I was sent a few articles by a friend about the news that now, in 2022, it takes nearly 5 writers on average to write 1 song. Dianne Warren remarked recently on how there are 24 credited songwriters on one of Beyonce’s latest songs. How can this be? Why is […]
I have discovered that Razorlight have released a new song! However, their music video only at the time of recording this has about 3k views. What?! How can this be? They were a staple of the 00s. Here is a link to the video, please let’s help their video get […]
How can musicians use phrasing and punctuation to add expression to their playing? In this video, we explore some ways to take your playing further by looking at musical phrases, dynamics, and tempo to create more expressive music. Phrasing in music is a way for musicians to add a more […]
In this music lesson, we explore legato, staccato and pizzicato – which are 3 forms of articulation commonly used in music. Learning about articulation and how to apply them to your playing is one of the most important skills to take your playing to the next level. It can help […]
Why is it that there are only 12 notes used in music? Why not 13 or 14? It comes from the circle of fifths. Much of Western music is built on the relationship between the tonic and the dominant. If we are to work out the dominant of each dominant […]
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSoundField ↓ More info below ↓ Have you heard the conspiracy theory that Nicki Minaj songs are just Jay-Z pitched up? Well that may not be true, but changing the pitch of their songs can […]
In this video, we explore the ways that composers can change key, how it happens and why they might do it. An unprepared key change occurs when the music just jumps into a new key without any warning or preparation. A prepared key change is when the music modulates and […]
In my first explanation of musical phrasing, we explored what phrasing is and why it’s important. In this video, I suggest a way to understand phrasing, and how we can find it within the music. Phrasing in music is all about trying to communicate ideas rather than just play notes. […]
Why do musicians worry so much about playing wrong notes? Many musicians, especially those who begin improvising with jazz, worry about playing wrong notes. However, there’s no need to worry about playing wrong notes in music. In this video, I use the example of playing the guitar to show how […]
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSoundField ↓ More info below ↓ Jazz and Blues music are known for improvisation but the practice goes back further than that. Bach, Mozart, Clara Schumann and Chopin all improvised as part of their performances. […]
