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Songs of the Week: Feel-Good Summer Vibe
This week I am featuring songs from various genres, both to suit your personal preferences but also to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try something new. The theme this week, since it’s starting to get warm and school’s out, is a sort of feel-good summer vibe. All the songs listed…
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Topic of the Week: Summer Break
Most of you are about to start summer break, so instead of giving you a bunch of homework and pushing for progress, we’re going to focus on how to have fun with your instrument and enjoy the progress you’ve made so far, while enjoying the weather. If you’re feeling inspired and want to continue learning…
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Summer of Ukulele
Ukulele is one of the easiest instruments to learn and bring with you anywhere, which makes it the perfect summer instrument. This article outlines all of the reasons why and how to get started. Why ukulele is the perfect summer instrument: Startup Guide for Ukulele The first things I would learn are: Feel free to…
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Music is Harmony
Music can be such a complex, vast topic that can take years to wrap your head around. People study it their whole lives. Some people never formally study it and that works out just fine too. I think I know why. The common thread I have seen in all of my musical studies, at the…
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How to let music heal
When I started learning cello, I quickly realized how sensitive the instrument is. If I had too much coffee or felt rushed or tense, it would transfer into my playing and the bow would skip, chatter and squeak. This forced me to either get frustrated and give up or learn to relax and center myself…
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Practice Methods 101
In this post, I’m going to outline different approaches to practicing and playing music. It’s useful to know the differences and apply the best method for each situation and goal at hand. It’s a common issue I see too often where students mix different modes and end up spinning their wheels, so I hope this…
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Music Theory: Necessary?
Knowing how music works is like having a trail map for the hike you’re on. Do you need a map in order to have fun hiking? Nope. In fact, it could be more fun to just wander aimlessly, free of plans or structure. Is a map useful if there’s a specific area you want to…
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Standard Notation vs Tablature
This will be two things: explaining the differences between the two for your understanding, and sharing my opinion in case you don’t know which one to go with. This debate is specifically for fretted instruments, if you play anything that doesn’t have frets, your only option is Standard Notation anyway. Standard Notation Every school I…
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The Basics of Practice
Seems simple, right? Just pick up your instrument and play. Although you will still succeed by doing it that way, it’s way better to be informed and organized. This is a vast topic that I will be writing about and posting periodically. I’ll boil it down to a few points though. Practice Regularly You want…
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Practice vs Play
There are different reasons, and corresponding approaches, to picking your instrument up, and it’s important that you’re intentional about which method you choose. If you play for fun during practice time, you hurt your progress. If you work during playtime, you ruin the enjoyment. If you practice during rehearsal time, you annoy your bandmates! (haha)…
J Holguin Music 