 How To Create Suitable Melodies For Your Chord Progression
No matter your level of proficiency, you can create great melodies along with your chord progression using any of the two approaches outlined below. First Approach It is a good idea to use different chord inversions while playing your chord progression. You can try each of the inversions one at a time as you move on with your progression. You may seek the guidance and supervision of an experienced keyboardist on this. The melodies will be obvious as you make connections with the chords. Bear in mind that you may not actually hear the whole of the melody at once, but you should be able to filter out the skeleton of the melody from what you hear. As you continue to practice, you’ll be improving on the melodies and more parts of it will be coming out. With time, you’ll be able to produce an interesting melody. At this point, you should not bother about whether you are getting the notes right. Rather, follow your ears. Listen to the melody and continue to make corrections as you deem necessary. Let the process flow naturally and organically. Getting the notes correct will come naturally. The more you practice with the chord progression, the more the notes will fall in the right place. If you don’t like this approach or it is difficult for you to follow, you can adopt the next one, discussed right below. Second Approach The approach involves attaching a particular rhythm to your chord progression. Lay it down on a recorder. You can then play it repeatedly. Listen as you play it. If you play the melodies so many times, you’ll be able to listen to them without recording. After playing the chord progression, close your eyes and try to hear the melody. Try to arrange the musical set pieces mentally. At this point, you should be able to come up with several melodies. You may also record the melodies as you align them with your chord progression. The more you memorize the progression, the easier it will be for you to hear organic melodies naturally. You’ll no longer need to fiddle with your musical instrument to come up with a nice melody. Instead of focusing on your musical instrument, unleash your creativity. Listen to your head and dig out the melodies in them. Letting your voice run at the same pace with your ears is one of the best ways to come up with nice music. Of course, there are several other ways to create melodies and music, but the two approaches above are easy to adopt and they are effective as well. Most importantly, regardless of what approach you choose, always let your imagination work. Don’t focus on only instruments. The musical instruments are distractions. They’ll sever the synchronization between your ears and voice. So, it is better to use your voice, record it, and transcribe it. When you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to create nice melodies more effortlessly. If you're interested in taking lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-music-lessons-burbank-ca.html  When it comes to the age old question of whether it is too late to starting taking music lessons, there are simple answers and there are answers that are slightly more detailed.
The easy answer is no. It is never too late. On the other hand, those who want a slightly more detailed answer will need to know a few things. For starters, there are a wide range of disadvantages that come up for those who try to start the process of learning how to master a musical instrument during a latter period in life. We are referring to adults in these instances, as opposed to school aged children. After all, a 21 year old is hardly too old to start learning. So what are these disadvantages and how do they affect the learning process? Time is a major consideration in these instances. It will take an older student a great deal of time and effort to achieve their objectives. An older student is simply not going to have the same amount of time and energy to dedicate to the learning process. When a child comes home from school, they have a limited number of obligations. They do not have to endure the same number demands on their time. An adult will need to spend their free time running errands, socializing and dealing with work related concerns. While this may seem daunting, an adult should be able to carve out at least 30 to 45 minutes each day to practice their instrument. One downside is that an adult will not be able to receive free tuition from their school or locate a helpful peer group of fellow beginners. This is something that you may have been able to take advantage of if you had taken the time to start earlier. Those who are self motivating and self discipline will still be able to learn the ins and outs of their instrument quickly. It is important to remain realistic about the process, though. No matter how hard you try, you are not going to be Carlos Santana or Stevie Wonder by the time next month rolls around. In order to learn more more about the mechanics of your chosen instrument, you should be taking the time to study the basic principles of music theory. This is especially helpful for guitar players who are looking to further their understanding of melody, harmony and rhythm. The more you know about each of these principles at a theoretical level, the easier the learning process becomes. Learning about chord construction, intervals and scales may seem a bit academic and overly heavy. However, it is a crucial aspect of the learning process and a great way to open up your mind to new information. If you're interested in taking music lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best music lessons in Los Angeles. Our music instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of music instructors and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-drum-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html What Are Drum Rudiments?
