The Three-Step Guide on How to Teach Piano

It is undeniably true that music is food to everybody's soul. For some, music isn't only a food to their soul - it is that thing which brings food to their tables.

Teaching to play the piano isn't as easy as what we see with our eyes so to actually earn a living out of it is yet another challenge. Piano teachers shouldn't only be good and skillful but patient enough to aid students' learning. To be an effective piano teacher, take note of these easy steps on how to teach piano lessons to your students.

Step 1: Decisions to be made

Together with your student, decide on how many piano lessons you want to teach and learn together. Usually, each session is up to thirty minutes a day especially when the student is a beginner. Decide how much you will charge your client. If you are new, it is recommended that your charge will be lower than what other piano teachers are offering. Another essential thing to decide on is the venue for the lessons. You may do it in your place or in your student's place just as long as there are minimal disturbances as possible.

Step 2: How to teach Piano without being hard on students

First meetings can be awkward to both teacher and student so take time to build rapport and earn your students' trust - this will pave the way to easily get the desired results and will surely ease the steps on how to teach piano to students. Be sure to keep reminding your students these essential things to ease the way to learning to play the piano. Before actually teaching the first piece, let your students be familiar with the keyboard - let them know the names and the location of each note. And then teach them the right way to aesthetically maneuver their fingers on the keyword for them to look pleasing while playing the piano.

Step 3: Don't rush!

Above anything else, keep encouraging your students to practice every day and give them enough time to learn. Different students have different pacing so don't be hard on your students and just be patient.

To be gifted in playing a musical instrument is good but to be able to earn the skills on how to teach piano is better - you don't merely teach music but you provide music as food to another person's soul.

Beginner Acoustic Guitar - Your Ultimate Guide

Guitar Practice Guide

I have three modes of playing:
One is the practice mode, where I try to learn a new skill. This is when you are mastering the tools you will use.Another is performance mode where I combine what I learned in practice mode with how I feel at the moment. All the different techniques and skills you acquired in practice become the "colors" available to you when performing. You use your skills to recreate or create artwork on the spot.Then there is experimental mode where I just try new and crazy things and create new patterns or techniques. This is the mode where anything goes, and nothing is wrong. This is the time to try it the wrong way just to see what it sounds like, or to change things to match the way you feel inside and make it more personal. This is the time to throw as much paint or as little paint on the canvas as you want in whatever combinations you want. I think I have the most fun in experimental mode, but in order to get to this stage, we need those skills gained through disciplined practice.

In order to be able to have lots of tools to use, and fun with playing an instrument, we have to go through the practice mode. If you like to learn, you like the guitar, and you like music, then I don't see why practice shouldn't be fun. Practice should be fairly steady and regular so that you're not always backtracking and re-establishing what you have already done. If you have lessons weekly, I would recommend at least 1 hour of practice every other day. Your guitar, your body, and mind have to warm up before you can make progress in your practice. The more practice the better, though you should stop if your fingers start to hurt. Practicing a few times a week for at least a half hour is the minimum. For example, it's better to spread your practice out into 30-60 minute intervals than to practice 3 hours in one day before the lessons.;)

I think of it as a time to discover the potential inside you. It's a language not restricted by words, where you can express your creative side. You are learning about yourself. Just take it one step at a time and don't get frustrated when you can't learn a song in one day.

