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 →

Using Guitar Chord Charts

Guitar chord charts…

Guitar chord charts are a systematic way to learn how to play chords on a guitar. To be able to read the charts, you must first know the different types of chords- major, minor, and dominant seventh. It is important to know what type of chord you are playing when reading the chart so that you can choose which finger numbers your will use in order from index (1) through pinky (4). For example, if you see a “C” on the chart and it says “3 3 3 4,” this means that your index (1), ring finger (2), middle finger (3), and pinky finger (4) will be used in order from left to right.

Guitar Chord Reference Dial…

The guitar chord reference dial is a device that is used to help guitar players learn chords and songs. The device displays the name of each chord, as well as its fingering and the strings that should be played. The beginner can also move their fingers around on the dial for quick reference to different chords.

A guitar chord reference dial helps many guitar players learn chords and songs in a more efficient way than trying to memorize every song note by note. Just by looking at it, you will know which string needs to be strummed, what string should be your ring finger, which one should be your middle finger, and so on.

Front shows 12 charts, each showing all the chord forms and positions for each major & minor chord. Back shows 12 charts, each showing all the chord forms and positions for each augmented & diminished chord. Also shown are the notes for 7th chords.

Forget those big fat cumbersome chord books. Take a look at a complete guitar chord reference on a simple easy to use 2-sided movable dial. Fits into your instrument case.

Jam On!
Ron Greene
Founder of the Music Dials Charts

Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones Died

Wow, usually the drummer is the individual that out-lasts the rest of the band (generally) till death. Not that it matters and especially in this instance… Yet, every instance counts!

Here we go… Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones has passed this day Tuesday, August 24th 2021, ‘He was just fu*kn 80 fsg!.’

Damn!

Figuring that Charlie joined the Rolling Stones in 1963 we might as well consider him as the/our most original ‘rock drummer’ icon! (eh?)

Anyway, wow, a wacky day in the life of seeing an original rock ‘n Roll r’ absorbed into the ether.

Hopefully we hold on to rock for many, many, generations to come!

Jam On!

-Ron
Music Dials .com

Credit is given: rollingsonte.com and journalist, Joe Gross @ https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton

As noted in this article…

“He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier [Tuesday] surrounded by his family.” The statement referred to Watts as “one of the greatest drummers of his generation!”

It continues…

Watts’ death comes several weeks after it was announced that the drummer would not be able to perform on the Rolling Stones’ No Filter Tour of U.S. stadiums. “Charlie has had a procedure which was completely successful, but his doctors this week concluded that he now needs proper rest and recuperation,” a rep for the band said in a statement at the time. “With rehearsals starting in a couple of weeks, it’s very disappointing to say the least, but it’s also fair to say no one saw this coming.”

What Are Chord Progressions in Music?…

According to Wikipedia… “In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice era of Classical music to the 21st century. Chord progressions are the foundation of Western popular music styles and traditional music. In these genres, chord progressions are the defining feature on which melody and rhythm are built.”

The sponsor of this Musician’s Blog is the Music Dials, which are effective at-a-glance visual reference guides for showing you the best sounding musical scale notes for playing solos and chords for accompaniment in every key.

Enjoy playing your instrument by watching and learning more here…

The Music Dials Charts Working Example

Your brain uses left side to make sense of lyrics and the right side for a song’s melody…

As a musician, you might be interested in knowing how you can separate melody from lyrics within your own brain.

We found this article of interest, as it also helps the song-writer as well as the musician playing tunes, to discover some insights on how it all comes together in the brain.

Since there’s evidence that a song is separated into two paths through the brain, it’s interesting to note (pun intended – hehe) how the musician combines the essence of both into one pleasurable listening experience.

Take a look-see yourself to understand how this might assist with your music experiences.

Jam On!

-Ron
Music Dials .com

Credit is given: npr.org and journalist, Jon Hamilton @ https://www.npr.org/people/2100615/jon-hamilton

As noted in this article…

“A song fuses words and music. Yet the human brain can instantly separate a song’s lyrics from its melody.

And now scientists think they know how this happens.

A team led by researchers at McGill University reported in Science Thursday that song sounds are processed simultaneously by two separate brain areas – one in the left hemisphere and one in the right.

“On the left side you can decode the speech content but not the melodic content, and on the right side you can decode the melodic content but not the speech content,” says Robert Zatorre, a professor at McGill University’s Montreal Neurological Institute.”

Fireworks in Your Brain on Music…

It probably goes with saying… playing music stimulates our brain. This article goes further into describing the difference between listening to music and actually playing it.

