MLSD

In future posts on this blog I will be adding lists of composers and performers of importance for drum set/percussion and guitar/bass. I’ll include multiple lists for different styles of music as well.

The first two lists, below, consist of the “classical” genre for guitar. I may revise the lists in the future. I may also use some genre terms loosely (classical, romantic; modern, contemporary) with some composers. Composers are sorted mostly chronologically by period, then alphabetically. Performers are sorted by individuals and by groups, then alphabetically.

Classical Guitar Composers.

Renaissance:
John Dowland (works for lute, transcribed works)
Luis Milan (works for vihuela)
Alonso Mudarra (works for vihuela)
Luis de Narvaez (works for vihuela)

Baroque:
J.S. Bach (transcribed works, such as lute suites, and more)
Gaspar Sanz (works for baroque guitar)
Robert de Visee (works for baroque guitar)
Antonio Vivaldi (works for lute, mandolin, and others, other works transcribed)
Leopold Silvus Weiss (works for lute, transcribed)

Baroque/Classical:
Domenico Scarlatti (transcribed works)

Classical/Romantic:
Dioniso Aguado
Mateo Carcassi
Ferdinando Carulli
Anton Diabelli
Mauro Giuliani
Luigi Legnani
Niccolo Paganini

Romantic:
Isaac Albeniz (transcribed works)
Jan Bobrowicz
Napolean Coste
Jose Ferrer
Enrique Granados (transcribed works)
Antonio Lauro
Agustin Barrios Mangore
Johann Kasper Mertz
Emili Pujol
Guilio Regondi
Joaquin Rodrigo
Fernando Sor
Francisco Tarrega
Federico Moreno Torroba
Heitor Villa-Lobos

Romantic/Modern:
Manuel de Falla (one work for guitar, other works transcribed)
Joaquin Turina

Modern:
Reginald Smith Brindle
Leo Brouwer
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco
John Duarte
Manuel Ponce
Toru Takemitsu
Alexandre Tansman
William Walton
Yukihiro Yoko

Contemporary:
Carlo Domeniconi
Andrew York

Classical Guitar Performers.

Individuals:

Odair Assad
Segio Assad
Carlos Barbosa-Lima
Manuel Barrueco
Dusan Bogdanovic
Liona Boyd
David Brandon
Julian Bream
Eduardo Fernandez
Eliot Fisk
Nicola Hall
Sharon Isbin
William Kanengiser
Alexandre Lagoya
Christopher Parkening
Ida Presti
Manuel Lopez Ramos
Jose Rey de la Torre
Angel Romero
Celedonio Romero
Celin Romero
Pepe Romero
David Russel
Andres Segovia
David Starobin
David Tanenbaum
John Williams
Narcisco Yepes
Andrew York

Ensembles:

Andriaccio & Castellani
The Amsterdam Guitar Trio
The Buffalo Quartet
The Falla Trio
Hill & Wiltchinsky
The L.A. Guitar Quartet
The Omega Quartet
Pearl & Gray
il Trio Italiano

Want to jam?

Let us know on the message board, here’s a direct link to this particular discussion topic:

http://mpec.net/smf/index.php?topic=134.0

If you don’t have a log-in you’ll need to create one.

Jam sessions are open to anybody and everybody. You are welcome to play any instrument of your choice. Previous jams have consisted of a variety of instruments. We’ll go with either 3 or 4 people per jam session. If several people are interested we’ll arrange multiple sessions.

Feel free to call or email if you have any questions, would like to know what the jam sessions might include, or if there is any music that you’d like to jam to.

Jamming is tons of fun! If you’d like to participate let us know on the forums link mentioned above.

Prior to this past Fall, we had jam sessions – same location as lessons – about once a month on Sunday afternoons. We will resume jam sessions this summer if enough students share an interest.

One jam session will consist of 3 to 4 people. It can include any combination of guitar, bass, drum set, percussion, and pretty much anything else if you know how to play any other instruments. Jams are completely optional, they are not a part of lessons, and they are for any students who would like to have fun simply… jamming.