"With every mistake we must surely be learning" -George Harrison
Learning takes time. I recommend practicing at least 15 minutes every day or 30 minutes every other day to keep things fresh in your mind. An hour to a few hours is the ideal amount of time to practice each day. When you go too long without practicing your brain will start to forget and your dexterity will suffer. You will spend your time regaining lost ground instead of advancing into new territory. In order to advance at a steady rate you need to keep with it.Practice should involve learning. When you practice, concentrate and try to do it right. If you are doing something over and over and at some point become distracted, lose concentration, or become tired, you should stop and continue another day. Or just play another song and come back to it later. Once you are tired you will not make meaningful progress that you will retain. You may also end up hurting yourself.Practice Slowly. Whatever you practice is what your brain will retain. So if you're rushing through something playing it with mistakes then that is how you will perform. In order to correct this we need to slow down. Learning and perfection can't be rushed. If you need to slow down to a crawl in order to do it right, then do so. It's better to play slow the right way, than fast the wrong way. In the beginning the learning must be done slowly so your brain can have the time and space it needs to grasp the problem and solve it. If you play things too fast when practicing, errors will go unnoticed and uncorrected. Speed comes with time and practice. Try to do things correctly when practicing. If you start to lose concentration take a break.Painful Fingers or Wrist. If your fingers start to hurt take a break, your body is telling you something is wrong and you should stop. A little at a time is better than a lot at once. Eventually you will build thick calluses on your left "fretting" hand. This will take time and should not be rushed. Routine practice will ensure that you do in fact build these calluses that will ease your playing. The problem might also be that the strings you are using are too heavy for you. Switch to a lighter gauge or the lightest gauge, you will feel a big difference. Also, you could be making it harder on yourself by playing in an awkward and bad position. That brings me to the next point.Proper Position. Practice in the position I show you during the lesson. If you don't have the proper support structures you can use a stack of books or other mass to create it. If you don't practice in the proper position you may strain your wrist or hurt yourself. To avoid this, always practice in the proper positions that I will show you. The focus here is to minimize the bending and tension in the hands, wrist, and body. You want to be comfortable when you're playing. You want efficiency of effort. Playing in the proper position will enable you to play chords and shapes with the proper and efficient use of force behind it.Using a Metronome. A metronome can be a useful tool for learning to steady yourself and play in time with the music. It's also a good way to test where your trouble spots are and focus on those.Focus on Trouble Spots. To make practice time more efficient, focus on the parts of the music you are having trouble with. If you can play the entire song perfectly but have problems with one section, then practice the one section you have trouble with. Aim for being able to play the trouble spot ten times in a row the same way without deviation. If you deviate then your brain has not solidified what you have learned. Give yourself breaks and come back to the trouble spots again later. Sometimes you need a day of rest before it sinks in after a good practice session. Try to include the bar before and after the trouble section so that when you incorporate it back into the entire song you will be familiar with the transitions.

I'm a professional musician that has been involved in music since an early age. I started with violin at age six, choir at eight, and guitar at fourteen. I started writing my own songs at age seventeen. Since then I have been refining my craft.

I've taught guitar lessons, played weddings, played guitar in a restaurant, studied acoustics, and designed and built a recording studio. Music has become my full time profession. I now also do guitar string reviews online. For more information and to check out my string reviews visit my website at:

http://www.stringcritic.com/

Guitar String Reviews, Ratings, and Comparisons. Compare with audio files and post your own reviews in the forum.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brendan_Macias

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Article Submitted On: February 28, 2011

Guitar Superstars Review - Let 7 Professional Tutors Guide You!

So many people would love to able to play the guitar. But whether you dream of being on stage to screaming fans, or playing guitar alone in your sitting room, learning any instrument can be difficult, as well as expensive. Guitar SuperStars is a popular online guitar program.

It is there to teach and guide you on how to earn guitar in the fastest way possible. It is also there to ensure that you have the best access to seven professional guitar teachers - and at a fraction of what it would cost you if you hired a private guitar tutor!

Guitar SuperStars has been created by Andy Johnson - a guitar teacher for more than 20 years experience. Once you have accessed the course you will be given a list of videos covering many of the most popular guitar styles, such as rock, metal, acoustic, classical, jazz, funk, blues and bass.

The guitar is a very versatile instrument, and by mastering all (or even some!) of the available styles, this type of practice will help you will turn into an excellent player. With Guitar Superstars you will learn all basic and advanced techniques, like chords progressions, rock licks, finger picking technique, scales, and lots more.

