Practice

7 Steps to Practice Joy While Practicing an Instrument

In his 2019 literature review on the study of joy in positive psychology, Matthew Kuan Johnson explains there are four types of joy. Joy can be an emotion, mood, a disposition or trait, or what religious or spiritual practices consider a “spiritual fruit.” As an emotion, joy comes from an external situation; it’s an affective …

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The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart

Book Review: The Art of Practicing by Madeline Bruser

Madeline Bruser, a Juilliard graduate and an authorized instructor of mindfulness meditation brings these two aspects of her life into her book The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart. In this work, she not only covers the physical aspects of playing an instrument in avoiding injury and freeing the body, …

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5 Ways to Avoid Frustration While Practicing an Instrument

Music becomes magical in the moments when it touches our vulnerability, and this can be anywhere: performance, jamming with others, or even on our own in the practice room. But this magic is built upon hours of arduous work, many of which can be frustrating if you’re not used to practicing patience with yourself. Learning …

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Deliberate Practice | Girl in Blue Music

Deliberate Practice

Practicing hours a day can be tedious. And disengaged practice isn’t helpful. Thus, serious musicians all have little tricks to help them stay engaged for so much time. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take breaks when your concentration fades. Breaks can be as simple as standing up and taking a sip …

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It’s All About Timing

A girl with her instrument spread before her: those eighty-eight keys of dark and light that blend to compose melodies in hues of every color seen and unseen. Each day, they meet in their ritual to slow the busy day at its close and get a jump on the next one. Sometimes she wonders why …

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Positivity

Negativity is something we’re all warned against. We’re told to be optimists, to see opportunities where others don’t, but we’re not always taught how. Turns out, it has a lot to do with discipline (something I need to work on). Lately, I’ve been obsessing over many different kinds of Ted Talks. From neuroscience, to music …

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Take Care

You feel the exhaustion dripping from your eyes to create the dark circles underneath them. A new ring appears each morning, but you must press on. You have a goal: get your practice time in. There’s never enough time. You always have more pieces to perfect, and your fingers won’t do what they’re told. They’re …

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5 Popular Chord Progressions and How to Use Them

Start making your own music today with chord progressions from your favorite songs


E G♯ m C♯ m A

1 Progression, 3 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

C♯ m G♯ m B E

1 Progression, 8 Ways3

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

A♯dim C♯m F♯ B

1 Progression, 3 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

A♭ E♭m G♭ D♭

1 Progression, 4 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

C♯ m Bm E A

1 Progression, 3 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

Am Em F C

1 Progression, 8 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.

Am Em F C

1 Progression, 8 Ways

Free

Musescore, Music xml, Midi, and Pdf file types included.