4/18/2023
 Drum Rudiments are one of the most important aspects of drumming. They are the building blocks to every drum beat, pattern, fill, and solo. Whatever your skill level is on the drums, practicing your rudiments is a must. Even if you are an advanced drummer, it’s always good to go over some of the more technical rudiments. There are 40 drum rudiments; some more complicated then the other. Out of those 40, there are about 5 essential rudiments that are a must for practicing.
Many of you may be unfamiliar with the term Rudiments; however, do not worry. Drum rudiments aren’t a concept you aren’t aware of, maybe just a term you haven’t heard before. A drum rudiment is basically a sticking pattern. Every sticking pattern you play on the drum set is derived from different drum rudiments. Most are very common patterns that you are well aware of like the single stroke roll, double stroke roll, and flam stroke. Some are more complex and difficult to play. The next time you play the drums, you should look and see what rudiments you are actually playing. Drum rudiments are the essentials of drumming; they should be practiced by drummers to increase their stick control, speed and independence. You may have heard of the 40 Essential Drum Rudiments before; this is the list of rudiments that are played. They say if you master the 40 essential rudiments you are on your way to becoming a professional drummer. This is very true; if you can identify and play each one of these rudiments you will have built up enough knowledge and stick control to be a very skilled drummer. However, this takes a lot of work. Here is the list of rudiments
Drum Rudiment Practice Practicing these drum rudiments are very important. The best way to practice these is to take a pair of drum sticks, a metronome, and a practice pad and start playing. Make sure you are playing with a metronome to keep yourself on time. If you do not know where to start, here is a list of the top 5 rudiments you should start with: the single stroke roll, the double stroke roll, the flam stroke, the paradiddle, and the double paradiddle. These are the top 5 rudiments you should start with, as each one will teach you speed, control, independence and endurance on your sticks. Most of the drum rudiments are variations of each other, meaning it is not too hard to learn all 40 rudiments. For example, if you can play a flam stroke, and a paradiddle pattern, you should have no trouble playing the flam paradiddle. In any case take the time to go over each one if you can. Drum rudiments are more than just sticking patterns you practice on a practice pad. They are designed to be played in common drumming applications. What this means is they are designed to be played in drum beats, fills, and solos. If you're interested in taking Drum lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best drum lessons in Los Angeles. Our drum instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of drum instructors and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-drum-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html Vocal Warm Up Lesson for Beginners!
4/17/2023
 1. YAWN-SIGH TECHNIQUE - For this quick vocal exercise, simply yawn (take in air) with your mouth closed. Then, exhale through your nose as if you are sighing. This will help relax your voice and improve its range.
