Musicality Now

The ear training journey is a long, yet immensely rewarding one. Along the way, there's a trap that 90% of students will fall into, leading them to think they aren't making progress and causing them to lose focus and motivation to develop their ear. Thankfully, one simple tip will prevent you from falling into this trap and will help you make the most out of your ear training practice.   Subscribe...

On the show today we're talking to Brent Vaartstra from LearnJazzStandards.com, one of the leading websites for people to learn to play jazz.   Now if you're not into jazz you might already be thinking about skipping this episode - don't!   This conversation tackles exactly that question of whether jazz has anything to offer musicians who aren't necessarily dedicated to jazz. And also the core ski...

Pentascales are a common type of scale used by pianists and singers but they can be interesting and useful to all musicians. Discover what a pentascale is, how it's different to a pentatonic scale, and how getting to know pentascales can help you in your musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 015...

Have you wished you could play music without needing to look at notes on a page? In this conversation with Sara Campbell, the Resident Pro for piano at Musical U, we explore a variety of ways you can learn to "find the notes yourself".   In this episode we dive deep into how to get started with playing by ear and improvisation. Sara shares insights and specific tips that can be applied on any inst...

  Today we're going to talk about finding "your note". This is an exercise which George Bevan from the Music@Monkton blog developed, to help people who think they can't sing to take their first steps to becoming a capable and confident singer.   If you've ever worried that you can't sing at all, or you have a friend who's convinced they're tone deaf, the exercise in this episode will be really use...

Have you ever worried that you're "tone deaf" or can't sing? Or do you have a friend or family member who just can't seem to sing in tune or in key? In today's podcast episode we're joined by a true expert who's had some phenomenal results helping those who "can't sing" to start singing in tune.   George was someone we reached out to when doing research a few years back for our Tone Deaf Test and...

You've probably heard the advice that recording yourself during music practice can help you learn and improve faster. There are three big reasons to do it but recording your playing or singing can be scary! Fortunately, you can make it easy. Learn how in this episode. Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 011 Li...

Have you ever wondered if professional musicians have some special ability or received special teaching that helps them be creative, improve faster and be somehow immune to performance anxiety? It turns out there are "under the hood" techniques which any musician can use to gain these same abilities, and transform the experience of learning music into one of joy and ease. Today on the podcast we'r...

Being able to name notes you hear can seem like a magical ability, and when you meet someone with "perfect pitch" it can be impressive and inspiring. But perfect pitch is not necessarily the road to take if you want to learn those skills yourself...   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 009   Links and Resourc...

  As musicians we know the power of ear training to gain the instinctive feel for notes, chords and rhythms in music that can enable us to play by ear, write music, transcribe, improvise and more. But ear training can be a slow, hard process, right? What if it didn't have to be... What if it could be a game?   In 2010 a new website appeared promising a range of ear training games... That website w...

You've probably heard of solfa, solfège, or the "do re mi" system of music learning. But did you know it's one of the most powerful ways for any musician to recognize notes easily by ear? In this episode, we introduce solfa and why learning it could have a powerful positive impact on your musical life.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show...

Solfege and chord theory as the two powerful tools. Theory doesn't have to be dry! You can learn in a practical, useful, meaningful way Chord theory and solfege can reveal how music works when you listen to it, and connect what you hear with what you play - whether that's Beatles or Mozart! Whether you're young, an adult who's new to music, or someone who's been learning music but struggled with t...

As a musician you might have heard of "whole" and "half" steps. Also known as "major and minor seconds" or "tones and semitones". These are the building blocks of melodies, chords and all the pitches you hear in music and getting to know them in detail yourself opens up all kinds of exciting musicality potential.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube...

Back in 2009 there really wasn't much information online about ear training and developing your musicality. But one site which stood out then, and which continues to be among the top sites online for playing by ear was HearAndPlay.com .   On today's interview we're talking with Jermaine Griggs, who started Hear And Play back in 2000 and has had phenomenal success helping musicians around the world...

You've probably seen a chord chart or lead sheet: a simplified version of sheet music which provides just the minimal essentials to play the song. How do you go from that to a great-sounding arrangement? There are a few things to know…   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 003   Links and Resources Musicality...

  Have you felt limited in music, or intimidated by creative tasks like playing by ear and improvisation? Have you wondered if the musicians who can do those things could always do them – or if they somehow learned? You might be surprised by the answer! In today's episode we discover how a positive attitude and the right "toolkit" can equip you to find your own creative freedom in music. Today we'...

In this first episode of the new Musicality Podcast, Musical U founder Christopher Sutton introduces the show and shares what you can expect. Learn how we define "Musicality" and how this podcast can help you to gain a natural freedom and confidence in music.   Subscribe For Future Episodes! Apple Podcasts | Android | Stitcher | RSS | YouTube   Full Show Notes and Transcript: Episode 001   Links a...