Author: Musicality

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/listening-for-ii-v-i-chord-progressions/
Listening for ii-V-I Chord Progressions

A chord progression is quite the powerful musical tool; the way in which a musician wields a series of chords can make multiple songs with the same progression sound radically different from one another.

One of these chord progression all-stars is the well-loved ii-V-I or ii-V7-I progression.

Though overwhelmingly popular in jazz, you will also find this chord progression in pop music, country, rock, and even R&B.

Let’s learn the mechanics of this progression, hear it in action, and look at how to use it in songwriting.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/the-creepy-minor-key/
I believe that Ira Gershwin said it best:
“How strange the change/from major to minor.”

It’s strange, indeed.

Whether you realize it or not, I know you’ve heard it before: the creepy minor key.

In this article we explain why it sounds creepy. We give some examples of popular songs changed from Major to minor key and talk about the effect this has.

Dive in to the creepy world of the minor key!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/harnessing-power-voice-sound-therapy/
Have you heard of Sound Therapy?

Sound therapy is a relatively new healing technique that employs the vibrations of the human voice to go beyond relaxation and foster healing.

Some sound therapists use external instruments, such as tuning forks or singing bowls.

However, there is no tool more powerful for healing than the human voice…

We recently asked Belgian singer and sound therapist Patricia PE Janssen, founder of the company @constig.be about her practice.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-do-you-hear-the-difference-between-bass-drum-and-bass-guitar/
How do you hear the difference between bass drum and bass guitar?

This is an understandable confusion, as both instruments occupy the same frequency band—i.e. they both have low-down sounds.

They also tend to work together to create the rhythm part, so their notes often overlap and they make a similar musical contribution in the band.

Here are a few things which can help you distinguish bass guitar from bass drum.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/interval-ear-training-whats-the-po
You may have wondered why intervals are such a hot topic in ear training.

Intervals are often where musicians first encounter the idea of ear training and doing focused exercises to improve their musical listening skills.

But why do interval ear training anyway?

In this article we’ll explore some of the reasons and show you what the point of ear training on intervals really is.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-is-a-chord/
What is a chord?

A chord is three or more notes played at once.

Different combinations of notes will create different chord sounds. Some work well together – some not so much!

Learn more about chords and chord progressions in this article.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/is-there-such-a-thing-as-a-tone-deaf-musician/
Is there such a thing as a tone deaf musician?

Have you ever encountered a musician who is a virtuoso on their instrument, seriously impresses you with their musicality, and then when an opportunity comes to sing something… they sheepishly tell you that they’re tone deaf?

To many people this would seem a complete mystery.

How could someone who’s so good at music claim to be tone deaf?

The answer is: there are two definitions of tone deaf and neither of them is very clear.

Let’s look at what we actually mean by the phrase “tone deaf”.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/get-familiar-with-the-minor-pentatonic-scale/
Introducing, the minor pentatonic scale!

In this article we explain where it comes from and why you should care.

We also share some tips on how to use and recognise it in the real world.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/time-to-practice/
“Practising is not only playing your instrument, either by yourself or rehearsing with others – it also includes imagining yourself practising.” –Yo-Yo Ma

Time hides from us.

Often, we are prevented from sitting down with our guitar or at the piano because there just aren’t enough hours in the day.

But there are pockets of time we can utilise to practise in an entirely different way – without our instruments. This may come as a shock, but it’s true!

Learn how in this free article!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/beginning-modal-improvisation-with-brian-kelly-from-zombie-guitar/
If you’re just diving into the world of improvising with modes, it’s likely that you have a lot of questions.

What is a mode, and how is it different from a key?

How do you know what mode to use for soloing?

What is the theory behind modes?

We have a guest expert on modal improvisation to answer all of these burning questions – and more…