Tag Archives: music lessons

Keeping Kids Engaged in Music Lessons

This is a very tough subject. Many times I have seen parents get down on their kids for not wanting to practice even though they are paying for music lessons. In a perfect world, everyone would take music lessons and know from experience how difficult it can be to practice. It’s a tough task to keep adults engaged in learning music – so you can imagine how difficult it is for children. This article will offer some tips to keep kids engaged in their lessons and excited to learn and motivated to practice.

While playing a musical instrument is fun, it takes a lot of work to learn how to play well. It takes a tremendous amount of mental and tactical skill in order to be successful. With children, you will be walking a fine line of keeping them engaged and interested and becoming disenchanted and wanting to quit. How can you avoid having them simply give up?

One of the most important things is making sure that they aren’t playing on inferior instruments. It might sound silly to have your child learn something they might not stick with on a nice instrument, but it can be pointless to have them practice and learn on an inferior product. Many times music teachers will recommend certain instruments and parents will simply go for the cheapest alternative – setting their child up for failure. If you have them performing on an instrument where the sound produced is bad and the keys stick, they probably won’t want to keep playing it. One of the best ways to discourage someone from playing an instrument is handing them a bad instrument.

Another thing that is critical is getting the best possible teacher right from the beginning. It’s a huge mistake to think that going with an inferior teacher is O.K. when starting a musical instrument. If an experienced player learns from someone great and then moves on to someone not so great, they will immediately be able to tell they aren’t getting what they need from them. This is not possible when you start lessons – there is no frame of reference. Not only will their development be much quicker with a better teacher, chances are they will be more motivated to learn if they are experiencing a tremendous amount of progress. Bad teaching risks not only a potentially worthless experience, but they could potentially develop bad habits causing injury.

Now if you have a child who is working hard and practicing every day, you need to find ways to encourage them. A good idea is having them play in informal and nurturing settings for friends and family. Encourage them to perform but make sure you don’t pressure them too much or put them in an awkward situation. Having them play for people will help to build self-esteem as well as get more encouragement to know that all their hard work is building to something.

Another thing to do is play music for them. Take them to concerts. Show a general interest in what they are doing. If they see your interest and enjoyment in their musical achievements, it will only help to build their confidence and interest in continuing to learn and play. If the children are very young, maybe it’s a better idea to take them to outdoor concerts where they can be in a more informal setting. I’ve seen many times where parents will take very young children to formal concerts only to have them be ridiculed by other members of the audience for not sitting completely still or being quiet. This can be a horrible experience for any young child and can turn them off to music. It’s not a great idea to bring a four-year-old to a sophisticated classical concert – they can’t comprehend the level of complexity involved in the music and most likely won’t enjoy it as you intend them to.

It’s a lot like getting your kids to do anything that you need them to do – doing homework, brushing their teeth, cleaning their room, etc. Practicing their instrument should be a part of their daily routine. While you don’t want to beat them up over not practicing, you should encourage them to continue playing and to do it every day. A huge problem with children learning instruments is never practicing outside their lesson – this is only going to set them up for failure.

A big thing that many parents and even teachers do is not let kids play what they want. Children should be allowed to play any music they want, whether it’s classical or popular music. Forcing them to only play a certain type of music – specifically one they aren’t interested in may cause them to become disinterested much quicker. Encouraging them to play all sorts of music can enhance the experience of learning an instrument.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Does Personality Make You a Better Musician?

A good personality is certainly a positive attribute when it comes to making friends or improving business relationships. But can it also make you a better musician?

Music is an artform and as such it requires an artist’s expression to make it truly unique and stand out. Having a good personality to your playing is a vital component of captivating your audience. But do you need an outgoing personality to accomplish this?

The truth is that many accomplished musicians are not what I would call social extroverts. In fact, I know a number of musicians who are very expressive on their instruments but have a very reserved social personality. There are even musicians who don’t like performing in front of people!

