Friday, December 28, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
How to Practice Episode 9: Don't Forget the Pencil!!
The biggest mistake people take when it comes to practicing music is the lack of preparedness. It might come to a shock for some of you, but there is a large amount of thought that goes into preparing to practice. The first point one should realize is they won't remember every change they've made or the director has told us to make. We couldn't ever remember every change that's needed in music, unless someone's trained themselves to do that but that's not a very good idea to do. You can forget what changes you have made and wind up playing the piece wrong. Along with that, why would someone want to stress out more than you need to?
Sunday, December 9, 2012
YouTube Channel Update!
Hello viewers! I wanted to let you guys know that I am starting to run the YouTube Channel off with a series on Finale 2012. Afterwards I am going to start integrating CD reviews integrating OST's and music in general but I need YOUR input! I would like for you to share this announcement and go to the Facebook Fan Page and tell me what you would like for me to do unboxings and reviews of? I have current plans to do one of the Halo 4 Soundtrack and later on "Music From Another Dimension" by Aerosmith. I really do like everyone's input on the blog and if you have an idea for the blog, then I would love to hear it!
Link to Facebook Fan Page: Click Here
Link to Twitter page: Click Here
Link to YouTube Page: Click Here
So, I hope to hear from you guys and if nothing else, see you in the next episode!
Link to Facebook Fan Page: Click Here
Link to Twitter page: Click Here
Link to YouTube Page: Click Here
So, I hope to hear from you guys and if nothing else, see you in the next episode!
Friday, December 7, 2012
Episode 10: Introduction to Chords (FINALLY!)
Hey guys! Welcome back to my music theory blog! I know I've been a bad blooger and broke the big rule of blogging (always post something once a week), but as my first semester in college is wrapping up I have a very evil thing to take care of called exams. They have been stressing me out and I had to make a decision to either go with grades or go with you guys... And as cool as you all are, the grades are what will actually get me into grad school so I have been studying. However, I have a surprise for you guys though... I am going to do a new video series on YouTube It'll be the basics of Finale, which a couple of people have recommended I try and do. So if that interests you then stay tuned! Now, as you can tell in the title we have hit my favorite part of learning music, the basics of chords. I honestly have been waiting for this day ever since I started the blog. So without further ado, let's go right into it! Don't forget to share this with Facebook, Twitter, or by email and don't forget to follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter and (officially) YouTube!
Now that we have discussed the differences in half steps, and whole steps and the basics of intervals we can now go into chords. The basic chord is a tonic pitch, a third above it and a third above that or another way to think about it is a tonic note with a third and fifth above the bass. So let's take a look at the four basic chords of music.
First is a Major chord. It is composed of a major 3rd and a perfect 5th, or a major 3rd followed by a minor 3rd. So let's construct a C Major Chord. C will be our bass note and we need a major 3rd above it, which would be an E. Now we can say either a minor 3rd above E or a perfect 5th from C which would be G. So a C Major chord is a C, E, and G. Let's try B major. B will be our bass note, followed by a major 3rd above B which will be a D#. Now, as said before we can either use a minor 3rd above D# or a perfect 5th above B (which are the same notes) and get a F#. So B Major is B, D#, and F#. One last example, Eb Major. Eb will be our bass note, followed by a G and Bb. So an Eb Major chord is an Eb, G, and Bb.
Next we have a Minor chord. It is composed of a minor 3rd and perfect 5th or a minor 3rd followed by a major 3rd. So a C minor chord is a C, followed by a minor 3rd to Eb, and a 5th (or a major 3rd above the minor 3rd) G. So a C minor chord would be a C, Eb, and G. An E minor chord would be an E, G, and B. One thing that help me with this is if you look at the notes and think about which scale it would fit in. For example, if you went to play E minor it is the relative minor of G, so only F sharp while E major would have 4 sharps (F, C, G, and D).
