If you’ve been studying music for even a short while you’ll have noticed that all the musical notes are written on one five lines. This is called the staff or stave. You will also have come across a symbol called a clef. By far the most common clefs are the treble clef and the bass …

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Classical music is all around us. We hear it in supermarkets, restaurants, films, television adverts, and in so many more places. From the monastic monks’ chants of medieval Europe to Chopin’s strikingly beautiful piano melodies; from the elegance of Mozart to the film music of Star Wars, classical music has influenced life for centuries and …

Classical music eras: what are the seven periods of music history? Read More »

“Do re mi fa so la ti da” is an instantly recognizable refrain. This is especially true if you have ever watched “The Sound of Music”. This is an example of solfege patterns being used to help teach a musical scale. For most musicians who take up an instrument, one of the first things you …

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A scale in music theory is a sequence of notes played in ascending or descending order with a specific interval structure. There are many scales in music. Some are extremely common and fundamental, like the major scale or minor scale. Others are more obscure and only called upon in certain settings, like the whole tone …

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Pitch is one of the most fundamental concepts in music and one of the primary ways musicians categorize how a note sounds. A particular sound wave might produce a low pitch, a high pitch, a definite pitch, or an indefinite pitch. The tools of music theory can be used to analyze these sound waves and …

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Transposition is often shrouded in mystery, especially to piano players who haven’t been playing very long. Anyone who studies music theory will learn how to transpose music. People who play transposing instruments such as alto saxophone, clarinet or bass are already familiar with the concept. If you’ve ever bought sheet music online, you may have …

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If you’ve ever asked yourself “what is harmony in music” this is going to help you to understand more about how harmony in music works, which will in turn help you to improve your piano playing. Harmony is a vital part of any piece of music. The simplest definition of harmony in music is that …

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What are eighth notes? The eighth note, or quaver, is a note value that is worth half a beat. Two or more eighth notes can be beamed together using a single line. You will see groups of piano note quavers beamed in groups of 2, 3, 4 and sometimes 6. A single eighth note symbol …

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In the enchanting world of music, the augmented chord stands out as a unique and mystical triad, distinct from the common major and minor chords. It captivates with its unconventional structure, where the fifth note is raised by a half step, creating a sound that transports listeners to a realm of sonic intrigue and wonder. …

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The diminished chord is one of the most enigmatic and often misunderstood sounds in music theory. To many people, it sounds quite dissonant and unattractive. However, the diminished chord is a very useful and beautiful harmony when used properly. The diminished chord is inside of many larger chords and it has interesting intervallic properties that …

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