All About Music Theory: A Fun and Simple Guide to Understanding Music

theory

 

As all my students know, I teach theory with all piano and organ lessons.  Sometimes, it’s from a theory book that matches a lesson book, sometimes on the fly on an “as needed” basis.

This book looks like it would be interesting to use as a review or to look ahead and see what’s coming.  I have just ordered a copy for the studio if you want to check it out at the next lesson.

From amazon.com:

 If you wish there was a fun and engaging way to help you understand the fundamentals of music, then this is it. Whether it’s learning to read music, understanding chords and scales, musical forms, or improvising and composing, this enjoyable guide will help you to finally start understanding the structure and design of music.

This fun-filled, easy-to-use guide includes:
* Music notation
* Scales and modes
* Melody harmonization and counterpoint
* Chord progressions
* Song form and structure

Listen and learn with the CD that has 90 tracks, including over 50 popular songs such as:
* Beauty and the Beast
* Candle in the Wind
* Imagine
* In the Air Tonight
* Killing Me Softly with His Song
* Let It Be
* Message in a Bottle
* Misty
* Satin Doll
* Take the ‘A’ Train
* Unchained Melody
* What’d I Say
* and more!

maryOivoryandroses

Icy Weather and Piano Lessons

icy-weather

 

Fairfax County has just closed school again, so, technically, I’m not teaching.  But it’s been too many Mondays off.

So, I leave it up to you if you want to come for lessons today or not.

Please let me know if you intend to be here today – or not.

Thanks!

My husband was out last night and said that the roads were ok but our driveway was icy.  He used the last of our salt but didn’t know if it would be melted or not.

Sooner or later there WILL be another Monday piano lesson, I hope.

Stay warm, dry and keep practicing.

maryorhsnowysurprise

Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas is now On-Demand

beethoven-piano

 

 

A note from the Curtis Teaching Staff:

The wait is over… Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas is once again open! You can instantly Start Learning in this On-Demand course if you missed our last offering in the Spring of 2014 (or if you’re ready for another round).

We’ll explore Beethoven’s sonatas from the point of view of performer Jonathan Biss. You’ll learn from approximately 5 hours of videos and quizzes in this self-paced course.

Jonathan is busy recording new lectures on new sonatas that will be added to the course this Spring. Even if you took the course last time, you may want to re-watch the first series to refresh your knowledge. Then you’ll be ready to dive in as he covers NEW sonatas in detail.

Thanks for your interest in Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas.

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with New Songs

ChineseNewYear

 

In honor of the Chinese New Year, which begins Thursday, February 19th, JoyTunes is releasing a new category of songs to celebrate! The tunes included in this category are traditional Chinese songs that are fun to learn and play.

In addition, we are excited to be participating in the App Store Chinese New Year promotion! AppStore.com/CNY

About the Chinese New Year

Also known as the Spring Festival and celebrated for 15 days, the Chinese New Year occurs separately from the western celebrated New Year date as the Chinese follow a different calendar. Many of the celebrations come from ancient Chinese traditions which were set forth to honor deities and family ancestors. Although the biggest celebrations occur in China and other countries with a significant Chinese population, many major cities around the world hold festivals with some of the largest being in San Francisco, New York and London.

Celebrating the New Year

As the New Year approaches, families take great care to clean their houses as it is a way to “sweep” away any bad luck and misfortune. When the celebrations begin, families open the doors and windows of the home in order to let in good luck and fortune. You will also see red paper-cuts and lanterns hanging in doors and windows.

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According to an ancient legend, a mythical beast called Nian would come to a Chinese village on New Year’s Day and eat animals, crops, and sometimes even children. One day a god visited a villager and told him to put red paper and firecrackers in from of each home as Nian was afraid of both. This began the tradition of placing red lanterns and other paper objects in the windows of homes. Nian was frightened away and never returned to harm the village.

The Year of the Goat

Chinese New Year, Year of the goat

2015 is the year of the goat and your Chinese zodiac sign if you were born in 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 or 2015. So, what should you know if you are a goat sign? Your lucky numbers are 2, 7 and any number containing a 2 or 7. The 7th and 30th are your lucky days of each month and your lucky colors are brown, red and purple. Many good things will happen for those born under the goat sign!

January 13 ~ Today in Music History

today

. 1683 ~ Johann Christoph Graupner

. 1690 ~ Gottfried Heinrich Stolzel

. 1842 ~ Heinrich Hofmann, German pianist and composer

. 1854 ~ The first patent for an accordion was issued to Anthony Fass, of Philadelphia, PA

. 1866 ~ Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov

. 1884 ~ Sophie Tucker (Abuza), Russian-born American burlesque and vaudeville singer

. 1904 ~ Richard Addinsell was born
More information about Addinsell

. 1909 ~ Quentin ‘Butter’ Jackson, Trombonist, played with Duke Ellington

. 1910 ~ Enrico Caruso and Emmy Destinn were heard via a telephone transmitter; rigged by DeForest Radio-Telephone Company to broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.

. 1925 ~ Gwen Verdon (Gwyneth Evelyn Verdon), Dancer, Tony Award-winning Actress

. 1930 ~ Robert ‘Squirrel’ Lester, Singer with The Chi-Lites

. 1938 ~ Singer Allan Jones recorded The Donkey Serenade for Victor Records. The song became the one most often associated with the singer. Allan sang and acted in several Marx Brothers films: “A Night at the Opera”, “A Day at the Races”, but the film that catapulted him to stardom was the operetta, “Firefly”, with Jeanette MacDonald. SingerJack Jones Singer Jack Jones is the son of Allan and wife, actress Irene Hervey.

. 1941 ~ The four Modernaires joined to sing with the Glenn Miller Band on a permanent basis beginning this day. They had a ‘solo’ hit in 1946 with To Each His Own.

. 1957 ~ Elvis Presley recorded All Shook Up and That’s When Your Heartaches Begin for Victor Records in Hollywood. The former tune became Elvis’ ninth consecutive gold record.

. 1962 ~ Singer Chubby Checker set a record, literally, with the hit, The Twist. The song reached the #1 position for an unprecedented second time – in two years. The Twist was also number one on September 26, 1960.

. 2001 ~ Kenneth Haas, the former general manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra, died after a long illness at the age of 57. Haas was general manager of the Boston orchestra from 1987 to 1996 and was instrumental in appointing Keith Lockhart conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Haas was general manager of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1976 to 1987 after performing the same job for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in 1975. In Cleveland he established the orchestra’s chamber music and recital series.

. 2001 ~ Michael Cuccione, youngest of the five-member spoof boy band 2gether, died at age 16 from complications from Hodgkin’s disease. The teen played Jason “Q.T.” McKnight on the MTV show “2gether,” which poked fun at the boy band craze. His character had a fictional illness, “biliary thrombosis,” but Cuccione really had suffered from Hodgkin’s disease as a child and underwent five months of chemotherapy. The singer-actor set up a cancer research foundation, co-wrote a book with his grandmother and appeared on “Baywatch” as a cancer victim.