Music Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-27-2025

Practising with ukulele exercises helps you take your ukulele playing to the next level. Wherever you are in your ukulele playing career, the information in this Cheat Sheet helps you develop your chord playing still further.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 07-28-2024

For quick reference, most of what you need to know about music composition is covered in this cheat sheet. Whether you’re sitting with a band and need to know what someone means when they say, “Take it up a fifth!” or you can’t remember the proper form for the 8-bar blues, this handy info is right at your fingertips on one convenient page.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 07-09-2024

DJing is exciting, creative and fulfilling. DJs are on a mission to entertain and play great music. This Cheat Sheet gives you tips and information to help you DJ to the very best of your abilities.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-26-2024

Record collecting is easy. In fact, if you already own a few records, you already have a collection. But what you do need to know is how to care for it. This cheat sheet will help you keep your records in the very best shape.

Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023

When the singer needs a good intro, who’s going to play it? The drummer? Probably not. You are. A piano or keyboard intro is a great addition to a song. And it can’t be any old intro — it’s gotta be good. The audience has a tendency to talk between songs, so it’s your job to shut ’em up and announce the start of the new song.

Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023

The band is building up to the final chord, and it’s time for the big finish. Why not add a little piano or keyboard as a finale? The singer belts the last lyric, and it’s up to you to drop the curtain. Quick! Grab a handful of these finales and you’re sure to receive an encore request.

Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023

The key to making good, accurate jumps on the piano or keyboard is the same whether the jump is big or small: Maintain a comfortable, balanced hand position as you jump from the starting hand position across the keyboard to your landing destination. Jumping with an overextended pinky and your hand outstretched like the descent of a giant hawk upon its prey is very common. Instead, the image you want to keep in mind is of a frog jumping from lily pad to lily pad. A frog starts and lands with its body centered over the lily pad, contracting to the same closed, restful shape. Your hands are frogs. As they jump from one position to another, they should look the same before and after the jump. You can practice this skill with every exercise.

Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023

You can use the pedal on the piano or keyboard to achieve different effects with your musical sound and add a whole new dimension to your playing. Give these exercises a try for some practice.

Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023

To expand your piano expertise, you should try some broken chord exercises. Broken-chord patterns are common in accompaniment figures and can help make you a well-rounded player. Check out these four patterns found in a wide range of styles.

Article / Updated 10-26-2023

It’s important not to neglect the left hand while learning the piano. They may not be the most exciting things to play, but by working on left-hand scales you unwittingly master the following music essentials: Reading the bass clef Playing with the correct fingering Using nifty patterns and harmonies Realizing how much you miss playing with the right hand Start with some major and minor scales by reading and playing the following scales left-handed. As with right-handed playing, remember to use the correct fingerings as indicated by the numbers above each note. How and when you cross your fingers is very important for obtaining a smooth sound and comfortable left-hand technique. C, G, and F major Here are three major scales for the left hand. You can use the same fingering, both up and down the scale, for all of these. Applying the major scale pattern, you play a scale with no sharps or flats (C major scale), one sharp (G major scale), and one flat (F major scale). A, E, and D natural minor You use the same fingering pattern in the three natural minor scales as you do in the three major scales. A harmonic and melodic minor These scales offer a good opportunity to practice your crossovers and pass-unders in the left hand. The scale patterns change at the same point you shift your hand position. Listen for smooth transitions and an even touch throughout each scale. If you’re unsure of how to play these, you can watch a bunch of left-hand scales being played in Chapter 11, Video Clip 2.