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Have you stumbled across or do you know of a good music resource website? If so, contact me and let me know about it....perhaps I can get it added to this page!
Piano Tuner in Wichita
I get asked all of the time about a good piano tuner. I've used these guys since 1996, and have always been pleased with their service. Chuck McCoy and Tom Light at The Piano Shop are the tuners/technicians who have taken care of 4 different pianos for me. Contact them at (316) 264-5054.
Piano Movers in Wichita
I don't get as many questions about this one, because some people just don't realize how heavy a piano is. Trust me, you don't want to move one very far. Call these guys, AAA Piano Movers. They are two brothers who continue the work of their father. They have some really cool piano specific moving equipment and can handle just about any situation. They are also both firefighters with the Wichita Fire Department. Contact them at (316) 259-4621, or (316) 253-4606. They have always been very prompt, professional, and careful.
Go watch a video, it may help you learn the piece!
More and more, I seem to be going to youtube for examples of people playing pieces we are working on. Not all of the examples are good, but we can at least get a general idea of how a piece goes. Don't assume that the easy little elementary piece isn't on youtube. It is highly possible that it is there....parents love to upload videos of their children playing the piano!
Note Identification
Click the image to download
Nothing really new here...just something I put together for a college course years ago to teach people how to read the staff in 5 minutes or less. This would be a good page to print and keep in your notebook, or inside your music book. Updated mnemonics would include:
Treble Clef - Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday; Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips; Elephants Got Big Dirty Feet
Bass Clef - All Cars Eat Gas: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals
Treble Clef - Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday; Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips; Elephants Got Big Dirty Feet
Bass Clef - All Cars Eat Gas: Great Big Dogs Fight Animals
Click the image to go to www.musictheory.net
OK....for all of you students who I have promised that I would find a nice online note identification game, here it is. Once on the page, the choices are pretty self explanatory. I particularly like that it can be customized to quiz you on only the notes you have learned so far. If you are having trouble, we can pull up the site in a lesson and I can show you how to use it. Also love the Keyboard Identification and the Keyboard Reverse Identification. Makes me wonder how I managed to learn theory without the internet. Thanks so much to www.musictheory.net!
Check out The Piano Player at Funbrain.com....read the note on the staff and click on the corresponding key on the keyboard.
Check out The Piano Player at Funbrain.com....read the note on the staff and click on the corresponding key on the keyboard.
Hanon Exercises for Piano
Students, try not to groan! Check out this cool website devoted to one of my favorite technical assignments for piano..... Hanon-Online You can see the exercises, download them, listen to them and find out something about the man who created those crazy etudes with which we have such a love/hate relationship.
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Click on the image above to be taken to www.hanon-online.com
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Metronome..... for a steady sense of time
A metronome is a device that produces an audible click or beep in a very steady manner. Playing exercises, scales, pieces while using the metronome will greatly improve your sense of time (steady beat)....so that you aren't rushing or dragging during performance. It also promotes even spacing within note groups for a more fluid and "together" sound.
Metronomes have a long history.... they used to be a wind up device with a pendulum that swung back and forth and clicked. Nowadays, we can have an app on our phone, a stand alone digital device, or even online..... http://www.metronomeonline.com Every musician should get used to using a metronome! |
Double Bass Scales
Click the image to download
This two page document has a very basic fingering for each of the 12 major scales...for bassists!
Double Bass Fingerboard Study
Here's a link to a really cool double bass specific exercise. See a note, click on the spot on the fingerboard where the note would be played. It's a little difficult to customize, if you need help, let me know. This is the only exercise of it's kind that I am aware of. Extremely useful!
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Click on the image to go to the bass fingerboard exercise!
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A Great Way for Kids to Explore Orchestral Music!
I ran across this site while working on lesson plans for piano students. Lots of musical examples, games, activities, information about composers, etc. Just Go There! www.dsokids.com