A long-form piece: well-written and thought-provoking. We know music is pleasurable, the question is why? Many answers have been proposed: perhaps none are quite right Source: It’s hard to know why music gives pleasure: is that the point? | Aeon Essays

The video course, Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music is FREE as I put it together. So far there are 12 lessons up, with more every couple of days. Today, the lesson on Note Names goes live. I’m still working out the design, production flow, and proofreading, so you might…

Great sounds without a conductor! Big band jazz has been doing this for a century or so, and it’s de rigueur for free improvisers, but we don’t often think of classical musicians performing without that person up there waving a stick. Enter Orpheus. (spoiler: jazz/pop/classical musician Branford Marsalis makes an appearance in the later vids.) This…

Transcribing (either by writing or playing it by ear) is one of the most valuable things you can do in your practice. Jazz, folk, and most pop musicians at this point are saying, “Duh!,” so this is basically for classical musicians. Case in point: Lizst’s transcriptions of all 9 Beethoven symphonies for piano. Classics (pun…

The video course, Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music is FREE as I put it together. So far there are 11 lessons up, with more every couple of days. Today, the lesson on pitch goes live. I’m still working out the design, production flow, and proofreading, so you might spot…

Allison was one of the generous musicians who shared her take on practice with me as I was researching practice for the book, The Practice of Practice.  One of the things she said that stuck with me is that sometimes, for a practice session, she’ll go into it with no plan, no goals beyond getting into…

When I wrote Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music nearly 20 years ago, there was no book like it. There still isn’t. I gave it away (digitally) for free and I stopped counting years ago, once I’d given away over a million copies all over the globe. Yay, Internet! Now…

Signed hardcover with free shipping for only 10 bucks! Get it here. Just in time for back-to-school. Too many copies on hand. On sale until they’re all gone! You won’t find a better deal anywhere. Not sure about what’s inside? Check out the “About the Book” tab above. Or, get it as an Audiobook or…

Piano is GREAT for your brain – check out this choice infographic about how awesome piano lessons are for your brain. Source: This is Your Brain on Piano – How Lessons Make You a Better Thinker