4 Ways to Choose Your First Instrument

Are you the few ones who are eager to learn a music instrument but torn between which instrument to pick up? You want to emulate your idol and play like them? Or you want to compose your own music but not sure about which instrument will help you realising your dream? 

Here is our guide to the various factors to consider while choosing an instrument to begin your Music Journey.

1. Your Interest

First of all, what interests you? What are the kind of songs that you love to listen to and would love to play yourself? Which instrument excites you the most? This can help you decide which instrument would best suit you.  Piano/Keyboard is very versatile and can help you compose without any limitations, whereas Guitar is the most compatible instrument you can learn. Drums would take some space but if you are a fan of hard hitting, letting your groove out on a beat, that’s the instrument for you. There are certainly many other instruments, but let’s talk about the common and popular ones. It completely depends on what you are looking for through music. You could learn vocals if you enjoy singing your heart out and humming to tunes.

           

2. Preference of Music Genres

If you are into Rock and Roll, Guitar might be the most popular choice but if you want to create rocking beats, you might as well go for Drums. Or, You are in to Pop, or electronic music, then Piano or Keyboard is the smartest choice for you. If lyrics is what interests you most, then Vocals is a good choice. Every genre of music is dominated by an instrument or two, so do the research on your favourite songs and artists, learn about the process of making and you might discover love for a particular instrument. Which part of your favourite song would you like to imitate or learn? That will let you know what you really want to learn and play.

3. Practice Limitations

Before you begin to learn an instrument, map out your schedule. See, how you would manage the time for your regular activities and learning an instrument. Understand how much time you can dedicate to learning an instrument, what kind of space you have for practice? If you are learning drums, make sure you have the space to set up your drum kit and insulate your room with basic sound proofing so that neighbours aren’t disturbed. Also, if you are eager to learn vocals, you have to practice in a room where you can move around and sing with a loud open voice. There are many affordable ways to soundproof your room, a lot of information is available online for the same. At the beginner level, learning guitar may take some time, so make sure you have the time to regularly practice guitar. Keyboard/Piano are relatively easy in the beginning, however as you advance through higher levels, you will have to give time for any instrument to master the skills that is required to play the instrument to its fullest capability.

4. Budget

Different instruments would cost you varying amounts. Although this shouldn’t be the deciding factor that prevents you from learning the instrument you want to, we will still discuss different instrument cost. The cheapest would be learning vocals as it doesn’t require any instruments in the beginning, as you begin to perform regularly, you might want to buy a microphone that would help you understand the dynamics of singing on a mic. Guitars can be very affordable, especially in the recent times with big brands producing low budget guitars with very decent quality, and it can serve you for a long time as well. Pianos are costly, however keyboards can be found in affordable prices but to get a good quality, long lasting instrument, you might have to cash in a little bit, but for composers, this is must have! The costliest of all the beginner instruments is the drums. Although you can easily purchase pre-owned affordable drum sets, if you are looking to invest, this is an instrument that will last for a long time. As we discussed, budget should not be a factor in deciding what instrument you want to learn, as the investment you are making will serve you for far more benefits than loss if you are really interested in learning and playing the instrument. One thing is for sure, if you have the desire to learn, you will not regret doing the investment on the instrument you would love to learn.

We hope these factors will help you take an informed decision about what instrument you decide to learn. Whether it is enjoying playing your favourite tunes, jamming with friends at a party, becoming a professional musician or sound engineer; one thing we can assure you is that you will never regret learning music. So, don't wait, choose the instrument your heart desires and begin your Musical Journey today!

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

Audio Engineering vs. Music Production

We often find students enquiring about "Audio Engineering" when in reality they mean "Music or Audio Production" and vise versa. So, what really is the difference between the two?

While many music producers are also good sound engineers, sound engineers don't necessarily make good music producers. The main difference between the two is that is that while both professionals have a deep understanding of the technical aspects of music production, music producers also have a hefty dose of artistic and creative vision to make a recording the best it can be.

Sound Engineer

A recording engineer or a sound engineer is a technical expert who operates the soundboard and other equipment during a recording session, under the supervision of the Music Producer. They also set up studio and recording equipment. An Sound engineer's main job is to use his/her technical skills to bring the producer's and artist's vision to fruition.

Music Producer

Just as in the film industry, Music producers are the behind-the-scenes makers of a song/track. The best and most revered music producers have a heavy hand in every aspect of a record’s production, from selecting which songs should go on a record, to working with the studio to achieve a particular sound. In fact, most Music producers have extensive knowledge of how the studio’s audio recording equipment works, and use that knowledge to help the artist achieve the exact sound they want for their record.

