Howcast - Learn how to play the bass part of "Jambalaya" on the accordion from musician / Broadway actress Katrina Yaukey in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn how to play flamenco chords in this flamenco guitar lesson video from Howcast.

Howcast - Learn how to play minor chords in this Howcast video about how to play a pedal steel guitar.

Howcast - Learn how to play major chords in this Howcast video about how to play a pedal steel guitar.

Howcast - Learn how to use the knee levers on a pedal steel guitar in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn how to play sixth chords in this Howcast video about how to play a pedal steel guitar.

Howcast - Learn how to play the blues scale on country guitar from musician Boo Reiners in this Howcast video.

Howcast - Learn how John Popper started playing harmonica in this interview with John Popper himself.

Why do second inversion chords demand special treatment? Starting with an explanation of why root position and first inversion chords are stable in themselves we are introduced to 6/4 5/3 progressions and passing 6/4 chords, as the...

Many people are comfortable working in the harmonic and melodic keys when harmonising a melodic line but feel less assured doing the same in the natural minor. In this music theory lesson we explore which chords are major, which are...

Join us and learn how to harmonize a melody using the natural minor. We start by constructing the scale and the chords in D natural minor, before going on to observe the harmonization of a melody in D natural minor. We consider the...

Dive into the world of futuristic musical instruments where traditional boundaries are redefined. Explore the 3DVarius, an electric violin crafted through 3D printing, and the Dualo, an intuitive synthesizer that makes learning music...

This music composition lesson explores the embellishment of music with non-chord tones/ inessential notes, including a reminder of what are the most common inessential notes. We then consider the implication of using too many non-chord...

Understanding and interpreting your piano music allows you to bring your own unique flair and personality to a piece. Here we investigate this famous Arabesque written by Debussy during his early career and explore the hints of the...

Resolving Neapolitan flat II chords? It's all about chord progression. This music theory lesson explains why the choice of resolution chords are limited, essentially because the chord functions as a pre dominant. We consider matters of...

Here's an idea for writing a sequence based on using a chain of suspensions above a descending scale in the bass line. Descending scales in the bass can be awkward to harmonise satisfactorily without generating parallels. This pattern...

In this music composition lesson we review how to form 7th chords and remind ourselves of the traditional function of standard 7th chord progressions. The video goes on to consider the effectiveness of using 7th chords back to back...

This music composition lesson demonstrates an idea for alternating inversions and an associated melodic pattern above an ascending scale in the bass line. Ascending scales in the bass can be awkward to harmonise satisfactorily without...

Learn how to harmonise a chromatic scale. Starting with harmonising diatonic scales, the video moves on to using secondary dominants then to using chromatic chords and to using chords in a less functional way. This music theory lesson...

Discover three harmonic surprises that occur in Mariah Carey’s famous Christmas hit, “All I want for Christmas is you”. Many song composers find themselves using familiar and predictable chord patterns, and they would love to discover...

An idea for elaborating an upper melodic line over an ascending scale in the bass line. Ascending scales in the bass can be awkward to harmonise satisfactorily without generating parallels. This pattern illustrates one way of handling...

This lesson begins by working through each of the chords in major and minor keys explaining which are major, which are minor and which are augmented or diminished. The video moves on to explore how to hear the difference between major...

Have you ever had the frustrating experience of hearing a musical idea you want to work with as a player or as a composer but have struggled with being able to write it down? This lesson is an exercise in hearing a passage of four part...

See why every musician should become familiar with figured bass. For harpsichordists and organists needing to realise figured bass in performance realising figured bass fluently with style is essential. For others it’s a useful way of...