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12 Reasons You Should Learn to Play the Piano
All right, folks, here you go: My 12 reasons why you should start learning how to play the piano. Immediately. As in today. This very minute. Okay, fine, finish this article first, THEN get started. And yes, I know that there are more than just 12 reasons to play the piano. But I happen to like the number 12. :) 1) Everyone should play at least one instrument. I truly believe that. Every person on Earth should be able to sit at SOME instrument and be capable of making beautiful music. 2) Playing the piano makes you feel (and look) sophisticated. Truly. No matter who you are or how many warts you have, you'll just exude class the second you begin tickling those ivories. 3) Piano playing keeps your brain active. It's very hard for your brain to rot when you consistently throw it the musical language to interpret. 4) You won't run out of things to do when you're bored. There's always a new way to play, always a new approach to playing, and always, always, ALWAYS a new song to learn. (See number 8.) 5) Family members can live vicariously through you. I'm semi-serious about that. The reason I began taking piano lessons (back when I was 10) was because of grandparents who didn't play, and over the years I've had numerous relatives enjoy playing through me. (I live to serve.) 6) People will automatically assume you're a genius. Honestly, I've heard this a lot. People uttering "He/she plays the piano" in the same tone reserved for "He/she has an IQ of 174." You just can't help but admire someone playing an instrument. 7) Piano playing is good for your hands. Indeed it is. I probably have stronger hands/fingers than most people I know. And have you ever noticed the hands of a pianist? Beautiful, long, tapered fingers. Chances are that if you've ever admired someone's hands, they play the piano. 8) Pianists never quit learning. There's absolutely no way to memorize every musical piece on earth. You could learn 10 new songs a day for the rest of your life without scratching the surface of songs out there. 9) Piano playing is FUN. Really. It's one of the funnest things I do. Think about it, why would so many of us do it if it weren't a blast? 10) Deep down, everyone wishes they played the piano. Have you ever read other people's New Year's Resolutions lists? If you haven't, then you're just not nosy like me. No, seriously, if you haven't, I'll tell you which wish consistently pops up: "Learn to play the piano." 11) Piano playing is SATISFYING. It's truly one of the most satisfying things you can do. (Right after touching your nose with your tongue. Or so I hear.) There's no feeling like playing a difficult song and playing it flawlessly. Quite an ego-boost. 12) Everyone loves a musician. 'Nuff said. :) Visit: The Piano Pages Please visit my website, The Piano Pages, for more articles, free piano lessons, piano sheet music, tips, products, and lots more. Also, feel free to send me comments, questions, or hate mail at: emily@thepianopages .com
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6 Tips for Organizing Your Music Files If you're a digital music fan, you probably have problems organizing your music file collection. For me, I used to have hundreds of MP3 files lumped in one folder in my hard drive. Can you imagine the pain I had to go through to find one specific tune to listen to? Name That Tune - Tips For When You Can?t Remember The Song Title Or Artist For years, you have been searching for a song lodged in your brain that is driving you nuts. Unfortunately, you have forgotten both the song title and the artist and all you remember are a few words. Don't you wish you could just name that tune once and for all so that you can get on with your life?? Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 1 Introduction The Life and Music of Beatle George Harrison Propelled into fame as one of the Beatles, along with Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, George Harrison was known as the "quiet one" of the group, and also as the "spiritual one." He was the lead guitarist. Avoiding Injuries When Playing Guitar To avoid any sort of injuries when playing guitar a common sense approach is recommended. Just what do I mean by that? How to Construct Chords and Improvise How To Construct Basic Chords on the Piano How to Remove DRM from WMA - Is It Legal and Worth the Effort? Technically, it's illegal to remove DRM from WMA protected music. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is part of the music industry's effort to curb piracy. There are legitimate reasons for removing it, but first understand DRM can not be removed from file sharing network downloads. Most tracks can be legally copied 3 to 5 times, and this has been exceeded long before they appear on a peer-to-peer network. You must have either purchased the music or have unrestricted free music downloads. Music for Corporate Entertainment For many years I have supplied music for and played in bands that provide music for corporate entertainment. Clients have included Audi, The Evening Standard, Sainsburys, P.C. World, Safeways, Large corporate clients at Henley and Ascot, I.T.V. and H.M. Treasury. Because of this experience I felt it would be relevant in putting down some pointers in helping clients choose the right kind of music for their particular corporate entertainment. Piano Lessons and Perfectionism Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound right before it comes out of your piano? If so, you might be cheating yourself out of the joy of music making. Most of us learned how to be perfectionists as children, trying to please Mommy or Daddy. We wanted their approval so we