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:

D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?

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

Back to the Successful Music Student blogs page

How to Employ Effective Equalization on Your Song

Do you want to know what the word equalization means? Do you want to know how to EQ your song mix? Equalization (EQ) is a potent means for creatively sculpting the sound of your song’s mix. However, if you want to be really good at applying EQ to a mix, you need to train your ears to hear what the mix needs. Keep reading “How to Employ Effective Equalization on Your Song” to improve your listening skills. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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How to Read Piano Sheet Music for Beginners

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics, Color Coding / Geoff / ADD, ASD, Autism, Color, LD, Multisensory, Special Needs

Are you a beginner pianist and want to know how to read piano sheet music? Or are you a parent and want to figure out if your child is ready to play piano? This post covers the basics of how to read piano sheet music. In addition, it has links to practical examples so you can get an idea of what it’s like to play and read piano music. Keep reading “How to Read Piano Sheet Music for Beginners” to embark on your musical voyage. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.

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Learn the Secret of How to Play Guitar Trills

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics / Geoff / Music

Do you want to learn the secret of how to play guitar trills? Trills add excitement and flash to your playing. However, if you want to know how to master guitar trills, you must first become proficient at two other guitar techniques. Keep reading to learn what these techniques are and how to best perform them. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.

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How to Play the Sad Sounding D Minor Chord

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics / Geoff / Music

Do you want to know how to play the open D minor guitar chord? Do you want to know why it sounds sad? Minor chords have a sweet, haunting sound. Open D minor has medium difficulty, but with the right fingering strategies, it’s not that hard to play. Keep reading “How to Play the Sad Sounding D Minor Chord” to find out how to best play open D minor. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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Powerful Popular MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics, The Craft of Songwriting / Geoff / Music

Have you heard about MIDI and need to know what it is? Do you want to know how it can help you create music? MIDI is short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s an industry-wide open-source keyboard design protocol proposed by Sequential Circuits in the 1980s, and it’s still relevant today. Keep reading “Powerful Popular MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)” to find out what it is, and what it can do for you. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

How to Unlock Music Key Changes with Modulation

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics, The Craft of Songwriting / Geoff / Music

Do you want to know what the word modulation means in music? Do you want to know how to make key changes in your songwriting? Modulation is when you use chromatic harmony to switch the tonal center of the music you’re writing. Doing this can make for dramatic, ear catching changes to the sound of your composition. Keep reading “How to Unlock Music Key Changes with Modulation” to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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How to Play the Beautiful E Minor Guitar Chord

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics / Geoff / Music

Are you a new guitar player? Do you want to know how to play the E minor chord on guitar? E minor is one of the simpler guitar chords to play, especially if you use the easy version. Keep reading “How to Play the Beautiful E Minor Guitar Chord” to learn the “easy” and “full” versions of the open chord. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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The Top 10 Best Captivating Vivaldi Masterpieces

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics / Geoff / Music

Do you want to explore Antonio Vivaldi’s music? Vivaldi (1678 – 1741) is best known for his violin concertos. His music is celebrated for its infectious melodies combined with its impressive technical demands. Keep reading to learn about and listen to the top 10 best captivating Vivaldi masterpieces. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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How to Deal with Annoying Hiccups in Music Lessons

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics, Color Coding / Geoff / Chord, Instrument, Music

Have your music lessons been disrupted by hiccupping students? Do you want to know how to quickly get the hiccups stopped so that you can get your lessons back on track? Hiccups can be really annoying in music lessons because you’re on the clock and the student is getting distracted by “hic, hic, hic.” Keep reading “How to Deal with Annoying Hiccups in Music Lessons” to learn the three most common hiccups treatments so you can get back to teaching music. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.

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Basic Music Notation Explained in Less Than 4 Minutes

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics, Color Coding / Geoff / ADD, ASD, Autism, Color, LD, Multisensory, Special Needs

Does music notation seem to be one big mystery? Do you want to be able to read music? Music notation can sometimes seem counterintuitive. However, you too can learn to read music. This post will help give you a quick overview of how music notation works. Keep reading “Basic Music Notation Explained in Less Than 4 Minutes” to learn what it is and how it works. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.

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Guitar • Bass • Banjo • Ukulele • Mandolin • Autoharp • Keyboard • Piano | Voice #: 978-440-9966 | Text #: 508-561-9724

geoff@successmusicstudio.com

All-Purpose Music Tips and Topics