The Playground

Written by: Ray Nelson “I can’t count how many times over my teaching career I have heard students say this. There is such an interest out there to be able to play in a band together with other musicians and yet I have often wondered…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jul 11, 2023
• accompaniment, chords, coaching, how to play guitar, how to play piano, keyboard, music, music lessons, musical journey, musicians, piano in a band, play in a band, ray nelson, simply music, tutorial

Chords are one of the most fundamental building blocks of all music and, taught in a particular way, they are incredibly simple to learn on piano. It’s amazing how much is opened up by an easily-developed grasp of chords. Neil describes here, for both students…

• Written by SM Admin on Dec 12, 2018
• accompaniment, chords, Chords & Accompaniment, coaching, neil moore, piano, simply music, teach piano, teaching, tutorial

Image via Gavin Whitner (http://musicoomph.com) In search of the first chord Have you ever wondered when the first ever chord was played? How did it happen? Where did it happen? What is a chord? And what is its importance in understanding Western Music? This article…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Nov 8, 2017
• chords, History, music, music education, piano, simply music, the playground

This month we celebrate a birthday of an unusual kind. You might call it the birthday of the right to properly celebrate birthdays. And surprisingly, it’s just a first birthday, because on June 30, 2016, after a very long and tortuous process, the most familiar…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jun 20, 2017
• chords, gordon harvey, Happy Birthday, learn piano, music, music education, piano, play piano, Public Domain, simply music, simply music piano, songs, the playground

I once attended a workshop with the British singer Sheila Chandra in which she sang a whole bunch of songs from various world cultures over a two-note drone. It was amazing the rich variety of sounds that flowed from such a simple source. It made…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on May 10, 2017
• chords, gordon harvey, gretta dunn, music, music education, musicians, One Chord Songs, piano, Play Music, self expression, simply music, the playground

Credit: http://www.intuneaudio.ca/ In the last two articles, we talked about the benefits of recording yourself and what to listen for when reviewing your recorded efforts. In this installment, we’ll discuss some practicalities of making recordings. Even if you’re simply making a cheap and cheerful recording…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jul 12, 2016
• chords, coaching, gordon harvey, listen, music, neil moore, pedal, play piano, record, simply music, tempo, the playground, tutorial

Credit: college.usatoday.com We hope all our Teachers and Students in the United States are enjoying 4th of July celebrations. But why not spread the national pride further afield? We enlisted the help of the wonderful Elizabeth Gaikwad to create some simple accompaniment versions, using the key…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jun 24, 2016
• 4th of July, accompaniment, america, australia, blog, canada, chords, coaching, music, national, national pride, national songs, new zealand, piano, pride, simply music, the playground, tutorial

Credit: http://sepeusz.blogspot.com.au/   In the first instalment of this series, we talked about the value and benefits of recording yourself.  It’s amazing what you’ll notice about your playing when you listen back to it without the distraction of having to actually play.  But there can…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Jun 3, 2016
• chords, coaching, gordon harvey, listen, music, neil moore, pedal, record, simply music, tempo, the playground, tutorial

  Very early in their learning experience, Simply Music students are introduced to chord accompaniments through songs like Amazing Grace, following written chord symbols represented by alphabetical letters. What they won’t realize at that point is how many applications there are for chords. The seeds…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Jan 22, 2014
• arrangemenets, chords, coaching, composition, dane andrus, improvisation, jazz, lessons, music, piano, simply music, teaching, the playground

  Amazing Grace is a beautiful song. And, as is apparent from Neil’s introduction of it in both the foundation materials (Levels 1 and 2) as well as in the variations, it’s also a wonderful tool for learning! In the next several issues of the…

• Written by Guest Contributor on May 30, 2012
• amazing grace, arrangements, chords, groove, jennifer lee, learning, lessons, music, new, piano, recording, sheet music, simply music, the playground, tutorials, variation