Author: Musicality

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-if-im-not-naturally-musical/
Have you ever asked yourself, “Do I have a musical ear?”

Have you wondered, “Do I have the ‘gift’ of music?”

These concerns are understandable. When you see pro musicians play seemingly effortlessly, and particularly when you see people playing by ear or improvising, it’s easy to think that music is a ‘gift’ you must be born with. That it takes a natural talent to be musical.

TV shows like X-Factor reinforce this idea that there are a small number of “born musicians” who deserve success and recognition, and the rest of us can only watch.

This is a very widespread idea – but it’s nonsense.

We are all born with ears capable of understanding music on a deep level, and we can all become that “natural” musician through practice and training.

Learn more in the full article.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-can-i-improve-at-harmonic-intervals/
Once you are comfortable with the ascending and descending forms of an interval, you may still have difficulty with the harmonic version (both notes at once).

There are a number of things that may help you.

Musical U shares 4 of these methods you can try today!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introduction-string-instruments/
What does a piano have in common with a ukulele? Amazingly, they are both part of the same family called string instruments.

As you might already know, musical instruments are divided into several “families,” each characterized by a distinctive feature. As the name might suggest, string instruments produce sound from vibrating strings. Although the concept behind it is relatively simple, it has given rise to countless musical instruments over the last 3,000 years, each unique in its sound.

Ever considered playing a guitar, piano or ukulele? In this post, we’ll explore the nature of string instruments and what makes them so special.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learning-guitar/
Learning to play the guitar can be fun as well as challenging. It’s a great instrument to play with family and friends and it’s incredibly portable.

While there are many similarities to playing the ukulele and some pointers can be shared between the instruments, the guitar has some intricacies of its own.

We want to help you learn how to practice with purpose. With the right tools and a bit of patience, any song can be mastered.

Follow these 6 simple tips that will help you strum your way to success.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/9-ways-learning-an-instrument-strengthens-your-brain/
Growing up, your mom told you to practice the piano. When you asked why, she would either say, “Because it’s good for you!” or, “Because I said so!” Perhaps this led to you feeling frustrated and eventually giving up the instrument. It’s a common occurrence.

Now that you’re older, you know that playing an instrument might be fun, but you can’t come up with a compelling reason why it should take away time from other important things. Or maybe you want to get started but your significant other thinks it might be a waste of time.

Mom knew it was good, but she probably wasn’t aware of the details. Fortunately, today’s scientific research on the brain reveals many amazing and surprising benefits to learning music at any age.

Here are nine very good reasons to start playing an instrument, all related to your brain. Once you’ve read them, you’ll have to come up with reasons not to play an instrument.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/interval-transcription-practice-exercises/
Have you been learning interval recognition and wondering how to actually use it?

Even once you can reliably recognise different types of interval in isolation, you will need practice to be able to use them to play by ear, improvise, or write down the music you hear.

We’ve created a set of easy transcription exercises to help you practice using interval recognition to write down the notes you hear in traditional music notation.

Have fun with these free exercises!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-do-song-writers-know-which-chords-to-use/
How do you know which chords to use in your songs?

Choosing the right chords for a song can make all the difference between a great song and a terrible one.

When you first start writing songs though, you may be overwhelmed by the options available to you. 12 major chords, 12 minor chords, plus all kinds of diminished, sus, and seventh chords to consider…

Musical U shares how to approach choosing chords.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/dylan-welsh-teaches-guitar/
At 21 years old, Dylan Welsh already had a fantastic career as a guitarist and teacher.

Musical U last spoke with him about his background and pro playing. Today we turn to Dylan’s teaching and how he brings in listening and theory skills. Whether or not you play guitar, Dylan’s methods and passion will inspire you!

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/sight-reading-music/
Remember back when reading was the ultimate skill to show off? Your school teachers gave you the alphabet and unlocked a secret world you could navigate and understand. Now it’s hard to imagine a time when you couldn’t read street signs and non-picture books.

Music, like any written language, can give you that same limitless power you felt as a 5-year-old first entering a world filled with words. The key to this hidden realm within music is sight reading.

Learn more about the exciting skill of sight reading in this article from Musical U.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/recover-musical-mistake/
If you have ever felt the fear of making a mistake. It’s ok. We have all felt that. You can learn strategies to help you deal with that fear and even leverage your mistakes to make greater improvements.

Let’s face it. Just about everyone is afraid to perform music in front of others for the fear of making a mistake. You may have recently experienced that terrifying moment during a performance of your own and felt paralyzed. Mastering the skill to overcome that fear is just as important as learning the piece itself.

Here’s the reality: you have to make mistakes through practice in order to strengthen your skills. That may sound discouraging, but we’re here to give you some easy ways to help cope with the fear of mistakes and how to recover from them while performing.