2. HUMMING WARM-UPS - Humming is one of the best vocal warm-ups because it doesn’t put a lot of strain on your vocal cords. Place the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth and hum up and down the major scale while keeping your mouth closed. Each note should sound like (hmmm) including the (h) sound is less taxing on your voice. 3. VOCAL STRAW EXERCISE - To perform the vocal straw exercise (also known as straw phonation), take a straw and hum through it. Start at the bottom of your range and slide up to the top slowly and evenly. Then, hum your favorite song through the straw. You can also place the straw in a partially full glass of liquid and blow controlled bubbles in the glass. 4. LIP BUZZ VOCAL WARM-UP - As far as vocal warm-ups go, lip buzz (or lip trill, as it is sometimes called) is very simple. The goal is to make a motorboat sound by making your lips vibrate as you blow air through your mouth and nose. You can incorporate pitch slides as well. 5. TONGUE TRILL EXERCISE - The tongue trill vocal exercise is difficult for some singers. It involves curling your tongue and rolling your R’s as you go through your range from low to high. 6. JAW LOOSENING EXERCISES - When singing, you want to drop your jaw lower than when you are just talking. With your finger, trace back along your jawline from your chin to your ear. That curved space between your jaw and your ear is where you want to drop your jaw. Pretend you are yawning with your mouth closed and feel where your jaw drops. Avoid just dropping your chin. 7. TWO-OCTAVE PITCH GLIDE WARM-UP - For this easy vocal warm-up, make an (eeee or ohhhh) sound and gradually glide through the chromatic notes of a two-octave range. Glide up and then back down. This will transition from your chest voice to your head voice. 8. VOCAL SIRENS EXERCISE - Much like the pitch glide, the siren exercise takes an (oooo) sound and gradually goes from the lowest note of your range to the highest and back down, like a siren for an emergency vehicle. The sound is continuous and covers the tones between the notes. 9. VOCAL SLIDES TECHNIQUE - This technique is also known as a portamento, which is Italian for (the act of carrying) Much like the siren exercise, you slide from one note to the next in your range, but you don’t sing the in-between notes. If you're interested in taking vocal lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best vocal lessons in Los Angeles. Our vocal instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of vocal instructors and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-voice-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html  Mistakes That Slows Your Progress In Learning Any Musical Instrument When learning how to play any musical instrument, you could catch up fast or you could progress at a snail’s speed. It all depends on your learning approach. Most music teachers focus more on making sure that you don’t miss your learning sessions. Of course, missing your practice will slow your progress down, but your learning approach is more important than the time spent on it. Students make several mistakes in their approach and these mistakes impact the result they get from their practice sessions. Here are some of the mistakes and their solutions. 1. Playing without concentration Some students practice with their musical instrument while doing something else. Most commonly, people play an instrument while watching the TV. Learning requires full concentration as it requires the whole of your mind. When you play an instrument without full concentration, it is just a repetition of what you have already learned. It is a waste of time because you won’t learn anything more. Whenever you want to practice, you have remove anything that may cause a distraction, so you can listen to what you’re playing and look out for flaws. 2. Playing without looking out for flaws Another common mistake is playing an instrument through a piece of music without taking note of your flaws. If you do that, you won’t improve. You’ll only turn your training session to a formality. You will continue to move on with your flaws. You’ll slow down your progress that way. Instead, watch for flaws while you’re playing the music. And if you come across any bad spot, stop and try to improve on the spot before you move on. 3. Playing through a particular musical piece repeatedly It is true that practice makes perfect. You’ll improve when you keep playing through a piece again and again, but the rate of improvement will be very slow. You’ll keep playing through your flaws over and over again. It is better to stop each time you encounter a problem. Find the cause and solution to the problem before you move on. You’ll learn faster that way. 4. Playing a problematic passage until it sounds better Some students prefer to play over a problematic area until they observe an improvement before they move forward. The problem with this learning technique is that it is not certain that you’ll breeze through the spot when next you play the piece. It is better to get to the root of the problem. Find out the real problem and the cause of the problem. That way, you’ll be able to proffer a technical solution to the problem. When the problem is solved, you’ll be able to play it better subsequently. You need full concentration and engagement for identifying problems and solving them. When your brain is fully engaged in this, you’ll be able to take note of the problems and their solutions. Most importantly, everything you learn will stick with you for a long time. This is the most effective approach to learning how to play any musical instrument. If you're interested in taking lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-music-lessons-burbank-ca.html
What should I know about Violin Sizes?
4/13/2023
 Most parents who want their children to engage in violin lessons do not really know the right instrument suitable for them. Looking for an instrument that your child will play is simply the first thing to do before even commencing violin lessons. Unfortunately, finding the right information can be very difficult as there are lots of options available. If you're interested in taking drum lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-violin-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html
 You Are New To Playing The Guitar, Where Do You Begin?
