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Music: Expert Guides and Resources
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Articles & Books From Music
Cheat Sheet / Updated 08-18-2025
Playing keyboards takes you on a journey that goes far beyond just playing the music. You have to keep up on a lot of tech talk and sift through a wide variety of gear and manufacturers.Common keyboard terms and abbreviationsKeyboard manuals, web pages, and videos use all sorts of abbreviations and terms you may not be familiar with.
Discover the keyboard that's right for you, whatever your budget! Looking for a fun, challenging, and rewarding new instrument to play? Thinking about the piano but don't necessarily have the room or the budget to put one in your home? Then grab a copy of the second edition of Keyboard For Dummies! In the book, acclaimed music technologist and keyboardist Jerry Kovarsky explores the wide variety of keyboards available, their sounds and features, and how to find the one that's right for you.
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.
Get on the vinyl train and learn about this captivating hobby Vinyl 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.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
To expand your piano expertise, you should try some broken chord exercises. Broken-chord patterns are common in accompaniment figures and can help make you a well-rounded player. Check out these four patterns found in a wide range of styles.Alberti bass exerciseThe Alberti bass is common in classical-style accompaniments.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
You can use the pedal on the piano or keyboard to achieve different effects with your musical sound and add a whole new dimension to your playing. Give these exercises a try for some practice.Uniform Pedal Changes on One LineAlthough changing the pedal with the change of harmony is a general rule, change it more frequently when you’re also playing a melodic line.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
When the singer needs a good intro, who’s going to play it? The drummer? Probably not. You are. A piano or keyboard intro is a great addition to a song. And it can’t be any old intro — it’s gotta be good. The audience has a tendency to talk between songs, so it’s your job to shut ’em up and announce the start of the new song.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
The band is building up to the final chord, and it’s time for the big finish. Why not add a little piano or keyboard as a finale? The singer belts the last lyric, and it’s up to you to drop the curtain. Quick! Grab a handful of these finales and you’re sure to receive an encore request.The “I Loved You, You Left Me” finaleThe “I Loved You, You Left Me” finale">This finale is a simple but effective ending, perhaps even a tear-jerker when played with the right emotion.
Step by Step / Updated 10-27-2023
The key to making good, accurate jumps on the piano or keyboard is the same whether the jump is big or small: Maintain a comfortable, balanced hand position as you jump from the starting hand position across the keyboard to your landing destination. Jumping with an overextended pinky and your hand outstretched like the descent of a giant hawk upon its prey is very common.
