Music Lessons near Somerville

Every ukulele player should have a few cool ukulele riffs in their back pocket. In this article, you’ll learn 10 of the best riffs to impress your friends and add some variety to your repertoire. When you first start playing the ukulele, you'll most likely learn the four basic chords - C, G, Am, and F. Once you have a handle on these four chords, you’ll be able to play tons of songs. But after you get comfortable playing songs, you’ll want to spice up your repertoire. One easy w

  Earlier, we took a look at how to develop your right hand for classical guitar. In this article, guitar teacher Raymond L. will add to the balance by teaching you exercises for the left hand... The classical guitar repertoire covers more scales and arpeggios than any other technical skill. Therefore, I consider it important for you, as a classical guitar player or student, to focus on these following guitar exercises. They're based on scales and arpeggios for the purpose of devel

Many beginning musicians wonder, “Is cello hard to learn?” The process of learning the cello is not difficult, but it’s important to keep in mind that the cello is not an instrument of instant gratification. It does require focused, daily practice time and a good teacher to guide you along the way. How far you progress with cello is a direct result of the amount of quality time you put into practicing the instrument. Even someone who puts in just 30 minutes a day will notice a signi

Taking piano lessons as an adult can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! With a little research and preparation, you can find the perfect teacher who will help you reach your goals.  Let’s explore how to choose the right piano teacher for adult students. Is Learning Piano Over 40 Hard? Learning piano over 40 might seem like a daunting task, but there are many ways to make beginner piano lessons for adults easier: Setting reasonable expectations, finding a suitable t

Sitting down at a piano and playing a few notes is a pretty easy task. However, the ways in which we control the muscles in our hands, arms, and shoulders play a very important role in our ability to play the piano well. If you want to master this instrument, you need to set yourself up for success.  Before you can start playing the likes of Mozart and Beethoven on the piano, you should start with building a strong foundation. One way to do so is by incorporating hand exercises for piano

For guitarists, there is one thing that will bring your playing from just ok to legendary. And you already have all the tools you need for it: your ears! If you'd like to take your guitar playing to the next level, start working on ear training. Guitar ear training helps you identify intervals, pitches, and chords, so you can jam, sight read, and write music more easily. Once you've learned how to put what you hear in your head onto paper, the possibilities are endless. There are several

As a pianist, there are many skills to develop through your practice regimen. Reading the grand staff means you need to be proficient in understanding both bass and treble clef, simultaneously! You need to develop independence between your left and right hands while playing and you also need to have an understanding of music theory, voice leading and harmony. One challenge that is both fun and practical to learn is coordination of your hands while playing. Here are some great exercises that can

Singing in a group is a great way to improve your singing skills. When you sing with other people, you can learn how to harmonize and blend your voice with theirs. This can make your singing sound more polished and professional.  Additionally, singing in a group can be lots of fun! You'll get to meet new people and make friends who share your love of music.  Mastering the basics of singing is just one of the many steps you'll need to take when training your voice. You may think t

Curious about playing jazz or blues on the piano? Learn about some of the essential scales to learn in this guest post by Augustine, FL piano teacher Heather L...   In order to become a successful jazz or blues pianist, you must learn the essential scales. These scales will help you to create smooth and melodic lines over chord progressions, and will give you a greater understanding of how to solo over these styles of music.  In this blog post, we will discuss the major scale,

Let’s face it - the world isn’t always set up to help people who are left handed! If you play the cello, you might be wondering, “can you play the cello left-handed”? The short answer to this question is…well, kind of. However, there are considerations you will need to make before deciding to play in the cello left hand position - or before going out to buy a left handed cello, for that matter.  First, what do we mean when we say “left handed”? Handedness is the sense tha