!!!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

For all you ladies out there, if you had to choose a rock-and-roll name for yourself, which one would you pick? The radio is full of songs, tributes, ballads, and odes to special women. So there are plenty of options for you. Some of them are edgy … like “Roxanne” (by The Police). While others

Some people say Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the greatest composer of all time. And I’m tempted to agree, when I think of catchy melodies like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” But it turns out that he might not deserve all the credit. Because history shows he sometimes got a little help … from his pet bird.

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:

In our last song, “Pachelbel’s Canon,” we added even more chords to a progression to create some very cool sounds. By rearranging the major scale pattern, we ended up with something beautiful. And it’s a simple trick, really. All we did was take a few major and minor chords, switch them around a bit, and

Relaxation CDs are interesting … because they make me so relaxed. Maybe it’s just that I need to get more sleep. But if one of those tracks starts to play on my iPod, I zone out almost immediately. In fact, the calming music is so soothing that it’s kind of got me confused. I mean, how do

When we say the primary chords (I, IV, V) are popular, we ain’t kidding. They show up all the time in music. And while a lot of simple folk and pop songs use these triads, the most common example of a primary chord progression is what musicians call the “12-bar blues.” Without a doubt, you’ve

The moon is fairly well-known. You’ve probably seen it most nights—it’s hard to miss. Why is the moon so interesting? Is it because it’s so big? Maybe people like it because it’s really bright. Or maybe it’s just because it is a GIANT stone floating in the sky. Anyway, in my opinion, the moon is

In the world of cinema, Alfred Hitchcock is still known as one of the greatest directors of all time. He was a master of suspense, scaring the [living daylights] out of audiences around the world. Some of his best movies include “Psycho” (1960), “Vertigo” (1958), “Dial M for Murder” (1954), and “Rear Window” (1954). In