music instruction aide | The Musicians blog

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

Remember Mott The Hoople?…

In the late 60s and early 70s Mott The Hoople was (of course) an English rock (with some glam slants) band that had R&B chops as their roots. They provided some very interesting and strong original sounds for sure.

Unfortunately for these old time rockers some of its original members have passed on…

Drummer Dale “Buffin” Griffin died January 2016 after being diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s… And in January 2017 Mott the Hoople Bassist, Peter Overend Watts Died due to throat cancer.

Their radio cut, “All the Young Dudes” (written by David Bowie) will continue on as a mainstay of their cult rock music.

Here’s a video from one of their last concerts (via 2013) – and below you can read further about their career in a special blog released by By Nick DeRiso for Ultimate Classic Rock .com.

Jam On!
-Ron

“Watts helped start the Buddies with Mick Ralphs, a band that evolved into Mott the Hoople after periods in which it was known as the Doc Thomas Group, the Shakedown Sound, then Silence. They became Mott the Hoople after Hunter joined in 1969.”…

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

Yes co-founder and bassist Chris Squire died…

On June 28, 2015 at the young age of 67, after a battle with leukemia, the rock band ‘Yes’ (and unfortunately for the music industry) lost it’s founding member and very influential bass player, Chris Squire.
A quote from this article mentions… “Despite their critics, ‘Yes’ clearly belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their omission is one of the greatest injustices. They were on the voting list in 2013 but didn’t get in.”
Oh how the Rn’R H of F is missing out on one of the greatest rock bands of all. Anyway, I’m sure their board will come to their senses and finally include Yes in their deserved position.
Jam On!
-Ron

by Larry Atkins via: theHuffingtonPost.com

“In describing the sound of Yes, Peter Keepnews of The New York Times said, “Yes, formed in 1968, was known for its blend of rock, jazz, folk and classical influences and also for its complex time signatures and pristine vocal harmonies. One of the first of the so-called progressive (or prog) rock bands — among the others were King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer — it went on to become the most successful and longest-lasting.”…

“Vinyl Camp” will focus on the art of creating great vinyl records…

Hey, I’m sure you know that Vinyl is back and growing. Now, some genius folks that operate a studio in Nashville are offering a way for musicians (or production types) to be a part of mastering live studio cuts right to platter… Vinyl platter that is. The art of cutting tracks takes a literal turn @ Vinyl Camp arriving in late May 2015. If you’re into music nostalgia, you might find this of interest…
Jam On!
-Ron

(by: MixOnline.com)

Welcome to 1979, an all-analog recording studio in Nashville, will host a vinyl workshop on Saturday, May 30, through Sunday, May 31, 2015. “Vinyl Camp” will focus on the art of creating great vinyl records— with an in-depth look at lacquer cutting and record pressing; a live studio session, recorded direct to disc; and a complimentary copy of the session on vinyl. – See more at:

https://mixonline.com/news/news-articles/welcome-1979-host-vinyl-camp-may-30-31-2015/423770

432 hz tuning vs standard 440 ‘A’…

This might be considered controversial however, it is definitely interesting to note that 440 hertz ‘A’ tuning only found its way to modern music within the last century. Jamming in the 432 hz tuning can be not only different and soothing, it’s fun to note the response of your audience compared to standard tuning… Give it a go and see what you feel.
Jam On!
-Ron

(Credit given to Jamie Buturff)

Pi and memorizing the music scale…

the Music Scale (using Pi)

Wow, this enhanced my ability to recognize the power of math and the musical scale. Incredible to learn that thirty-nine decimal places of Pi are enough to compute the circumference of a circle the size of the known universe with an error no greater that the radius of an hydrogen atom… Now, that gives one another way to ponder the depth of music!

Jam On!
Ron

(by JUR re: Sciencedump.com)
This guy wrote a song to help him memorize Pi, since he can memorize music easier than strings of numbers. In his mind, he can hear the melody, and figure out the numbers…
See this insightful video here:
https://www.sciencedump.com/content/guy-creates-song-using-numbers-pi

Fan page ideas for your website or social media…

As a musician, having a decent ‘Fan’ page on your website or any social media platform is a great way to develop your following. This article provides some cool and helpful insights as to how your might consider expanding on your current fan page (or building one from scratch)…

Ron-

(by WixBlog)
Making a fan website is a great way to show appreciation to actors, musicians, athletes, artists or any other remarkable person that made an impact on your life. If you play your cards right, your website can become a hub for communication and conversation with fellow fans…

5 Fan Page to do’s here -> https://www.wix.com/blog/2013/09/create-a-successful-fan-website/

Keeping Time and Playing by Feel in Music…

Keeping time and playing by feel… continues to be a fair conversation amongst musicians…
I personally see where ‘both’ have their merits in playing music. A grove can be an ever elusive dance. Being ‘locked-down’ using a metronome can also have its ups and downs!
Ron

(… provided by Whisky Sage)
“Playing by feel,” or trying to express emotion is the primary concern of music. Music itself an expressive form, so it’s nigh impossible to play or experience it without any sort of feelings involved…”
… read more here:
https://blognamedmort.com/2013/07/11/playing-by-time-is-what-counts/

Guitar Power Chords

“Guitar Power Chords” relating to the Music Dials…

Hi –

Rhythm and chords have always been the popular foundation for all types of music. Power chords are essentially, just 2 (many times 3) of the strongest tonal notes in the key of the song, which creates powerful sounding chords all to themselves.

In this case, by playing these notes as viewed on the Music “Power Chord” Dial, you will immediately find yourself laying down some substantial rock and blues sounds, indeed. Generally, they are played on the lower registered (bass) strings, where they have the most ‘punch’ to them. Continue reading Guitar Power Chords →