Glenn Gould was an extremely popular and brilliant musician who eventually gave up his live performance career because he simply didn’t feel comfortable and preferred to be in a studio making recordings. He is one of many musicians who prefer to withdraw from live audiences and focus on different aspects of their art in a more comfortable environment.

So yes, personality is essential in your music but this doesn’t mean you have to be socially outgoing to be a great musician. As far as getting opportunities and promoting yourself it’s going to be much easier if you are comfortable talking with people but it shouldn’t interfere with your development as a musician.

Thanks for the great questions and please keep sending them in. Info@LivingPIanos.com (949) 244-3729

What is Quarter Tone Music?

Today we are going to discuss something that a lot of you have probably never heard of and that is quarter tone music. If you have ever heard quarter tone music before you would instantly recognize it as being different than anything typically heard in Western music. To most of us it may sound like music that is being played out of tune. So what exactly is it and how is it different from the music most of us know?

Let’s begin by talking about Western music. For most of us the music we are familiar with is founded upon the principles in Western Music. Everything from Rock to Pop to Symphonies utilizes the same twelve notes (or tones) that are the foundation of nearly all the music you know. But all music is not based on the principles of Western music and there are different cultures around the world that utilize notes beyond the twelve tones we are familiar with.

In our music we base things upon the smallest interval of a half step. For example, if you look at the keyboard of a piano, the smallest distance between any two keys (black and white) is a half step. On other instruments it is the same; the smallest distance between notes is a half step. Quarter tone music adds notes between these notes.

Now you might be wondering, if most instruments are made with half steps in mind, how do you produce notes between these notes? It is easier on some instruments than others. For example, on a violin – an instrument with no frets – you can simply produce these notes without much trouble provided you have the ear to produce them. There are some guitars which have extra frets which allow you to produce quarter tones as well. When it comes to piano there are a few compositions where quarter tone music is achieved by playing two pianos, one at standard pitch and another tuned a quarter step higher or lower. Here is an example of quarter tone music played on a piano.

So what does this mean? Not a whole lot to most of us. It is an anomaly to our ears and it’s something we rarely utilize in our music.

Western music is based upon 12 notes, A B C D E F G plus the sharps and flats between some notes. Other cultures have more than 12 notes or tones and some of them (like Indian music) have a great number of notes beyond our standard twelve. People who grow up with these different forms of music can actually hear more tones than someone who is only familiar with Western music. To our ears it just sounds out of tune but it is actually much more than that.

Western audiences are also indoctrinated with something called tempered tuning (See our video: Why a Piano is Never in Tune). This basically means that any two notes on a piano are out of tune with one another (except for octaves). But they are equally out of tune in all keys. When it comes to a piano there is really no way to get pure intervals like a singer or a string instrument can produce unless you tuned it to play perfectly in one key. Then all other keys will be out of tune to one degree or another. Our ears actually are used to this phenomenon so it doesn’t affect our enjoyment of the music and we hear these notes as correct even though the intonation is flawed.

When it comes to different world music there are many types of tunings that produce incredible results. I recommend listening and exploring music from different cultures for yourself. I would love to hear your comments on the subject.

Thanks again for joining us here at LivingPianos.com info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729.

Can You Major in Two Instruments?

Can you major in two instruments in college? When I was growing up, I started playing piano around the age of seven. Shortly after in school, I started playing the French horn. I have an equal love for both instruments. While the piano can play the complete score which is richly rewarding. However, after you hit a note, there really isn’t a whole lot you can do with it after it is pressed. Whereas on the French horn, just one note can reveal expressive possibilities of a profound nature.

I knew early on that I was going to have trouble deciding which instrument to major in. So I looked for schools that would allow double majors and was accepted to several conservatories as a double major. I chose the Manhattan School of Music and I discovered very early when I was going to my advisor to put courses together that the course load would have been so substantial that I would not have had much time to practice! So I majored in both instruments, but not at the same time.

