Basic Music Theory

Hey fellow musicians… Ron Greene here,

There are a lot of decent basic music theory books, tapes etc. on the market these days, and many of them provide good technical content. However, most of the information in them seems to lack specific details that otherwise, really never get you to the point of playing your instrument.

For example, this free music theory publication does a good job of explaining Key Signatures and the history of music, yet, this subject might not interest you as much as getting your instrument out and actually getting down to the matter at hand… playing it! Continue reading Basic Music Theory

Transposing Music Using Charts

Transposition Music Charts

Consider an example of a C major chord. The root note, C can be transposed to other keys by moving it up or down the scale. For example, the same chord in D major would be followed by the notes D-E-F-G-A. If we wanted to play this chord in A minor, it would go A-C#-E (or E as a sharp).

When musicians want to play music that has been written for a different key than they are playing it at, they will often transpose it. This is done either by playing an instrument in a different key or singing or performing with different instruments and voices that are tuned to match the notes of the song being played.

You might consider using a transposing chart…

– Like the Music Dials Transposition Chart

Transposition Music Charts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A single piece of sheet music could be used for many songs in different keys because all of these songs have at least one note which is common between them (i.e., they share at least one note with each other).

When sheet music is transposed into another key, not only do all of these common notes change but also some unexpected ones may change too! Often times there will be two options: one which uses sharps and another which uses flats.

Jam On!
Ron Greene
Founder of the Music Dials Charts

History of International Guitar Month

International Guitar Month (IGM) has been an annual
celebration of guitars and guitar products that happens
every April. Started in 1987, IGM was originally sponsored
by Guitar & Accessories Marketing Association (GAMA)
and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM).

International Guitar Month logo

 

In 1996 GAMA decided to focus most of its resources on Teaching Guitar Workshops… subsequently, International

Guitar Month was rolled into their effort of introducing
more music instruction.

It seems cool enough to take additional notice @ least
once a year, to celebrate the Guitar as a major participant in our music history.

Jam On!
-Ron

Grab your All-Around-Guitar-Pack Discount special… Now, all
‘4’ Guitar Dial Charts for just the price of ‘3’… Get One FREE!

Play by ear with these chord and note charts

Play by ear with these chord and note charts

https://www.MusicDials.com/guitar.html

 

Ron Greene Publications is celebrating International Guitar
Month with our hand-held visual guides for … music theory,
chord structures, melodic notes, keys and scales. All in one,
compact 9″ x 11″ portable movable dial that fits inside your
instrument case and is readily available whenever you want!

Time to celebrate International Guitar Month.

Ron Greene
Inventor of the Music Dial Charts
@ (970) 259-5214

Creativity and the Mad Genius…

Combining the left and right brain in songwriting, jamming and listening to music, promotes a deep and meaningful fascination. Where does creativity and mad genius start and stop? What do you feel and think when you are jamming… Are you a participant or are you the observer? This article gives more to ponder on this subject matter.
Jam On!
-Ron

Left-Right-Brain-Image-Music-Dials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(The Imprinted Brain by… Christopher Badcock Ph.D. via:psychologytoday.com)

Can You Be Both Mad and Creative?

How genes set the balance between autism and psychosis… A study of all major British and Irish poets born between 1705 and 1805 found a strikingly high rate of mood disorders, suicide, and institutionalization within this group of writers and their families. By comparison with the rate of manic-depressive illness in the general population, these British poets were 30 times more likely to suffer from manic-depression…
… read rest of article here:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-imprinted-brain/201408/can-you-be-both-mad-and-creative

How to Transpose Music

Basic Music Transposition

OK… as we discussed in our recent posts (basic music theory, guitar power chords, et.al.) it was suggested that we visit the subject matter of… Music Transposition.

To transpose music simply means… to change the pitch of each note without changing the relationships between the notes. Now, relationship between notes is one thing, another topic we’ll touch on is, how it actually changes the ‘feel’ of the original composition. But, first let’s take a look at the basic fundamentals. Continue reading How to Transpose Music