Can Any Piece of Music be Played With Chords and  Should All Music Be Played With Chords?

The simple answer to this question is no, not every piece of music can be played with just chords, however, there there are many that can be played just using chords. Probably almost every piece of music that you care to name can probably be played using chords. Certainly popular modern music and jazz can … Read more

Why Does Baroque Music Seem to Be Harder than Other Genres of Music?

Maybe it is just me, but when I was learning to play the piano, I often really struggled with learning to play anything from the Baroque Era (which was from about 1600 to 1750). For me, this meant quite a bit of Handel and J.S. Bach. For those of us that studied classical music, you … Read more

Advice Specifically for Retired People Who Are Interested in Learning to Play the Piano

When kids are exploring their interest in learning to play the piano, adults try to encourage the young person to have a go at learning and to try their best. This is not bad advice at all. We adults know that kids genuinely don’t know how much they are going to enjoy taking lessons, practicing … Read more

How to Start Playing the Piano Again After Many Years

From the numerous people that have spoken to me over the years about wanting to be able to play the piano, I would say that at least half of those people did in fact start learning to play the piano when they were younger. I have heard all sorts of reasons why this happened and … Read more

How to Start Practicing Again After a Break Due to Illness or Travel

Yes, the ideal is to practice every single day, but we all know that while that might be the ideal, it just simply doesn’t always happen. There are genuine reasons why piano practice doesn’t happen in the short term. Those reasons are often because of sickness or due to travelling. The very first thing that … Read more

What is Musical Talent?

Musical talent seems to be one of those elusive, almost mystical and ethereal types of talent, that people who don’t perceive themselves to have any musical talent seem to just stand in awe of. On many occasions I have had people become just be in awe of me when I have told them that I … Read more

Scale Degree Names and Why They Are Important

Most, but not all scales have scale degree numbers of 1 through to 7. The starting note is known as 1 and the numbers are assigned in order, so the 7th degree or note of a scale is the one just before you get to a higher version of your starting note. So the scale degree … Read more