When we ‘jam’ our brains light-up with inter-related connections that enhance most every activity and function… including fine motor skills that invoke both hemispheres of the brain.

Jam On!
– Ron

Enjoy this video…

(via: Anita Collins: TED-Ed Original lessons)

When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What’s going on?…

See the Video and Read More Here…

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-playing-an-instrument-benefits-your-brain-anita-collins

Ed Sheeran’s Song Sued Over ‘Let’s Get It On’…

When you consider most rock and country chords are the same basic 1,3,5 or 1,4,5 structures, it’s a wonder everyone hasn’t sued ‘everyone’!

Now, maybe you hear the ‘very’ similarities to Ed Sheeran’s song, Thinking Out Loud… to that of Marvin Gay’s decades old song, Let’s get it on… but I don’t!

I mean, there are a ton of songs on the marketplace that resemble each other to a certain degree, yet in this case I can’t find a very close resemblance thereof.

Anyway, I feel the poor guy [Ed] is being bothered [again] for no reason what-so-ever. Oh well, when you’re at the top you’re fair game. We’ll see, as it was tossed out the first round…

Jam On!
– Ron

Sergi Alexander/WireImage – via Colin Stutz for billboard.com

… The family of Gaye’s co-writer on the track, Ed Townsend, is pursuing legal action against Sheeran for lifting the the melody, harmony and rhythm from “Let’s Get It On” for his own song.

This is the second such accusation against Sheehan…

A Farewell to Aerosmith…

Recently (as of the date of this blog post) guitarist Joe Perry mentioned that the band, Aerosmith, had been tossing around the idea of reaching a time where a farewell tour was in order.

Wow, can you believe it’s been 47 years at this point? Another rock band legend has reached the proverbial milestone. Like many (considered) old-timer rockers, The Aerosmith boys have apparently found this moment in their career to consider ‘wrapping it up’ for their touring and studio album work.

It also appears that Steven Tyler has started another music genre direction… a solo country singer. Yep believe it or not (or you may already know it by now). Here’s a link to his first (solo) venture into country… (it’s not bad). Maybe it’s also a way for him to save his voice for the fore-see-able future.

Jam On!
-Ron

Go Here to see Steven sing country…

And more on the Aerosmith Farewell Tour…

(via: press release of Aerosmith Farewell Tour from Society of Rock .com)

There are no dates currently in mind for when Aerosmith will hit the road for the final time, and if you’re worried about being able to snag tickets to what’s sure to be one of the greatest farewell tours rock and roll has ever seen, never fear: Steven assures us that while this is the end for Aerosmith, the farewell tour will “probably last forever”.

Johnny Cash and June Carter Walking the Line…

For the first time the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) is dedicating an entire day to the legacies of “The First Family” of Country Music with a curatorial talk, an instrument spotlight, a themed menu at Café Allegro, a MIMQuiz with prizes, and more on June 25.

Johnny Cash and June Carter has provided a great ride for us musicians to enjoy their contribution to music. So many of us have covered a Johnny Cash tune with many musical variances… from rock to punk.

This press release (below) discusses the event that will take place a the MIM in Phoenix and what to expect if you drop by…

(btw… MIM displays more than 6,500 instruments collected from around 200 of the world’s countries and territories).

Jam On!
-Ron

(via: Musical Instrument Museum Organization)

Johnny Cash’s marriage to June Carter Cash represents a union of musical influences that have truly shaped American music for nearly a century. The Carter Family has served as a standard foundation for American folk and country music since their historic recording sessions in Bristol, Tennessee, in 1927. Johnny Cash is one of the most iconic musical personalities…

Playing Guitar Like Keith Richards…

In this short video clip interview, Keith Richards explains the importance of having an acoustic guitar around for playing. The fact that Keith actually fools around with the guitar, even removing a string to show another tuning style, is note worthy enough to view.
Jam On!
–Ron Greene

Keith Richards Explains Why ‘the Acoustic Guitar Is Most Important’…

(by:https://www.acousticguitar.com – News)

Richards kicks off the conversation with this knowledge bomb: “I would say that the acoustic guitar is the most important thing for a guitar player to start with. Learn the feel and the touch of the string and what it does against a fret. Learn that and then you can add the effects later on…

See more at…

https://www.acousticguitar.com/News/Must-Watch-Keith-Richards-Explains-Why-the-Acoustic-Guitar-Is-the-Most-Important

Guitar chord charts…

Guitar Chord Reference Dial…

Jam On! Ron Greene Founder of the Music Dials Charts

Jam On!
Ron Greene
Founder of the Music Dials Charts