4 Reasons You Should Play the Drums

Everyone has a sense of rhythm, it is instinctive to tap and respond to a rhythm of a song. Drums is a very accessible instrument where anyone can just sit down and tap just any rhythm, on any surface, that comes to mind. It is fun, always a happy experience and the perfect workout for one’s intellectual, social and creative development.

1. Improves motor and cognitive skills:

Yes, Playing the drums can make you smarter and better coordinated. Drums is one of those instruments where all our limbs are used during the activity. Thus, it requires certain concentration towards co-ordination of those movement to create a rhythm. As the rhythms gets complicated, so does the co-ordination. All these valuable skills effectively give the left and right side of your brain a complete workout i.e. it can enhance the capacity of a human brain and enable one to perceive and tackle complicated analysis with relative ease. Also, some drum rhythms require independency in all your limbs which will help improve your cognitive skills as well as boost your brain power.

2. Reduces stress and frustration

There is no better instrument to let go of all your frustration and stress than the drums. It has an incomparable capability to boost your mood and helps you take a breather from all your scheduled hectic activities. If you’re going through the stress and pressure from school related activities or you’re stressed from hectic deadlines at work, just a couple minutes of hitting and playing the drums can give you the relaxation you really need. So, if you ever feel like bursting out of your dull routine, just find a drum and beat the heck out of it.

3. Develops Confidence

In any band, the drummer plays a vital role. The drumming forms the base and is the backbone of the whole ensemble. It carries the rhythm, in fact it carries the song, it is the beat to which the whole band plays. So, the rhythm of drums has to be played with confidence and lot of dynamics(feel). Although, confidence comes with practice and concentration, drums can really bring the best out of you as it can provide instant feedback.

4. Health and Fitness:

‘Playing a three-hour Rush show is like running a marathon’, Neil Peart, Drummer of the band Rush. Playing drums is one of the most physically demanding activity among all the other instruments as it requires a lot of energy to use all your limbs and keep up with all the movements required to play the drums. It is easily a full body workout for all your limbs. A study suggests that by “Just using hand drums and moving to the beat, people burn an average of 270.4 calories in half an hour”. So, if you are looking for fun workout for your body, playing drums is the activity for you!

One of the most common issues that’s scares people away from playing the drums is that they are too loud and noisy. However, there are numerous solutions, for instance, you can use an electronic drum kit which can be plugged to an amplifier or a monitor or even headphones and the sound can be controlled. For a regular acoustic drum kit, dampening materials like mute pads, dampening ring, etc. will reduce the noise from the kit significantly. If you have the budget, you can soundproof your room as well or if you want to make do with small budget, just put a blanket over your drum kit and start your stress-free fun experience. Inspiration can arrive at any point of the day, and if its late night, with these quick fixes, you never have to worry about playing the drums!

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.

References:

https://takelessons.com/blog/learning-drums-benefits-z07

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/7-ways-taking-drums-will-improve-your-life.html

4 Benefits Of Having Multiple Music Classes In A Week

You have just begun your musical journey with an instrument and you want to learn quick and progress at a rate so that you can discover the artist in you in couple of months. Most of you have questions whether one class per week is enough to acquire the growth you are expecting or if multiple classes will disturb your practice sessions? This article emphasizes on the benefits and the reasons why as a beginning music student, you should attend multiple classes in a week.

1. Frequent Revising of Lessons and Feedback

Every student progresses at a different rate. It depends on how the student reconciles concepts of pitch, rhythm and executes co-ordination alongside their curiosity towards music. But, beside the rate of progress, it is very important for a student to retain the information and lessons taught in class. If you are a beginner student, then you will benefit from attending multiple classes in a week as the lessons will be revised and touched-upon more often and coming across a topic repetitively will help you remember and retain the information better. Also, Frequent Classes would mean that you are in touch with your instrument more often and getting effective feedback from the teacher to help you to progress in the right direction.

2. Better Focus as Gaps Between Lessons are Shorter

The gap between lessons is meant for practice for the student. When the student comes to the next lesson, he/she should have a satisfactory command over the previous lesson. However, for absolute beginners, it could be challenging, thus it is important that they utilize the gap between lessons so that the mentor can help them focus on the lesson as well as progress with new information little by little. This helps the student to have a fresher perspective towards the instrument and avoid mundane practice sessions for too long.