You just bought yourself a guitar and now you want to learn how to play. Where do you start? What are The Most important chords you need to know in order to strum a few songs? As a beginner, you must start at the beginning and slowly climb that set of building blocks. Chords are considered the harmony, and strumming your guitar is the rhythm, adding in someone who sings and you have a melody. Put these together and you will have music. The first chords each beginner learns are remembered easily by the word CAGED. Yes, that is: C-A-G-E-D, and the next three are Am-Em-Dm. These chords will give you a seemingly endless playlist once you master them. There are a few tips to remember that will help you on this journey. -Press the guitar strings with just the tips of your fingers. -Bend the three knuckles as you press the strings sturdily. -Be sure to not touch the string below. -Rest your thumb gently on the back side of the guitar neck. Practice daily, checking to verify that each chord is coming out clearly. As soon as you feel comfortable being able to switch between these three chords, G,C, and D; you can being learning some three chord songs, and as you find yourself more comfortable you can move on to four chord songs. Some of the top songs such as You’re Beautiful by James Blunt,, With or Without You by U2 and She will be loved by Maroon 5, are all played using just these four chords, G,D, Em and C. There are tons of songs to learn that use that chord succession. These few tips will have you well on your way to playing guitar like a professional musician. There are number chord diagrams to look at that will aid you in learning. The numbers on those diagrams match up with your fingers. 1 is the index finger 2 will be the middle finger 3 is the ring finger 4 is the pinky finger Learn and memorize all eight chords thoroughly to build your abilities. Be sure to practice daily and listen to the sounds as you practice. Listen for clarity, be sure that you are not muting by touching any other string. As you feel more confident in your chords and abilities, you can research and find songs to play that will get you excited to keep playing and to continue learning some of the more difficult chords and methods to guitar playing. Think of how you will amaze family and friends when you are able to play just a small set of chords and be able to play the songs that so many people know and love. If you're interested in taking Guitar lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best guitar lessons in Los Angeles. Our guitar instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of guitar instructors and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-guitar-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html  BREATHING TECHNIQUES FOR BETTER SINGING
Now that you've mastered a few vocal warm-ups and exercises, always remember to maintain good posture and use proper breathing techniques. Two common breathing techniques are singing from your diaphragm and exhaling on a hiss. Keep reading to learn how you can perform these to improve your singing. 1. SING FROM YOUR DIAPHRAGM When singing, it is vitally important to use proper breathing techniques to avoid hurting your voice. It is most common to breathe from the chest during everyday activities, including speaking, but singing requires breathing from the diaphragm. Proper breathing gives your voice more power, more control and a fuller, more expressive tone. Sing from your diaphragm to avoid straining your voice. Your body should be relaxed and balanced, with your weight slightly forward. WHAT IS YOUR DIAPHRAGM? The diaphragm is a muscle between your chest and your belly that governs how much air you inhale and exhale when you breathe. “Singing from your diaphragm” is a phrase for this important breathing technique, which describes the proper way to breathe in and out while singing. The sound of your voice doesn’t actually come from your diaphragm, of course — sound is generated by vibrations of your vocal cords. The vibrations are caused by air being pushed out of your lungs. Your diaphragm is what controls the pushing and is responsible for putting power behind your voice. 2. EXHALE ON A HISSA hissing breath exercise is a great way to start when learning how to warm up your voice before singing. This technique forces vocalists to sing from their diaphragms and improves breath control. To master the exhale on a hiss breathing technique, it’s important to:
