Music has the power to both move us to tears and to elate us. It, perhaps more than any other form of sensual stimulus, has ability to trigger the whole gamut of human emotions. And very often when we least expect it. Read the rest of this entry »
The Song Remains the Same
August 21st, 2009Should You Judge a Song by its Cover?
August 21st, 2009It perplexes teenagers when their parents know all the words to the latest songs. Of course, anyone over a certain age will realize that a high percentage of ‘new’ music, isn’t new at all. It’s just new to the younger ear. Read the rest of this entry »
Get Your Children Excited About Music
July 1st, 2009Did you know that children will show an interest in musical instruments at an early age? If your child is showing an interest in music, it may be up to you to keep their interest growing. You may have already noticed that there are some pretty popular musicians today that are very young and some of the most famous musicians of all time, started at a very young age. Mozart started playing the piano at the age of 3 and started writing music at 5. These young musicians did not get their skill and fame by themselves. They had parents that helped develop their interest in music, help train them or find music teachers, and helped become the successful musicians they are. Read the rest of this entry »
Who Is Your Favorite Songwriter? Do You Know?
May 5th, 2009I’m sure you have had several favorite songs in your life. You probably have a favorite artist and a favorite album. So, who is your favorite songwriter? What? You don’t have one? If I were to ask you to name 5 pop songwriters, could you? I don’t know if I could. I’ve heard of Diane Warren, though I couldn’t tell you most of the songs she’s written. I also know that Caedmon’s Call (and others) writes their own music (you go guys!). So, why is it that so few songwriters are known? Read the rest of this entry »
Church Music – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
April 29th, 2009Over the past couple of decades the “praise band” has become more and more popular in churches. In the past, the only way the average church member participated in the music was singing the hymns with everyone else or singing in the choir. Either way they were singing with a larger group, so if they weren’t very good at singing, it didn’t matter. With the advent of the praise band, that changed and the result has sometimes been pretty bad. So, what do you do when someone who isn’t very good wants to be a part of the band? Read the rest of this entry »
TV And Video Games Have Destroyed Our Children’s Musical Potential
April 28th, 2009Does TV rot your brain? Unless you believe the Hulu commercials, no, TV doesn’t rot your brains, but does it dumb you down and destroy your potential as a human being? I think you could probably make an argument for that, but hey why should I wait for you. I’ll go ahead and make an argument for it. And why stop at TV? Let’s toss in video games as well. Read the rest of this entry »
The Top Five Things New Musicians Struggle With
April 23rd, 2009As people enter the world of music, there are certain things every musician struggles with. Some people are able to overcome these struggles more easily that others, but everyone faces these struggles. Knowing what these struggles are can help you prepare for them and overcome them more easily and quickly. So, what are these struggles?… Read the rest of this entry »
Will Computers Replace Musicians?
January 29th, 2009Computer audio technology has made huge advances over the past several years. It is now quite possible for entire orchestras or small ensembles to be duplicated in a studio using just one simple keyboard or computer. Processing power has made it possible to store actual audio frequencies of various instruments and then to adjust them for pitch, resulting in a melodious playback that would be identical in frequency to the original sound.
So what does this mean for the future of instrumentalists? Like assembly line workers in an auto plant, will musicians be replaced by computers? Does the future look bleak for those who are studying to be professional musicians? Read the rest of this entry »
The Piano: Percussion or String?
January 29th, 2009The piano is perhaps the most widely used instrument in Western music despite its lack of portability and its great expense. Despite its popularity, however, few people are interested in the trivial facts that make a piano so fascinating. For example, the name “piano” is actually short for “pianoforte”, which literally means “harpsichord that plays both loud and soft”. It was revolutionary to play an instrument that had such a great dynamic range. After all, a harpsichord was a nice sounding instrument but had a single volume and a single tone. The only variety that came with a harpsichord was in the painting that was normally found on the inside of the lid.
The along comes a piano – so dynamic, so brilliant, so unique that it was almost instantly classified as both a percussion and a string instrument. Percussion because the player strikes the key to make a sound, and string because the sound is actually the result of a string’s vibration. However, it can also be classified as a “chordophone” for the same reason. The chordophone family of instruments are those that get their sound from a vibrating string. But then again, the piano’s sound board has a lot to do with the sound as well.
So what is it? Read the rest of this entry »
Why Music Theory?
December 22nd, 2008During an extra long rehearsal the other day, I was asked a startling question. A fellow “musician” sighed heavily after receiving a short lecture on key signatures and then retorted, “Why must we learn music theory here? We are just rehearsing.”
It occurred to me then and there that his opinion was probably more common than I would like to admit. Then I wondered why so many vocalists and instrumentalists seem to lack an interest in music theory as well as an understanding of the need for music theory education. Read the rest of this entry »