Get The Most Out Of Music Lessons

Greg Varhaug is a former staff writer for Houston's NBIZ Magazine. He's also been a private music teacher for over twenty-five years. In this book, he explores the reasons so many people, young and old, fail in their musical pursuits. And it's not what you'd expect.This book challenges conventional notions and tacit assumptions advanced by traditional music schools. It starts with two key ideas, "reading music by ear," and "playing music by concept," as distinct from reading staff notation, to build a framework for students of modern, non-classical styles to unravel the mysteries of music and learning an instrument.The disconnect between classical and modern musicians has its roots in irreconcilable differences between how the two schools each relate to music. Classical and modern musicians have distinctly different working styles. Musicians now make creative decisions which, before the 1960s, were left solely to composers, arrangers and conductors. Most music schools are more intent on preserving tradition than teaching to the everyday realities of modern working musicians. It's time to redefine "musical literacy" in light of how modern musicians work. You'll gain insights into teachers, their methods, their hang-ups, the pressures they're under from the schools they work for, and from other teachers -- and how it affects you as a student. Don't get stuck on "the reading-book merry-go-round," which is the business model at many private music schools. Nuanced, microtonal guitar solos can't be captured within the few sparse symbols afforded by staff notation or tablature, though keyboard parts for the most part can. Keyboard players with proper ear-training can easily learn the arranging concepts used by professional guitar players, so they can break free of dependence on store-bought lead sheets.This book breaks down different types of notation, including chord charts, scores and lead sheets. It also breaks down the mental processes used in learning music, learning an instrument, reading music, listening to music, as well as the roles of visual, auditory and muscle memory. These elements in combination allow you to use one of the most important and frequently overlooked strategies for becoming an expert musician -- mentally practicing away from your instrument. Students and teachers should understand the mental processes we used in learning music, listening to music, dissecting what we hear, and reading music. Perhaps no other book has detailed these topics as elegantly, and as clearly as this. Topic headings include: Reading by ear, Playing by concept, Perfect pitch and relative pitch, Condition your hands to eliminate discomfort on guitar and piano, Importance of mental practice away from your instrument, How modern music is created, Disconnect between traditional and modern musicians, Redefining musical literacy, Undiagnosed music reading problems, Core competencies for classical and modern musicians, The "default program" at music school, Pros and cons of accredited and non-accredited music schools, How to assess the effectiveness of your music teachers, Finding a good rock piano program, Know your music history, Types of written music: scores, lead sheets, guitar tablature, the Real Books, Detailed explanation of blues/jazz modal harmony, Page formatting standard notation, and much more. This book offers valuable insights and advice for anyone who wants to learn to play modern musical styles like rock, country, and jazz.