Now that you've warmed up your voice and know how to breathe from your diaphragm and exhale on a hiss, you’re ready to sing. If you're interested in taking vocal lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best vocal lessons in Los Angeles. Our vocal instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of vocal instructors and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-voice-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html  If you're interested in taking Singing lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, we have some of the best Voice lessons in Los Angeles. Our Vocal instructors are picked by interviewing hundreds of teachers and we have really high standards on both their teaching ability as well as their personality. If you'd like to talk to one of our instructors or set up a first lesson we have a guarantee that if you don't absolutely love your first lesson you don't have to pay for it. Vocal Range I’m sure we’re all familiar with words like bass, tenor, alto and soprano, but how do we actually find out our voice type when we start singing? Discovering our voice type is in fact a really simple exercise, and certainly one which is worth spending a bit of time on as a beginner. Knowing and understanding vocal range gives us an important guide on the notes and songs we are able to sing safely and effectively. It's important to remember that vocal range really isn’t related to singing ability: many experienced singers can have a narrow vocal range, and are still able to produce a beautiful, rich sound. As vocal range is mainly determined by the shape and structure of each individual's vocal folds, it's difficult to train to reach notes outside our range. However, we can strengthen the notes at the edge of our range, and much of vocal training focuses on improving the quality of the notes at the top and bottom of our register, giving us a wider range to sing with a clear and natural sound. Here are some simple steps for finding your vocal range and voice type: 1. Warm up Before doing any type of singing, it’s vitally important to do a vocal warm up, particularly when singing near the edges of our vocal range. This is in order to avoid straining or damaging the voice. Simple techniques to warm up the vocal choirs include: humming scales, sirening, and singing scales using different vowel sounds. 2. Find your lowest note Using a piano, find Middle C (also known as C4) and sing along as you play the note. Travel down the white keys to the lower notes and sing along to each note until you reach your lowest note. Any note within the octave of Middle C is designated a number 4, any note in the octave below is designated a number 3, and so on. Your lowest note will be the last note you can sing comfortably and sustain without croaking or breathing the note. Write down the note (for example G3). Once you’re sure you’ve found your lowest note, don’t attempt to try singing any lower as this might strain your voice. 3. Find your highest note Much like finding your lowest note, travel up the piano from Middle C until you find the highest note in your normal voice and write the note down. Continue up the scale in your falsetto voice until you find the last note you can sing and sustain comfortably and again write the note down - this note it is the top of your vocal range. It’s very important not to push your voice and attempt to sing past this note. 4. Compare your lowest and highest note Once you know your lowest and highest note, check these against the voice types below:- - Soprano: C4 – C6 Mezzo Soprano: A3 – A5 Alto: F3 – F5 Tenor: C3 – C5 Baritone: G2 – G4 Bass: E2 – E5 You've now found your vocal range and voice type. However, it’s important to bear in mind that many singers within the categories above can often sing higher or lower than the ranges displayed, so don't worry if your range doesn't match exactly. The top and bottom note are not the only things to determine voice type: factors such as tessitura (the most comfortable part of the range to sing) and timbre (texture and quality of the voice) also inform voices types. As you gain more experience as a singer you will develop a better awareness of the parts you are able to sing most comfortably comfortably and naturally. If you're interested in taking singing lessons on Zoom or In Person in Burbank, Glendale or North Hollywood, please contact us at (818)902-1233 or on our website at https://www.losangelesmusicteachers.com/online-voice-lessons-in-burbank-ca.html
 This is from a Quora music question that I answered some years back. The answer is highly subjective, but I do believe that the saxophone is one of the closest musical instruments to the human voice. The voice is arguably (entirely dependent on the musicality and ability) the most appealing to the soul. The trumpet in the hands of a very skilled musician is highly appealing to the soul based on his own capacity to make the trumpet his voice and to be able to express emotion through the instrument. Having said that, it’s the same for the saxophone player, he’s only as good as his ability to express emotions with the saxophone. In my experience, having played with a lot of trumpet players, I think that most trumpet and saxophone players would agree that the saxophone is probably a little bit easier instrument to express emotion, because of the ease of being able to manipulate the sound i.e. bend notes and add colors that are similar to the human voice. So based on that fact, I would say that the saxophone is a little more appealing to the soul, but the caveat is that there are plenty of trumpet players who appeal to MY soul more than a lot of saxophone players because they have learned how to express their emotions through their instrument more effectively.
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