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Author Archives: Francesco L'Erario

Do you want to know how to make your melodies more interesting and agile? (Part 1)

How to make a melody more interesting

In the precedent lessons we spoke about non harmonic tones. These notes however, in the costruction of our melody, allow us to obtain only steps between adjacent degrees of the scale we are using.

A good melody is not only done between adjacent steps but a furher element is necessary to give variety.

So what is this element of variety?

It is the disjunt motion.

How can we obtain disjunct motion in the composition of our melodies without using only the chord notes?
It is what you will learn in these lessons in which the first non harmonic tones will be introduced allowing us to obtain disjunct motion and to make our melodies even more interesting.

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	29 mins
1. Why disjunct motions are so important?	3m 33s
2. Anticipations: what they are and how to use them	7m 57s
3. A further element of variety for our melodies: indirect anticipations	7m 34s
4. How to compose a melody using anticipations	10m 06s
+ 1 pdf files

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Do you want to know how to read notes in all clefs?

How to read notes in all clefs

Up to now, in our study of reading and writing music we have seen in-depth how to represent the duration of a sound.
Today we will finally get to understand how it is possible to represent the pitch of a sound. We will therefore learn to understand how the pitch of a sound can be represented by introducing two fundamental elements: the staff and clef

In this way it is possible to write the notes with their right pitch. However we will not stop here.

After this lesson, you will be able to read all notes

in treble and bass clefs
all other F clefs (baritone clef) and C clefs (soprano, mezzosoprano, alto and tenor)

So you will be able to recognize all notes on any music sheet!

Furthermore, we will learn to understand two essential concepts:

How to find an absolute reference sound (C4) on the music sheet
What are ledgerlines and how to use them

Finally, you will be able to find a pdf file containing all written notes in treble and bass clefs.

After this lesson you will be able to read music!

Learning material of this lesson

7 videos	45 mins
1. How to name the notes and distinguish their pitch	7m 55s
2. What is the staff?	8m 23s
3. What are the clefs?	5m 35s
4. How to read the notes in treble and bass clef	6m 21s
5. The other F clefs and the C clefs	5m 24s
6. How to read the notes written above and below the staff	6m 04s
7. We find a reference sound in order to play any instruments in all clefs	5m 51s
+ 1 pdf file

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Harmony, how to analyse the chords of four very famous songs

How to analyse the chords of 4 very famous songs

In the lesson today, we will finally put into practice everything that we have learnt about chords, by analysing the chords of 4 very famous songs.

There is not much sense in studying harmony only through theory, so through the harmonic analysis of four very famous songs, we will start to understand the logic underlying the composition of songs.

Moreover, looking at the structure of chords (F Major and E minor etc), not in absolute terms but in relation to the degrees of major and minor scales on which they are built, we will discover the similarities among songs which apparently seem very different from each other.

We are going to the heart of harmony, looking at it more in-depth and most of all discovering the logic which is the basis of building chord progressions.

In the lesson today, we will analyse closely the first three songs which are all written in major keys while in the next lesson, we will study the fourth song which chords are built in minor key.

As you will see, in the next lesson we will introduce a new concept which allows to understand better the relation between chords.

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Piano, which are the nine most common mistakes that are made when starting to play the piano and how to solve them

How to solve the most common mistakes

Do you remember the lesson of starting to play with hands together?

It is an essential lesson in learning to develop a correct piano technique and its importance can be compared to that of the foundations of a house. Without solid foundations it is impossible to build something stable and long-lasting.
The same applies to piano technique. It is not only important to do this exercise but also necessary for it to be done in the correct way.

For this reason, in the lesson today I want to show in-depth the most common mistakes which are made in starting this exercise or when the first pieces are played at the piano.

Most of all I will show you how to avoid this.

In the lesson today I will provide you with all you need to identify errors and understand if you make them, moreover help you to correct yourself and develop a correct technique.
I have tried to analyse in a schematic way the nine most common mistakes. I can assure you that this is crucial!!

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	39 mins
1. Introduction and the 1′ mistake	9m 59s
2. The 2′ and 3′ mistakes	7m 07s
3. The 4′, 5′ and 6′ mistakes	8m 57s
4. The 7′, 8′ and 9′ mistakes	13m 03s

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The first essential exercises to learn to compose (part 2)

Let’s learn to compose

In the last lesson we spoke extensively about the importance of these exercises which allow to develop all mental abilities necessary in the composition of music.

We have also seen a first example of how to carry out these exercises to learn to compose.

But today we will go further

I will show you, through some examples which music sheets you will be able to print out in pdf, how it is possible to obtain more variety in the moment we do these exercises.

To get used to search variety in composition while maintaining a general balance is fundamental for one simple reason: we practice using our imagination and our creativity.

Musical imagination is something which can be improved.

This may be done using possible variants of exercises which I will show you today.