tried to get it right. Do You Know What a Didgeridoo Is? Do you know what a didgeridoo is? There are so many things in this life that are unknown to us. I bet you could find out about something outside your normal sphere of vision and experience everyday for the rest of your life and still not get close to knowing about everything out there. Not to mention the number of things we don't know about our own internal selves-physical, emotional, spiritual and mental realities that are still unaware to us. That's another story however, let's stick to the external in this article. Is Your Child Capable of Composing Music? Maybe the Next Mozart? We've all heard of them. Child prodigies who begin composing music at some ridiculously young age. For instance, history reports that Mozart was writing minuets by the time he was five years old. Amazing. At five years of age, I'm not sure that I knew the difference between my finger and my thumb and I certainly wasn't composing music. Music Mini Course: Learn The Basics Of Reading Music On A Keyboard Instrument Welcome to the wonderful world of music. As you begin reading this Music Mini Course it is fun to realize that you are also participating in a very important cultural aspect from around the world which has been going on for centuries. Did you know that pianos in some form have been around for over 500 years? Some of the first instruments of this kind were created in the late Medieval Period and were called clavichords. They had a very light, metallic sound because the small hand-pounded 'hammers' were made of very light weight metal-like material. These hammers struck strings of varying lengths to create different tones or pitches. The next cousin to the clavichord was the harpsichord invented by Cristofori in Italy around 1450 A.D. This keyboard instrument had a mechanism in it called the plecktrum which 'plucked' the strings and produced a slightly stronger sound than its predecessor. Whether you are playing an acoustic instrument, which is the closest relative to the history just mentioned, or an electronic keyboard, you are now participating in a centuries old musical art form. Automatic Control of Chords CORRECT PRACTICE IS INDISPENSABLE! Review: Medications - All Your Favorite People In One Place One of the most intriguing aspects of music is how easily it can transform one's mood. The right notes, at the right tempo, and all of a sudden, BAM! You're in a good mood. This 3 piece from Washington, DC knows exactly how to pull this off. Consisting of members of the now defunct band "Faraquet", Medications oddly enough, sounds a lot like Faraquet. It's peculiar how a band consisting of the same musicians can sound very similar. After the Faraquet breakup 2 of the founding members created Medications and while the sound is very similar, the new third wheel does add some new elements into the mix. A mere 6 months since the release of their Medications EP, they have returned with their first full length Your favorite people all in one place available now on Dischord. Learn to Read Music Online If you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music, it's a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet gives us all access to almost unlimited information, and can deliver an incredible array of products and tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there are some really clever products out there that can help you learn to read notes. Beginners Guide to Music File Formats Are you confused by the various types of music file formats out there? Most of you would have heard of the popular MP3 format, but are you aware there are other alternative digital music formats like WAV, WMA, RA and MIDI? Some of these give better sound quality than MP3 (e.g. the WAV format) but also need more disk storage space. Others like WMA give file sizes smaller than the MP3 format and are more suited for portable music players. Playing The Piano Using Chord Symbols Instead of Being Tied To The Written Sheet Music Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not a science. It is all based on chords and chord progressions. There aren't any steadfast rules for creating an arrangement, nothing to dictate the limitless potential of your imagination. Musicians learn to arrange by simply arranging ? and improvise by improvising -- over and over again. It's a big game of trial and error. But it's also a scientific method: you keep the experiments that work, and abandon those that don't work. Legend Vega Releasing New Pop CD Legend Vega is scheduled to release her newest CD this summer, Personal Space. Fans characterize Legend's style as a cross between Mariah Carey and a female version of Ricky Martin. She was born under the lights of Broadway in New York City but raised to the beat of Salsa and Merengue on the hot sands of Puerto Rico. Legend Vega is an experienced singer, songwriter, and model. She has just finished recording her newest CD with all of her own material. Her mainstream pop style and her Latin background make her an excellent crossover artist for the U.S. market. Her album features a broad mix of pop music recorded in English but with many Latin influences. The History Of Drums - A Journey Of Sound Music and musical instruments are an extremely important part of human history. The use of rhythm and song has long been used to express meaning, and feeling and accompany rituals. One Way to Improve Your Music Journalist Relationship Boy, I really detest how some people do websites. Bands are some of the worst. Seems like any band that wants to look "professional" feels they must create a website using pop-ups and flash. Why? Cuz that's what the Majors do?
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