If we schedule these jams, they can occur once a month – at least for the time being, unless students are interested in more frequent jams – and each jam session can last anywhere up to 2 hours. If several students are interested, we can set up multiple jams in one day, each having 3 to 4 people.

Jams can consist of pretty much any music of your choice. Our jams most commonly include basic patterns and progressions, such as the 12-bar blues or a simple 4-chord progression (any style), which are fairly easy to jam to.

We can consider this as a potential day/time: (more…)

A few students have asked about the free lesson bonuses that I am offering. You will find basic information on these free lessons in the “Lessons” section of the Darby Music website (http://darbymusic.com), within the “Rates & Duration” subsection.

The specifics of these bonuses have recently been modified, partially due to a slight increase in the standard lesson rate, and partially due to the need to place a cap on the maximum number of referrals. You could potentially receive several free lessons for only referring a few new students to me. Additionally, a slight decrease in your lesson rate will be applied after reaching the maximum number of referrals.

Here is a more detailed explanation of these modifications: (more…)

The music lessons section of the main Darby Music website has been updated to include an online calendar of available lesson times.

You will find the new page by navigating through these menus on the main site:

“Lessons” > “Scheduling” > “Available Times”

I have also added some extra openings to my teaching schedule. When all of the currently available lesson times are filled up I will see if I can add more times to the schedule.

If you need to schedule make-up lessons or reschedule your normal lessons you may now use the online calendar as a general reference for possible availabilities. You will still need to confirm the day/time with me, as a change may have occurred in the schedule before I have a chance to update the online calendar. (Please try to avoid make-up lessons, rescheduling or canceling lessons by either keeping the normal lesson time or permanently rescheduling the normal lesson time. Thank you!)

I generally post Music Q&A in the MLSD Forums, though recently received a series of questions pertaining to music composition that address similar topics that some students have asked about in music lessons. Although the questioner is addressing “classical” type music, the general ideas of composing music or song writing still apply.

The following questions were asked on another website where I volunteer advice on various categories of music.

Question: (more…)

The DarbyMusic.com website has recently undergone a major revision. You’ll see that the old (and boring) monochrome plain text scheme is no longer in use. I am no guru of website development but managed to put some good use to a content management system (CMS) in restructuring the Darby Music website. I hope that everyone now finds the new darbymusic.com easier to browse through.

Some key updates include: (more…)

The fundamental characteristics of reggae music are pretty simple. Even the most complex compositions or arrangements that include a reggae style will, generally, continue to place emphasis on those pure and simple defining elements.

This entry will focus mostly on reggae as it involves the drumset, though these ideas can also relate to other instruments. There is a direct, often times alternating, relationship between the patterns played within the drums and other instruments (including guitar and bass, among others). If you’re interested in knowing more about reggae specifically for guitar, bass, or percussion, please let me know.

Reggae consists of (more…)

A quick update regarding all of the links that I have provided either in this blog, in the message board (forums), or via individual emails.

Previously, there were a few random links to files (like audio, books, sheet music) that were not working. I recently found out that certain file types, such as PDFs, require different “permissions”, which can be adjusted on the server. The same might be true for compressed files (such as recordings). I went ahead and changed the permissions on all of the downloadable files.

If you were previously unable to download any music files (audio, books, etc.), if you try again, it should work now.

You will normally see information posted in here that can be applied directly to music lessons, including topics like theory, notes, scales, chords, rhythms, songs/pieces of music, practicing, etc.

Every now and then, if I come across something especially interesting I post it, such as last month’s music quotes entry.

I recently came across an image of a very peculiar instrument.

One of these things is not like the other… (more…)

We now have the option of receiving updates via email when the “Music Lessons with Sean Darby” page is updated. I set it up to, by default, automatically send any update, though you can change that by clicking on “Subscribe to Posts” at the top of the main MLSD page.

The information that I provide in these entries consist of any of these categories:

• Announcements
• Bass
• Drumset
• General
• General Music
• Guitar
• Percussion

The updates are usually general enough that they can apply, over all, to the subject (above), yet they can be specific enough that they can apply to what each individual might be (or can be) working on as it pertains to that subject. Or it might (more…)

Before getting into the meat of this entry, I’d like to note that, while the chords discussed in here are geared toward the guitar, the idea of learning the chords discussed are not only essential to the guitar but to all instruments. Although I’ll be placing this entry in the “Guitar” category of this blog, it will include information that can be incorporated into other instruments.

