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General

History of the Symphony Orchestra The first type of orchestra were groups of instruments that gathered to play in ancient Egypt. The Roman Empire mostly scorned musicians, discouraging informal ensemble playing. This reappeared after the fall of the empire.

A short glossary of musical terms and other unfamiliar words.

Careers in Music Brochure. An online brochure containing information about careers in music publishing, technology, therapy, plus the recording industry, conducting, composing, and more.

Music Production & Recording Arts

Swing Music Info-From the UK Swing Dance Club's music page.

All Music Guide-Good source for info on different genres and styles of music.

Solid. This is a nice on-line encyclopedia of "lounge, big band, classic jazz and space-age sounds".

Ron's Swing CD Review. This is a nice web site that reviews CDs for "Musicality and Lindyability". 

Black Cat Rockabilly. A web site in Europe with lots of info, including the lyrics to hundreds of songs.

Space Age Pop Music-According to the web site, this is "The Web's Most Comprehensive Guide to Space Age Pop, Exotica, Lounge & Cocktail music and the People Who Created It".

The Folk Music Journal is the scholarly journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society and has a particularly close association with the Society's Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, including an occasional series on Resources in the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library.

Music Career Resources
Composition
Jazz Composition
Contemporary Writing and Production
Music Education
Performance
Other Music Jobs
Music-Related Associations A-M
Music-Related Associations N-Z
Music Business/Management
Music Production & Engineering
Professional Music
Record Companies
Tours/Road Work
Music Therapy
Music Synthesis
Songwriting
Film Scoring

Reading Music

Introduction to Reading Music Some people think trying to read music is hard and difficult. The following set of pages will try to introduce the most important topics in reading music in a very easy to understand way. Don't expect to fly through all the lessons and understand. As with anything new, it'll appear complicated and complex but as you look at the examples and read the explanations it will make sense. With that said, lets go on and introduce the first lesson.

The Basics of Reading Music - By Kevin Meixner Fast loading web page mixes humor and easy to understand info.

Ten amazing free secrets help to sight-read any sheet music notation for piano, from Sound Feelings. This free information provides self-study tools and solutions on reading music like a professional. Sight reading takes time to improve, as with any self-improvement  program, but these helpful tips will show you how to get there faster than you ever believed possible!

Happy Note! Sing'n Learn Online music reading lessons

Brass

A brass instrument is defined as a wind instrument made out of metal with either a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. A vibration is produced by the performers lips. This sets the column of air in motion. The pitch is determined by the length of the tube. Notes are produced by closing valves or moving a slide. This changes the length of the tube.

Basic Lesson on how to play the Trumpet  This is a sales site but some of the lessons and chapters are free.

This is an On-Line FREE download of sheet music. These high resolution Adobe Acrobat files of: Blank Staff Paper, and Blank Score Paper for Piano and Trumpet

This trumpet fingering chart includes enharmonics. This is a three octave fingering chart going from low F# to G three octaves higher. These high resolution Adobe Acrobat files

This is an On-Line FREE download of sheet music. These high resolution Adobe Acrobat files of: Major, Minor, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales are Part 7 of 9 from The Ultimate Warm UP Book. The scales are in ALL KEYS including enharmonics. Each page contains a two octave scale in Major, Minor, Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor. In addition, there is a brief two octave Major scale exercise and a one octave review of all the scales. The Explanation Page details the theory as to how a Major scale is made and then the derivations into Minor, Harmonic and Melodic Minor Scales. This is a large file (17 pages!) over 2 meg. It might take some time to download.

How to play the trumpet Learn how to make your own music by playing the brass instrument, the trumpet!

Ask Clyde E. Hunt Here you will find Hunt's responses to questions which may have anticipated your own. If this is not the case, do not hesitate to Ask Clyde

Percussion

A percussion instrument is defined as instruments made of sonorous material. A vibration produces sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when shaken or struck. The pitch is determined in many different ways. It is done through the tautness of the stretched material for indefinite pitch instruments. The pitch is determined by the size of the objects in definite pitch instruments. Notes are produced by striking the instrument in certain places.

 

Woodwinds

A woodwind is defined as a tube or pipe through which the performer blows. A vibration is produced by the column of air on the reed. The pitch is determined by the length of the tube. Notes are produced by stopping the holes with the fingers or by keys. This changes the length of the tube.

