Making Piano Habits That HelpWritten by Emily Sigers
The ability to play well is founded upon habit and habit, in turn, is formed upon your daily work. Therefore, how necessary it is to see that pupils form only best of habits. There are seven characteristics, or habits, of good practice that every student of music, at any age, should strictly observe: 1. Start Slowly. Practice slowly at first, gradually working up to required tempo. 2. Keep Time Always. Pay best of attention to keeping time, and from very beginning try to play rhythmically. 3. Listen Constantly. Listen to every note played. 4. Keep Your Eyes on Music. Form habit of keeping your eyes on music. Nothing is so distracting as seeing a pianist bobbing his head up and down like a duck in a mud puddle - result of keeping his glance swinging between his music and keys.
| | Your First GuitarWritten by Kathy Unruh
Congratulations, you just bought you first guitar! Now that you've met love of your life and made that big commitment, you're probably excited about building a good relationship with your new partner. But where do you begin? You've just come home from music store with this beautiful, mysterious stranger, or perhaps even rescued an abandoned orphan from flee market or pawn shop. Cradling it lovingly in your hands, you admire it's graceful form and captivating voice. Before you lay several items that you acquired along with your purchase- a case, strap, picks, and of course, that book or video explaining "everything you need to know in 10 easy lessons." You stare at it blankly, wondering what lanquage it is. This is often experience of a new guitar enthusiast. "Love at first sight" engenders high hopes of playing like a Rock Star overnight. Then reality begins to sink in and you reallize that it's going to require some effort and hard work to make this happen! But that doesn't mean it can't be fun. A positive attitude will go a long way in helping you meet your goals. In fact, setting some short-term and long-term goals is one of first things you should do. Here are a few suggestions: GET TO KNOW YOUR GUITAR - Familiarize yourself with its various parts - memorize name of each string and how they are numbered - Understand what type of guitar you have - Learn how to take proper care of your instrument GET TO KNOW YOURSELF - What type of music do you enjoy? - Do you like to sing? - Do you want to be in a band or play professionally someday? - Do you just want to play for your own personal enjoyment?
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