Good news, my friends. The first Color Music piano book for beginners is complete. And to celebrate, it will be available to download—for free. Be sure to check it out and spread the word … if you think it’s any good. (Hint:  it is.) The new book is jam-packed with lessons, exercises, and illustrations to

So, I recently discovered Sara Bareilles on the radio. And wow! She’s really good. Definitely one of the best singer/songwriters out there today. I missed her recent concert in my neck of the woods. But I heard it was great. It’s always cool—and rare—when a musician’s live performances are better than their studio recordings. But,

Here’s my prediction for 2011:  it’s going to be a great year. And for music, it will be outstanding. Yes, we’ll have cool, new technologies … like high-tech stereo speakers, Zunes, and iPods. But what’s going to make 2011 really cool isn’t the way we listen to music. It’s all about how we will actually

!!!WARNING!!! Okay, okay, I know. As an artist, you’re probably anxious to cut to the chase. You might be thinking, “let’s put our skills to use, and start making some music already.” And to be honest, I’m right there with you. But have patience, my child. These next couple of lessons focus a bit more

Circle progressions are useful because they show us the general flow of chords in a song. From one chord to the next, we can see where things are going. And while each pattern may be unique, one rule always holds true—every song has a definite sense of movement and direction. In other words, good music

You know, nothing says “summer” like the song “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis. It’s a great melody, but the video might be even better. I can’t explain the sudden mood lighting … or the reason Lewis keeps looking at the ceiling. But, hey, that doesn’t matter:

Let’s try a little exercise, shall we? Close your eyes and imagine a couple of musical instruments. Which ones come to mind? If you’re like most people, then you probably pictured a piano keyboard or guitar … you, know the two most popular instruments on the planet. But if you were thinking outside the box,

It feels nice to know that nothing is set in stone. Because you can simply back out and start again. Unless, of course, you accidentally hit the following sequence of keys on your computer: Believe me, it could happen. And, personally, this pattern of computer keyboard commands is one of my worst fears. (Oh, the

You’ve got to admit, the flow between the tonic chord (I) and the dominant chord (V) is nice. And that’s because the movement from one triad to the next is like a short visit with a good friend. But after a while it’s fun to with hang out with other friends, too. So musicians like