Strings 

A string instrument is defined as an instrument that has strings that produce sound. A vibration is produced when rubbed by a bow, plucked, or struck. A resonator is needed to hear the vibrating string. This is accomplished by the vibrating of the wooden box with air inside. The pitch is determined by the length, thickness and tautness of the string. The notes are produced by shortening the vibrating length. This is done by pressing the string against the body of the neck with the finger.

Violin	Viola	Cello	Bass
Harp	Guitar

Guitar:

10 EASY THINGS TO HELP THE BEGINNING GUITAR PLAYER

1. Keep Relaxed! Watch for the build-up of tension in the wrist, fingers, arms, shoulders and back. Tension is bad. Relaxation good. Experiment with positioning. This is supposed to be fun.

2. Of course it doesn't sound (look, feel, etc.) right! You are just starting to learn and it takes awhile to get it right. Don't become discouraged! There are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn and improve technique.

3. Identify the "yucky" parts and target them for elimination! No, don't ignore them - improve them. Write down where you are having specific problems and SEARCH THE INTERNET for tips and hints on solutions. The answer is out there!

4. Keep a practice journal! Written is okay, but for the best effect try and record your practice sessions on audio, at the least, and video if you can. It really is inspiring to see how much better you are doing the scales, nailing the strum patterns, and ringing out purer chords as the weeks go by. 

5. Lighten up! One of the best tips I learned to improve my practices was that you don't have to press that hard to get good sound! All you really need is enough pressure to keep the string against the fret. You do NOT have to press the string into the wood (bad for the fingers, bad for the strings). The key is to position each fingertip close to the fret with just enough pressure to ring out a clear tone.

6. Progress = progressions! And vice versa. Practice chord progressions the right way. Learn about pivot and guide strings. Once you learn these techniques (while you can't use them everywhere, all the time), your chord progressions will become easier and faster. Let me tell you - THAT is one heck of a morale booster! There's a link to these lessons below.

7. I hate scales! At least, that's what I used to think. The thing is, scales builds accuracy and dexterity as well as helping you to learn the various notes on the fret board. Listen to some blues licks (and rock or country). Can you hear it? They are playing scales! Learn as many different scales as possible and put them together in unique patterns and you have your own solo!.   

8. Use the force! At first, it will be difficult to make chord changes while strumming or picking. Don't let it bother you. Coordinated playing is a function of knowledge and repetition resulting in "muscle memory." Concentrate on the individual components first: a.) developing chords - proper finger placement and pressure, pivots and guides, and changing from chord to chord. Visualize the changes in your mind, then 'just do it.' Don't worry about strumming or picking just yet. Move from chord to chord as if you were playing in the progression that you want. When that becomes smooth b.) work on your strumming pattern with muted strings - lay your left hand fingers lightly on the strings. It doesn't matter where on the fret board you place them. Don't press them against the frets or you'll get a horrendous blat of sound. Now with your right hand, develop the strum patters you will be using. It will sound a bit like a drummer rapping out a beat. Finally, c.) work on picking patterns with open strings. Thumb does the bass strings, first three fingers for the rest, pinky for pinch hitting. When you get the strumming and/or picking patterns to come smoothly, repeat them and imagine the chord placement and changes in your mind. Go through the entire piece, in your mind,  while actually strumming and/or picking - and then try it with the actual chords.

9. Belly up to the Barre! Barre chords suck. Every beginning guitar player agrees about the universal suckiness of barre chords. Experienced guitar players don't even remember feeling that way. Once you have them down, they not only don't suck, but they make playing a whole lot easier. The thing to remember about barre chords is: a.) You don't have to crank down that hard, b.) most barre chords only require a few strings to be held by the index finger (so you don't have to worry about getting them all), and, c.) if it hurts to do it, you are probably not doing it right. There's a link below to show you the EASY way to do proper barre chords.

10. Timing is everything.  Well, okay - it's not everything unless you are actually playing something for someone else to hear. Of course, that IS the goal, isn't it? Few people have a natural untrained sense of timing. It is something that needs to be developed and it really helps to use a metronome. There are links below for online metronomes: try using your favorite one while doing scales - start around 60 (midrange "Larghetto") using 4 tocks per note until that gets boring and you hit every note at the right time. Speed things up to 80 (lower "Adante) then up to 100 (upper "Adante). Make a game of it. Your objective is to hit the right note on the proper beat. Once you find yourself winning every time (and you will), go back down to 60 and use two tocks per note and build up. Keep going and , before long you'll have lightning fingers. Using the metronome is good for strumming and picking exercises as well.