A file containing guitar chords, originally provided in a past entry entitled “A condensed library of guitar chords.“,  has recently received a minor face-lift. All of the same chords are still in the packet, though I have rearranged all of the pages to allow for a more logical and easier chord memorization process. Although the (more…)

When having a jam session, for those in the beginning stages of jamming, perhaps the easiest or most comfortable type of music to jam to is either blues or rock, mostly for the simplistic chord progressions, scales, and rhythm patterns used.

The 12-bar blues is a good example of this.

The guitarist can play just three different chords in the rhythm part and only has to know one scale (pentatonic or blues) for playing a lead part.

The bassist can outline the chord tones in just three chords and also only has to know one scale (pentatonic or blues) for playing a lead part.

The drummer only has to know a swing or shuffle pattern and have a couple fills down, which can be incorporated into playing a lead part.

When you’re comfortable with (more…)

I thought I’d briefly diverge a little from the usual entries I put in here and share some music quotes.

(more…)

One aspect of playing bass guitar that several people tend to overlook when learning how to play the instrument is the use of chords. This includes block chords, broken chords, arpeggios, Alberti bass, and any other applicable means of playing chords, even tone clusters (”cluster chords”).

Before one can effectively learn the chords they should learn all of the notes on the instrument. It would also be very helpful to learn several types of scales (in all 12 keys). It is generally through the process of learning scales that one actually memorizes the notes on the instrument (and on paper). However, without at least memorizing the notes, the process of learning chords could turn into a tedious and frustrating ordeal.

After learning the notes and basic scales, a more common approach to learning chords on (more…)

A few books have been added to the list on the “books” page of this site, including some on bass, on guitar, and some general books that can be applied to any instrument.

You can obtain the necessary information for accessing and logging into the books page in the “Download Music Books” entry.

If you’d like to listen to some music recordings, you will find some here:

http://mpec.net/musiclessons/audio/

If there are any recordings you’d like added let me know. If you have any audio that you’d like added to the list, I’d be glad to upload it. I will put MP3, OGG, or similar compressed audio formats on the page to help save space and provide for faster downloads.

The page requires a username/password.

You can obtain the log-in information after joining the forums and accessing the MLSD section.

There are presently only a few downloadable links in the “audio” page. We’ll see about adding more later, hopefully more styles and genres of music.

Practicing music is an important part of playing an instrument that is often neglected. Here are some paraphrased ideas that I found online on practicing that might come in handy.

The concept of “practice” is not always the same as “playing”. “Practice” can consist of thinking through things in a more methodical way. “Playing” can consist of a kind of thinking that is perhaps somewhat detached from certain thought processes that would occur in practice. Playing the music can include overlooking any of that “nagging self-awareness” that may or may not consume your practice. What you include in your practice, be it very basic or advanced, should eventually mastered. When practicing (rehearsing) with others, you are incorporating more of the concept of “playing”, where you might make mistakes but you keep going regardless. You take note of those mistakes and work on them later in individual “practice”, and the process cycles onto itself, which also helps you improve your ability to listen for certain things within the music.

In practice, you maintain an awareness of the finer details, notes, rhythms, timing, and other elements that help prepare you for playing with others. After practicing, you present those elements with others who are doing the same, all within a playing environment that is non-intimidating and therefore constructive. Jam sessions are great outlets for this.

Practice consists of (more…)

A few slight changes in the blog and forums, or clarification more like…

This blog is open to the general public for reading. Only students will be able to add comments. Only I will be able to add main posts (a recent change). It seems like a more logical function for a blog like this. If you would like to add main posts (not just comments like in here), you are welcome to post new messages in the forums.

The forums are partially open to the general public, though only a generic forum is accessible to visitors and is set up for reading only. Accessing the music sections requires registering. Once you are a registered member you are welcome to read and post in the music categories.

