| Making Music Now's Mini Course | | | | difficult. Just make sure that you are not reaching too |
| A Music Basics Guide for the Beginning Musician | | | | high up or stooping down too low for the keyboard. |
| Hello! Welcome to the wonderful world of music. Have | | | | Finding a chair that is the right height is the key. The |
| you always dreamed of being able to learn how to | | | | right height chair will allow your arms to be a an almost |
| play the piano, keyboard, guitar or any other | | | | perfect right angle (45 degree) from your body to the |
| instrument? Well, your dream is just about to come | | | | keyboard. Don't worry too much about this. If you have |
| true with this Free Music eCourse. This dream of | | | | the wrong height of chair your back will start |
| yours is not something so far away that it cannot | | | | screaming at you to change your position!!! Please |
| become a reality in a very short while. | | | | make any adjustments to keep your back straight and |
| This is not rocket science but it does take a genuine | | | | your arms at a 45 degree angle and you enjoy hours |
| commitment on your part to read all seven chapters | | | | of music in one seating. |
| of this Free Music eCourse in order to learn the music | | | | PRACTICE GUIDELINES |
| fundamentals that will apply to any instrument. Be sure | | | | Please practice as long and as often as you like. I am |
| to STICK WITH IT! | | | | not going to recommend a particular practice schedule |
| Make it a point to pace yourself. The course has been | | | | for anyone. You will find your own pace. Sometimes |
| written with theintention of going through it in order, with | | | | people ask me how long it will take to learn to Play |
| one chapter building on the next. Now that you have | | | | Piano Now. I simply answer with the question of how |
| laid the groundwork for your plan, let us begin! | | | | much time are you willing to put into it on a daily basis. |
| Whatever instument you are studying or plan to study | | | | Since this is an introductory piano course for beginners, |
| in the future, each one of those instruments has a | | | | I think it would be very effective to work at 30 to 45 |
| history. Let's take a moment to learn a very brief | | | | minute intervals on a daily basis. The longer you put in, |
| history of keyboard instruments. | | | | the more quickly you will learn and progress. However, |
| Did you know that pianos in some form have been | | | | your mind needs a while to 'soak up' the information |
| around for over 500 years? Some of the first | | | | and will work best when you have some hours or a |
| instruments of this kind were called clavichords. They | | | | day or so in between practice sessions. The main thing |
| had a very light, metallic sound because the small | | | | is to make up a schedule and stick to it! The longest |
| hand-pounded 'hammers' were made of very light | | | | journey begins with the first step! MUSICAL TERMS |
| weight metal-like material. These hammers struck | | | | Let's begin our musical study with a review of the main |
| strings of varying lengths to create different tones or | | | | musical terms you will need to be familiar with to |
| pitches. The next cousin to the clavichord was the | | | | proceed with your music education. |
| harpsichord invented by Cristofori in Italy around 1450 | | | | BAR LINE - A vertical line which separates notes into |
| A.D. This keyboard instrument had a mechanism in it | | | | groups |
| called the plecktrum which 'plucked' the strings and | | | | DOUBLE BAR LINE - A set of two (2) vertical lines |
| produced a slightly stronger sound than its | | | | which stand for the end of a piece of music |
| predecessor. | | | | REPEAT SIGN - Double bar with two dots at the end |
| Whether you are playing an acoustic instrument, which | | | | of a section or piece of music whichindicates that |
| is the closest relative to the history just mentioned, or | | | | section is to be played twice. |
| an electronic keyboard, you are now participating in a | | | | MEASURE - The distance between two bar lines. |
| centuries old musical art form. | | | | TREBLE CLEF - The S-shaped symbol which stands |
| SOME PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS | | | | for notes played with the right hand. |
| Piano or Keyboard? | | | | BASS CLEF - The reversed C-shaped symbol which |
| Does it matter if you have a keyboard or a piano? | | | | stand for notes played with the left hand. |
| Certainly not. The only real difference is that a full size | | | | STAFF - The five lines and four spaces of both the |
| piano has 88 keys (counting both the white and black | | | | bass and treble clefs. |
| keys). Keyboards come in several different sizes. | | | | QUARTER NOTE - Musical symbol with solid note |
| Some have 60 keys, some even less. There are also | | | | head and stem which gets one count. |
| 88 key electronic keyboards and digital pianos that | | | | QUARTER REST - Musical symbol resembling a |
| produce very realistic acoustic sounds. Whatever size | | | | sideways W which gets one count. |
| your instrument may be, remember that the | | | | HALF NOTE - Musical symbol with hollow note head |
| ARRANGEMENT of the keys and the ORDER of the | | | | and stem which gets two counts. |
| KEY NAMES is thesame on both instruments. Rest | | | | HALF REST - Solid half block sitting on third line of the |
| assured that your basic knowledge of the | | | | staff which gets two counts of silence. |
| fundamentals of music can be learned quite effectively | | | | DOTTED HALF NOTE - Musical symbol with hollow |
| either on a keyboard or a piano. The only missing | | | | note head, dot and stem whichgets three counts. |
| ingredient is your own persistence and determination to | | | | WHOLE NOTE - Musical symbol resembling a circle on |
| persevere through the entirety of the material in this | | | | the staff which gets four counts. |
| course with regular practice sessions. Do that and your | | | | WHOLE REST - Solid half block hanging from the |
| success is assured! | | | | second line on the staff which gets fourcounts of |
| SELECTING THE BEST LEARNING PLACE IN YOUR | | | | silence. |
| HOME | | | | CHORD - Two or more notes played together. |
| Please take a moment and give serious consideration | | | | BLOCKED CHORD - Two or more notes played at |
| at to WHERE you practice in your home. Make sure | | | | the same time |
| that you are not within earshot of the television. Even if | | | | BROKEN CHORD - Two or more notes from the |
| you are used to 'watching TV with your ears' while | | | | same chord played in sequence |
| you do other things, it will definitely be a roadblock to | | | | INTERVAL - The distance between two notes on the |
| your learning to Play Piano Now! Also, make sure that | | | | musical staff |
| you can sit down at your piano or keyboard | | | | Now that you have had an introduction to musical |
| comfortably. If you have a piano and a bench which | | | | terms, you are ready to take the next step in your |
| came with it when you bought it, then you are in great | | | | musical education. |
| shape. Seating at a keyboard can prove a little more | | | | |