Metronome Online: an online metronome ideal for quick and easy use while practicing music, this music tool helps with your rhythm as well as tempo selections and it is always available for free to all students of music at metronomeonline.com

Free Interactive Online Metronome Kind of freakish, but you can choose from a variety of drum beats instead of a steady "tock."

Metronome A dorky little utility to help you keep in-time. Mess with it online and create your own drum beats. You can also download it. Also directs you to a guitar tune, which is a big help for those with a good ear.

Online Metronome. Very easy to figure out with two tones (instruments) for beats.

WebMetronome.com - a free online metronome. Very basic, but some people like that.

YUKYUK.COM: Metronome free online or free download This free metronome is a funny interactive cartoon drummer. Online or download versions, E note pitch tuner for guitar too.

Finger & Thumb Positions: BEGINNER's FIRST IMPORTANT LESSON! This lessons covers left hand finger placement, left thumb placement, and holding the pick. Click on the QuickTime icon above to watch a video of this lesson.

Barre Chords: Watch the whole lesson on video! This is an introductory lesson on barre chords. There are several techniques that will help you achieve quicker results when trying them for the first time. Click on the QuickTime icon to watch a video of this lesson.

Acoustic Guitar Lessons From Folk of the Woods website. Lots of lessons with a folksy flair.

How To Practice Guitar Chord Changes by Jamie Andreas. An okay article that focuses on stress and tension. For a MUCH better article (with video!) see:

Guides & Pivots This lesson covers the use of guide fingers and pivot fingers while changing chords, the two most important chord changing techniques you may ever learn.. Click on the QuickTime icon to watch the video of this lesson. Follow this lesson (on the G, Em, Am, and D7 chords) with the D, Cadd9 and G Chord Progression lesson. And don't forget to practice your scales....

Beginning Scales These are the open or first position scales. Click on the QuickTime icon to watch a video of this lesson.

Cyberfret.com - Free online guitar lessons: Learn to play the guitar online, through a variety of free lessons and articles. Many lessons use video, audio, flash, MIDI, and tablature. Not the best (those you have to pay for), but plenty to chose from. I found the Finger stretching exercises for guitar and the basics of left hand position on the guitar lessons particularly helpful.

Elmore Music: This is an Australian sales site for online lesson program that guarantees "In just 90 days you’ll be playing new guitar chords like they’re second nature, have developed lightning fast hand speed, have mastered the scales, be hammering out solos by Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix, and be jamming out notes like the greats." But the real draw here is the free 7 lessons you can receive by e-mail. A pop-up window will allow you to register for the lessons and they really are pretty good. Not great, but pretty good.

LearnGuitarFree.com: This appears to be little more than an affiliate site trying to get you to buy into the "Jamorama" online guitar course. They did a pretty good job of it, as I purchased the acoustic course the day I bought my guitar - and it's pretty darned good. (see below) There's really nothing else here. All the "lessons and tabs" point to other websites so you might as well pass this one up.

Jamorama Online (Paid) Lessons: I purchased the acoustic course and a I am fully satisfied. One week into the purchase of my guitar and I know all of the major chords, several strum and picking patterns, and I can't feel the fingertips on my left hand. The best part is that I actually feel like I can play something that sounds like music. I know that it isn't, really, but with a bit of practice I am sure that it will develop nicely. Sign up for the FREE 6-Part Beginners Guitar E-course to see if you like it. ($37 Value) This includes Six Free Step-by-Step Guitar Lessons (Including Audio and Video content!). Free Music Learning Software. Free Hints and Tips from Guitar Experts. Helpful Advice for Getting Started and much, much more…….(SSRsi is not an affiliate and not getting paid for this listing: just impressed with the product I bought). Oh yeah, (once you purchase the product) you can also IMMEDIATELY download the ENTIRE course to keep resident on your computer - including the HUGE video and audio files for each lesson so you can learn without having to get online.

Free Guitar Lessons: As many of you know, "about.com" is not exactly my favorite website. However, they do have some easy to follow lessons here, though they are far from the best available.

Gibson Guitars: This site has many free lessons - some with video, some with audio, some just text and a few with everything. The nice thing about this site is the selection for instrument type, play level (experience of player), style (Blues, Country, Rock, Classical, etc.) and ARTIST. Many of the videos are hosted by big-name artists including B.B. King, and Roy Rogers!

Keyboards

Piano

Harpsichord

Organ

Synthesizer

Conducting

 

Composing

 

Writing Lyrics

 

Chorus Vocals

 

Classical Vocals

 

Contemporary Vocals

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