Let’s learn this hip-hop hit! As you listen and tap your foot, you’ll notice it has a pretty fast beat and feels full of energy. The speed of a song is called the “tempo” – it’s measured in beats per minute (BPM), and has a huge effect on the musical…

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Let’s learn this hit rock song! This song is an excellent example of what Jimmy Page called “light and shade” – a musical contrast between quiet reflective moments, and huge energetic moments. As you listen, notice how the quiet intro draws you in, then the band comes in hard and…

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If you’ve always had a secret desire to be able to sit at the piano and roll out a great song to an admiring audience, but felt that the work to get to that point is too overwhelming, read on. It’s very possible to learn how to play…

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Let’s learn this popular folk song! It was originally a church hymn set to the tune of a traditional Scottish melody but was further popularised in the 1970s by folk icon Cat Stevens. You may notice it has a slightly unusual rhythm – it’s in 3/4 time, which means there…

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“Le Onde”, made famous by Ludovico Einaudi, is now available in Yousician for Piano. Le Onde for Piano by: Sunny Choy, Music Education Designer for Piano Solo piano exercise (level 5) Master the melody with this steady arrangement. The minimal…

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Let’s learn this beautiful and memorable tune! Though it was written in the 80s, you’ll notice it has a timeless quality, with a perfectly-written melody and chord progression that somehow feels distinctive and unique yet familiar and natural. One musical idea to look out for is the octave between t…

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As a beginner on the piano, you might feel frustrated sometimes that you can’t get stuck into the songs you love and desperately want to be able to play.  But keep in mind that you can start to play virtually any song if you start with an easy version of…

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One of the biggest challenges when learning to play guitar or any other instrument can be reading standard notation (aka sheet music) – those little black dots. This is especially tricky on guitar and is something that lots of guitarists avoid. While it’s great to learn standard notation too,…

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Many guitar players got their first ambition to play by watching and/or hearing a great player (in their preferred style) really cranking out a cool guitar solo. For example, Van Halen’s ‘Eruption’ for rock players is a staple, ‘Besame Mucho’ by Wes Montgomery is for the hippest of all…

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