Day 10 - Arpeggios
Wednesday, February 26, 2020 by Gary Johnston | 21-Day Challenge
Day 10 - almost half way!
I do hope you're enjoying the challenge and learning lots.
Today I have a short video demo of arpeggios, what they are and how to play them.
PIANO
UKULELE
Enjoy this lesson and start adding arpeggios to your practice.
I'm hearing some wonderful things at your lessons. Now I'm off to practice my own arpeggios
Gary
On to week TWO!
Sunday, February 23, 2020 by Gary Johnston | 21-Day Challenge
So here we are Day 8, the first day of the second week.
Let me say I am really noticing an appreciable difference in everybody's playing. The steady, focused day to day practice shows results immediately. Congratulations to you all! YAY!
Today is a day of miscellaneous activity for me. I worked through 10 or 12 of the songs I'm preparing for the Clapton show on March 28, played scales with a metronome and practiced some jazz improv with iReal Pro backing tracks. Then I played just for fun.
I hope you're enjoying your instrument more each day as you discover new music and technique and develop new ways of expressing yourself.
I see many of you are using the student portal to keep track. Bravo!
Day 7 - To Ear is Human
Saturday, February 22, 2020 by Gary Johnston | 21-Day Challenge
Sorry for not blogging these past two days. WiFi issues.
Ear Training
So what is that?
Definition: Ear training or aural skills is a skill by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. The application of this skill is analogous to taking dictation in written/spoken language.
So, just as we can determine colours by sight we can also ID musical sounds.
This is an amazing skill to master. When folks talk about playing "by ear" they are describing combining musical theory, technique and aural skills together. So today let's begin with some simple exercises.
- Beginning anywhere on your instrument pick out the melody to "Baby Shark" - https://youtu.be/XqZsoesa55w
- Again, beginning anywhere on your instrument pick out the melody to "Happy Birthday" - https://youtu.be/Mq0YrfeT90s
- Now, play both 1 and 2 in every key you can by starting on every white and black key on the piano or on every fret up to fret #12 on C string on the ukulele (cross strings when you have to) You can also begin on the G string if you have a low G.
You've just begun a lifetime of aural training that will blast your musicianship into the stratosphere!
Questions? Ask at your next lesson.
Bye for now.
