations of Western music theory (along with melody, rhythm, counterpoint, and orchestration). Understanding them will unlock your ability to both appreciate and write music. Keep reading “An Easy How to Guide to Understanding Triads” to learn how they work. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.

Do you want to know how to play the easy beginner guitar F chord without a barre? Learning F on the guitar has long been a rite of passage for guitarists. Why? The barre makes it difficult to play, keeping many beginner guitarists from being able to play many otherwise simple songs. Keep reading to learn how to play the easy F chord on guitar. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

“I’m confused about what precisely D.S. al Coda means.” This marking is part of a class of music notation called “signs of repetition.” Some of the more advanced signs of repetition can be confusing, including this one. Keep reading to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

Would you like to know more about Handel’s music, but are too busy to devote a lot of time to it? Handel is a major composer from the baroque period. Best known for the iconic Messiah oratorio, he influenced composers as diverse as Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Chopin. Keep reading to explore Handel’s captivating music in less than four minutes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

“What’s the secret of practicing arpeggios?” Arpeggios are both an important playing technique and a useful compositional device. They can add a flowing grace to your playing. Keep reading to learn more. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Do you want to know Mozart and his music but not take a ton of time? Mozart, along with Bach and Beethoven, is in an elite category of classical composers. If your average person on the street knowns any name in classical music, it’s probably one of those three. Keep reading to explore Mozart’s enchanting music in less than four minutes. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

Do you want to understand the astonishing beauty and heartbreak of a requiem? Do you need to know which famous composers have written them? A requiem is a major musical art form and a solemn ceremony both at the same time. Famous composers such as Mozart, Verdi, and Berlioz have written them. Keep reading “What Is the Meaning of the Death Requiem?” to learn more. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

Do you want to know what motivated Ludwig van Beethoven to push through adversity to create some of the best and most influential classical music ever? By the time he turned fifty, he was considered by many to be the world’s best living composer. His funeral was attended by 10,000 people. However, to achieve this level of fame he literally had to suffer for his art. That begs the question, why did Beethoven keep composing after suffering deafness? Keep reading to learn the answer to this and more. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.