Theory of Music

Why People Say That They Can’t Read Music

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So many people say that they can’t read music. This is probably true because there are many, many people that do not play a musical instrument and therefore have no need for being able to read musical notation. There are also many people who are musical but have never really tried to read music and … Read more

Theory of Music – Who Says It Has To Be Boring?

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It seems to be a very common complaint that learning music theory is boring, especially various advertisers of online courses that teach you to play the piano. First of all, the majority of people that claim that learning theory of music are kids and teenagers. The reason why they label it as boring is because … Read more

What are Modes?

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Modes are types of scales that date back to Ancient Greek times, making them much older than our very familiar major and minor scales, which date back to about 1690 when they were regularly used as a basis for many musical compositions. There are  7 modes in particular that are still used and they are: … Read more

What Is The Difference Between 3/4 Time and 4/4 Time?

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So much music has been written over the centuries using the time signatures of 3/4 and 4/4, especially 4/4. If I were to have a guess, I would say that of all the western tradition music ever written, well over half has been written in 4/4 time. It is so prevalent that sometimes the letter … Read more

Learning to Read the Lines and Spaces of the Treble Clef and Bass Clef

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Everyone has there own way of learning and while some techniques work for some people, they will not work for all. The same principle applies to learning to play a musical instrument and learning to read and interpret musical notation. Learning to read the treble clef notes and the bass clef notes can be easy … Read more

How is Crescendo and Diminuendo Different From Playing Forte and Piano?

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You might be familiar with the expression terms of crescendo, diminuendo, forte and piano, as well as mezzo forte, mezzo piano, fortissimo and pianissimo, if not then here is their definitions: Crescendo – gradually becoming louder Diminuendo – gradually becoming softer Forte – loud Piano – soft Mezzo Forte – moderately loud Mezzo Piano – … Read more

Tenuto Marks and Ledger Lines – What is the Difference?

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Across piano music, there are frequently little lines scattered throughout written music notation and if they both were taken out of context, it would be impossible to tell the difference between the two. Fortunately the context of either one makes it really clear as to what they mean and how they impact the music. The … Read more