Everything you need to seriously improve in a hurry is contained in the teaching of this course. Some of the videos will teach you how to play along to popular songs, and each course teacher has their own style and expertise. You'll never grow bored as there are hundreds of fantastic lessons for all levels of ability.

The course has an excellent bonus which is called the GSS Jam Machine. This tool will help make your learning fun and practical, and allows you to jam songs with real bands.

Playing with professional musicians is always a fantastic way to enhance your guitar techniques, and is also a fun way to check your progress and keep yourself motivated. Guitar SuperStars is definitely a great program for those who have been dreaming of being a guitarist - either for fun, or professional.

At a low ?47 price, the cost is minimal in comparison to regular one on one private lessons from a guitar tutor. This course has now been downloaded by thousands of happy customers, and a large amount of feedback from students has given Guitar Superstars a very high satisfaction rating.

So if you want to make your dream of playing the guitar into a reality, then you know where to start.

A Guide To Brass Finishes (Tuba/Low Brass)

Arguments about finishes for brass instruments never end. My friends and I have been debating the merits of their effects on tonal properties ever since we were in Jr. High.

This guide will introduce the three most common types of finishes, help separate the facts from fiction and list the pros and cons.

Three primary types of finish are used. These are Clear Lacquer, Silver Plate and Raw Brass.

Silver Plate

Pros:

* Longest lasting of all the finishes
* Makes for easy repairs
* Rumored to be louder
* Warm Sound

Cons:

* More expensive than Lacquer
* Corrosion can be pretty nasty
* Requires polishing often

Silver plated tubas are very common, though not as popular as clear lacquer due to price. A common, yet unanswered question concerning this finish regards volume. It is rumored that silver sousaphones are louder. Just know that silver plated tubas are generally known for a warmer sound than other types of finish. The upkeep is more difficult than clear lacquer as it requires regular polishing to prevent nasty black corrosion.

Silver Plate has durability issues too. Too much polishing or handling can wear through the silver in places, making the instrument look a lot worse than it really is. Repairs will be easier and look better though, as heat can damage a lacquer finish. The finish is bonded to the metal through electroplating, rather than sprayed on.

Clear Lacquer

Pros:

* Brilliant Gold Shine
* Easy To Clean
* Cheap to Re-coat
* Dark, low sound

Cons:

* Slight muffling of the sound
* Will wear through in places

The most popular finish of choice for many school bands is clear lacquer, but it was not all ways this way. Earlier lacquer finishes were solvent based and sprayed on. To get good coverage, it was very thick. This was similar to "throwing a blanket over the whole thing", muffling the sound. Improvement in lacquer finishes have reduced this dramatically, but even now lacquered tubas have a slightly quieter sound than a similar silver plated one.

The lacquer is just a coating like the clear coat on your car, over the brass on the tuba. This finish can have a brilliant gold shine and is the most durable of the common finishes. This finish characterized by its deep, dark sound in the lower sounds. The lacquer also has the easiest upkeep of the standard finishes and is most durable.

Raw Brass

Pros:

* Unmatched sound - for some
* Better response

Cons:

* Prone to corrosion
* WILL turn your hands green
* Looks uneven in finish
* Cheaper - No finish

From what I have read, raw brass not a good option for most players. This lack of finish removes all protective qualities that the other finishes have. Raw brass instruments will tarnish, but this is actually a good thing; the tarnish will provide a little protection for the metal underneath. Sweaty hands are another thing to watch out for with this finish. Contact should be kept to the minimum, unless you want to leave permanent hand prints. The acidity from your hands can eat accelerate oxidation, continuing to the metal below.

Also, holding on of these will turn your hands green.

Raw Brass does however have an advantage. They are said to have a better response and brighter sound than other finishes.

Of course these are not the only types of finishes available. There are many more, all with different tonal properties. However; these are likely all that you will run across.