My Color Music

Has anybody noticed how cheap black-and-white TVs are these days? It’s crazy. A new color TV can cost thousands of dollars (USD). But you can get an excellent black-and-white set for … well, for nothing, actually. Because nobody sells that stuff anymore.

I mean, who would by a black-and-white television? Unless they were living in the 1950s. Everybody knows that color is better. The image is clearer. And pictures are just more interesting when you see them in color.

As it turns out, it’s the same with music. Black-and-white notation is fine, I guess … if you’re from the 1800s. But life gets really good with Color Music. Everything has more depth and meaning because it really lets you see where you’re going.

Old-school purists might complain that anything new is inferior. Saying things like, “the hard way is the best way.” But they’re missing out (!). And they’re probably the type of people who still prefer things like sundials, candles, and wagons. In the end, they can have them. Because we’ve got better things to do … moving forward at the speed of light.

Right now, it might still be difficult to get your hands playing together. But honestly, that’s okay. If you’ve already mastered the art of playing chords with a melody, then you’re a fast learner. And if you need some more practice (don’t we all?), then try playing this next song. It’s a classic and one you’ve definitely heard before.

Again, this new song is pretty simple. All we have to do is play a C major chord at the start of each measure with our left hand. And with our right hand, we’ll play the notes of the melody … which is based on the C major scale (like all the songs we’ve played so far).

Just like before, it may help if you practice the melody alone with your right hand first. Then, once you know which notes to play and when to play them, go through the song hitting just the chords in each measure with your left hand. Once each hand knows its part, go back to the beginning of the song and play each measure … mixing both parts together.

It also helps to focus on playing one measure at a time. For example, as you go through this song, remember to play both hands together at the start of each measure. And keep your left hand in place until your right hand has played all the melody notes in that measure. Then repeat this same process in the following measures until the end of the song.

After you’ve learned one or two more songs, things will get easier … I promise. Teaching your hands to work like this is a lot like learning to swim or ride a bike. Before long, you barely have to think about what your hands are doing. But until then, the best thing to do is practice.

Of course, our hands have got it pretty easy … now that we can actually see which notes to play. And that’s why Color Music is so awesome. It lets us focus more on the fun of music … and less on the mechanics of playing.

After recently watching that video by The Cars, I think we all might have noticed something interesting … that is, even good musicians can be total nerds. I mean, The Cars really know how to rock. But part of the reason that band is so cool is that they’re also pretty nerdy.

In fact, you might even say that all great musicians are like that. Because, if you think about it, they kind of have to be … right? Making music is all about patterns, patience, and practice. It takes time and focus. So to get really good at making music, you have to get into it. And that means you have to geek out a bit.

But what’s nice is … it’s all worth it. Seriously—practice doesn’t just make you perfect. It also makes you cool. (Just ask The Cars’ front man, Ric Ocasek, who’s married to model, Paulina Porizkova.) You see, one of the best things about music is that it turns nerds into hipsters. Like magic.

If you don’t believe me, then check out these famous examples from history. All of these people are well-known for being cool (while secretly living the life of a music nerd):

Don’t get me wrong … I love all of these guys. And each one of them is very cool. But that’s because they’re all really good at what they do. And, of course, they got that good because … well, because they’re complete music nerds. Anyway, who do you think is the biggest music geek of all time? And what instruments do they play? I’d love to hear what you think.