Theory

“Every Good Boy Does Fine.” Yes, it’s a useful mnemonic that describes the line notes in the treble clef, but is it really the best way to memorize notes in the treble clef? I, and others, think not. I would […]

So, what is a 2 note chord called? The technical term for a 2-note chord is a “dyad.” That said, a 2-note chord may also be referred to as a partial chord, power chord, double stop, or simply an interval. […]

There are many different ways to notate music. In this post we will go over the most common ones – lead sheets, sheet music, chord charts and tabs. We will explore the key differences and pros/cons of each notation style. […]

Lead sheets are a simple form of music notation. It is useful to know how to write a lead sheet so that you can quickly capture musical ideas, or easily play tunes you know and love. In this post we […]

A lead sheet is a concise form of music notation that includes only the melody line and chord progression of a piece. They are great for capturing jazz, pop, and folk tunes, and make it possible for beginner and advanced […]

Reading a lead sheet is a challenging, but useful exercise. It improves your knowledge of chords, and helps you to play more creatively. In addition, lead sheets often make familiar songs more approachable. If you are interested in learning how […]

What is a lead sheet?A lead sheet is a type of music notation that specifies only the most essential musical elements – melody, harmony, and rhythm. The melody is notated on the staff (typically the treble staff). The note duration […]

Beethoven wrote Für Elise in 1810, likely for one of his romantic interests Therese Malfatti. Many see Beethoven as the bridge between the classical and romantic eras. He wrote Für Elise as he was exploring elements that would become part […]

Für Elise is one of the most memorable melodies in classical music. It was written during the end of the classical era and beginning of the romantic era. During that time, the most common instrumental pieces were sonatas, so is […]

Beethoven’s Für Elise is one of his most famous compositions. Yet it wasn’t published until 40 years after his death when the German music scholar Ludwig Nohl discovered the manuscript, and published it in 1867. Let’s explore the meaning and […]