A while back I came across a website that covers some basic music theory. I’ll include the link here to the original source and to alternate versions in case the original page isn’t online.

musictheory.net (by Ricci Adams)

musictheory.net (on mpec.net)

If you are unable to view the animated music examples, try this:

musictheory.net (previous version)

Quick update… Several files on the server (within mpec.net) were in need of moving around. They were previously scattered about in random directories within the site. They’ve recently been reorganized and are now located within directories more specific to music lessons.

Since the files have been moved, some of the links within this blog and the forums had to be updated. If you click on a link – within either this blog or the forums – and it is broken, please let me know and I’ll update it. Thank you!

(Don’t forget to register on the forums so you can access various topics on music and our music lessons!)

If you’d like to take a look at some other music books, you will find some here:

http://mpec.net/musiclessons/books/

The page requires a username/password.

You can obtain the log-in information after joining the forums and accessing the MLSD section.

There are presently only a few downloadable links in the “books” page. We’ll see about adding more later, hopefully for more instruments.

Update on blog features:

Previously, there was not a section in the main page that allowed for easily viewing the most recent comments to posts. I just added one, you should see it off to the left. All of the user accounts were created with fake email addresses, so there currently is not a way to properly receive email notifications of updates, posts, or comments on here unless you log in and change your email address in the account settings. If you would like to change the email address to a working one and are unable to change it, please let me know and I’ll look into it.

And… we’re done transferring old entries over from the old blog to this one.

Below are some images/PDFs of the basic rhythms that we learn early on in music.

The last page can serve as a type of “cheat sheet” for reference in deciphering the counting of the various rhythms throughout the first couple pages. (We can fill in the blanks in the cheat sheet with the actual counting in lessons.)

Here they are… (more…)

The following images/PDFs focus on keeping a beat with the feet and a ride pattern while moving the snare drum notes around throughout the measure. The focus in these exercises is mostly on coordination as it entails changes in the snare, though also helps a little with general syncopation.

Note: you are supposed to repeat each measure a number of times, as a separate pattern. I didn’t put the repeat signs in between each bar, so just play one measure at a time (repeated). When you are comfortable with all of the patterns you can combine them and play straight through each bar.

The main difference between the 2 sets of exercises is the left foot.

In the first set, you can play the ride pattern on the hi-hat.
In the second set, you can play the ride pattern on the ride cymbal and the hi-hat with your foot.

I encourage playing the exercises with a straight-eighth feel and a swing feel.

Here they are… (more…)

The following is an exercise that goes through the C Major scale then all of the intervals that are contained within that scale.

The treble clef version can be played on guitar or any other treble clef instrument.

The bass clef version can be played on bass guitar or any other bass clef instrument.

Here they are… (more…)

The discussion in this post – from the previous MLSD Blog – included some music examples, though I’m omitting them here for the time being. As time allows, I’ll add them back in.

Here’s the discussion… (I’ve modified it to incorporate multiple instruments) (more…)

I’m almost finished with transferring old entries over from the old blog to this one. Just a few more after this and we’ll be back on track.

Below is a basic informal article, emphasis on basic, on the music of India. This has nothing (directly) to do with lessons with anyone but I thought I’d put it in here in case anybody was interested in Indian music.

The title has the prefix “At a Glance” for the simplicity of the content. If you’re interested knowing greater detailed information on the subject, please let me know and I’ll refer you to some helpful resources.

Here’s the article… (more…)

Regarding a more detailed approach towards what should actually be covered each day on the practice routine, without further music lessons, individual research will be required. (more…)

For information that precedes this, refer to:

Making Progress on Drumset (Part 4)

Regarding a more detailed approach towards what should actually be covered each day on the practice routine, we will get to the details in our lessons, after which a routine will fall right into place. (more…)

One thing that will help in the motivation factor of practicing is seeing what the long-term outcome of these goals include. If you follow through with the above sample routine, then after 6 months:

(more…)

For information that precedes this, refer to:

Making Progress on Drumset (Part 3)

Food for thought:

(more…)

Practice Routine (2 Hour Increments per Night)

(If practice is less duration, adjust accordingly.)