Modern Producers and Engineers

Just because these two job descriptions are different, doesn’t mean the role can’t be occupied by the same person. As modern recording has become more simplified, these jobs are accessible to more people. Home studios, small-scale studios, and those who like to have as much creative influence on a record as possible have the option to reach across these positions to both produce and engineer a piece of music.

Becoming a Producer or Engineer

To succeed as a Music producer or an Audio engineer takes determination, skill and a sense of musicality to help customers and artists achieve the best results. Becoming a studio engineer requires specialised training and may require a college degree. Certifications in equipment and software are also as important.

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in Whitefield, Bangalore, India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.






Reference:
http://work.chron.com/differences-between-music-producers-engineers-25047.html
    https://www.musicbed.com/knowledge-base/music-production-vs-audio-engineering/122

6 Tips for Effective Drum Practice

As teachers, we often find that although students say that they are practicing regularly, it doesn't reflect in class. It is because sadly most people do not know how to practice. 

Some of reason lies in the fact that there is too much information online and that can confuse students. So in this article, we want to share with you our top 6 tips for practicing the drums:

1. Always Go Into A Practice Routine With A Plan

Before you sit down at your drums, plan out exactly what you are going to do. If you want to just play around for a bit, then at least plan that (not what you’re going to do, but the fact that you’re just going to experiment for awhile). The point of this isn’t to make your practice routine ultra rigid, and you can still be spontaneous if you’re feeling inspired, but you need to be more intentional with what you want to accomplish with your time spent behind the kit.

2. Pay attention to posture 

Good posture is critical when practicing drums. That’s because posture plays an essential role in building physical habits, which can make or break your ability to play by affecting your speed, control, power, and overall technique. Since the body posture you adopt when practicing will become  like second nature over time, you need to pay attention to your posture from the very beginning. In addition, specialists advise drummers to warm up their muscles before a drum practice session if they want to gain speed and endurance.

3. Use a metronome

Since a metronome emphasizes rhythm problems, using this tool may be discouraging, especially in the beginning. However, it’s the only way to improve your timing and help you stay in control of your playing. If you continue to practice with a metronome, you’ll be able to develop a solid groove and play the drums like a pro.

4. Have A Balance Of Technique And Musicality Practicing technique won’t make you a better musician. Playing music will make you a better musician. Technique is easy and fun to practice because it’s quantifiable, but it’s not the end all be all with drumming. No musical director cares how fast you can play, or how good your medium full stroke roll is. So try to balance your practice between technique and musicality.

5. Practice Drums Every Day

Whether you are active listening to music, tapping on your legs, or just playing on the practice pad – do something every day. Even if it’s just 10 minutes each time, it’s better than nothing. There are no excuses for not practicing. Don’t get into the mindset that the ‘stars have to be aligned’ for you to practice on the kit. Just do something.

6. Have Fun

Practicing with attention is very important, but don’t forget to have fun while you’re at it! Play what you love to play and practice exactly what you want to practice. This way, you’ll learn new techniques, develop excellent drumming skills, and become a pro without even realizing it.

Drums is a fantastic instrument and is a great way to express yourself. We hope these tips will help you play your music, your way and help you get the best out of your practice sessions.

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Source: 

http://www.drumeo.com/blog/5-tips-to-practice-drums/
http://takelessons.com/blog/8-tips-for-drum-practice

Connecting Melody Line and Rhythm Chords

What is the relationship between the melody line and the rhythm chords?

Mix It Up

Don't just use chord tones (meaning, notes that are in the chord you're playing at the moment) and don't just use non-chord tones. Non-chord tones will give your melody a sense of momentum and tension, while chord tones will give your melody a sense of stability and release. Of the chord tones, roots and fifths have the most stability, while thirds and sevenths strike a nice balance. 

Too much of either is no good: too much tension and momentum, and you run the risk of your melody running out of control, which ultimately feels chaotic. Too much stability, and your melody will sound dull and boring.

Voice Leading

This basically means that your melody shouldn't jump around too much---a few big intervals are fine and can be really dramatic, but most of the time, your melody should stick to stringing together notes that are near each other. Otherwise it's hard for the listener's ear to keep up.

For example, say you're playing the A-D-E chord progression you mentioned. C# is the third of the A chord, and D is the root of the D chord (obviously). So a melody that plays the C# and then the D is employing voice leading.

