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.
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.
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:
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
Are you a music teacher? Do you have a student who struggles with obsessive perfectionism? While having a high standard is a good thing, obsessive perfectionism can be debilitating. Keep reading to learn how to shatter the perfectionism chains in music lessons. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Do you want to know what notes and chords are in the G major scale? Do you find the theory behind the G major chord scale confusing? To truly understand music, you must know how to construct scales and how to build chords from the scale tones. Read “The G Major Scale (Including the G Major Chord Scale)” to learn how they work. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Are you a music teacher? Are you organizing your first music recital? Whether you’re doing a classical recital, Christmas piano recital, a mini recital, or a chamber music recital, these musical recitals will all be organized basically the same way with just a few variations. Read more to answer the question, “How do I organize a recital concert?” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Do you have stage fear? Stage fear, also known as stage fright or performance anxiety, affects a lot of people. It can happen when you’re giving a speech, performing a song, or on the soccer field (sports anxiety). Keep reading “Stage Fear! How to Deal with Performance Anxiety” to learn how to work through your stage fright without needing to take medicine for performance anxiety. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“Is the Suzuki music methodology bad for learning piano?” Well, it really depends on what you want out of lessons. Like with many things, Suzuki music does some things well, and others poorly. Keep reading to learn the pros and cons of the Suzuki methodology when teaching children music. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do I avoid tension in my wrists when playing piano arpeggios?” Piano teachers can yell “Relax!” at you until they turn blue in the face, and it won’t do any good. Tension leads to sore muscles, fatigue, and possibly injury. So, how do you reduce the tension in your wrists? There’s an easy trick that’ll help you learn how to relax on your own. Read more to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
“Can I learn to play piano with a mini key keyboard?” Electronic keyboards come in all sizes, including keyboards that have different sized keys. If your keyboard has keys that are smaller than an adult finger, it has mini keys. Will mini key keyboards be a good choice for practicing for your piano lessons? Read more to find out. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
“How do I make any progress and have fun in music lessons again?” Both consistent forward progress and having fun will be important aspects of your musical journey. Without them, you can lose interest and quit. Keep reading to find out how to reinvent the fun while making forward progress. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
“How do musicians find enough time to practice their instruments?” It can be challenging. Adults live busy lives, and kids have tons of homework, sports, and afterschool activities. However, it’s not hopeless. You just have to learn how to best structure the time you have. Keep reading to find out how it works. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between practicing and playing? Practicing will be a important part of your growth as a musician. According to the “New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians,” studies have found that the best pianists and violinists needed 10,000 hours of practice to master their instruments. Not that you need 10,000 hours to start playing decently, but the master musicians do show us the importance of practicing. So, do practicing and playing get the same results? Read more to learn, “What’s the difference between practice and play on an instrument?” Estimated reading time 2 minutes.