Learning material of this lesson

6 videos	34 mins
Intro	1m 58s
1. The three possible characteristics which the melody we are composing must have	5m 28s
2. How to vary the melodies 1	10m 41s
3. How to vary the melodies 2	4m 41s
4. How to vary the melodies 3	12m 03s
5. Video summary of the 4 examples	1m 19s
+ 1 pdf files

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Reading notes and rests practice (part 2)

Mixing notes with rests

In the last lesson we did several exercises to learn how to read notes of different duration. As you may have noticed we have not yet seen a fundamental element of music which is the duration of rests.

Today we will introduce this important element and learn how to read it correctly. Moreover I will teach you a very effective system which you can learn now and which will help you gain a clear idea of the duration of rests in reading notes.

In today’s lesson and through the exercises you will learn to mix notes and rests and read them correctly.

Learning material of this lesson

6 videos	40 mins
Intro	1m 53s
1. Why it is important to read rests correctly	9m 38s
2. Examples of reading rests	9m 41s
3. Exercises with figures of different duration 1	9m 47s
4. Exercises with figures of different duration 2	4m 40s
5. Exercises with figures of different duration 3	4m 16s
+ 1 pdf files

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Harmony: the 3 main benefits of using chord inversions

The three main benefits of using inversions

In the last lesson we spoke about chord inversions and looked at how to build them and what exactly is their importance. Today we will go one step further.

We will see in depth which are the 3 main benefits of using them and we will do this with some practical examples.
We will see how the introduction of this important tool, will allow us to improve significantly the progressions of chords we are using in our composing.

Moreover in the last video I wanted to explain to you in depth which are the principal notation systems of inversions, both in the study of classical harmony and in pop music.

Learning material of this lesson

7 videos	52 mins
Intro	1m 39
1. The sonor features of inversions	10m 35s
2. The first benefit of using inversions	8m 06s
3. The second benefit	5m 20s
4. The third benefit	11m 46s
5. The names of the inversions and how they are represented grafically 1	5m 58s
6. The names of the inversions and how they are represented grafically 2	9m 38s

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Musical intervals, how to properly name them (third part)

Minor, augmented and diminished intervals

In the last lesson we learned to recognize the perfect and major intervals. You will surely have heard of many other interval types: minor, augmented and diminished intervals…

In what way can we recognize these types of intervals?

Today we will look at this topic not only in an in depth way but also in a simple one so that you will be able to learn the method of recognizing in any moment all the possible intervals. This will be crucial not only in the study of musical theory but also and mainly in understanding chords and harmony in general.

If you have followed these lessons you will be sure to enter totally (highfive) in the world of harmony! I suggest that to get the most from this lesson , to print the pdf file which you can find attached at the end of the video.

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	42 mins
Intro	1m 26s
1. Above and below major intervals	13m 17s
2. Above and below perfect intervals	11m 00s
3. Practice	10m 58s
4. How to find the specific name for intervals wider than one octave	5m 47s
+ 3 pdf files

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Piano, let’s learn to play a piece (part 5)

How to play a piece using dynamics and slurs

As I mentioned in the presentation of this cycle of lessons, the study of this music piece will allow us to introduce a series of very important new topics for playing the piano. In this final lesson, we will try to make our performance as musical and pleasant as possible. Therefore we should learn to understand all the signs on the music sheet which we saw in the first lesson and be able to apply them to the piano. These new features will help you interpret the piece in an optimal way.

Even few notes played well, with the right attention (to the signs in the sheet music) can be very effective and make a big difference.
However we must not forget that these lessons have also been useful as a method of study for the future and which can be applied to all the pieces that you want to study, even the most difficult ones.

It is for this reason that in the last video I wanted to summarize in a schematic way this really effective study method which pdf you can find at the bottom of this page. After 5 lessons you are now really into the world of piano and the keyboard.

You will see that the journey in front of us will, lesson after lesson be more and more exciting!

Learning material of this lesson

5 videos	45 mins
Intro	5m 15s
1. Introducing the slur	6m 43s
2. How to perform using dynamics	6m 54s
3. How to increase the performance speed and how to make our performance even more musical	11m 51s
4. Detailed explanation of the method of study to be applicable to any piano piece	14m 01s
+ 1 pdf file

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The first essential exercises to learn to compose (part 1)

How to develop your own composing method

Is it really possible to learn how to compose?

Many people believe that it is necessary to have a natural talent to be able to write a beautiful song or any piece of music.
According to my own experience, I can say that you can learn to compose without having the talent of Mozart or John Lennon.

Moreover to learn to compose and wirte music, it is only necessary to develop the natural abilities of the brain which we all have. Obviously there are people who are born with these mental faculties which are very developed. Nevertheless it is also possible for those who do not have a very strong natural talent to develop this capacity through exercise.

My own personal composing method

In today’s lesson we will begin to see the first exercises which will allow us to improve our composing skills. Other than this, I will reveal my own personal composing method which, if you want you will be able to use and start composing.

Important! Please note that the following exercises are not only suitable for beginners but also for those who have experience. I can say for certain that for me these, along with all the rest of composition study, have been essential to leap. They have been crucial in developing all the necessary skills for composing music

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos	40 mins
1. Composing exercises	6m 32s
2. The step by step composing method	12m 27s
3. The 5 benefits of this composing practice	9m 51s
4. How to practice	9m 45s

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