Music

       Top 10 Flute Tone Improvement Tips Whenever I am nervous prior to a performance or audition, the first thing to go is my sound. What was beautiful and crystal clear 24 hours ago suddenly turns into a strangled, airy, tense, cacophony of sound reminiscent of a dying cat. I typically leave the scene of the crime ashamed and confused, knowing very well that that was not the type of flute tone I had wished to project to the world. After experiencing a handful of unsuccessful auditions, I researched several ways to improve overall flute tone, strengthen embouchure flexibility, and develop a larger, yet reliable, volume of sound. The following top 10 list of tips and tricks is designed to help all of you in Flute Land strengthen your own sound and silence the dying cat within. 1. Posture .  Having proper flute posture is the foundation of flute playing. The way you hold yourself and the instrum...

                         Top 10 tips for drummers Practice With A Metronome As a drummer being the time keeper is your primary function, practicing to a click/metronome will develop your ability to play in time and also your fluency.   Know Your Rudiments This may sound broad and a bit vague but learning your rudiments, even just to a basic standard will help you to develop better technique, your accuracy around the kit will increase as will your speed and control of your dynamic range.   Practice Different Styles I have always found that practicing a variety of styles has matured me as a drummer and pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Having knowledge of a variety of different grooves and feels will add creativity and maturity to your playing.   Practice Independence In its simp...

              Guide to Buying a Harmonium When buying a harmonium you can narrow your choice by deciding what options you want. Basic choices are: 1) Regular vs. Portable Portable harmoniums fold up into a suitcase-like box ½ to 2/3 of their regular height. There is a handle in front so they can be carried with one hand like a suitcase. If you are traveling around a lot with your instrument this is an attractive option, since it’s lot easier to carry a harmonium this way than by the two side handles of a regular harmonium. If you’re not, then it’s just another moving part. In general, you sacrifice no sound by getting a portable. 2) Regular vs. Scale Change Scale change harmoniums have a mechanism that allows you to slide the keyboard up to four half steps left or right. So if you are used to always playing in B flat, and the song is in C, you just shift the keyboard up two half steps. This is not a...

10 Tips To Learn How to Play the Guitar with Good Technique Learn How to Play the Guitar with Good Technique From the Start Click for free download I taught myself how to play the guitar and I’ll admit this resulted in learning some very bad habits that are proving difficult to shake off. I didn’t have awesome apps like  Uberchord  (click for free download) to guide me. The common problem with novice guitar players is impatience — those how-to books and websites insist that you to take things slowly, focus on the basics and get things right from the start, whereas you want to begin shredding solos and be leaping from a stack of Marshalls with every power chord within… oh, a few weeks would be nice. If you watch any of the best players in the world, regardless of whether they play classical tunes or heavy rock, they all have one thing in common — good technique, meaning they’re properly applying all those basic requirements for playing great guitar. Have...

The 10 Best Piano Practice Tips to Remember  Not sure where to start when you sit down at the piano? Just remember these 10 piano practice tips from Austin, TX teacher Tosin A… All right, students. Relax your shoulders, keep your back straight, and let’s begin our scales. Just kidding. Practicing is the most important part of becoming a piano player. Here are a few things to take your practice time to its highest potential. 1. Set a Clear Goal If you sit down at the piano and say, “I’m going to play for a bit,” you aren’t going to to learn anything. Instead, set a goal: “I’m going to learn how to play the opening song in Frozen.” Since you set a goal, you are going to keep at it until you reach it. You also have to make sure that your goal is achievable in your practice time frame. If you have only two hours, you probably shouldn’t try to learn the entire “Planets Suite” by Holst, maybe just the pretty part in “Jupiter”. 2. Warm up ...