Author: Musicality

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/learning-to-rap-beats-bars-and-beyond/
It’s been said that a house is only as good as its foundation. Regardless of what you’re trying to build in life – be it relationships, businesses, or rhythm – just remember that it’s all about the foundation.

This is especially important in music; your foundational knowledge will serve as the base on which you build all your other musical skills!

If you’ve embarked on a journey to become a skilled rapper, the first thing you must do is learn how to count beats; this is your foundation for rapping and without it, everything else you try to build rhythmically will crumble.

ColeMizeStudios joins Musical-U to talk about what a beat is, how to listen for it and how to use it to make good raps.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/play-guitar-ear-101/
Wouldn’t it be awesome to be one of those guitarists who just shows up and jams? No sheet music, no chord charts, no endless YouTube tutorials… How do they magically seem to know and play every song—even songs they never heard before?

Well, if you think it’s because they spend 25 hours a day, fingers-to-the-fretboard, memorizing every song under the sun, you may be surprised! While they may practice a good deal, their calloused fingers are often matched by well-honed ears.

Read on to discover why your ears are the key to true freedom on the fretboard and the essential areas to study if you want that seemingly-magical ability to play any song on guitar.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/piano-fun-mastery-insights-from-melanie-spanswick/
Melanie Spanswick is one of the leading voices in piano education, running the popular Classical Piano and Music Education Blog and writing for a variety of respected music publications including Music Teacher Magazine, International Piano Magazine and The Daily Telegraph.

She has also curated and presented an interview series entitled Classical Conversations, speaking on camera to some of the world’s greatest pianists.

We invited Melanie to share her perspective on what beginners should consider when starting piano, and how they can use improvisation and slow practice to develop their musical ear.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/define-signature-sound/
How do you define your signature sound?

Possibly the most important question every artist has to answer is what goes into making your own signature sound.

A recognizable sound is what people remember you for and this is what is going to make you stand out from the crowd.

This time we decided to look into a couple of bands that are doing things right in growing their signature vibe.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/how-to-learn-to-sing-in-tune/
Good News!! YOU can learn to sing in tune – and it’s easier than you might think!

Have you wished you could sing the songs you love – but thought it was impossible because you can’t sing in tune?

Do your friends and family make a face when you sing in front of them?

Maybe a school teacher once told you that you can’t sing or were singing “off key”. Or perhaps you just have a feeling that you have a bad singing voice…

Whatever the cause, something has made you think that you have problems singing and left you wondering:

“Why can’t I sing in tune?”

Whatever your current singing ability is you can learn to sing in tune and develop a good voice.

In this article we’re going to cover four simple steps you can start taking today to learn to sing in tune.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/sounds-unusual-learn-some-strange-guitar-techniques/
How many times have you listened to a guitarist and wondered “How does he make that noise?”

The guitar has many different techniques that can subtly alter the tone of the notes being played. The ‘musical’ techniques are primarily used to alter the sound of the transition from one note to the next, for example string bends and slurs. More ‘practical’ techniques, such as right hand tapping, are used mostly because they are the most efficient way to play a particular group of notes.

There are also techniques that produce unusual sounds that are not normally associated with the guitar, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on.

Add some extra diversity to your playing style by understanding how some of these techniques work.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/get-your-groove-on-beat-basics/
Whether you want to pick up a new musical instrument, impress your date with some serious dance moves, or simply clap in time, learning about rhythm will give you the tools you need to get your groove on and make some serious music.

To understand rhythm, you first have to understand the beat. The beat is the glue that holds the orchestra together during a symphony, gives a heartfelt pulse to the the hip hop artist’s rap, and keeps the marching band in perfect unison with a pulsing right-left-right-left.

Learn how to recognize, feel, and count the beat in this helpful article.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/turning-the-piano-inside-out-with-sarah-nicolls/
The inner workings of the typical piano hide behind yards of carefully lacquered furniture. As innovative concert pianist Sarah Nicolls collaborated with contemporary composers, she found herself exploring the sonic possibilities found inside the piano using various tools and body parts to produce otherworldly yet acoustic sounds.

She wondered what would happen if she climbed out of (into) the piano and turned the instrument inside out – literally. And so the Inside-Out Piano was born.

We were fascinated with Sarah and wanted to ask her about her music, her Inside-Out Piano, and her creative approach to her career.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/introduction-to-polyrhythms/
As a musician, you are probably familiar with common rhythms that involve 8th notes, triplets, 16th notes and quarter notes. You may play by ear, read music, or do a combination of both, but chances are that you are very familiar with common rhythms used in Western music.

In many parts of the world, like Ghana or India, rhythms are much more complex and delve into polyrhythms and syncopation. Depending on your musical style, you might have encountered these beats if you are a drummer or pianist.

Every musician can master the polyrhythm with practice. We all start simple and with time, you, too, can amaze your friends with your rhythmic prowess.

But first, let’s start with the basics.

https://www.musical-u.com/learn/what-gives-the-fretless-bass-its-sound/
The fretless bass has a very distinctive sound.

Whether it’s a fretless electric bass or a traditional upright double bass, there’s something about its sound that marks it out clearly from a normal bass guitar. What is it?

There is one big factor: the lack of frets!

To understand the significance of this you must understand why bass guitars have frets at all.

Read more in this interesting article from Musical-U.