Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!

I don't know why, but I find the idea of interpreting nature musically to be very appealing. Maybe it's because I'm attracted to nature's beauty, but the notion of communicating that beauty musically has always intrigued me.

Not being a very patient person, I wanted to find a way to capture a musical idea very quickly and sketch out an entire piece all at once. Visual artists do something called a thumbnail sketch and I wanted to do the same thing for music.

It then occured to me that if I just sketch out the first 8-bars of the piece, and write in the first 2-bars of melody, I could capture an idea that would be remembered weeks or even years later. It's amazing but this actually works! The secret is the melody.

If you can't read music and want to do this just do what I do. I write down the note values (quarter notes, half notes., etc.) and write the letter name of the note beside the note value. One of the most important things I've discovered over the years is that the note value (it's time length) is what really captures the idea. Just think of Beethoven's fifth symphony for a good example. Da Da Da Duh... These notes mark the whole composition.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lesson s.html for a FREE piano lesson!

---

Radio - What?s Happened To It?

Remember when radio stations played great music?OK, before you accuse... Read More

Les Paul Vintage Gibson Guitars

Les Paul vintage Gibson guitars were first produced in 1952.... Read More

Piano Chords and New Age Music

There are basically two ways you can compose a piece... Read More

Reaching For The Soul Zone

Every searching artist wants to get there. It's that magical... Read More

Dont Censor the Music and Artistic Expression

Ann Powers said: "Don't censor the music and artistic... Read More

How To Dress Up Naked Music On The Piano

What in the world is "naked music?"You know it when... Read More

How to Improvise Using a Few Chords

When a painter is getting ready to paint, a color... Read More

Your First Guitar

Congratulations, you just bought you first guitar! Now that you've... Read More

A Guitar Lesson to Help You Develop Your Vision

Have you ever done any of the following?1. Made excuses... Read More

Eminem: A Social Commentator

In an interview given to Musik Magazine in 2000, Eminem... Read More

Music and Emotion

The Age-old Puzzle of Human ResponseIf you've listened to more... Read More

Review: Audioslave - Out of Exile

Every once in a while a band comes along that... Read More

Creating Within Limits

When I first started playing the piano I wanted to... Read More

They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano... but When I Started to Play...

Remember the old ad that used to run endlessly in... Read More

Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv

In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More

What Works Best in New Age Piano Improvisation

Many students want to know how to improvise. What they... Read More

Guitar Performance - Make The Most of It!

Getting ready for any type of guitar performance can be... Read More

How to Stop Thinking and Start Playing

Learning how to improvise is confusing for most. The sheer... Read More

Building Your Digital Music Collection

The previous two Tech Tips took a look at eight... Read More

Adults Can Learn to Play the Piano Too

Are you well past puberty and have always had a... Read More

How I Compose a Piece of Music

A number of people have asked about my own methodology... Read More

New M3 with Competition Package

The new competition package available for the BMW M3 is... Read More

How Many Guitar Chords Do I Need To Know?

Guitar chords, (chords played specifically on a guitar,) differ only... Read More

Health Insurance for Creative Artists -- A Multi-Talented Health Investment

For the Creative Artist -- Good Health Insurance is Truly... Read More

How to Start Your Own Band

Every once in awhile a guitar student will express a... Read More

Celtic Music: The Japanese Connection

My friend, guitarist Brian Hughes, toured with the Chieftain's in... Read More

5 Sure Fire Ways to Get Radio Play for Your ?Independent? Music!

You have to find radio airplay time if you're going... Read More

Karaoke Singing

This article is designed to help anyone to enjoy karaoke... Read More

Avoiding Injuries When Playing Guitar

To avoid any sort of injuries when playing guitar a... Read More

The Case Against Traditional Piano Lessons

How would you like to spend 4 years in a... Read More

Six Reasons to Play New Age Piano

Here are six very good reasons to learn how to... Read More

What is Music?

That's a fair question!Basically, you can call music any noise... Read More

Music For Self Improvement

Would you like to pop in a CD and have... Read More