Following the minor chords we have Augmented chords. Just as I've said before, you can have augmented intervals which are a half step above a perfect interval. So an augmented chord would be a major third and augmented 5th or two whole steps above the bass. So let's make a C Augmented (+) chord. First is C, followed by a half step above which is E and another half step above that which is G# So a C+ chord is C, E and G#. Another example is F#+, which would be F#, A# and Cx (C double sharp, or enharmonically equivalent to D). One last example would be Bb+ which would be Bb, D and F#. As I have shown, it is possible to have sharps and flats in the same chord, though it isn't as easy as it is with Diminished chords.
Finally, the last one in the group of chords are Diminished chords. They are composed of a minor third and diminished 5th or 2 minor 3rds. So we can make a Bb diminished (dim or ° if you are able to type the degrees symbol) by starting with the tonic note; Bb, then going up a minor third to Db, and another minor third to Fbb (F double flat, or enharmonically Eb) Another example would be F# dim. would be F# followed by a minor 3rd to A and a diminished 5th from the tonic, Cb. As you may have noticed, you can have flats and sharps in the same chord when it comes to diminished chords.
So, I hope this has helped you guys out. Keep following the blog and don't forget to share!
Now that we have discussed the differences in half steps, and whole steps and the basics of intervals we can now go into chords. The basic chord is a tonic pitch, a third above it and a third above that or another way to think about it is a tonic note with a third and fifth above the bass. So let's take a look at the four basic chords of music.
First is a Major chord. It is composed of a major 3rd and a perfect 5th, or a major 3rd followed by a minor 3rd. So let's construct a C Major Chord. C will be our bass note and we need a major 3rd above it, which would be an E. Now we can say either a minor 3rd above E or a perfect 5th from C which would be G. So a C Major chord is a C, E, and G. Let's try B major. B will be our bass note, followed by a major 3rd above B which will be a D#. Now, as said before we can either use a minor 3rd above D# or a perfect 5th above B (which are the same notes) and get a F#. So B Major is B, D#, and F#. One last example, Eb Major. Eb will be our bass note, followed by a G and Bb. So an Eb Major chord is an Eb, G, and Bb.
Next we have a Minor chord. It is composed of a minor 3rd and perfect 5th or a minor 3rd followed by a major 3rd. So a C minor chord is a C, followed by a minor 3rd to Eb, and a 5th (or a major 3rd above the minor 3rd) G. So a C minor chord would be a C, Eb, and G. An E minor chord would be an E, G, and B. One thing that help me with this is if you look at the notes and think about which scale it would fit in. For example, if you went to play E minor it is the relative minor of G, so only F sharp while E major would have 4 sharps (F, C, G, and D).
Following the minor chords we have Augmented chords. Just as I've said before, you can have augmented intervals which are a half step above a perfect interval. So an augmented chord would be a major third and augmented 5th or two whole steps above the bass. So let's make a C Augmented (+) chord. First is C, followed by a half step above which is E and another half step above that which is G# So a C+ chord is C, E and G#. Another example is F#+, which would be F#, A# and Cx (C double sharp, or enharmonically equivalent to D). One last example would be Bb+ which would be Bb, D and F#. As I have shown, it is possible to have sharps and flats in the same chord, though it isn't as easy as it is with Diminished chords.
Finally, the last one in the group of chords are Diminished chords. They are composed of a minor third and diminished 5th or 2 minor 3rds. So we can make a Bb diminished (dim or ° if you are able to type the degrees symbol) by starting with the tonic note; Bb, then going up a minor third to Db, and another minor third to Fbb (F double flat, or enharmonically Eb) Another example would be F# dim. would be F# followed by a minor 3rd to A and a diminished 5th from the tonic, Cb. As you may have noticed, you can have flats and sharps in the same chord when it comes to diminished chords.
So, I hope this has helped you guys out. Keep following the blog and don't forget to share!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
How to Practice Episode 8 : Don't freak out over a mistakes!
