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 […]
Plymouth
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, […]
The Victory Song of the Detroit Lions
When the Detroit Lions storm the field and the crowd jumps to its feet, one tradition consistently sets the tone: the thunderous sound of their team anthem. Sung with excitement and loyalty, these fight songs have long served to rally both the fans and players, amplifying the spirit of game day. The Lions’ anthem dates […]
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 […]
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 […]
Gift Certificates for Music Lessons
Give the Gift of Music This Holiday Season Music lessons make a thoughtful and lasting gift for anyone with even a spark of musical interest. It’s common to hear people say things like, “I’ve always wanted to learn guitar,” or “I wish I had time to play piano.” The truth is, most people can make […]
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 […]
The Theory of Jazz Music
In The Jazz Theory Book, acclaimed jazz pianist and educator Mark Levine delivers a masterclass in understanding the building blocks of jazz harmony and improvisation. Levine famously states that a great jazz solo is “1% magic and 99% stuff that is explainable, analyzable, categorizable, and doable.” This book is all about that 99%. From the […]
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 […]
Do I need to bother learning modes?
Understanding Modes in Music Theory If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Do I need to bother learning modes?”—you’re not alone. Many musicians, especially beginners, feel overwhelmed by the concept. But understanding modes doesn’t have to be confusing, and yes, learning them can be worth your time—especially once you have a solid grasp of your major and […]
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 […]
Do I have to learn scales on the guitar?
By Henry Bahrou, Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff Practicing scales may not seem exciting, especially for beginner guitarists, but it’s one of the most valuable habits a musician can develop. While the guitar is often associated with pop and contemporary music—and sometimes treated as a more “casual” instrument—it still requires a strong foundation in musical […]
How many guitar chords are there?
By Henry Bahrou, Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff Chords are simply groups of notes played together to create either consonant or dissonant harmonies. One of the most common questions I hear from beginning guitar students is: How many guitar chords are there?The answer isn’t infinity, but it’s still far too many to count — and […]
Can I start my lessons on a keyboard rather than a piano?
Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff Modern technology has made it remarkably affordable to own a full 88-key digital piano. Many of today’s models feature hammer-action keys that closely simulate the feel of an acoustic piano. For anyone who has compared non-weighted keyboards to traditional pianos, the difference in touch and responsiveness is significant. Even between […]
Don’t you cry I’ll be back again someday
By Grosse Pointe Music Academy Staff After waving farewell to the children, Frosty the Snowman famously promises that he will “be back again someday.” But did Frosty ever return? Some have found the original phrasing too vague and have altered the lyrics to “I’ll be back again on Christmas Day,” offering a more definitive timeline […]