3. Preventing Bad Habits with more Oversight

The beginner student tends to adopt whatever works best for them, and in process, sometimes they break some very basic rules that needs to be applied to the instrument or voice. With a longer pause between lessons, student might develop a bad habit (posture etc.) which in turn hinders their progress. With frequent observation and mentoring from the teacher, students can be corrected as they learn, develop the right habits and the necessary progress in their playing. Learning the right way will benefit their skills towards instrument or voice in the long term.

4. Faster Learning

With keeping all the above points in mind, it is safe to say that they will learn the instrument faster. For complete beginners, it might be challenging to grasp new topics, but with multiple classes which will encourage focus, correct basics and repetitive information, a student gets familiar with the instrument which builds up their confidence and hence their learning progress. Every beginner should be encouraged to take up two-three classes in a week until they reach a level in technicality where it requires more practice time than getting acquainted with the instrument.

While these points may seem obvious, just look at the example of a school. In a school, in the early stages, every subject is covered everyday or every alternate day. All of the reasons listed in this article apply to learning in schools. Simply put, multiple classes a week helps you learn with better recall, understanding, faster and correctly.

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.

References:

1. http://drkevguitar.com/2013/09/03/how-often-should-i-take-guitar-lessons/

1. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2005/07/29/once-week-not-enough 

10 Benefits of Music Education

• Improves Academic skill - "More and more studies show a correlation between higher academic achievement with children who are exposed to music," says children's music specialist Meredith LeVande of MonkeyMonkeyMusic.com. "Music simply stimulates parts of the brain that are related to reading, math, and emotional development. "Help your kids remember more (and learn more!) with music. "Further research has shown that participation in music at an early age can help improve a child's learning ability and memory by stimulating different patterns of brain development," says Maestro Eduardo Marturet, a conductor, composer and musical director for the Miami Symphony Orchestra.
• Cultivates Social Skill - Picking up an instrument can also help your child break out of their social shell too, experts say. "Socially, children who become involved in a musical group or ensemble learn important life skills, such as how to relate to others, how to work as a team and appreciate the rewards that come from working together, and the development of leadership skills," says Marturet, who also oversees the MISO Young Artist program in South Florida, which allows young musicians to hone their musical skills as part of a professional orchestra.

• Improves Discipline - In order for an orchestra/band to sound good, all players must work together harmoniously towards a single goal, the performance, and must commit to learning music, attending rehearsals, and practicing. To improve in music, you have to not only do well in classes, but devote time to practicing outside of the lessons too. That requires discipline. "Exposing kids to musical instruments is the key. They are naturally curious and excited about them -- and the discipline that parents AND kids learn by sticking with it is a lesson in itself," says Mira Stulberg-Halpert of 3D Learner Inc.
• Increases Patience - We live in a world of instant gratification, but real life demands having patience. When you are playing in a band or orchestra (and most musicians do), you have to be willing to wait your turn to play otherwise the sound is a mess. That inadvertently teaches patience. "You need to work together in a group to make music," says Dotson-Westphalen.
• Boosts self-esteem/confidence - Are there any areas of life that aren't enhanced by having good confidence? Probably, not. And if you want your child to develop their confidence, learning to play a musical instrument can help. "They find that they can develop a skill by themselves, that they can get better and better," says Elizabeth Dotson-Westphalen, a music teacher and performer.

• Great form of self-expression & Fosters creativity - Music provides people with a form of self-expression. Now that there is relative security in the basics of existence, the challenge is to make life meaningful and to reach for a higher stage of development. Everyone needs to be in touch at some time in their life with their core, with what they are and what they feel. Self-esteem is a by-product of this self-expression. Above all, playing music - particularly as people get to more advanced levels in it - is a creative pursuit. Creatively is good for the mind, body and soul.
• Makes you Happier - Research proves that when you listen to music you like, your brain releases dopamine, a “feel-good” neurotransmitter. Valorie Salimpoor, a neuro scientist at McGill University, injected eight music-lovers with a radioactive substance that binds to dopamine receptors after they listened to their favourite music. A PET scan showed that large amounts of dopamine were released, which biologically caused the participants to feel emotions like happiness, excitement, and joy. So the next time you need an emotional boost, listen to your favourite tunes for 15 minutes. That’s all it takes to get a natural high!
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• Reduces Stress - Listening to music you enjoy decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your body, which counteracts the effects of chronic stress. This is an important finding since stress causes 60% of all our illnesses and disease. To stay calm and healthy during a stressful day, turn on the radio. Be sure to sing along and tap your feet to the beat to get the maximum healing benefit.
• Improves Health and Immune System - Studies show that if people actively participated in making music by playing various percussion instruments and singing, their immune system was boosted even more than if they passively listened.
• Helps you Sleep better - A study showed that students who listened to relaxing classical music for 45 minutes before turning in slept significantly better than students who listened to an audio book or did nothing different from their normal routine. If you’re having trouble sleeping, try listening to a little Bach or Mozart before bedtime to catch some Zs.

