Learn to Play Keyboard - 3 Things You Must Know to Get Started

It can be a lot of fun when you learn to play keyboard, but choosing the right type of lessons can get a little confusing. There are some excellent online resources that will get you off to a great start for very little expense.  But how do you make an intelligent decision about which course is right for you?

Here are three important things that will help you make the right choice:

1.  Choose lessons that are fun and engaging so they capture your attention and interest from the beginning. This may seem a little silly at first. Whoever said that piano keyboard lessons were supposed to be fun, and how do you do pick lessons like that anyway?

When I was growing up with traditional piano lessons, you first worked hard at all the drills and scales so that one day you could play stuff you actually liked. If there was any "fun" involved, it was probably getting that ice cream cone from Mom as a reward for practicing hard all week. Don't get me wrong: there is definitely a place for learning scales and doing exercises, but if that's the focus in the beginning, both children and adults can lose interest quickly.

Fortunately, there are online resources today which help you learn to play keyboard in a fast paced, results-oriented manner that really is fun. Where do you find those? Look for lessons that emphasize learning chord and rhythm patterns first, instead of traditional teaching which focuses on sight reading and memorizing other peoples musical compositions. (I can still hear my first instructor's stern voice saying, "No, you have to memorize 'Merrily We Roll Along' and 'Frere Jacques' before we go any further!")

2.  Choose lessons which help you play what you want to play right away. In the beginning, most of us want to learn to play keyboard with some favorite songs as soon as possible. With new chord and rhythm pattern teaching methods, students can do this. Both adults and children feel good about early success like this, and they are motivated to learn more and progress more rapidly.

3.  Look for extensive audio and video lessons to be part of the course. It really speeds up the learning process to see and hear what is in your lesson book, and to be able to repeat it as many times as you want to pick up fine points you might have missed the first time around. When learning a certain chord pattern, it is a huge help to have a video to see how the fingers are placed, and to watch how they move from key to key. When you are learning a new rhythm pattern, it makes a big difference to hear it and be able to repeat it instead of just trying to read it from the book.

It is really possible to learn to play keyboard quickly and easily if you find the right instruction. Pick methods which first teach you chord and rhythm patterns. This helps you build a great foundation for more complicated techniques later, and you will have a lot of fun while you learn to crank out those favorite tunes.

Buying a Ukulele - Things to Consider

Buying a ukulele, particularly for beginners, can be a bewildering experience. Despite being much smaller, there is a much greater variety in ukuleles than there is in guitars. This article will guide you through the choices you'll have to make.

The Size

Ukuleles come in four main sizes. From smallest to largest, these are: soprano, concert, tenor and baritone. There are also other sizes such as super-concert (between tenor and concert) and the absolutely tiny sopranino.

The best choice for beginners is probably the soprano. It is the standard ukulele size and gives the sound most associated with the ukulele. It's size means that it is well suited to playing chords. Also, the cheapest ukuleles are almost always soprano ukuleles.

The tenor ukulele gives much more room for your fingers to move, making it more suitable for solo playing. It is the size most often used by professionals such as Jake Shimabukuro.

The concert is a compromise between these two - giving the advantages of both - and is my favourite size of ukulele.

Baritone ukuleles are much closer to guitars than they are to ukuleles. The producer a much deeper sound and are tuned like the top four strings of a guitar. As such, they tend to be preferred by guitar players and people wanting to move on to the guitar later.

The Price

Ukuleles can be bought very cheaply (less than $20). These very cheap instruments are not great quality, but they are a lot of fun. If you are serious about playing the uke, it's well worth spending an extra few dollars for that first step up in quality. Makala and Lanakai are two brands which make good budget ukuleles.

If money is no object, having your ukulele made by a luthier is the best option. An experienced luthier will be able to guide you through the process and help you discover the elements that will suit your style of playing.

The Brand

There are a huge number of brands around. Modern makes such as Kala and KoAloha, vintage brands such as Martin and long standing makes such as Kamaka. Each brand has its own acolytes and detractors. Reading around on the net will give you a good idea of how well respected a brand is.

You might want to consider where a ukulele is made. The world's most respected brands tend to be made in Hawaii. Brands like KoAloha make ukuleles in Hawaii in a factory of skilled makers which offer regular tours. Today, most ukuleles are made in China to keep costs down and tend to be lower quality. As a compromise, some brands are made in China but finished in the US.

Which ever ukulele you choose, you're sure to have a great time playing it.

Buying a New Saxophone - Things to Consider When Buying a New Saxophone

Buying a new saxophone requires minimal knowledge of the types of saxophones available in the market as well as the differences that distinguish them from each other. Saxophones are generally categorized into four types. The first would be the soprano saxophone which is in the key of B flat. Its sound or pitch is higher compared to the other saxophones and is therefore generally considered as the hardest to play. This is not recommended to beginners who are not yet adept at playing the instrument. The second type is called the Alto Saxophone and is in the key of E flat. It is the one commonly played most especially by beginners. This type of saxophone is recommended to beginners because most of the practice materials and compositions for beginners are in the alto pitch. The third one is called the tenor saxophone. It is in the key of B flat and is mostly used for playing jazz and blues as well as rock music. However, the neck of this kind of saxophone is longer than the other types of saxophone making it more prone to damage. The fourth kind is the baritone saxophone. It is usually played for jazz solos. It is the largest among the other three types of saxophone that its players will have to wear a harness to support its weight.

The person buying a new saxophone must determine first the exact purpose(s) for which the instrument is to be purchased. For instance, if one is looking at buying a new saxophone to play mostly jazz or rock music, then the best choice would be the tenor saxophone. But if the person using the instrument is a beginner and wishes to learn more about playing the instrument, then the Alto Saxophone is the best pick. Since these saxophones also come in different shapes and sizes, one who intends to use the saxophone regularly and wishes it to be more handy and manageable as opposed to heavy and sturdy will have to do away with baritone saxophone.

After delimiting one's choice to any particular type of saxophone, the next consideration would be the price. This is very important especially if one has to work with a limited budget. Nevertheless, price consideration is also important vis a vis the market value of the instrument. One would not want to purchase an extremely cheap saxophone as it may render the quality of the instrument in doubt; neither is it wise for anyone to just rush and purchase a new instrument for a price twice its real market price. That would be a total rip off!!

Checking out the manufacturer of the saxophone may also help in ensuring that the saxophone is going to be good quality. This is especially important to ensure that one does not buy an instrument which is difficult to tune, has bad or weak tone, or is easily broken. The model of the instrument may also be helpful in buying a new saxophone. However, for students who wish only to purchase new saxophones for practice and casual playing as opposed to professionally using the instrument, being particular with the model may not be necessary. Finally, when the questions on the type of saxophone, its price, manufacturer and model have been settled it is important to make sure that the instrument is in its best condition. Check for faulty hardware, breaks, leaks, or bent parts. When all these have been observed, one may then proceed to purchase buying a new saxophone.