Choosing Chords

So you have the opposite challenge: to pick chords to fit a melody. As before, there's no one right way to go about this, but again, here are some guidelines:

• Identify the notes in the melody that feel more stable as opposed to those that feel as though they have momentum and movement and use those to help inform your chord choices.
• Identify the few notes with the most drama. These probably shouldn't be chord tones, but might resolve to chord tones.
• Chord progressions have their own momentum and stability. I chords are stable; V chords have momentum. You resolve a V (or V7) chord to its corresponding I chord. Unless you absolutely know what you're doing, make sure your V chords resolve or the song will leave your listeners feeling unsettled.

Example: "Eleanor Rigby"

"Eleanor Rigby"---"Rig" and "by" are both chord tones, and the melody lands on "by" like a rock. That note is the root of the chord, and it provides a lot of stability for the melody, which is good because the next line is...

"Picks up the rice in a church where a wedding has been"---"Rice" and "church" aren't chord tones, and they have a lot of momentum. This line is almost like a roller coaster: "Picks up the" is the initial ascent, followed by a briefly held point of tension on "rice", then a quick fall, a quick rise, and then another briefly held point of tension on "church", another fall, etc. It ends on "been", which is a chord tone for the next chord (the IV chord). Stability and release after the tension and drama of the roller coaster. Paul knew what he was doing.

Summary

These are only techniques and ideas on how you could come up with fitting tunes and chords. However, ultimately you need to be happy with the music created - simple or complex. 

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Source: 

https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/2595/what-is-the-relationship-between-the-melody-line-and-the-rhythm-chords

How Children Benefit from Music Education in Schools

Research tells us children who play music do better in school and in life. Yet, there is so much debate about whether arts should be included in schools. The arts in education campaign has been ongoing for some years now and will always be a controversial topic for many. Should we or should we not provide our students with an opportunity to explore the arts in school? Should we include the arts in the school day or make them extracurricular? Should we incorporate arts education lessons and activities in the general classroom? Will the arts have a great effect on academic excellence? 

These are all questions that have crossed several great minds in the past, but the real question I have is, "why the controversy?" After all of the scientific research that has been collected, is it not proof enough that the arts and music in the classroom has a tremendous effect on world-wide academic achievement and cultural value?

Here is a list of the 5 most important reasons why music education is so beneficial to our students:

1. A Music Education program provides an aesthetic experience for its students. Often times, students will utilize music as an outlet for expression that is sometimes unavailable to them in other academic areas.
2. Musical experiences will provide the students with opportunities for emotional response, which often encourages the cognitive processes.
3. Music Education instills “life values" in students. Some of these include; discipline, cooperation, social skills, and building good character. Knowledge of music technology, music history, music theory, and music culture will reinforce knowledge in other academic subjects as well.
4. Music will often create a sense of school spirit, which will in turn provide the students with a sense of self-worth which will almost always reflect a positive attitude.
5. A good Music program will aid any school district in the direction to obtain the highest level of achievement and excellence deemed possible.

So don't compromise, ensure your child has access to quality Music Education in school. Ensure you child is learning music correctly - learning the language of music, reading and writing music, techniques of the instrument chosen and finally the ability to perform using the skills learnt in the music class.

BlueTimbre is a Music Company with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Sources:

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-elementary-school/11235-importance-of-music-education/?platform=hootsuite

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2017/04/arts_education_research.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news3

https://www.nammfoundation.org/articles/2014-06-09/how-children-benefit-music-education-schools

Why it is Important to Exercise your Voice before Singing

Exercises Help Maintain Your Voice

Do you check the oil and water in your car before taking a long journey? The oil and water help to cool the engine and keeps it in good working order. Singing vocal exercises are as important as the performance itself, if not more so, as the preparation will determine the outcome of the show.

Exercises Help Recover From Sleep

After sleep our voice has not been used for hours.  All kind of mucus builds inside our mouths and nasal when we are asleep, and this reduces the quality of our vocal chords considerably.  Singing exercises make your lungs stronger while building stamina so that you can sing for longer periods without feeling exhausted. 

 

Exercises Help Reduce Vocal Damage

You don’t want to put a strain on your vocal chords because you failed to loosen up the muscles.  Exercise requires oxygen intake, which in turn stimulates the production of the body’s own mood-lifting endorphin's. So ultimately, singing these exercises should benefit you mentally as well as vocally.

Conclusion

So overall make sure that the voice is maintained regularly and drink plenty of fluid while trying to avoid sugary drinks.  Never go on stage without going through a proper vocal warm up routine and by following these advice your voice will not only get stronger but perform well.

BlueTimbre is a Music hub with Music Education spaces, Jam Room and Recording studio located in India. BlueTimbre provides complete end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. BlueTimbre management team comes with a decades of cumulative experience in running structured businesses, music curriculum development, music education and performance.

Sources:

http://borntosingmusic.com/singing-vocal-exercises/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F15-PVberTs