These are just a few of the innumerable benefits that Music Education can bring your child. We hope this will provide a guide to why organised Music Education is essential has always been a part of curriculum of school education around the world and yet not implemented correctly in India. However, it is interesting to note that while music and other arts are completely ignored throughout the year, during Annual day functions in all schools - Music, Plays and Dance and always foremost. Maybe it is time for us to acknowledge the importance music brings into the lives of our little ones and step up to ensure that it is not a neglected subject anymore!

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.

4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Music School in India

People we know are always asking the question "How do we choose a Music School or Music Institute for our child?" and after extensive research and talking to several parents of students attending music lessons, we have compiled 4 things that you must look into when choosing the right place for your child's Music Education.

#1 - Quality of Music Education

The first thing we must understand that music is a language just like English, Hindi, Russian and others. The school you pick must teach the music alphabets, then onto reading and writing music. All musical concepts such as pitch, melody, rhythm must be taught. The student must begin with the fundamentals of music and then build upon that with songs and other musical pieces.

Students must be able to read and play music NOT learn a tune by-heart. If a student does not know the fundamentals of music then a student will be unable to learn more songs/pieces as they go forward. Ensure your child is being taught correctly. Ask the schools how they teach music.

#2 - Curriculum & Infrastructure 

Curriculum - A music institute will typically follow either a contemporary or classical curriculum. You need to understand the difference between the two.  Classical Music is music produced or rooted in the traditions of Western music. While a more precise term is also used to refer to the period from 1750 to 1820 (the Classical period), during which, this type of music was created. Noted Classical music composers include Mozart, Beethovan, Bach, Vivaldi etc. Contemporary Music is the current music (30-60 years) and covers all the modern genres including Rock, Pop, Jazz, Funk, Country etc.

Infrastructure - A good music institute will invest a certain amount of funds in providing the right infrastructure for students to learn in. Quality instrument(s), acoustically treated room(s) and brightly lit classrooms are a must. In some institutes, the student will be required to carry their instrument, this is alright as long as the required infrastructure to learn to play is provided - for example, notation stands, instrument stands, benches etc:

#3 - Quality of Teachers

A good music institute will go the extra mile to ensure that they have good teachers who are qualified to teach what they are hired for. For instance, a guitar teacher must be certified in a renowned curriculum (Rockschool, Trinity, ABRSM) for guitar. In addition, a teacher must be trained and familiar with the curriculum being followed at the music institute. For beginner students, you must have a teacher who has completed their Grade 3 or 4. For intermediate to advanced students, you must have a teacher who had completed their Grade 7 or 8 or holds a Diploma in music.

#4 - Policies, Terms of Operation

Last but not the least, every company operates in their own manner under certain policies. You must read and understand their terms of functioning thoroughly before enrolling the student in any music institute. However, we often find that if a school is strict with its policies, they tend to deliver better quality services. Find the right balance between the quality of services and their terms of operation.

We hope these 4 points are useful to help you make an informed decision about how to choose the right music school for yourself or your child. Don't compromise on a good school because of distance, time and price - if you can help it. It will really go a long way in learning music and setting the foundation correctly.

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.

Understanding Vocal Vibrato

Several beginner or amateur singers often question the need for Vibrato. So, what is Vibrato and what is the Importance of Vibrato?

"Vibrato" is the modulation of pitch in the voice.

It's a soft, narrow, rapid fluctuation of the pitch of the notes while singing.

"Tremolo" is the modulation of volume in the voice.

Using real tremolo in singing is not a standard technique

Singing with vibrato is something that many professional singers learned to do in the era before amplification was invented and became widespread and practical (in all the years before about 1925). The idea of singing with a band without vibrato, which used to be called crooning (that was originally a derisive term) only became practical if you assumed the use of a microphone and amplification on stage, or in the case of recording the singing voice in a recording studio.

