- Lessons
- Guitar
- Ukulele
- Bass
- Music
- Articles
- Clinics
- FAQ
- Play-along Tracks
- Repertoire
- Solo Arrangements
Evaluating Your Music Knowledge...
.png)
.jpg)
Evaluating Your Music Knowledge... (studyPlan.shtml) | Updated: 04-Sep-2008 - 20:33
Take the music skills survey
Taking a survey of your music knowledge is a start to creating a well rounded plan for development and furthering your music enjoyment.
I've been asked many times to put together a plan of attack for getting beyond the basics. These lesson pages are intended to provide material for developing your skills and expanding your music knowledge.
Music..., regardless of you instrument, involves these elements: Melody, Harmony and Rhythm, and putting it all together, Arrangement
Music Theory is the body of priniciples behind music. It includes scales and chord building, intervals, progressions, resolution, harmony, motion, power, color, chord substutition, keys and time signatures, rhythm, melody, etc...
WidipediA link
WARNING: This is material developed over the past 30 years of studio teaching and performing. And It WORKS!!!.
Improvisation (Scales)
Improvisation is the ability to spontaneously create melodies over a predetermined chord progression. Making it up as you go. It involves scales, alternate fingerings, arpeggios, sequences, intervalic development, embellishments, superimposition, rhythm, motifs, development techniques and idiomatic considerations. Jazz and Bluegrass are well know for using Improvisation.
WidipediA link
Do your know the essential scales used for the type of music your are interested in several positions?
There are six essential scales that would be considered a basic requirement for blues, rock, country and folk. an seventeen for jazz.
The six essential scales are: Blues or Minor Pentatonic, Pentatonic, Dorian, Mixolydian. Aeolian and Ionian. There scales are also known as Minor Pentatonic, Major Pentatonic, Minor, Dominant, Natural Minor and Major.
The order of learning (mastering) your scales depends on the type of music you are most interested in.
Most people find the Blues and Pentatonic scales, being only five note
scales to be relatively easy to learn and use.Recommended Books
Music Theory
Can you read music?
Reading is the ability to reproduce music from written notation. It includes five phases: note recognition, alternate note locations, rhythm recognition, fingering considerations, communication terminology and interpretations.
WidipediA link
Learning to read and write the language of music is well worth the time and effort it takes. Reading music opens you to a wealth of published music in standard music notation.
Do you know the names of the notes of the music staff?
Reading is Note and Rhythm Recognition, Fingerboard Note Location (name, string and fret) and Fingering Choices based on economy of motion or musical reasons.
 |
Tipbook - Music on Paper Basic Theory. Book (not sheet music). Size 4.2x8.25 inches. 134 pages. Published by The Tipbook Company. (330974) See more info... |
 |
Pocket Manual Guides: How To Read Music By Len Vogler. Book. Published by Music Sales. (AM948960) See more info... |
 |
The Basic Guide To How To Read Music By Helen Cooper. Book. Published by Music Sales. (AM34893) See more info... |
 |
The Musician's Guide to Reading & Writing Music - Revised 2nd Ed. Book (not sheet music). Size 4.7x8 inches. 110 pages. Published by Backbeat Books. (330474) See more info... |
Can your count Rhythms and play music in time?
Rhythm is the variation of the duration of sounds or other events over time. When governed by rule, it is called meter. It is inherent in any time-dependent medium, but it is most associated with music, dance, and the majority of poetry. All musicians, instrumentalists and vocalists, work with rhythm...
WidipediA link
Music Theory
A little music theory can go along way
Theory
The priniciples behind music.
Music Theory is the body of priniciples behind music. It includes scales and chord building, intervals, progressions, resolution, harmony, motion, power, color, chord substutition, keys and time signatures, rhythm, melody, etc...
WidipediA link
Can you name the notes of a C chord (C = C E G)?
Can you name the notes of any chord?. Start with the major and minor triads. Think of them as spelling words, most that can't be pronounced.
TIP: Most chords are built in thirds. These are the names of the lines and spaces that everyone learned in music class as a kid. "Every Good Boy Does Fine" (E G B D F). and "Face" F A C E.
Combining the lines and spaces in a sequence we get E G B D F A C E ....
Cycle of Thirds
Here is a link to a GuitarLesson on Chord Spelling for learning to spell any chord.
