Learn Music Theory your way with a TakeLessons expert

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

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 late Yehudi Menuhin once said, “The genuine Scottish fiddler has an infallible sense of rhythm, never plays out of tune, and is master of his distinctive and inimitable style”. Well, as a Scot myself, I certainly subscribe to that idea, although I can’t give absolute assurance that my own intonation is that infallible.  Where Does Good Intonation Begin? Well, before we start slapping fingers down on the fingerboard we need to know that the violin itself must be in tune. Traditional

Have you ever wanted to learn how to play the piano, but felt intimidated by all of those black and white keys? You're not alone! The piano keyboard layout can be tricky for beginners to understand. Fortunately, this helpful guide will make learning the basics a breeze. By understanding the layout of the keyboard, you'll be able to start playing simple songs in no time. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started! Did you know that understanding the full piano keyboard layout is not

As children, we learn to identify letters followed by simple words. We then gradually progress to reading a full sentence. The next step is learning how to read multiple clauses. Eventually, this turns into reading complex paragraphs, whole chapters, and more. We learn musical notation in similar stages, and our musical literacy becomes defined by our understanding of music theory. Like any language, it’s not enough to just read the words and symbols on the page. You have to understand what it

Test your knowledge of music with this innovative music theory quiz - and then keep reading to find even more fun quizzes you can take! A knowledge of music theory is absolutely indispensable to musicians. For beginners, it can seem intimidating, but experienced musicians will attest that theory is well worth the effort needed to master it. While you can certainly acquire proficiency on an instrument without a knowledge of theory, you’ll miss out on the depth of understanding that

If you’ve been a piano student or performer for any length of time, you’ve probably come across the terms “sonata” and “sonatina”. But, have you ever wondered to yourself, what's the difference between sonatas vs. sonatinas? These musical forms have been around since the early 16th century, but even after over 400 years of existence, there is still no conclusive definition for either of them. Musical scholars and performers alike have debated what these terms truly mean, and their

The word harmony is derived from the Greek word Harmonia, the goddess of harmony and concord. As its Greek origins imply, harmony means concord, agreement, or a joining together, which happens when two or more notes sound together in a pleasing combination. Harmonia’s counterpart, Eris, was the goddess of strife and discord, whose parallel in music, dissonance, happens when two or more sounding notes clash. Much like the goddesses of Greek mythology, harmony and its related sister, tonalit

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 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