Vibrato is essential to operatic singing because using vibrato is part of the technique which enables a solo singer to be heard, unamplified, singing with a 40 piece orchestra in front of an audience of 2,000 people. Using vibrato also enables a singer to sing very loud and project clearly for a considerable amount of time without fatiguing or injuring the voice. You can't do that without vibrato.

Of course some pop singers who do not use vibrato develop a permanently raspy, weak voice (think Tom Petty or Bob Dylan). They like it that way, and some way or another they learn how to keep using their voice that way. It is different with every singer; they each develop their own technique and sound which works for them.

Healthy vibrato can be achieved in a rather short period of time. Usually the time factor is dependent upon the singer's mind/body coordination. Some singers have more of a connection to their body than others. any singer can achieve a properly regulated and even vibrato with concentration, proper instruction, and by embracing the process rather than the result. Patience is a most important aspect while training and balancing vocal production.

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.

Source: 

https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/29355/what-is-the-importance-of-vocal-vibrato

http://www.voiceteacher.com/vibrato.html

Guitar Warm Up Exercises

Every professional guitarist starts a session the same way: by warming up.

Whether you’re playing a gig or recital, planning a monstrous practice session, or preparing to impress your friends at home with your killer chops, a precursory limbering up session is mandatory. A thorough warm-up will help bring your playing to peak level and prevent hand injuries

Warm up exercises that can help you to gain fluency, speed and accuracy on the guitar neck. It's a good idea to do some of these exercises every day. Don't do them too long at a time, it's better to exercise regularly (daily) for a short time.

Here are a few methods we recommend to get your hands and fingers warmed up!

You gain the most out of these exercises if you use a metronome. Start slow and built up the speed. Don't force yourself into a tempo that you're not ready for. Make sure your arms and wrists are relaxed. Failing to do so may result in a RSI like tendinitis (wrist inflammation).

Warm Up Exercise

This first exercise helps to develop your fluency, speed and left hand-right hand coordination. Start slow and build up the speed. Use fingers 1, 2, 3 and 4 of your left hand, don't skip the little finger. Use a pick and do alternate picking. The exercise doesn't stop at the end of the tabs, continue for the rest of the neck. Be RELAXED!

The next exercise trains your individual fingers. First do the exercise with fingers 1 and 2. Next round use fingers 2 and 3. Then use fingers 3 and 4. Do the exercise up to the 12th fret and for those of you who can't get enough of it, back from the 12th to the first. And remember: RELAX!

String Skipping Exercises

The following set of exercises train your picking abilities.

This is one of bass player John Patitucci!

The next exercise uses the G major scale. When you reach the last note on the tab, don't stop, but go back.

As you progress, more exercises can be added to this mix. Warm up exercises are very important and not doing them regularly can cause long term damage. Make sure your instructor or Music School is certified and professional. 

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.

Source: 

http://www.jazzguitar.be/guitar_technique.html
http://www.guitarplayer.com/lessons/1014/warm-up-time-11-exercises-that-will-help-you-play-even-better/53942

How to Sight Sing Efficiently

What Is Sight Singing?

Sight singing is sight reading for singers. When singers sight read, they need to think about three factors at once:

    •      The rhythm

    •      The pitches

    •      The words

Rhythm, Pitches, Words

When you practice sight reading, words are not very important; sing “la la la” if you have to. Pitches, while important, are not as important as the rhythm in sight singing. If you sing the wrong pitches and the right rhythm, you’ll know exactly where you are in the music and be able to catch yourself, even if it sounds bad. If you sing the wrong rhythm, on the other hand, you’re in danger of losing your place in the music and having to stop.

Orient Yourself

Check out the key signature. What key are you in? Is it a major or minor key? How many beats are in each measure? Is there a tempo marking?

Scan

Quickly scan the piece to root out surprises. Is it in mixed meter? Are there tempo changes? Any hidden high notes? This is all helpful information.

Get Your Note

Play the opening chords, or at least your first note, on a piano. The more information you and your ears have, the better.

Tap the Beat

Establish the beat for yourself by tapping it on your leg or collarbone. This will help you stay in rhythm when things get crazy.

Think Solfege

If you know what key you’re in, you should know where the movable ‘do’ is If you know where ‘do’ is, identifying ‘so’ and other key notes becomes easier. Thinking in solfege helps many singers sight read more accurately.

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.

Source: 

http://www.jamminwithyou.com/nyc/musicblog/topic/sight-reading

http://takelessons.com/blog/sight-singing-practice-z02

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