What are the notes of a G major scale (G major = G A B C D E F# G')?
| Edly's Music Theory for Practical People
|
 |
A Player's Guide to Chords and Harmony Music Theory for Real-World Musicians. Book (not sheet music). Size 8.5x11 inches. 198 pages. Published by Backbeat Books. (331173) See more info... |
Can you name the triads of a Harmonized C Major Scale?
C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
Can you name the 4-part chords of a Harmonized C Major Scale?
Cmaj7 Dm7 Em7 Fmaj7 G7 Am7 Bm7b5
Recommended Books
Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution
Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.
$19.95 - Buy Now
Mastering the Modes
Mastering the modes is an outstanding way to expand your concept of harmonic and melodic tonality. Key writing and improvising are important but limited. Modes provide a way of creating
$19.95 - Buy Now
Ear Training
Ear Training is the development of the active and passive capability to relate to music aurally. This includes the ability to recognize melodic and harmonic intervals, chords, chords progressions, rhythm, melody and harmony.
WidipediA link
Using intervals from famous melodies we can train our ear to recognize melodic intervals.
Here is my Ear Training page.
All Curt Sheller lessons are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.
[ Back to Lessons: Index | Guitar | Ukulele | Music | Bass | Articles | FAQ | Play-along | Repertoire | Solo Arrangements | Workshops ]
[ expand all sections | collapse all sections ]
Quick Links
Ukulele
Guitar
Lessons
Instruments
Luthiers
Misc. Music
[ expand all sections | collapse all sections ]
Featured Books
Ukulele Chords
NEW This small (1/2 size) chord book is a great little book to carry with you. Ukulele Chords covers basic open position and basic movable form chords. From these two chord categories a variety of songs and styles can be played.
A Guide to Ukulele Strums & Rhythmic Patterns
This book is designed as a guide to ukulele (pronounced “oo-koo-lele”) strums. From rock and waltz strums to reggae and broken chord strums.
A Guide to Ukulele Chords
This book is designed as a guide to ukulele (pronounced “oo-koo-lele”) chords. Covering basic ukulele chords that ALL uke players MUST know, movable chord forms, rock uke chords, how to transpose chords, learning the ukulele fingerboard and an introduction to 4-part “jazz” chords and more...
Ukulele For Guitar Players
Ukulele for Guitar Players is a guide to transferring the accumulated experience and knowledge gained as a guitar played to the ukulele.
A Guide to Blues Chord Progressions for Ukulele A to Z
Covers the key of C major and C minor, including a detailed accompanying text explaining the principles behind each progression and the chord substutitions.
Exploring "Jazz" Chords on Ukulele
Exploring "Jazz" Chords takes the core chords from A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele and shows their use over a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire.
A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele
If your goal is to expand your chord vocabulary, The Advanced Guide to Ukelele Chords Series is your answer. Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords. A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords Volume I provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
The Advanced Guide to Guitar Chords
Commonly referred to as "jazz" chords this provides detailed information on voicing 4-part chords.
Harmonic Analysis For Scale Selection And Chord Substitution
Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.
Ukulele - Reading Music Series
Reading Music in Open Position, Single Note Studies- Primer. Reading music is not as hard as one might think. It may be new and unfamiliar to you but is not hard when you have a proper plan of attack.
Website brought to you by
Curt Sheller
Curt Sheller Publications
www.CurtSheller.com
Online Lessons - Music Study Plan (studyPlan.shtml) | Updated: 2008 Sep 04 - 20:33
Did you enjoy this page? Please bookmark it onto:
All orders purchased here at CurtSheller.com,
JazzGuitarResources.com, UkuleleResources.com
UkuleleChords.net and
UkuleleForGuitarPlayers.com
are processed using a secure shopping cart system and shipped within 48
hours USPS. Allow 7 to 10 business days for delivery. It is not our
intention to profit from shipping and handling charges. The rates are an
average cost, and intended to cover expenses only. Please do not ask how
long it will takes to get your order. All US orders are shipped USPS
Priority Mail® or USPS First-Class Mail® (under 1lb) and delivery dates
are not predictable. I do not check on an order not received until three
weeks have elapsed since it was shipped. Three weeks is not how long it
takes to get your order. Rather, it is how long it takes to convince us
that something is wrong. Some orders are returned by the USPS and we
have to wait to see if that has happened before any action is taken.
Thanks, Curt Sheller Publications. 
Indicated as a gray border around an image. Additional information and larger views of samples pages, PDF files and book covers can be viewed in popup windows.