Introduction: The Chord Identity Crisis Ever played two chords that sounded identical, contained the same notes, but your sheet music or theory book labeled them completely differently? It’s a common head-scratcher, a true musical identity crisis! This often happens with situations like a 6th chord and an inverted 7th chord. Take Bb6 and Gm7/Bb, for […]

Introduction: The Mystery of the Musical Symbol We all know the basics: the little black dots on lines and spaces, the rests that tell us when not to play, the loud and soft signs… it’s the language of music! But then, every now and then, you’re cruising through a piece and BAM! A symbol appears […]

Introduction: Unlocking the Mystery of Grace Notes Have you ever looked at a piece of sheet music and spotted those tiny little notes hovering before a regular-sized one? They look almost like musical confetti, right? Those aren’t typos or notes that shrunk in the wash! They’re called grace notes, and they’re a fantastic way composers […]

Introduction: The Mystery of the Music Page You’re sitting down with a new piece of music, excited to play, and then you see it. A little squiggle, a strange mark, something that looks nothing like a note or a rest you recognize. You stare at it, furrow your brow, and think, “What on earth is […]

Introduction: The Universal Mystery of Weird Notation Ever stared at a piece of sheet music and thought, “What in the world is that?” If you’re a musician, I bet you have! We spend years learning what all those dots, lines, and squiggles mean, because understanding notation is crucial to bringing the music to life. If […]

Introduction: The Frustration with Passive Learning Ah, orchestration! The thrilling, sometimes terrifying, art of taking a melody or idea and making a whole orchestra bring it to life. It’s the dream for many composers, but let’s face it, it can feel overwhelming. You might spend hours poring over textbooks, memorizing instrument ranges, and listening to […]

Introduction: The Perplexing Notation Have you ever been practicing and suddenly paused, staring at your sheet music because you saw something that looked like a total contradiction? I’m talking about those little staccato dots sitting patiently under a big, sweeping slur mark. It looks like the composer is asking you to play notes short and […]

Introduction: The Viral Post That Changed Everything An online discussion recently struck a chord with countless musicians. It centered on the frustrating gap between learning music theory and actually using it to write songs. As a teacher, I hear this *all* the time! Theory often feels like an academic exercise, full of rules and jargon, […]

Introduction: The Dream vs. Reality You spent your undergraduate years diving deep into history, science, or business, but all the while, your heart sang a different tune. You dreamt of composing, performing, or teaching music. Now, bachelor’s degree in hand, you’re wondering: can you pivot directly from that unrelated field straight into a music graduate […]

Introduction: Unpacking a Musical Mystery You pick up a musical score, ready to dive into the music. You expect a clear map: notes, rhythms, dynamics – all laid out perfectly. But sometimes, you find a little puzzle. One such puzzle lies within Oskar Böhme’s fantastic Trumpet Concerto in F minor, Op. 18. It’s a piece […]