Learn Music Theory your way with a TakeLessons expert

In order to be a successful musician, you’ve got to have a strong understanding of music theory.  While there are many different aspects to music theory, one of the most important is being able to read sheet music. Sheet music provides musicians with the musical notation needed to play a piece of music.  Without sheet music, it would be very difficult for musicians to play songs that they haven't written themselves or memorized. In addition, learning how to read sheet music can help

One of the most common weaknesses for amateur musicians is a lack of music theory knowledge. Many people assume that learning theory is difficult (it isn’t) that it has no practical purpose (it does), or even that it will actively make them worse at making music (quite the opposite). I’m here to convince you that learning a little about how music works is one of the most important skills you can develop and should absolutely be part of your daily practice routine. Here are five reasons w

Struggling to understand music theory? Try heading over to the piano -- seeing a visual representation can help a ton! Here, Lowell, IN teacher Blake C. shares how to get started...   Many musicians avoid learning music theory altogether because it can feel much like learning a foreign language; as a result, many musicians enlist in the anti-music theory organization. I will admit it – I was a member of the anti-music theory organization in my early years, declaring that music theory

If you're new to playing jazz cello, or just want to improve your skills, here are a few tips to help get you started.  First, learn the basics. You don't need to know everything, but having a basic understanding of jazz chord progressions, scales and arpeggios will give you a strong foundation to build on. Next, practice regularly. The more you play, the better you'll sound.  And finally, find a jam session or gig where you can apply what you've learned. Playing with others is a great w

If you want a short answer, a comfortable standard female vocal range is from about A4 to G5. That’s maybe with a little training from a voice teacher, and different people might feel more comfortable towards the top of that range and others towards the bottom. But pretty much every female voice is physically capable of these notes with some help, and with focused study, it’s very possible to sing well above and below that range! The most important thing to remember is that every voice i

Learning how to improvise on the guitar is an essential skill for taking your playing into the world of live and collaborative music. For many beginner musicians, it can be one of the most daunting hurdles to overcome. But it doesn’t have to be. Like most musical skills, the key is consistent practice, both alone AND with others. Here are a few tips to guide your playing. Learn your scales Scales are the building blocks of your improvisational repertoire, and you should know them by feel

Nervous about the sight reading portion of an upcoming audition? Find out how to work sight reading practice into your routine in this guest post by Saddle Brook, NJ teacher Christian D...   “Be prepared to sight read.” That dreaded requirement on all auditions that makes us all nervous. But the fact is, you shouldn’t be! Sight reading is a learned skill, just like everything else in music. Think of it as sight reading a passage from a book in front of an audience. With so man

Have you ever seen a 12 string acoustic guitar in a music shop and felt intimidated? Well, great news! If you can play a 6-string guitar, you can play a 12-string. I don’t mean eventually, I mean right now. Let’s take a closer look at what all those extra strings are, why they’re there, and what they can (and can’t) do. First of All, How is a 12-String Acoustic Guitar Tuned? The answer is, exactly like a 6-string but with each string doubled. So, going from bottom to top (pitch wise),

Throughout history, plucked instruments have evolved and changed their string amounts and the way they are tuned. The guitar we know and love today evolved from the lutes of the Renaissance and Baroque Era, which had multiple pairs of strings as well as moveable frets made out of cattle gut. It wasn’t until the 1800’s when the Romantic Guitar decided on using only six strings, which allowed the guitarist to play melodic lines and chords more easily. The Romantic Guitar and Classical G

The circle of fifths is an extremely helpful diagram. It is used to understand how keys, scales, and chords relate to one another. Sometime I refer to the circle of  fifths as “the mother ship” with my students, because the diagram really encompasses all of the basic elements of western harmony.   As a side note for more advanced readers, jazz players typically rearrange the  circle of fifths to a circle of fourths. They like the circle to move from C major (no  sharps or flats) to F