(more…)

For information that precedes this, refer to:

Making Progress on Drumset (Part 2)

Sample of two-week goals:

(more…)

Practice

2 basic options:

(more…)

For information that precedes this, refer to:

Making Progress on Drumset (Part 1)

Sample of one-year goals:

(more…)

The Self-Improved Musician:

Practice Routine, Goals, & Motivation for Guitar, Bass, & Pitched Percussion

Here is a very basic outline of various tasks you can practice in order to become a better guitarist, bassist, percussionist, and over all musician. Included is a possible practice routine as it pertains to 6 month and 1 year goals – several details are omitted as they would require lessons.

(more…)

The Self-Improved Musician:

Practice Routine, Goals, & Motivation for Drumset

Establishing a list of goals, both short-term and long-term, will help in accomplishing what you would like to be able to play on the drums. If those goals are well-balanced and include a mix of material that isn’t too easy but isn’t too hard, then it will be easier to maintain motivation. It has to be interesting too. Some of it might not appear to be the most exciting, like slow-motion coordination on drums, but will help tremendously in developing the ability to play well. When practicing, if you get bored, you can always just start jamming, carefree of what sounds come out of your instrument – that’s always a great motivator. Now, on with a method of setting & establishing a practice routine, setting & achieving goals, and final thoughts on what can help motivate one to maintain focus and interest throughout this whole process.

(more…)

A while back I compiled a list of several basic guitar chords and arranged them in an order that would help in memorization.

You can download either the “.doc”, “.rtf”, or access the “.html” file in your web browser to view the chords.

Guitar Chord Library (Condensed) (Microsoft Word document)

Guitar Chord Library (Condensed) (RTF Rich Text Format)

Guitar Chord Library (Condensed) (HTML format)

UPDATE:

The layout of the chords in the variuos formats above might have some odd spacing with an occasional chord showing up on the next page (in the wrong group of chords). It might vary from computer to computer, I’m not sure. To play it safe, I went ahead and converted the file to a PDF, you can view it with Adobe Reader or similar programs.

If you are printing the chords out, you may want to print this version:

Guitar Chord Library (Condensed) (PDF format)

Another update…
Here’s the most recent revision of the file:

Essential Guitar Chords (July 27, 2008 revision)

The main difference in this and previous versions is page order. There is now a more logical arrangement of the chords within this packet, which will help in speeding up the memorization process.

There’s no longer a need to save or print any version prior to the July 27, 2008 file, so I’ll go ahead and write a new blog entry.

The following is a guide I wrote that provides an approach towards improving your abilities on the drumset. It includes a sample practice routine, sample goals (for 6 months and 1 year), and insight on self-motivation.

The file was originally written in OpenOffice, though I saved it in multiple formats:

Practice for Drumset (Microsoft Word document)

Practice for Drumset (RTF Rich Text Format)

Practice for Drumset (HTML format)

I will include the HTML format, split into smaller pieces, in future blog entries.

Here’s an exercise I wrote for bass guitar that incorporates a more musical approach to practicing the instrument. The pattern that occurs throughout is an ascending and then descending line through the major scale, with 2 measures of melodic gestures per scale degree that also outline the triad or basic chord that is based on the scale degree. It is intended to be played both with the normal technique and slap technique.

(more…)

I recently came across some excellent sources of info for drums and the material can really come in handy for almost any age/level on the instrument.

Drumset patterns & counting:
http://www.beatofdrum.com/lessons.php
(and optionally: http://www.beatofdrum.com/guest-lessons.php)

Online learning games for drums:
http://www.flashmusicgames.com/index_drums.html

I recently came across some excellent sources of info for guitar and the material can really come in handy for almost any age/level on the instrument.

Guitar chords, lots of them:
http://guitar.about.com/library/blchordlibrary.htm

Online guitar tuner:
http://www.hohohu.com/music/gtf.swf

Learning games:
http://www.flashmusicgames.com

I came across some a few articles online that talk about how people benefit from learning music. If you are curious about what some research shows, the sources the articles came from are pretty reliable (scholarly). I’ve included the articles in other posts in here.