I did private instruction on both instruments and the good news was, I got to play French horn in the orchestra as well as in other ensembles. Most piano majors sing in the choir if they don’t have a secondary instrument. I got a phenomenal experience on both instruments!

If you are really passionate about two instruments, you can consider a double major. If you can get high level ensemble experience and work with first rate private teachers on both instruments, there may not be a need for a double major. Plus, you can avoid the extra course load and additional semesters of work at the school in order to earn your degree.

If you are very industrious and academics come easily to you, a double major is something you can consider. But I would proceed cautiously. I hope this is helpful to all multi-instrumentalists out there! Thanks for joining me here at Living Pianos.

What is the Easiest Musical Instrument to Learn?

This is a loaded question and people have lots of opinions about it.

When it comes to tone production – making a sound on an instrument – nothing is easier than the piano. A young child can go over to a piano keyboard, press a key down and get a decent sound. Does this mean the piano is an easy instrument to learn? Absolutely not.

Some instruments can be extremely difficult to even hold, much less getting a sound out of. Being able to approach a violin or a flute can be incredibly challenging. So, what is the easiest instrument to learn?

I’m tempted to say the human voice because we all have a rudimentary ability to sing and know the basics of how to produce a sound. However, if you’ve ever heard a professional singer and compared it to your own voice, you would realize a very large distinction in quality. They have learned to master their instrument (the voice) and you are simply familiar with how to sing – not how to sing well.

We must separate the distinguish between approaching instruments and mastering them. Sadly, there is no instrument that is easy to master. In order to become a proficient musician on any instrument takes a tremendous amount of work.

Recently, my son received a melodica for the holidays. This is similar to harmonica, but you blow through a tube and depress piano like keys. At first it seemed like this would be incredibly simple to play. However, we explored players on YouTube and you wouldn’t believe what is possible even on this plastic instrument!

Some instruments require more practice than others. During my time at music conservatory, I majored in both French horn and piano. Serious pianists will sometimes practice 4-6 hours a day – sometimes as much as 8 hours! It is extremely difficult to practice wind instruments that long without building up over a long period of time. More than that, it can be detrimental to practice too much. Singers in particular have to be careful not to abuse their instrument. However, there are always areas of study including languages, diction, and in some cases (such as opera and musical theatre) stage acting.

Piano and string instruments generally require more practice time because of the complexities of the scores and the inherent challenges. Fortunately, if you are careful, you can practice the better part of the day on these instruments and gain benefit if you approach it productively.

Despite all this, there is no instrument that’s easy to learn to master. Each instrument has it’s own sets of challenges and complexities that make them unique and a challenge to become great at playing. It really has more to do with the player and your personal tastes than anything else. The instrument you love and find yourself drawn to is the one you will find easiest to master over time because you will spend focused practice time with it.

Thanks again for joining us here at Living Pianos. If you have any questions about this topic or any others, please contact us at: Info@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

What is a Major Scale? Music Lessons

Welcome to the second video in my ongoing series covering music theory. Last time we covered the smallest Musical Intervals (both half steps and whole steps). If you haven’t watched that video I highly recommend it as it is really a precursor to this video.

Here are a few quick notes when it comes to major scales:

– Major scales are simply a series of half steps and whole steps.

– All the notes are whole steps except between the 3rd and 4th notes and the 7th and 8th notes (which are half steps).

– They contain 8 notes, wherein the first and the last notes are the same.

– They include all the letter names in order without repeating any. (They are built diatonically.)

– For example, if you have an A-major scale you will have some form of A B C D E F G A.

– C-major scale contains C D E F G A B C.

– All major scales have either sharps or flats; never both (except for C-major which has no sharps or flats.)

On the video attached to this article I demonstrate the structure of the C major scale on the piano keyboard.

Using the rules I outlined above, you can figure out the notes of any major scale; it is actually extremely simple!

Next time we will be discussing relative minor scales – which are a bit more complex. Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729