The Playground

Let’s talk about a famous classical piece, by Beethoven, and give you a taste of how we break the melody of this song into a simple ‘Melody Diagram’ that will have you instantly remember how to play it. We’ll also show you the left hand…

• Written by SM Admin on Jul 24, 2018
• music education, musicians, neil moore, piano, piano lessons, simply music, simply music piano, the playground, tutorial

I have spent my lifetime learning and exposing myself to the arts on all levels (paintings, music, dance – any way I could really). Being exposed to so much variety was a greater gift than I knew at the time. I didn’t know how lucky I…

• Written by Stephanie Iadanza on Apr 4, 2018
• Artists, Famous Artists, music, music education, Paintings, piano, pianos in art, simply music, stephanie iadanza, the playground

You might think musical skills are the province of some especially gifted breed of person, but nothing could be further from the truth. Every human being, without exception, is deeply and naturally musical! Neil explains how that musicality manifests itself in our everyday lives, and…

• Written by SM Admin on Mar 28, 2018
• music, music education, musical, neil moore, piano, simply music, the playground

Previously, I talked about the benefit of making the most of simple activities and valuing the journey as much as the goal. But how? As a Simply Music student, your teacher will be regularly on your case about keeping your Playlist alive. Of course, you…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Mar 21, 2018
• coaching, gordon harvey, improvisation, learn piano, music, music education, performance, piano, Simple Things, simply music, the playground

You may not be aware of the many informative and useful videos posted by Neil Moore on our YouTube channel, so we thought we’d highlight a selection of them in The Playground. Some of them are especially useful for teachers wanting to know more about…

• Written by SM Admin on Feb 28, 2018
• music, music education, piano, simply music, Simply Music Began, the playground

Songwriting doesn’t have to be done balancing pen, paper, guitar and coffee cup on your lap. In fact, most modern pop music is constructed on the computer from the get-go. Gordon Harvey outlines this process through the example of a song by his band Aquiline.…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Feb 7, 2018
• create, gordon harvey, music, music education, piano, simply music, songwriting, the playground

After our Songwriting Tips from Simply Music Friends – Pt 1 post, we asked contributors to give us a more in-depth insight into their process of creating songs. You’ll find that there are as many ways of writing a song as there are songs to…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Nov 27, 2017
• gordon harvey, music, music education, musician, musicians, piano, play piano, simply music, songwriting, Sue Lopez, the playground

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

If you’re as old as I am, you might remember a now largely vanished delight: walking into a record store and being instantly struck by something fantastic being played over the speakers, or seeing a cool-looking album beckoning to you from the new release racks.…

• Written by Gordon Harvey on Oct 25, 2017
• daniel kielman, Discover Music, gordon harvey, music, music education, New Music, piano, simply music, streaming music, the playground

Our wide-ranging and talented community of Simply Music Teachers and associates include an array of gifted professional songwriters and composers. We asked a bunch of them to share a little about how they work. We found that there are as many ways of writing a…

• Written by Guest Contributor on Oct 10, 2017
• eliette roslin, gordon harvey, jennifer lee, katie knipp, mark s. meritt, music, music education, piano, Scott Ferreter, simply music, songwriting, the playground, Write Music, Write Songs