Hey guys! Sorry the page has been a little dry lately but final exams are just around the corner and I've been busy studying for them! I sense my older viewers are laughing right now but the younger ones don't get this at all but that's fine with me! Anyways today I am here to talk about one of the bigger hindrances to performing in front of a crowd or simply playing for your family around the holidays; the fear of making a mistake! This doesn't seem like that big a deal but it really does mess with your performance if you don't know the proper way to deal with this situation. Before I start talking about this topic, I wanted to announce a contest! I'll be giving away some Magic Rosin (3G and 3G Ultra) and some advertising space on here if you want to recommend your page to my viewers! I will post an official announcement after I talk out all the details and such. Also, for those who aren't aware, I do a vlogging series on Youtube and I am about to start a full video series on Finale! If you aren't aware of Finale, it's a program which you can write music in and I was thinking about doing a series on teaching the basics to it. If you are interested in the series or have ideas for me, then let me know by tweeting me on Twitter (@sulliadm), or join the Facebook Fan Page!
Now, have you ever felt very ill about playing to family or friends because you were afraid of messing up. Or have you ever been on stage to preform and felt stage freight from being afraid of messing up? I will admit that I had the exact same feel with my recital last Thursday and I got a good taste of what it's like to go through a mini panic attack from actually messing up... But there is a way around that. You have to learn how to continue playing after messing up. This might sound harder than it actually is because for the most part, it's all a mental state of thinking. You have to learn that messing up is just the way we are! We will make mistakes, but they shouldn't stop you in the middle of a performance. The big secret of music is, if you're playing to people who don't know the music as well as you do or are playing to people who aren't very "music savvy" then if you mess up then they probably won't notice. I'm not saying that you should mess up a song nor am I saying you shouldn't practice a piece and go on and mess it up! I'm saying if you mess up while playing a piece, then don't over react to it and either stop what you're doing or freak out on stage.
Here's an example from my personal life. For those who are new to the series, I am a freshman cellist @ Winthrop University. I've been studying with the cello professor there for a few years now and she's been teaching me how to play the Saint Saens cello concerto #1 for around a year now. When one of the other cellist had to give a recital for the graduation requirements, she asked me if I would be interested in playing the first movement of the song for a "half recital" (a recital that doesn't count towards your graduation, but is more for fun and experience). Being the kind of person that I am (a little crazy but will take almost any opportunity to learn and grow), I decided it would be awesome to do it. I went through the usual feeling about the first time on stage "alone" would be good for my personality of being a little antisocial (which it did help). During the performance however, there was a disconnection in tempo in the middle of the song and we got off. When I noticed, I started to freeze up but I noticed I was near a break in my part so I kept going until the break and waited for my next entrance. After all was said and done, I talked to some friends outside who listened and said they only noticed my stopping because I was showing it.
It can be a difficult thing to learn, and there's not really a way to learn this skill besides experiencing it.
Now, have you ever felt very ill about playing to family or friends because you were afraid of messing up. Or have you ever been on stage to preform and felt stage freight from being afraid of messing up? I will admit that I had the exact same feel with my recital last Thursday and I got a good taste of what it's like to go through a mini panic attack from actually messing up... But there is a way around that. You have to learn how to continue playing after messing up. This might sound harder than it actually is because for the most part, it's all a mental state of thinking. You have to learn that messing up is just the way we are! We will make mistakes, but they shouldn't stop you in the middle of a performance. The big secret of music is, if you're playing to people who don't know the music as well as you do or are playing to people who aren't very "music savvy" then if you mess up then they probably won't notice. I'm not saying that you should mess up a song nor am I saying you shouldn't practice a piece and go on and mess it up! I'm saying if you mess up while playing a piece, then don't over react to it and either stop what you're doing or freak out on stage.
