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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Hello! Welcome to another installment of our guitar column. Today we are going to talk about some chord progressions every guitar player should be familiar with. Not only because these are great for your songwriting chops, and because knowing about these will help you develop an ear for them, but…

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As you can see from the image below, there are four main sizes of ukulele. When you search on amazon or google shopping for “ukulele,” you are met by a combination of different sizes. The Five Main Sizes of Ukulele The sizes are not set in stone when it comes…

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Let’s learn this beautiful song from the soundtrack of the hit French movie Amélie. As you listen, you’ll notice it evokes complex emotions: it somehow feels thoughtful, poignant, and moving (which perfectly suits the mood of the film). As you play, try to connect with the feelings it evokes –…

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Let’s learn this hit roots/rock song! You’ll notice it features strong contrast between sections, moving from gentle and sparse to powerful and driving. This musical contrast adds to the sense of drama and pushes the song forward. It’s a great songwriting technique and something to pay attention to…

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Ok, let’s learn this modern progressive metal classic! This song features huge riffs and stunning vocal harmonies, as well as more time-signature changes than you can shake a stick at. Here’s a handy tip for dealing with all the strange rhythms: try counting in small groups of 2 and 3.

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Hi! Today we are going to cover pentatonic patterns and jumpstart your guitar soloing along the way!   What Is a Pentatonic Scale? Pentatonic scales have five notes in them (“penta” meaning five, like a pentagon). While there are lots of other scales you can learn too, pentatonic scales are…

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