https://www.musical-u.com/learn/banjo-basics/
This week at Musical U, we were proud to be able to sit with one of the most renowned banjo players in the music business.
Pete “Dr. Banjo” Wernick is a Grammy-nominee known throughout the world for his contribution to bluegrass music and for his hot-picking style.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-should-you-approach-guitar-ear-training/
Ear training is a hot topic for guitar players, because so many want to play guitar by ear and ear training is the key to learning to play by ear.
There are two ways to answer the question of what ear training a guitarist should do.
Learn more in this article.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/transcribe-like-music-pro-part-two-drums/
Music can be complex and that can make the task of transcribing it seem overwhelming!
Fortunately learning to transcribe music can be broken down into several key components.
Learn about these and start by transcribing the right one, and everything else will fall into place much more easily.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/interview-learning-to-play-by-ear-with-trixie-deckert-hennig-of-hearitability-com/
Trixie Deckert Hennig is the author of the hEarItAbility series of books which teach musicians to play by ear using an innovative “Eyes and Ears” approach.
We invited her to tell us a bit about this new approach and share some tips on ear training and learning to play music by ear.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/the-wonderful-phenomenon-of-terrible-lyrics/
Are Lyrics All that Important?
It’s a good question in a world where terrible, hilarious, or just-plain-weird lyrics sell out concerts.
In this article we give some very entertaining examples of popular songs with bad, funny, or nonsensical lyrics. We explore why these songs are so popular.
There’s also tips on how to use terrible lyrics to write your own songs!
Enjoy.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-freestyle-a-guitar-solo/
Ever vaporized into awe and envy as your favorite shredder picked up a guitar and pulled a face-melting freestyle improv out of nowhere? How do they do that?
We can all give examples of what we think is “freestyle”, but it’s a little harder to define the word. If we look at it’s cultural history, it seems that freestyle originated in a certain type of swim race, where swimmers are free to choose any stroke they want.
So while the word is found in many contexts, first let’s focus on three essential qualities that seem to describe the bulk of what is today known as “freestyle” guitar.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/jazz-chords-made-easy/
Playing jazz seems from afar as daunting as it is amazing.
How could I ever get in on something that… complex? Difficult! I don’t have the time or the talent to ever get to do that! Do I?
Some refrain on that order may echo in the heads of many who have heard a jazz group. Assuming they like what they hear, they reluctantly dismiss the idea of ever getting in on the fun of playing jazz.
It Doesn’t Have to be as Hard as it Sounds!
In this article, Jeffrey Agrell makes learning jazz chords easy.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/musicality-means-knowing-slang/
As a person who made the decision to dedicate one’s life to art you have to represent your artistic vision to its fullest.
An essential part of this is knowing the slang, or “jargon”, that is used in the scene or niche you belong to.
Learn why this is important and how to learn it. As well as some common slang in different niches.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/10-top-tips-for-memorising-songs/
I bet you have done this once or twice! You got on stage and then suddenly in the middle of the verse you went zazuum shashimi with your lyrics because you forgot the words.
It is funny and embarrassing at the same time but the show must go on.
This happens to almost everyone at some point. Even actors and professional singers.
Don’t fret. We are here to the rescue! We have compiled the top 10 tips for memorising songs.
https://www.musical-u.com/learn/five-essential-aural-skills-for-guitarists/
Have you seen artists collaborating freely and confidently on stage and thought,
“If only I could do that just by following my instincts…”?
Here are the top 5 aural skills needed to turn you into a guitar maestro.