Here's an example from my personal life. For those who are new to the series, I am a freshman cellist @ Winthrop University. I've been studying with the cello professor there for a few years now and she's been teaching me how to play the Saint Saens cello concerto #1 for around a year now. When one of the other cellist had to give a recital for the graduation requirements, she asked me if I would be interested in playing the first movement of the song for a "half recital" (a recital that doesn't count towards your graduation, but is more for fun and experience). Being the kind of person that I am (a little crazy but will take almost any opportunity to learn and grow), I decided it would be awesome to do it. I went through the usual feeling about the first time on stage "alone" would be good for my personality of being a little antisocial (which it did help). During the performance however, there was a disconnection in tempo in the middle of the song and we got off. When I noticed, I started to freeze up but I noticed I was near a break in my part so I kept going until the break and waited for my next entrance. After all was said and done, I talked to some friends outside who listened and said they only noticed my stopping because I was showing it.
It can be a difficult thing to learn, and there's not really a way to learn this skill besides experiencing it.
Friday, November 2, 2012
How to Practice Episode 7: Practice with a metronome
Hello guys and welcome back! I know that this is a fairly obvious thing but you would be surprised at how many people overlook this tip. Metronomes have been around before the times of Beethoven but they have gotten better over time. The reason why we use them is to make sure you're practicing at a constant tempo. One should learn a piece at a constant tempo even if it has stuff like accelerando or rubato and after learning it at the main tempo then add the accelerando, rubato or whatever changes the tempo. If you can't play it at the tempo given, then one should practice under the marking. The rule of thumb with myself when I'm practicing is if I'm having problems at the tempo listed I slow it down by 10 or the closest number to 10 below. Then so on until I have a tempo I can play it at well. Then I play it at that tempo until I have played it 5 times perfectly, which I then go to speed it up by the next marking on the metronome. I repeat that until I can get it back to the marked tempo and then a couple of clicks higher just in case the conductor starts the song off on the fast side.
I know this was a really short post but there isn't much I can say about this. If you liked it please follow the Facebook Fan Page (click here), the Twitter page (click here) or subscribe to the blog by email or RSS! I would like to get some people to start posting on the Facebook page about the music they use.
I know this was a really short post but there isn't much I can say about this. If you liked it please follow the Facebook Fan Page (click here), the Twitter page (click here) or subscribe to the blog by email or RSS! I would like to get some people to start posting on the Facebook page about the music they use.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Special Post: 2,000 US views and an announcement!
Hello and welcome back to all of my regulars, and an especially warm welcome to the people who are being referred to the site thanks to Magic Rosin! I am proud to announce the 2,000 US viewer was seen last night which is a milestone for me! I honestly imagined this site to be a random page that was searched every now and again for a laugh as I talked about something that no one cared to read! But seeing I have hit the 2,000 viewer in the US, and a grand total of 2,400 viewers which there are about 40 or 50 regulars. I would like for all of the new viewers to have a nice start with the blog. As you have probably guessed, my name's Adam and I play the cello and love to compose music... And not just one genre in particular. I think that all music, even if it's not one kind that I listen to often or at all, is valid on some level. It should be shared with the public and cherished as a piece of art. The differences in music should be separated by a permeable wall; Classical, for example, should influence modern music just as much as modern "classical" music should be influenced by modern music such as pop, rock and etc. This doesn't necessarily mean for one to put a beat box to Vivaldi's Four Seasons but if you can make it work then do so. Music is determined by the composer!
Now, you may be looking at that and wondering why it: A) sounds like a vitamin water bottle label, or B) what is the point of that if this is a blog about music theory. The answer to latter question is this blog isn't all about theory. I try to put a mix of things on here to not only open people up to the variety in the world! In order to understand music, you need to know what music is like all over the world and try mixing new elements into your style. For example, I am working on a few arrangements of some classical Christmas tunes for the holidays and one that I'm going to assume a lot of you have heard is The Piano Guys' version of Nearer, My God, To Thee (link). For those who haven't heard the original, then it is a standard SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tener, Bass) hymn for a church choir. However as you hear around half way into a 7/8 feel and sounds almost syncopated at times. That is the general idea behind composing and arranging music: Find (or create) a tune and make it fit in the context of what you want. And in the blog I have a couple of series that I have to help you with this adventure and an important announcement. The first series I started was the actual music theory lessons which have been going on for a while. Coming up after ever 5 to 10 episodes, I do a theory recap post to help catch everyone up on what they missed. Following that, I started the "How to Practice" series in which I give situations where a lot of student musicians get stuck and I present solutions to those problems by either giving the most common way out of it or I create a method (which is what the next episode will be on *hint hint*).