If you would only guess what some benefits might be, you’d more than likely be right. I wanted to take some wild guesses before reading the articles and see how close I was:

1. Increased intelligence in general.
2. Improved understanding along a spacial capacity.
3. Improved abstract thinking.
4. Improved concrete thinking.
5. Balanced “left-brained” & “right-brained” thinking.
6. Develop creative skills that can apply to any subject.
7. Develop logical skills, which definitely goes hand-in-hand with math/similar.
8. Better academically.
9. Improved self-esteem.
10. Improved discipline.
11. Develop new ways to study (any subject in general).
12. Develop communication & cognitive skills.
13. Comprehension in reading normal literature improved.
14. My #1 guess is really: by playing music one allows the neurotransmitters in their brain to trigger a release of endorphins, which then serve as a natural high or form of serotonin reuptake inhibitor, thus leaving one feeling happy with… life!

(Below is an article from a music organization I’ve been a long-standing member of. It’s a long read but it’s worth the read. The information provided in this article is fact-based and the result of lots of research from several people.)

Source: MENC, The National Association for Music Education,
“Benefits of Music Education” Brochure, Spring 2002

(more…)

(The article below was found on the “about.com” website. If you’re bored or curious give it a read. I found a few other articles on benefits of learning & playing music but ruled some of them out due to what I believed to be unreliable sources. This particular one isn’t the strongest source but it’s a good read. The article from the MENC music organization (I’ll post the MENC article later) is full of tons of facts and research on how we benefit from music.)

Source:
From Espie Estrella, Music Education division of About.com website.

(more…)

If you’d like to add a post or comment but are having difficulty logging in let me know via email or in person.

If you just want to comment on a post click on “Comments (#)” and you’ll see the following somewhere on the next page:

“Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment”

The “logged in” link will take you to the log in screen. You should be able to log in with your first name (that I know you by) and with your name and 1st letter of last name as the pass. Example for John Doe:

Username: john
Password: johnd

You can also click on the “MLSD Blog Login” link in the “Links” section of this page.

If I have not already created an account for you on the MLSD Blog, you can create an account on the MPEC.NET Forums (click on the “register” link on the forums page) and leave a post in the forums asking for an account on the MLSD Blog. Or just click on the register link above.

I recently compiled about 100 pages of drumset material (for beginners) that I’ll be providing for drumset students. It includes the following sections:

• Getting Started
• Basic Rhythms
• Dynamics
• Rudiments
• Rock
• Jazz
• Latin
• Double Bass

I previously assembled a couple other beginner books covering fundamentals and essentials (The ABCs of Guitar and The ABCs of Drumset), geared specifically for use with my students throughout lessons, though this new Drumset Basics package should provide a more well-rounded approach to drumming.

More “out with the old” and “in with the new”. The mpec.net forums are once again online, now new and improved. Once registered you’ll be given access to additional forums and categories. One of the main sections is the “Q & A”, which has several music-related posts.

http://mpec.net/smf/

After going to the main forums page, click on the “Register” link at the top right of the screen to gain access to the main forums.

Welcome to the MLSD blog page.

You are welcome to add comments to any of the entries. If it doesn’t immediately let you add a comment, you might need to log in. Your current log in is your first name, that I know you by, and the pass is your name with the first letter of your last name after it. If it doesn’t work, let me know in lessons. (I disabled comments in this welcome message but you should be able to comment on all other entries.)

Hey there… there’s not a lot to put in here at the moment, though the MLSD blog isn’t new, it’s only been offline for a while. The previous version of this blog had several entries, some incorporated lesson materials or subjects, others were simply music-related blog entries. I’ll look into moving some of the old entries into this new blog for anybody interested.

Everyone is welcome to add their own posts in the blog. Some of the key entries that I added to the previous MLSD blog were:

• Logging In (MLSD is set up so you can log in if you’d like to post/comment.)
• The ABCs (Some books for beginners on the instruments.)
• Benefits of Music Education (A couple articles from other sources.)
• Benefits of Music (Another article.)
• More sources of material for guitar, bass, percussion, & drums.
• A revised “Practice Routine, Goals, & Motivation”.
• Joining MLSD Group (how to).
• At a Glance: The Traditional Music of India.
• Note memorization.
• Scales/Intervals.
• Drumset patterns for coordination/syncopation.
• Rhythms.

When I get the chance I’ll move those over to this blog.