In 1976, guitarist Moris Tepper joined Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band and became part of an era rich with musical experimentation and boundary-pushing artistry. During this time, Tepper received what would become one of the most iconic pieces of offbeat musical advice in rock history: “The Ten Commandments of Guitar Playing,” written by Don Van Vliet—better […]
Northville
The Value of a Great Music Teacher
When you sign up for music lessons at Grosse Pointe Music Academy, you’ll receive more than just quality information—you’ll gain access to dedicated educators with formal university training in music. Our instructors are not only knowledgeable, but committed to providing the most accurate and up-to-date instruction available. However, while information is important, it’s not the […]
Happy New Year 2012
As we welcome 2012, many of us are taking this opportunity to reflect and reset. The new year often brings a fresh sense of purpose—whether it’s spending more time with family, improving health, reducing stress, or pursuing personal passions. One resolution we frequently hear is the desire to learn a musical instrument or to dedicate […]
Drummers: The Unsung Athletes of the Music World
Drummers: The Unsung Athletes of the Music WorldBy Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff It’s easy to associate rock musicians with the late nights and high-energy shows, but few people realize the extraordinary physical demands placed on drummers in particular. A recent long-term study has shown that professional drummers operate at fitness levels comparable to elite […]
Ukulele Christmas
Guitar Players, Piano Players, Violin players, and all instrumentalists have enjoyed picking up the Ukulele and learning to strum simple chord accompaniments. Relatively speaking, Ukulele is an easy instrument with only 4 strings. Everybody thinks that the ukulele came from Hawaii. Well, while it’s true that the word ukulele is a Hawaiian word (it means, […]
What should I do about poor rhythm?
By Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director The key to understanding rhythm—especially for beginning musicians—is surprisingly simple: slow down. It’s one of the most overlooked but essential principles of learning music. Yet, time and again, students become frustrated, discouraged, or even give up altogether because they try to play too fast, too […]
Music Together Demo Classes in Canton
Grosse Pointe Music Academy in Canton Township is offering free early childhood music demo classes for families with young children. The upcoming sessions will be held on: These free demo classes are designed for children from birth through age five, along with their parents or caregivers. This is a great opportunity to experience the benefits […]
Musical Intervals and their names
Musical intervals can be thought of like basic measurements we learn early in life—such as inches, feet, or yards. In music, intervals refer to the space or distance between two notes. Just as we measure physical distance, musicians measure pitch distance with intervals. In the most fundamental sense, an interval is the distance between two […]
The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook
If you’re a guitarist and a Beatles enthusiast, The Beatles Complete Chord Songbook is an indispensable addition to your collection. This comprehensive compilation features chord symbols, guitar chord boxes, and complete lyrics for 194 songs written and performed by The Beatles, all transcribed in their original keys. It’s tailored for strumming guitarists, making it ideal […]
How to write creative music
Creative writing in music can begin in many different ways, depending on the musician’s background and approach. If you’re a singer—or simply someone who comes up with songs and melodies—you might find it helpful to learn guitar or piano to accompany your voice. In this case, the creative process often starts with a melody, with […]
Spelling your scales
A scale is a series of notes used as the foundation for melodies, harmonies, and chords. When musicians begin learning scales, there are several angles to approach the concept: recognizing notes on the staff, playing scales on an instrument, identifying them by ear, and spelling them out note by note. Spelling a scale means naming […]
What is Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, etc.?
If you’ve ever picked up a music theory book, you’ve probably encountered terms like Tonic, Supertonic, Mediant, Subdominant, Dominant, Submediant, and Leading Tone. These may sound overly technical at first, but they serve an important role in understanding how music works. Let’s take the C Major scale as an example. This scale contains the notes: […]
Is it ok to start on bass guitar?
There are many who still confuse the six-string guitar with its lower-register cousin—the bass guitar, which typically comes in four-, five-, or six-string versions. But for those familiar with both, the differences in role and function are significant. The bass guitar forms the bridge between rhythm and harmony, laying the foundation that guitars often follow […]
What’s your favorite guitar solo?
Knowing a wide variety of chords and scales is an essential part of any musician’s growth—but understanding how those elements function together is what empowers creativity. When you play a note over a chord, that note will generally fall into one of three categories: a chord tone, a diatonic scale tone, or a chromatic tone. […]
Tertian Chord Harmony
By Henry Bahrou – Guitarist, Music Theorist, Music Academy Director At first glance, the term tertian chords might sound like something out of science fiction—perhaps music from a distant planet. In reality, tertian harmony is one of the most fundamental and widely used systems in Western music. It’s so common that many musicians don’t even […]
Violin-t Behavior
History books will tell you that the violin is actually an Eastern European descendant of the Japanese Kyoto. They’ll say something about Marco Polo bringing the idea of the violin back to Eastern Europe after his highly publicized jaunt to the Far West in the 1200’s where he enjoyed a Kyoto concert with Kubla Khan. […]
Build Your Music Vocabulary through Piano Lessons
At Grosse Pointe Music Academy, we believe that helping students truly understand music—not just decode it—is key to lasting success in piano lessons. After over a decade of teaching experience in the Detroit area, we have learned important lessons about how students best develop musical fluency, and we are excited to share these insights with […]
Enroll Today for Music Lessons at Canton Music Academy!
We are excited to announce that music lessons will officially begin on September 6th, 2011 at our new Canton, Michigan location!Lessons are available for: Ready to get started?📞 Call us today at 734-667-4983 to register.Or, [Click here to Register] — after submitting your information, a member of our staff will contact you within 24 hours […]