Chord progressions describe the way the order of harmonies can influence the overall sound of a piece of music, and most people don’t know that there are different ways of looking at them. If you’re reading this, you might be aware of traditions founded in functional harmony (if you know anything about Roman numeral analysis, …
The Chopin Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 69 No. 1, is one of his most remembered works. The piece contains both a compelling backstory and haunting musical content. This post provides a brief history of how this waltz came to be a marker of a depressing moment in Chopin’s life and then interpretive performance suggestions …
Chopin Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 69 No. 1: Analysis and Interpretation Read More »
Are you really vibing this Christmas season? Or maybe not, but you want to? Either way, this year I wanted to do something fun to connect with people around the world for Christmas, so I’m running a Christmas Carol Composition Contest. Winners will receive $50, $25, and $10 gift cards to Girl in Blue Music …
Christmas Carol Composition Contest 2021 [Free Activity Download] Read More »
Here’s how to make your chord progressions more interesting. One of the most freeing things you can learn as a musician is how to create your own chord progressions. This knowledge allows you to compose or improvise your own music or to interpret what’s going on in an already-existing piece of music. Of course, to …
How to Make Your Chord Progressions More Interesting Read More »
How to learn a song by ear: do you find it overwhelming or just don’t know how to start? The easiest way to get started is to break the song down into smaller pieces and focus on each one at a time. I am a piano teacher who had to learn to learn music by …
If you’ve ever wanted to play Chopin on the piano or need some advice for his more difficult works, this article is for you. The first 5 points cover some of the techniques you need to master to play Chopin on the piano, and the second 5 points focus on expression, how to take your …
10 Tips to Elegantly Play Chopin on the Piano [With Free ebook] Read More »
I’ve been a busy bee behind the scenes, which means you haven’t seen too many new posts in a while. But now, most of the behind-the-scenes work is done, and I’m excited to share the news with you! Brand New Layout Hope you enjoy the new layout of the site! It should be much easier …
Beethoven’s Opus 119 is a collection of shorter works for piano. The Bagatelle is the first of these and displays his knack for placing entire worlds into mere measures. I could probably write a substantial, scholarly paper on just the last ten measures or so, but this post is meant to give you a broader …
Curiosity can teach you a lot about a field. Our ancestors learned a lot about the stars by watching them, but we continued to progress our knowledge with every generation because every new generation didn’t have to start from scratch. They got to use the knowledge discovered by the astronomers who came before them. While …
The New Year is always a time of celebration, but this year especially so. We’ve journeyed through a really tough year. We’ve lost a lot, but we’ve also grown a lot. I don’t want to diminish our struggles by closing the year with “let’s focus on all the good things that happened.” But I don’t …