And now, down to the final and the most important part of the post: The big announcement. I am starting 3 new series for the blog: "Interviews with the Professionals", a Fan Music series and The "Global Musical Experiment". The first series is exactly what is says; being a student at Winthrop University I get to talk to the professionals who stop by and ask questions so I have created a series of questions that I ask everyone and share their knowledge with you. The second is also as it sounds as well, if you guys want to write a song, submit it to me and I like it, I will post it on here for everyone to see and get you some views. Finally, the last one is a little more complex than it appears.
As I stated before, I have a somewhat large international fan base ranging from Great Britain, France and Russia to South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. I would like to start an interactive page where everyone can post a little bit about where they are from and post a video describing the song they choose to post and why they chose it. I have already started this "forum" sort of discussion on my Facebook Fan Page with a few people but I need everyone to help pitch some music in! However, the magic begins when I select your post and put it on here to share! So if everyone will join the Facebook Fan Page and post one thing on it then this will be an amazing musical learning adventure for everyone to see life from other parts of the world. And if you're not a fan of Facebook, then I have a Twitter page you can follow as well! Hope you decide to stick around and don't be afraid to look around the page or contact me with questions, changes or ideas you have!
Now, you may be looking at that and wondering why it: A) sounds like a vitamin water bottle label, or B) what is the point of that if this is a blog about music theory. The answer to latter question is this blog isn't all about theory. I try to put a mix of things on here to not only open people up to the variety in the world! In order to understand music, you need to know what music is like all over the world and try mixing new elements into your style. For example, I am working on a few arrangements of some classical Christmas tunes for the holidays and one that I'm going to assume a lot of you have heard is The Piano Guys' version of Nearer, My God, To Thee (link). For those who haven't heard the original, then it is a standard SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tener, Bass) hymn for a church choir. However as you hear around half way into a 7/8 feel and sounds almost syncopated at times. That is the general idea behind composing and arranging music: Find (or create) a tune and make it fit in the context of what you want. And in the blog I have a couple of series that I have to help you with this adventure and an important announcement. The first series I started was the actual music theory lessons which have been going on for a while. Coming up after ever 5 to 10 episodes, I do a theory recap post to help catch everyone up on what they missed. Following that, I started the "How to Practice" series in which I give situations where a lot of student musicians get stuck and I present solutions to those problems by either giving the most common way out of it or I create a method (which is what the next episode will be on *hint hint*).
And now, down to the final and the most important part of the post: The big announcement. I am starting 3 new series for the blog: "Interviews with the Professionals", a Fan Music series and The "Global Musical Experiment". The first series is exactly what is says; being a student at Winthrop University I get to talk to the professionals who stop by and ask questions so I have created a series of questions that I ask everyone and share their knowledge with you. The second is also as it sounds as well, if you guys want to write a song, submit it to me and I like it, I will post it on here for everyone to see and get you some views. Finally, the last one is a little more complex than it appears.
As I stated before, I have a somewhat large international fan base ranging from Great Britain, France and Russia to South Korea, Indonesia and Japan. I would like to start an interactive page where everyone can post a little bit about where they are from and post a video describing the song they choose to post and why they chose it. I have already started this "forum" sort of discussion on my Facebook Fan Page with a few people but I need everyone to help pitch some music in! However, the magic begins when I select your post and put it on here to share! So if everyone will join the Facebook Fan Page and post one thing on it then this will be an amazing musical learning adventure for everyone to see life from other parts of the world. And if you're not a fan of Facebook, then I have a Twitter page you can follow as well! Hope you decide to stick around and don't be afraid to look around the page or contact me with questions, changes or ideas you have!
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