MusicBasics4Keyboard

Although cars and trucks were lined up at the fuel pumps in numbers that seemed normal, there was a noticeable reduction of shoppers inside the store. However, my experience was excellent throughout and especially during checkout. Yvonne is a Rock Star when it comes to connecting with shoppers and doing her job with utmost skill and speed. I'm certain customer service by her and other employees at...

By the time the Everly Brothers signed with Cadence Records in March 1957 (a deal midwifed by music publisher Wesley Rose of Acuff-Rose), they were singing teenage playlets crafted by songwriters Boudleaux and Felice Bryant overlaid with R&B rhythm patterns. They scored a string of hits, including “Bye, Bye Love,” “Wake Up, Little Susie,” “All I Have to Do Is Dream,” “Bird Dog,”...

When you hear a song on the radio you'd like to play, what should you do? Play it and record it, yes? If you keep a music journal, make a new entry. Determine the key, i.e. major, minor, flat or sharp. Save your song electronically, with a camera or with pen and paper. When scales begin to sound more like playing "music", it's like a booster shot to your musical training and performance skills. Ca...

The snow has stopped falling, blue skies are overhead and lots of sunshine. It's a perfect winter day to spend time with the domestic bobcat in the backyard. Got some great pictures, too. How's your day going? Thanks for stopping by.

Arrabbiata sauce, or sugo all'arrabbiata in Italian, is a spicy sauce for pasta made from garlic, tomatoes, and dried red chili peppers cooked in olive oil. The sauce originates from the Lazio region, and particularly from the city of Rome. What's the difference between marinara sauce and arrabiata sauce? While both sauces use tomatoes as a base, arrabiata sauce includes red chile peppers (in this...

“ Vodka adds depth to a sauce both by pulling out additional flavor and concentrating others without adding a flavor of its own ," says Bart Saracino, co-owner of the Bartolino's Restaurants. It is made from a smooth tomato sauce, vodka, typical Italian herbs, and heavy cream (which gives the sauce its distinctive orange color). Thank you for watching and/or listening.

Rick Steves is adamant about hiring guides he personally knows and trusts, and who share his love for Europe and passion for teaching. It's the biggest reason why more than one-third of our tour members are repeat customers. Here are some "raves" about just a few of the fine guides who lead our tours. THIS IS ABOUT FILIPPOS, one of the tour guides in Greece. "As a part-time actor and director, Fil...

Born in 1958 into a musical family (the daughter of the Cathedral organist and choirmaster in Ottawa, Canada), Angela began her piano studies at age three, performed in public at four and a year later won her first scholarship. In her formative years, she also studied classical ballet, violin, and recorder. From 1963-73 she studied at Toronto’s Royal Conservatory of Music with Earle Moss and Myrtl...

During the filming of Roman Polanski's 1992 film about Chopin (The Pianist) Adrian Brody lost 30 lbs. If  we try hard enough we could play an easy arrangement of this Waltz in A Minor and even lose a few pounds. Early and intermediate players need to play the base and treble clefs separately at the onset. Brody spent time away from the piano throughout the film in other scenes portraying this...

"For, you see, my piano is to me as a ship is to a sailor, [...] my piano is me, it is my speech - my life. It is the intimate repository of all that went on in my mind during the most passionate days of my youth" Franz Liszt ( 1811-1886). (La Gazette musicale, 11 February 1838). Franz Liszt was a Hungarian pianist and composer of enormous influence and originality. He was renowned in Europe durin...

Happy New Year!! Learning to sight read and play the left hand opens many new doors for students. No need to rush. This is not a speed test. Listen closely to each note as you play and pay close attention to fingering. Get a good night's sleep. Expect miracles the next day during practice and throughout the week. This is a great way for music students to begin 2022.  “Ode to Joy” was written...

Countdown, seven, six, five, four, three, two. ONE! Happy New Year 2022!!!!!!!

Let me know the name of the song you played tonight on your piano or keyboard. Happy New Year!!

Shelves are fully stocked at Sam's Club for major items. Joshua loaded four 52-lb. bags of cat litter on the cart for me and later walked me to my vehicle where he placed them in the trunk. It was his second day on the job as a new hire. Dominica walked me from the pet food isle back to the bakery for Tiramisu. Pam made my checkout experience one of best ever because of our shared interest in chic...

Let's take an inventory of our time spent learning new songs over these past few months. Practice time, sight reading, scales, chord studies and ear training all in preparation for tomorrow night. Today we check our closet for that perfect outfit. Hair, nails and makeup need our attention. Put a star on the practice room door. We are going to SHINE as we play and record one song before celebrating...

“Baby Face,” written by Harry Akst and Benny Davis was first published in 1926 by Warner Bros. and Davis Benny Music. Dating back decades before the pop era, it went on to have a big part to play in the career of Little Richard , among others. Then it became a US chart entry on September 29, 1962, for the one and only Bobby Darin. Who knew?

Check back.

The triad can be defined as a chord made up of three tones (notes) called chord factors. They make up the diatonic scale. A D-major triad (aka chord) is made up of the notes D, F-sharp, and A.  Add a major third above the major triad i.e., the root chord. The new note (the letter C) is the major seventh of the chord. It lies at the interval of a major seventh above the root. What is an interv...

A major 7th chord starts with the first five notes of the root chord. Thus: D, F#, A plus C. Use a chord guide for all other major and minor 7th chords. Baby Face is arranged in C Major with all major 7th chords and one A minor note near the end. This version contains no base clef. It's up to the player to fill in the base chords. It was a good lesson for us today about major and minor chords. It...

Take a deep breath. Resort to earlier songs with sheet music or not. Do your best. Do not get tangled up in blue. Bob Dylan. Standard tuning, capo 2nd fret (sounding key A major). Since Larry Campbell joined the band in 1997, Tangled has been played as an acoustic song, with Larry playing the intro below. Larry's guitar is played with a capo on the 2nd fret, Bob's guitar is uncapoed. The chords ar...

Adrien Brody lost 30 lbs. during the making of The Pianist, a Roman Polanski film about the life of composer Frederic Chopin. Working long hours at anything may result in weight loss, not just learning to play classical music. Eat something!

When you look closely at the three different forms for A Minor, one of them stands out. It's the melodic scale exercise. Looks a lot like the sheet music for the Waltz in A Minor by Frederic Chopin. Source: The FJH Classic Scale Book, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Introduction by Edwin McLean: "Why Practice Scales"?

We're on a roll dear listeners with just four days remaining before the ball drops on Friday, New Year's Eve in Times Square, NYC. That was the goal, was it not? One song. Music means commitment ... thanks for listening.

The role of a teacher is to help motivate music students learn how to sight read among other things. Finding the right teacher is a different matter starting with disposition. Check future episodes. Thanks for listening. 

A teacher who makes music sessions seem more like rehearsals will increase "public performance" skills more rapidly. At the very least, lessons should boost self-confidence as long as students practice on a regular basis and the money holds out. Music lessons for "one person" or two for at least one hour, once a week will produce faster results. The music teacher formulates the rate, schedule and...