Articles & Books From General Music

Vinyl Record Collecting For Dummies
Get on the vinyl train and learn about this captivating hobbyVinyl Record Collecting For Dummies teaches you how to start a collection, grow your collection, and make that collection sound excellent. You’ll learn how to shop for new, used, and rare records, and how to select the turntable that’s right for you.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-26-2024
Record collecting is easy. In fact, if you already own a few records, you already have a collection. But what you do need to know is how to care for it. This cheat sheet will help you keep your records in the very best shape.The ten cardinal rules of record collectingIn no particular order, beyond a reproachful look at anyone who is, or has been, guilty of one or more of these things, and whose records still bear the scars.
Classical Music For Dummies
Classical music was never meant to be an art for snobs! In the 1700s and 1800s, classical music was popular music. People went to concerts with their friends, they brought snacks and drinks, and cheered right in the middle of the concert. Well, guess what? Three hundred years later, that music is just as catchy, thrilling, and emotional.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022
The world of classical music becomes quite a bit less mysterious when you know the names and functions of all the musical instruments, and a basic timeline of the music itself. This Cheat Sheet will help you discuss classical music with confidence.Meet the classical orchestraLet’s meet the Classical orchestra.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 07-09-2024
DJing is exciting, creative and fulfilling. DJs are on a mission to entertain and play great music. This Cheat Sheet gives you tips and information to help you DJ to the very best of your abilities.Items to Take when You’re DJingYou want to travel light when you DJ, but you also don’t want to forget any vital items.
Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-02-2022
It seems like there are so many different aspects to the music business, and so little time to learn it all and hone your skills. From keeping yourself healthy and keeping your musical edge, to knowing how to confidently sell your act and when to post on social media sites, life in the music business offers a wide variety of daily tasks.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
When you start getting a rush from jazz improvisers' rhythms, harmonies, and melodies, you know you're on the road to true jazz appreciation. To truly appreciate jazz, you need to identify each part (bass line, melody, harmony, improvisation) and at the same time hear how all of the parts fit together. And when the music gets under your skin, there's no telling how far you may take this new love affair.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
You may think that nobody writes classical music anymore — but they do! New “classical music” is being written all the time. Here are some of the most famous pieces of orchestral music, along with rough guides to the stylistic periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Modern) into which they fall.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Although jazz listeners may not agree on which music and musicians qualify as jazz, at a basic level, you can identify jazz by a few distinguishing traits: swing and syncopation, improvisation, bent notes and modes, and distinctive voices. Duke Ellington wrote "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing),"and jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway popularized it.
Article / Updated 10-09-2023
Although jazz is performed by musicians of many backgrounds, and mixes elements of many kinds of music, it's essentially African-American music. Interwoven with jazz's history is the history of the Black experience in America. However, European music and blues also influenced jazz. Adapting West African traditions Essential elements of jazz arrived in America in 1619 with the first Africans brought as slaves by Dutch sailors who landed in Jamestown, Virginia.